She's 36, a mom of one, and her life is about as exciting as the artisanal cat litter she markets for a living... until she decides to become a pirate.
Anne Devereaux is adrift. One year post-divorce, stuck in a soul-crushing marketing job in sunny Tampa, Florida, she's failing spectacularly at modern app-based dating and generally feeling like she's walking the plank of mid-life mediocrity. Her only real adventure? Navigating her pirate-obsessed eight-year-old son, Max, through the treacherous waters of third grade.
But when a disastrous sailboat date (the guy was a barnacle, but the
sailing
? That was treasure) and a bizarre confession from her mom support group-about the thrilling little secret of "innocuous" shoplifting from "The Man"-plant a wildly outlandish seed, Anne's life is about to get a serious jolt of oomph.
Inspired by Max, her own seafaring ancestry, and a desperate need for
something more
, Anne trades her spreadsheets for a sailboat (dubbed "The Second Chance"), her sensible cardigans for a cheap eye patch and a surprisingly empowering bikini, and her mundane existence for a hilariously thrilling new career: becoming Tampa Bay's most unlikely Pirate Queen.
Armed with a gifted ceremonial sword, a crew of supportive (if bewildered) gal pals, a salty seadog mentor, and eventually, a (surprisingly functional) antique cannon bought off eBay, Anne begins a laugh-out-loud campaign of petty plunder. Her targets? The obnoxious, entitled elite of the Tampa/Clearwater yachting scene. Her loot? Mostly their dignity, a few tacky deck ornaments (hello, giant inflatable flamingo!), and some very expensive, "liberated" craft beer and cheese.
But as "Captain Annie's" local legend grows (#TampaPirateQueen is trending!), keeping her swashbuckling alter ego a secret from her observant son, her suspicious ex-husband, and a charming new marine biologist who
definitely
wouldn't understand her preferred method of "resource acquisition" becomes a whole new adventure.
Can Anne navigate the choppy waters of single motherhood, find love, make peace with her past, and learn to love herself, all while trying to remember where she buried that hideous abstract sculpture she "rescued"?
If you love laugh-out-loud stories about strong women taking the helm of their own lives, second chances that come with a side of minor larceny, and finding adventure (and yourself) in the most unexpected of coves, then climb aboard for "Anne, 36, Mom of 1, Pirate Queen"! It's a feel-good, whimsical romp that proves it's never too late to hoist the mainsail on a new life... even if you have to "borrow" the anchor.