The Island King by Gina Giordano

Gina Giordano

Author

The Island King

He once destroyed everything she loved. Now, only he can save her from ruin. Can she forgive, and even love, her enemy? In this dark, immersive tale, the author of STRANGE EDEN returns to colonial Nassau to continue the story of Eliza Sharpe’s volatile marriage to Charles Sharpe. 1792: In the aftermath of her lover Jean’s death, Eliza harbors a secret that threatens to make her fraught situation even worse. She is carrying his child. But when the clairvoyant slave Cleo comes to her aid, the solution holds devastating consequences. Charles, meanwhile, is engaged in his own secret dealings. When he reveals his plans to Eliza, she is forced to do the unthinkable: to reframe the man she’s viewed for so long as an enemy, into an ally, perhaps even a friend. Perhaps more. Events directed by Lord Dunmore’s insatiable greed threaten to destroy their shaky reconciliation. Clandestine political meetings emerge as the other colonists seek an end to the corruption on the island, and they turn to Charles for leadership. But the governor of the Bahamas wants him dead, and he’s hired the perfect man for the deed. Can Eliza forgive the man she once viewed as a monster? Or has the desperation and darkness that lurks within the walls of Pleasant Hall finally driven her to madness?

Reviews

Giordano’s second installment in her Strange Eden series thrusts readers back into the tumultuous regency period of colonial Nassau, diving into Eliza Sharpe’s troubled marriage to the island’s commander, Charles Sharpe. As she grapples with the loss of her illicit lover, Jean, her despair deepens when she discovers she’s pregnant—a child whose future seems grim. Meanwhile, Lord Dunmore’s political intrigues and illicit dealings collide with Charles’s sense of duty and honor, further straining the fragile foundations of his estate and the colony, with potentially devastating consequences.

Giordano weaves a riveting tale deeply embedded in colonial life and subtly laced with the harsh realities of slavery, nimbly portraying colonialism and the imperial enterprise’s many contradictions, often through probing questions. Her nuanced descriptions and skillful integration of surrealism, particularly through the otherworldly mystique of dream sequences, add a haunting layer to the narrative. The oracle Cleo, a central figure, guides both Charles and Eliza through their respective dilemmas and premonitions, and, as the story delves deep into Eliza’s psyche, readers will also be drawn into her slow descent into madness, captured here in vivid detail.

At its core, The Island King is a tale of two individuals haunted by their pasts, grappling with the guilt that shadows them. Themes of honor and betrayal permeate, fueling the dilemmas they face, and Giordano deftly captures Eliza’s emotional transformation as her feelings for Charles shift from intense hatred and disgust to care and affinity. The saga unfolds gradually, with inner monologues that occasionally drift away, but the rich, period-appropriate details firmly ground the story in its sociocultural context. The looming threat of the governor and Captain Bruin escalate the tension, injecting much-needed pace into the narrative's second half, and Giordano ends the novel on a cliffhanger that will leave readers eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Takeaway: Regency-era historical fiction blending surrealism with harsh reality.

Comparable Titles: Amita Murray’s The Marleigh Sisters series, Natasha Boyd’s The Indigo Girl.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: NA
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

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