⚓ TS&TH ⚓

A blog to catalogue the progress of The Seal and The Heart, an erotic historical fiction novel based in the Golden Age of Piracy. Illustration: "Pirate's Treasure" by Tatyana Kupriyanova

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The Seal & The Heart

18+ · Slow Burn · Rivalry, desire, and ruin

Charles Hart was shaped by the Navy—Duncan Kincaid was shaped by the Highlands. Across the Caribbean, their names travel faster than their ships, spoken with the kind of respect reserved for men who survive what others don’t. They should have remained silhouettes on opposite horizons.

Instead, a chance meeting in Nassau becomes a wager. A wager becomes a race. And a race becomes the first fracture in something neither man can control.

Hart wins the prize. Kincaid takes the loss personally. From then on, every port, every chase, every fight drags them closer. A slow burn carved out of salt, blood, and longing.

Their rivalry curdles into obsession, and obsession into something that has no place in the 18th century. And the world does what the world always did to men like them.

A queer historical fiction that drags the undocumented corners of the Golden Age of Piracy back into the light, with the crude honesty they deserve.

"Pirate's Treasure" by Tatyana Kupriyanova

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Did you know...

♥ Contrary to popular belief, pirates sometimes formed formal partnerships called matelotage, a life-long union between two men.

Two men would pool their money, share property, and name each other as heirs. At least one written contract from 1699 still survives.

On Tortuga, where women were scarce, these partnerships were common enough to become a defining feature of buccaneer life.

Meanwhile, back in the Royal Navy, same‑sex intimacy was punished with immediate execution. Lesser forms of intimacy were treated as disgraceful scandals that could ruin a man’s career and reputation.

Gerard Terborch, [...] A Soldier Blowing Smoke [...]

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Did you know...

✂ Contrary to popular belief, pirate ships were some of the most racially and nationally mixed crews of the 18th century.

Freed and escaped enslaved people, Indigenous sailors, deserters from half a dozen navies, all serving side by side.

One sole objective: survival.

For a lot of these men, a pirate ship offered more equal footing than anywhere else available to them at the time.

Arthur McCormick, On The Deck

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Looking for Beta Readers 🏴‍☠️⚓

Golden Age of Piracy | Rivals to Lovers | Slow Burn | Explicit | Tragedy

The Seal & The Heart

The manuscript is fully drafted (21 chapters) and currently in editing.

I'm trimming the excess and tightening things up as I go. I'd love a few outside eyes on select chapters before I go further, especially now that Charles and Duncan are starting to make their way onto this blog.

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What I'm looking for:

– readers who enjoy slow burn and don't mind waiting for the payoff – comfortable with explicit (18+) content and a tragic ending — this isn't a spoiler warning so much as an honest heads-up, since I know that's not everyone's thing. – feedback on pacing, voice, and whether the rivalry-to-tension shift is landing, but line-edits/grammar are always appreciated, though not a must.

What sharing looks like:

– select chapters, not the full manuscript at once. – happy to share more as trust builds and as I get further in edits – no pressure for a formal write-up — even "this dragged" or "I didn't buy this moment" is genuinely useful – I’m not interested in paid services

If you're interested, reblog this, drop an ask, or send a message and tell me a bit about what you like to read! doesn't need to be pirate-specific, just helps me get a sense of who's asking <3

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Charles Hart a.k.a Captain Hart

Captain of The Heart - warmth must be earned.

Navy trained, dry-witted, collected, astute and ruthless.

Born in Bristol, England. Joined the Royal Navy at ten, rose to commander by twenty-eight, until the Admiralty left his men to starve on a reef, there he learnt exactly what the Crown's word was worth.

Now captain of The Heart, deserted the service that made him, stole and sold the sloop Meridian to buy his way out. Runs his crew on rigor, not charisma.

Fun fact: Smokes a pipe, often interpreted as a "do not disturb" sign.

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Duncan Kincaid a.k.a Donny Caidey

Captain of The Seal - loyal in ways he'd never admit.

Cocky, competitive, magnetic, restless and reckless.

Born in the Scottish Highlands, gaelic tongue, Scots English teeth. Lost his language young. Lost his home even younger, ran away to sea with nothing but a hand-carved dirk at the age of 13.

Now captain of The Seal, one of the most capable and feared brigantines upon the high seas. Named after the dog he left behind in Inverness, quick, smart, strong, just like his ship.

Fun fact: Carries his dirk concealed within the sailcloth wrap in his left wrist.

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“You still owe me a ship.” Duncan huffed something that might’ve been a laugh. “Put it on my tab.” Charles almost smiles. “Always did.”

The Seal & The Heart

Golden Age of Piracy | Rivals to Lovers | Slowburn | Historical Fiction | Tragedy (+18)

⚓ what to expect:

– historically grounded golden age of piracy (naval battle, ships, etc.) – a very slow burn rivalry that turns into something worse – tension + character driven x1000 – no happy ending (this is the 18th century; happiness was a privilege)

🖋️ status: complete draft, currently editing.

📌 looking for: beta readers, other writers, anyone who enjoys character-driven tragedy :)