

Title: Pirate Dave and the Captain’s Ghost
Author: Toni L. P. Kelner
In: An Apple for the Creature (Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Urban fantasy, Vampires, Werewolves
Dates read: 13th July 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Ace Books
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: “It’s his own hellish actions – “


She’s on a werewolf retreat having a wow of a time. Until a ghost decides that he takes exception to her love life. And suddenly her retreat makes her want to go into retreat…

This story was nothing like what I expected from the title. I was expecting a pirate ghost story and had absolutely no idea how a schooling would tie into this. After all, it is the concluding story for a collection of urban fantasies which feature teachers and school. I was not expecting a story about a werewolf and vampire in a relationship. Who own a pirate-themed water park and who were getting haunted…
I seem to be finding more and more books / series with a vampire-werewolf mating. I don’t find many that really investigate the reactions to this interracial relationship. It’s something that people in real life have to go through, dealing with the prejudices against their other half. I like that this was the original driver for the conflict in the story. Everything was going fine until one person (ghost) with a prejudice against vampires manages to make everyone so awkward and uncomfortable that she is then left alone. Completely.
The interconnectedness of this story and the twist at the end were really fun. I finished this story with a huge grin on my face and the desire to see if this is part of a greater series. I also loved that it ended up with a ghost becoming friends with a werewolf and helping them create a haunted ship.
3 thoughts on “Pirate Dave and the Captain’s Ghost by Toni L. P. Kelner”