Mickey Compton’s life trends towards disaster, always. When Helena Digby offers him a place to stay in Alouett in exchange for doing odd jobs around her inn, he thinks luck might finally be on his side. Helena’s son, Hugh, has always done what’s best for everyone and it’s worked out well for him. He’s the master’s mate on the naval brig, King’s Glory, and will soon become a sailing master in his own right. Every time King’s Glory anchors, Hugh and Mickey find themselves drawn towards one another, something that is definitely not in Hugh’s plan. While Mickey is busy falling for Hugh, the master’s mate keeps Mickey at arm’s length. All the while, Louisa Digby, Hugh’s sister, is quickly falling in love with Mickey. Nursing a broken heart is so much easier when there’s someone else to fill the void, so when Hugh’s ship sails once again, Mickey uses Louisa as a balm on his heartbreak. When he finds she’s in the family way, he does the only honorable thing he can think of. He marries her and takes a respectable job. A job aboard King’s Glory with Hugh. Hearts are fickle things and fates aren’t done with Mickey, yet. The twists of Mickey’s life never really go as he expects, or hopes, but one thing remains true through it all… Hugh holds the keys to Mickey’s heart. Maybe someday Hugh will forgive Mickey enough to realize it. Maybe. If the troubles that follow Mickey throughout life don’t catch up with him first. CW: violence, violent punishment, hate speech, and cheating spouse.

When the crew of King’s Glory tore their officers apart and renamed their brig Sneaky Lass, more than just rank changed for Hugh Digby. After a lifetime in the Goranese Navy, coming to terms with the piratical turn his life has taken is all the more challenging when his mind and heart stray to his brother-in-law and complicated lover, Mickey, even after Hugh sent him back to Alouett to care for his growing family. The path of Mickey Compton's life has never been smooth, mostly due to his own impulsiveness. Meaning to put all of the disasters with Hugh Digby behind him, he arrives in Alouett, heart set on being a responsible family man, but finds only tragedy and expense once again. Taking the first job he can find, Mickey finds that fates are not done with him, and after a run-in with a pirate fleet, he is left wondering if he would have been better off remaining on Sneaky Lass with the man who occupies his mind, Hugh Digby. As Mickey and Hugh struggle to find footing on their new paths and to reconcile the places each occupies in the heart of the other, they're left to wonder if it's a knot worth untangling at all. Content Warning: This book contains depictions of ruthless piratical violence, substance abuse, bigotry, and alcoholism. It contains off page sexual assault and mentions of suicidal ideation.