The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye

'Packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams' SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea

'Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history . . . a rare and special tale' VAISHNAVI PATEL, author of Kaikeyi

1656, Saint-Domingue. In the dark confines of a cell, a prisoner is waiting. Soon the hangman will call her name. Jacquotte Delahaye. A name which has struck fear into even the mightiest of empires. For Jacquotte is no ordinary prisoner: she is a pirate.

Fierce. Legendary. Deadly.

As the hangman prepares the noose, Jacquotte's story is told, charting her humble origins from the island of Hispaniola to the deck of a fearsome pirate ship. There, against all odds, she swiftly rises through the ranks, travelling across the Caribbean, facing duels across land and sea, and savouring tender moments stolen in the night.

With the sun rising, can Jacquotte fight her way to freedom and find the woman she loves? Or will she die a legend?

Following one of the few purported female pirates to sail the Caribbean in the seventeenth century, this is a sweeping and dazzling tale of adventure and buccaneering - and the forbidden love story that will shape the course of history.

I tore through The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye - packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams -- Sarah Underwood, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea
Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history in The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye. Cameron has crafted a rare and special tale that looks upon the world with realism while leaving the reader with an enduring sense of hope. An absolutely stunning debut -- Vaishnavi Patel, New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi
Unforgettable female characters, breathless adventure and passion a-plenty -- Julie Walker, author of BONNY & READ
A high-stakes, gripping adventure full of heart-pounding duels and bonds that run deeper than blood, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is an engrossing debut. Jacquotte and her determination to chart her own course, rather than follow the path others have set before her, will stay with readers long after the final page -- Lillie Lainoff, author of One for All
Empowering. Uplifting. Illuminating. Cameron brings Jacquotte vividly to life; I was hooked from first to last. A tour de force of storytelling! -- Menna van Praag, author of The Sister’s Grimm series
A beautiful and, at times, gut-wrenching tale of found family, self-discovery, and the true meaning of freedom. Readers will fall in love with Jacquotte as she finds herself and her purpose amid the waves of the Caribbean Sea. Fast-paced, steeped in realism, and brimming with lovable characters -- M. J. Kuhn, internationally bestselling author of Among Thieves
Gritty, exciting, and tender. I loved the novel's focus on queer joy in a rough world! -- Katharine Beutner, author of Killingly
A thrilling, compelling read. A swashbuckling historical treat in all the best ways -- Irenosen Okojie, author of BUTTERFLY FISH
I flew through the pages as if my ability to breath depended on it! ... The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye had everything that I was craving in an action fantasy: kick-ass female pirates, found family, revenge, and sapphic romance. Briony's ability to write captivating stories about complex three-dimensional characters with such depth is brilliant and empowering. This book has stolen my heart! The Debut Digest

Briony Cameron is a queer, disabled writer based in Cardiff. Her father was of Caribbean, Panamanian and Cuban heritage and her mother is of English and Welsh heritage. She studied English and Creative Writing at University, graduating in 2020. She has a keen love of history that began with her first reading of The Three Musketeers as a child. She has been writing since she could pick up a pencil, first emulating the comic books her dad raised her on before moving on to novels. In 2020 her short story The Nantes Affair was longlisted for the Crime Writers' Association's Short Story Competition, and her debut novel was longlisted that same year for the Penguin WriteNow Competition, and in 2021 it was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize. Alongside writing, she is an avid knitter and she loves to play videogames and spend time with her dog, Keanu.

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