SPFBO Champions: Where Loyalties Lie by Rob J. Hayes

Welcome to the SPFBO Champions’ League! As you know, this is a special edition where we try to find out who will be the ultimate Champion among the last 10 SPFBO winners. Check out our SPFBO Chamopions’ League page for more info! SPFBO Champions’ League ends on December 20th, and we’ll post our reviews every 3 weeks or so.

Our 4th SPFBO Champion review is for Where Loyalties Lie by Rob J. Hayes, the winner of SPFBO 3. The reviews within a post will be in alphabetical order.

A quick reminder about how we are proceeding in this edition: our judges had the freedom to opt out of reading any of the books due to personal interest, time restrictions, unforeseen life events, etc. Our aim is to have at least 4 reviews/scores for each Champion.

Once again, we’ll have a DNF rule in place: if a judge reads a book (if they didn’t opt out beforehand), they have to read at least 25% of it, although encouraged to read at least 50% since we are talking about champions. At whichever point they DNF, they’ll have to write a review and put a score in our spreadsheet.

As per the new rules for the SPFBO Champions’ Editidon, there aren’t going to be any public scores, but we’ll have them to help us decide the ranking. However, they won’t be shared anywhere. We will also have a mixed set of old and new reviews, meaning that if any of us reviewed a book before, we can reuse that review. Therefore, we’ll mark our reviews at the beginning as old or new.

For Where Loyalties Lie, we have 4 reviews for your reading pleasure.

So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at our 4th Champion!

Table of Contents

• About the Book
• Book Blurb
• Reviews
  • Arina
  • Drew
  • Filip
  • Timy

Everybody knows Captain Drake Morass is only out for himself.

As the fires of a dying city burn on a distant shore, Drake sees an opportunity to unite the other pirate Captains under his flag and claim a crown for himself. If he is to succeed, he will need allies and the Oracle named Keelin Stillwater, the best swordsman in the isles, as his right hand.

With enemy ships sailing his waters and setting fire to his cities, and the sinister Tanner Black threatening to steal the throne before Drake even has a chance to sit upon it, Drake Morass must somehow convince the other Captains that his best interests are also theirs.

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in the Best Laid Plans duology and is set in the same world as The Ties That Bind trilogy, continuing Captain Drake Morass’ story where the trilogy left off.

Arina

Read: 100%
Review: New

I went into Where Loyalties Lie with the highest of expectations, for no other reason than that Rob J. Hayes’ Along the Razor’s Edge had given me a layered world, and I was eager for another tightly constructed story led by a flawed, morally gray main character with a compelling worldview, depth and believable (if frustrating) motivations. Unfortunately, Where Loyalties Lie is an entirely different book from my first foray into the author’s work.

The book promises high-seas intrigue, unwilling pirate alliances, and the political manoeuvrings of captains vying for dominance, with one legendary anti-hero ultimately rising above them all. 

Drake Morass, a pirate of implied legendary charisma, plans to unite rival captains under one banner to face the most hated threat of all— the government. Honestly, I was hooked by that setup alone, but the execution often feels hollow. Big plot points—alliances forming, rivalries flaring, romances blooming—happen not because characters work towards them, but because the narrative so declares. Events often resolve through convenience rather than cleverness, leaving the stakes feeling oddly deflated, and character construction seems to have already happened offshore.

Drake is constantly described as charming, irresistible, and a born leader—but we never see the actions that earn him that reputation. He survives dangerous situations less through skill or wit and more through pure luck (in one scene, a stray plank knocks out an enemy at just the right moment, and I was reminded of Annie Wilke’s infamous rant about fairness vs realism). Stillwater, billed as “the best swordsman in the isles”, wins a pivotal duel in one anticlimactic pommel strike against a man twice his size, whom we’re later shown hanging another man with his bare hands.

There are roughly three main female characters, Beck, Elaina and Aimi, and they all share a strange thread among them, which feels less like a singularly tragic arc and more like part of a pattern where the three women’s ambitions are ultimately tied to a desire for male approval. This made the “romance” elements feel less complex and more like a need for every man to conquer his prize.

There’s a strong sense that character development has been fleshed out in the other books tied to this duology; you’re told Drake is great and Stillwater is formidable, but you rarely get the slow-burn buildup or immersive description that would make you believe and experience it. Characters’ actions, key traits—charisma, skill, leadership—feel more stated than built.

Now, I admit this may be an unfair assessment, as I haven’t read “The Ties That Bind” trilogy, but from Where Loyalties Lie alone, I wouldn’t agree with the statement that “Best Laid Plans” be read as a standalone. I concluded that if you’ve read Hayes‘ earlier works, you might fill in the blanks and enjoy this more.

Still, the worldbuilding shines through, as Hayes has a talent for the wicked and the fun, wrapping it in a little package of fascinating. You get the sense that the world extends well beyond the page, with hints of histories, rivalries, and cultures, of close-by empires that could (and have) easily fuel another dozen stories. Even when the characters frustrated me, the setting kept me anchored, and I was floored by the author’s imagination. 

Especially by the pet centipede— an enormous, many-legged companion that slinks across the deck like it owns the place. It’s one of those quirky, memorable details that makes the world feel stranger and more vibrant, and it stole every scene it appeared in. It was very cute and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. In a way, Where Loyalties Lie proves how much Hayes has evolved as a writer, and it only spurs me to read more of his other work.

Drew

Read: 100%
Review: new

The various enclaves of the Pirate Isles are under threat. One of the main townships has already been destroyed, and there are rumours that a new warship has been dispatched to eliminate them, once and for all.  

Drake Morass, a character from the author’s previous series, The Ties That Bind, is the primary protagonist of Where Loyalties Lie. His main ambition throughout the novel is to bring the various people of the Pirate Isles together, provided they agree to make him king, of course. A charming but ruthless schemer, his manipulative ways make it difficult to even consider him as an anti-hero. 

Since Morass is an already established character, there are numerous hints of his history and connections throughout this book. While it’s not necessary to have read those before this book, I daresay it will help give context to some of the more oblique references to the world beyond the Pirate Isles and particularly the character of his guardian/love interest Arbiter Bek and her abilities. 

I found the secondary character of Keelin Stillwater to be a bit easier to relate to. A conflicted man who embraces the freedom of the pirate lifestyle but who, as seen from the very first chapter, more often than not tries to avoid bloodshed as much as possible, even when potentially fighting a duel to the death. 

His storyline is the more straightforward of the two, even a touch formulaic in comparison, possibly because he has less backstory to cover. Drawn into Morass’ plans, almost against his will, he ultimately sees the need for them to put their differences aside in the face of the threat. 

Another interesting aspect I found about Stillwater, is his relationship with Elaina Black. Having grown up together before becoming lovers, they strike sparks off each other whenever they’re together, despite the disapproval of her father, the most feared pirate in the region. Both of them are flawed in their own ways, and they’re not ‘good’ individuals, but I feel that they’re closer to it than Morass. 

One of the things that I particularly liked in this book was the way the chapters were broken out. Rather than by character, they are separated by ship, which does come in handy when some of the lesser characters get a chapter to themselves.  

There is a lot to enjoy about Where Loyalties Lie: sword fights, ship-to-ship battles, heavy drinking; all the things you might expect from a grimdark pirate novel. However, it also drags a bit in places, and, as mentioned earlier, some of the subplots are fairly predictable. It won’t be for everyone, but for the most part, I did enjoy it.

Filip

Read: 100%
Review: new

I have a soft spot for the writing and worlds of Rob J. Hayes but Where Loyalties Lie is that rare exception I fear. This novel, the first in the Best Laid Plans duology, tells the interweaving stories of Captains Drake Morass and Keelin Stillwater. One is possessed by the ambition to lead a hundred pirate captains into an age of prosperity against a world that’s had enough of their raiding, looting, and philosophy of freedom at the expense of others (namely merchants and nation-states). The other, Stillwater, a pirate loath to kill, wishes to go on the hunt for a famed ancient treasure that promises to make him and his crew annoyingly, unfathomably rich! 

Not relating to characters is no issue that should keep a reader engaged with a story, and though none of them spoke to me, I was curious enough to begin with that I ventured into the story with an open mind. Unfortunately, the narrative never quite clicked. A few side characters interested and/or entertained me–namely arbiter Beck, sent to shadow Captain Morass by his secretive connection in a powerful religious organization; Morass’ first mate, Princess, was an entertaining pirate. Stillwater’s storyline felt more by the numbers in some ways–the internal opposition from his crew in particular read as trite, a thing foreshadowed and a conflict so familiar in it shape that I was at times seriously tempted to tune out. That feeling never entirely went away, and I found that I didn’t particularly care for the goals driving either of the novel’s leads: a terribly unfortunate position to be in with a book I hoped I’d enjoy as much as I’ve enjoyed everything else by the author.  

As I listened to the audiobook version of this novel, I would be amiss to mention that this is one of the worse audio-engineered novels I’ve heard on one specific criterion: repetitions. Further, while I understand that the author has updated the ebook to remove certain scenes that show graphic descriptions of rape and its aftermath, these scenes are still present in the audiobook – fellow audiobook listeners, be warned.

Where Loyalties Lie is a perfectly serviceable nautical fantasy, but none of its elements ultimately stood out to me. Its charming pirate captains failed to sufficiently charm me; their  

This, unfortunately, might be a case of misalignment between novel and reader – ultimately, I don’t think I’m part of Where Loyalties Lie‘s target audience. I think if you enjoy novels of a slightly darker fantastic tone, with lots of piratical elements made explicit: the fucking, the fighting, the backstabbing and self-interest. Or if you had a love for classic nautical adventures but are looking for a fantastic bent to the old formula, this work might well be worth exploring. I’m sorry to say, it didn’t quite agree with me.

Timy

Read: 100%
Review: old (I need to add that I edited this review, because I was appalled by the grammar of my old one)

Where Loyalties Lie is the first book of the Best Laid Plans duology, and part of the First Earth Saga. Those who read it carefully might have spotted the names of Black Thorn and Rose, who happen to be the main characters of Hayes’ upcoming book City of Kings, and Black Thorn is also the main character in The Tie That Binds trilogy, in which Drake also appears. Despite all these crossovers, you don’t need to have previous knowledge to understand what’s going on. For me, this was the first book I’ve read from Rob J. Hayes, and had no problem whatsoever. Maybe it would have helped if I knew a bit more about Drake’s background, to add to his character rather than to the story.

We follow the story through a few POVs, although there are two, maybe three main ones:

Drake Morrass, captain of the Fortune, has plans. Which involves him becoming the king of pirates after uniting them under his command to save them from the coming invasion. But of course, he not only does this to save the folks of the isles, he also wants fame, money, and control over everything. As he puts it:

“It’s all about greed, Stillwater. Whether the gain is money, power, fame, or even the freedom that being a pirate offers. Fact is, we’re all in this game because we want something for ourselves. So yeah, what I’m proposing does in fact benefit Drake fucking Morrass.”

Aside from being a wee bit egoistic, he has some interesting secrets regarding his past, which he doesn’t seem to want to share, not even with Arbiter Beck, who was sent by Drake’s brother to watch his back. Drake is no fool to contradict his brother and sucks it up. Personally, I liked Beck’s no-nonsense attitude and the way she wrapped everyone around her finger. She has a strong personality.

Keelin Stillwater, captain of The Phoenix, has some secrets himself too, one of which explains his hate for Arbiter Beck. This leads to some pretty interesting and heated conversations between the two of them.

“Right then,” Drake said with a smile. “Now let’s all have us a hug.” Both Beck and Keelin shot Drake an incredulous look. “Of course I’m bloody joking, you damned idiots. Onto the boat with both of you.”

Although reluctantly, he agrees to join forces with Drake to help him, while hoping to get his hands on some charts Drake happens to own. He also sports some kind of ideals about pirating and how the world would work. Even though he got some hard lessons while serving under Tanner Black. Who likes nothing more than teaching hard lessons – well, maybe money, women and power are higher on the list. But then, we are talking about pirates, so there is no surprise. And since we are talking about lessons…

…let’s mention Elaina Black as another, if not a main POV character, but an important one. She is the daughter of Tanner Black, a childhood friend and lover of Keelin. She is hard to figure out. She is strong-headed, stubborn, temperamental, and hard – at least on the surface. I can’t say I liked her much, however, one of the most disturbing scenes was hers. Not exactly because of the treatment she’s got – although that’s disturbing enough in itself – but because it showed how brainwashed she is by her father. Remember what I said about hard learned lessons? Here is a passage about that:

“Suffering makes you stronger,” Elaina said, repeating the words her father had drilled into all his children over and over again. “A lesson learned without pain isn’t learned at all. The pain makes you remember. Stops you from repeating.”

There aren’t many female characters in Where Loyalties Lie, but they are mostly whores, or they are treated like objects who aren’t much good for anything except sex. Now, I’m not a feminist, but the treatment these women get sometimes borders on disturbing – and sometimes it crosses that line. Which is kind of a paradox if we think about the law regarding those who take a woman against her will. Still, my favorite character was Aimi, a quiet, hardworking, clever woman with a strong personality and witty attitude. But unlike the other prominent female characters, she also has kindness in her toward those she genuinely cares about. She reminded me of myself in one of the scenes where she tried to lighten up Keelin’s mood with useless chatter about whatever just to get his mind off of things. I find myself doing this a lot lately.

I find it hard to criticise anything in Where Loyalties Lie. The pace is good, the action is well-balanced with slower chapters where not much happens, but information is given in smart ways. The writing is excellent, and although there is plenty of bloodshed and scenes that are not easy to stomach, and quite some graphic content too, it’s also witty, and there are some moments that make you laugh out loud. The characters were all well fleshed out, maybe too well, because there wasn’t much room for development. The plot has a nice arc, and I pretty much enjoyed reading it; there weren’t many twists that would have surprised me. Well, okay, there were a few things I didn’t see coming toward the end. My point is, the plot was a bit too predictable for my taste. This doesn’t mean I’m not interested in what’s going to happen next. I also would have liked to learn a bit more about the magic system, the Inquisition, and the mythology of this world.

If you love grimdark, you look for a book with self-absorbed pirates, plenty of action, blood, and adventure, then Where Loyalties Lie is for you. It’s witty, it’s brutal, it’s bloody, it’s dark, and it’s impossible to put down. There is plenty of rum, fights, plotting against each other, secrets well-kept, magic, and interesting enough characters. I honestly don’t know what you’re all waiting for, go get your hands on a copy of this book!

For more SPFBO content, please visit our SPFBO Champions’ League page!