From vvb32 Reads, May 14, 2011

written by Aimee Kay

Swashbuckling heroes, pirate ships on beautiful seas, evil witches, ipods….Wait, ipods?!? K, that part took a minute to get used to. But trust me it all works and makes sense.

The world Emily Pawes finds herself in isn’t quite like the Caribbean from her own world’s past. Here magic and modern day, and even beyond, converge with surprising results.

In The Kraken’s Mirror Emily is swept through a magic mirror into an alternate 1697 and to the enchanted island of Tortuga. Little does she know that her falling through the portal is no accident. She was brought by THE Kraken to help defeat Glacious and release Captain Alan Silvestri from the curse that has held him for over forty years. But this trip through the looking glass is also an opportunity for Emily to restart a life that she thought was over.

I really got into this story. Emily is no shrinking young thing with no life experience, however she is far from perfect. She has lived her life in our reality. Her self image and worth are shaped by present day perceptions of beauty based on youth and the opinion that life ends after a certain age. And that once you have reached said age you are simply to wait for actual death to take place. In this alternate time she is given the chance to see herself as more than just a number, and to also another chance at love. Alan see’s Emily as his chance to break a curse he has suffered with for most of his life, but he also sees her as so much more. I love the relationship between Alan and Emily. I really felt I got to know both of them, which isn’t surprising since this is their story. The descriptions of the beautiful Caribbean and the islands of Tortuga itself, as well as the ships and surrounding islands really drew me in.

If I must find any flaw it is that there are other characters I wish I could have gotten to know as well. However, the good news is there are more tales from the Krakens Carribean in the works.

Just head to Maureen’s website to check it out.

The author herself also won me over. She was kind enough to do a mini interview with me when she found out I was doing a review of her book. Not all the questions relate to The Krakens Mirror, but I am always interested in what is in an authors head wether it relates to a currant book I’m reading or not. So I hope you find my questions entertaining, and Maureen is a wonderful person so if you think of any that you would like answered please feel free to post them and I will try my best to get her to answer them.

Thank you again Maureen for letting me pester you and eat up your time, and thank you for The Krakens Mirror. Love and life are possible no matter what your age or circumstances.

From The Romance Studio, May 11, 2011

Captain Alan Silvestri is haunted by a strange curse. Good luck is his to command, but it comes at the cost of any place to call home or people to reckon as family. Emily Pawes is a widow ready to move on with her life. She attends a pirate festival in remembrance of having attended with her husband when they were young. She wins an interesting mirror at a stand in which she sees a dashing, Hollywood like pirate. The frame of the mirror is a kraken and sends her through a portal to another time and place.

I wasn’t sure I was going to like this one, with time travel and all, but I enjoyed it immensely. I liked the fact that Emily was a fifty something year old woman and Alan was an almost sixty five year old pirate. They were not old and doddering. They were really great! She joins a pirate ship belonging to the girlfriend of Capt. Alan’s ‘nemesis’ Mick and enjoys learning the pirate life. She has been dreaming of Alan since she saw him in the mirror not knowing who he was or what his story was. He is shocked to be dreaming of a woman he’s never seen before and is determined to find her.

Basically, he thinks she is the key to breaking his curse. The two have incredible chemistry that leads to really hot sex, then love-making. I was a particular fan of the Krakens’. They were pretty awesome. All of the human supporting characters were well written and well thought out. It’s not easy writing a time travel story and being able to have everything mesh as well as Ms. Betita was able to do. I couldn’t put it down! It was surprisingly romantic, very sensual and the love scenes were delicious.

Overall rating: 5 hearts
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Teresa T.
May 11, 2011

From Paperback Dolls, March 29, 2011

Tired of young, innocent heroines who end up with equally young, perfect men? Well then, here’s a story by Maureen O. Betita that’s sure to please you.Emily Pawes is over fifty and widowed. Feeling over-the-hill and out of sync with today’s culture, Emily goes to the local pirate festival and wins a strange looking mirror that transports her back in time. At first, she thinks she’s dreaming, but eventually learns it’s no dream – she’s really a crewmember on a pirate ship.Captain Silvestri isn’t a young man, but he’s handsome and wears his maturity well. Together, the captain and the widow discover that life doesn’t end at fifty and sometimes you just gotta have faith that everything will work out right.

I never figured pirate stories would interest me, but this one changed my mind. In her inaugural book, Ms Betita has combined time travel with lots of action, magic, and a healthy dose of erotica to craft a steamy, entertaining tale.

It’s refreshing to read about people of a certain age who manage to find love and romance. Contrary to what younger generations think, men and women over the age of forty do have sex, and I imagine twenty-somethings everywhere will also be shocked to discover that sex after the age of forty can be very liberating and creative. Don’t believe me? Just read The Kraken’s Mirror and you’ll soon agree. It’s available now in e-book and print.

Mona Leigh