The Legend of Blackshore
Blackshore, Nova Scotia, is known for its pirate history and urban legends. Children vanish. And every spring + summer, legend says a pirate rises from the caves to collect his due.
Autumn Quinn never believed in the towns folklore—until the spring of 1997, when she was taken.
She came back alive. But she came back marked. Something crawled out of the dark with her.
Now Autumn and her friends are trapped in Blackshore’s oldest nightmare, hunted by a presence that wears a pirate’s face and burrows into their minds.
And for Jesse Ryder, Autumn's boyfriend, the voice is merciless: kill her friends, or watch her die.
Set in the summer of 1997, The Legend of Blackshore is a coming-of-age romantic thriller filled with haunted coastlines, cursed caves, and the kind of first love that leaves a scar.
Content Warnings: Death • Suicide/Suicidal Ideation • Bullying • Child Death • At Home Traumas
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Reader Reviews
11 ratings
Kerri D.
I never thought I would enjoy a pirate book as much as I enjoyed this one. It is full of action and scary bits and love and it completely sucks you in. The lore is so well written and fleshed out, that I had to double check that this wasn't based on some REAL legend.
A really fantastic read! I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
McAlister S.
Where to begin? I was granted a copy of this novel by the author. I love a good spooky story and was excited to dive in. This novel far exceeded my expectations. The five main characters were funny and so relatable. We all had a friend like one of them in high school. The book gave IT vibes in all the best ways. The town of Blackshore is haunted or cursed, heck maybe even both. Every summer, children disappear. Stories of an evil pirate captain are common knowledge, and the high school even teaches a class about the folklore, missing children, and theories.
When Autumn disappears, her boyfriend Jesse and bandmates Jamie, Tanner, Noah, and Felix are desperate to find her. For days, she is trapped in the bowels of the caves, living through hell, and even when free, life doesn't go back to normal. Once the tide calls your name, that is it. All are seeing and hearing things that aren't there. Friendships are tested, relationships are put to the test, and not everyone may get a happy ending. I, for one, can not wait to dive back into Blackshore, but I won't be answering back if I hear the tide call my name.
This book is perfect for lovers of horror and ghost stories!
GISELA M.
This book was given to me as an ARC via Inside Story and Author here is my voluntarily review.
4.2⭐️ The Legend of Blackshore was such a creepy and atmospheric read! I loved the mix of mystery, supernatural elements, pirate legends, friendship, and romance. Blackshore had this dark, eerie feeling that made me feel like something was always hiding around the corner. I really enjoyed Autumn and Jesse and the emotional side of their story. There were moments that gave me chills and others that completely pulled at my heart. I also loved the 90s setting it gave the story such a nostalgic feel. Definitely recommend will continue reading 📖 her books 📚.
Angela M.
4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this! This is told through 3 POVs. I enjoyed the different perspectives. Our FMC is Autumn who just moved back to the area. I really enjoyed her character. All the characters were fleshed out pretty well and were interesting to read about. The story has missing children, myths, pirates, ghosts. I thought it was done really well and can't wait for book 2!
Claire M.
The Legend of Blackshore was a good read, with a storyline that gave me real Stephen King “IT” vibes that blend of small town mystery, creeping tension, and childhood trauma resurfacing.
The part that stayed with me most was Jamie’s relationship with his mother. It had real emotional weight, and the reveal around their dynamic genuinely shocked me. I actually found myself wanting more depth and more time spent exploring that storyline , because it was one of the strongest elements in the book.
Overall, a good read with atmosphere and intrigue I just would have loved the emotional threads to be pulled even tighter and more development with the characters and their bond.
Tracy W.
100% would recommend this book. This book was so intense, I loved it so much. Definite
> The Goonies vibe. Haven’t watched much of stranger things yet but it’s on my list to Watch.
Liz M.
Some stories feel like a whispered legend passed around a bonfire-and The Legend of Blackshore is exactly that kind of book. Set in the sticky, sun-soaked summer of 1997, this haunting coming-of-age romantic thriller pulls you straight into a seaside town where folklore isn't just history... it's hungry.
Blackshore, Nova Scotia, drips with atmosphere. Pirate lore, cursed caves, and disappearing children create a slow, creeping dread that never lets up. Autumn Quinn is a compelling, wounded heroine-taken once by the legend and returned changed. What follows is a chilling unraveling as something ancient and cruel stalks her and her friends, burrowing into their minds and feeding on fear.
The emotional core is what truly elevates this story.
Autumn and Jesse's first love feels painfully real-tender, messy, and desperate. Jesse's torment is especially brutal, with a voice that forces him to choose between loyalty and survival. The psychological tension is relentless, and the stakes feel devastatingly personal.
Moody, terrifying, and achingly nostalgic, The Legend of Blackshore blends folklore horror with romance in a way that leaves a mark—much like the legend itself. This is a story about love, sacrifice, and the monsters that follow us out of the dark. Unforgettable and deeply unsettling, it's a five-star read that will linger long after the final page.
Lauren T.
This was an easy 5 stars! A thriller with romance. Town legends, ghost hunting, pirates and friendships. It was a great story. Gave off Goonies/it vibes. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.
Cheyenne Joy .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ARC Review
Legend of the Blackshore by Tamara Rector
First of all—Tamara, thank you. Truly. For trusting me with this book and for dropping me into a world that didn’t just invite me in, but locked the door behind me and whispered “you’re not leaving yet.” I didn’t want to leave. Still don’t.
Now listen. I don’t usually read books like this anymore. I used to. Back when Stephen King and Dean Koontz wrecked my childhood in the best possible way. Somewhere along the road, I drifted. And then this book came along and went, “Hey. Remember fear? Remember wonder? Remember that punch-in-the-gut feeling?”
Yeah. That.
This story doesn’t creep in politely. It kicks the door down. Page one—bam—I was there. Standing next to the boys. Jesse. Nathan. Feeling the weight of friendship, the recklessness of being young, the kind of loyalty that feels unbreakable until life tests it with fire.
And then there’s Autumn. Of course there is. The girl. The kind everyone gravitates toward. Brave, beautiful, talented, loved. The kind of girl you pretend not to envy but absolutely do. I know I did. Who wouldn’t want to be her? Or at least be near her light.
This book is dark. Not “look how edgy I am” dark—but honest dark. Children, murder, mayhem, chaos, fear, secrets that rot if left buried. Friendship that both saves and destroys. It’s messy. It’s intense. It’s uncomfortable in the exact way it should be.
And somehow—because Tamara clearly enjoys emotional damage—it also carries magic. A message in a bottle. A pirate. Suspense coiled tight like a held breath. That eerie sense that something is wrong, has always been wrong, and now you’re finally old enough to see it.
When a book becomes hard to say goodbye to, when you feel that quiet, hollow “oh… it’s over” moment—you know it earned its stars.
So yes.
Five stars.
Five majestic, well-earned stars.
Because this story doesn’t just stay with you—it haunts you a little. And honestly? I like my books that way.
Rachel B.
Nikita B.
The Legend of Blackshore is book 1 in The Blackshore Trilogy series. This was a fantastic beginning to the series.
Autumn moves to Blackshore, a town known for pirate history, lores, and legends. It's said that this is a place where children vanish. Autumn learns whether this is all urban legend or truth when she is taken in spring of 1997. What she encounters in the cave is something dark, something that seems to have a plan. It injures her, but leaves her alive as part of the plan because the real target isn't Autumn. It's her boyfriend Jesse. Once Autumn is rescued and pulled out of the car, they realize, she isn't the only thing that returned from the darkness. Jesse hears the voice and what it wants. It's relentless and doesn't stop trying. It wants Jesse to kill his friends. if he doesn't, Autumn will pay the price.
The story was pretty captivating to be honest. I loved the whole spooky, pirate vibes. The pacing is consistent throughout the story, leaving you flying through the pages.
I thought Autumn was a pretty strong, brave, wise character. After everything she went through, she never backed down in the face of danger. I loved that about her. She's also very daring. The things that her and Jesse did, out in the open with no worries about being seen... I wasn't that daring at that age, so more power to her!
I think this was a great beginning to the series. I can't wait to get into the next book in the series.