History Literature / BloodyJack

* ArcherArchetype: Silent, independent, stoic Katy Deere seems ready to slip under the plot-radar in ''In Belly of the Bloodhound''. Then she gets a bow in her hands, and we learn very quickly that Katy Deere doesn’t need words to get her point across.

* lcoholInducedIdiocy: [[Spoiler: Jacky]] in book 2, after which [[spoiler: she swears never to touch spirits again]]

** Looks like Joany and Daniel have made one too.

* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: Jacky and Jaimy. Implied for Joanie and Daniel.

* BetaCouple: Several throughout the series, but among the most notable being Amy and Ezra ([[WillTheyOrWontThey though she is not yet ready]] [[CatchPhrase for that sort of thing]]), Jim Tanner and [[spoiler: Clementine Jukes]], and Mairead and Ian.

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Elspeth, after going catatonic for revealing that Jacky led the girls against their captors in Book 4, which resulted in Jacky getting punished.]]

* ''WIld Rover No More''

* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: Jacky and Jaimy.

''Bloody Jack'' is a series of nine young adult novels by L.A. Meyer. They are as follows:

* ClothingDamage: Seems to be the main attraction in Jacky's [[ShowWithinAShow playlet]] "''The Villain Pursues Constant Maiden: Or, Fair Virtue in Peril''"

* GreenEyedMonster: Jaimy frequently describes himself with variations of this. While he recognizes that it’s unfounded for the most part, his hair-trigger temper and jealousy have led to several incidents throughout the series [[spoiler: included but not limited to nearly drowning Robin Raeburne out of spite in ''Under the Jolly Roger'', racing off in a huff before Jacky can explain her tryst with Richard Allen in ''Mississippi Jack'', and – most recently – breaking up with her entirely when he discovers the nude portrait Amadeo Romero had done of her during her adventures in Spain.]]

* {{Official Couple}}s: Jacky & Jaimy, despite her recurring slip-ups; [[spoiler:Davy and Annie; Amy and Ezra; Mairead and Ian; and Katy and Lightfoot]] among others.

* OutWithABang: Captain Scroggs has a heart attack and dies [[spoiler: before being able to rape Jacky.]]

* WideEyedIdealist: Elspeth, at first.

When an unexpected tragedy forces to leave her old gang, Mary Faber dons boys' clothes, renames herself "Jack," and signs on to a British warship in 1803 as a ship's boy. From there, she goes on numerous adventures all over Europe, America, and the open sea, makes unlikely friends, and falls in love... but even when everything seems perfect, trouble always manages to find her.

* SomedayThisWillComeInHandy: Occurs frequently in every book, often functioning as the root of Jacky’s [[CrazyPrepared Crazy Preparedness.]] Jacky is particularly fond of mentioning lessons learned during her time in the Blackfriars Bridge gang, from the very useful (knowing how to cross the city unseen via the rooftops) to the seemingly pointless (knowing how to make baby footprints with the side of her fist).
* SpankTheCutie: In ''Mississippi Jack'', Jaimy gives serious contemplation to bending his errant fiancée over his knee for all the troubles she's caused...

* FoeYay

** In ''My Bonny Light Horseman''. Jacky and Jean-Paul go to a horse race where Jacky is mostly civil and ladylike until she [[MyFairLady lapses back into her cockney accent cheering on a losing horse.]]

** Folk songs and sea chanteys. Jacky's repertoire is extensive and historically accurate.

** Apparently Rooster Charlie was [[OliverTwist “very tight with the Dodger”.]]

* Bloody Jack
* Curse of the Blue Tattoo
* Under the Jolly Roger
* In the Belly of the Bloodhound
* Mississippi Jack
* My Bonny Light Horseman
* Rapture of the Deep
* The Wake of the Lorelei Lee
* The Mark of the Golden Dragon
* Viva Jacquelina!
The series is a must-read for anyone who likes historical fiction, adventure, pirates, and genuine plucky heroines. The story is fast-paced and fun to read, but not simplistic in the least--to fully describe the plot would make this page longer than {{Crowning Moment of Awesome}}. But feel free to break the cast down by trope with the [[Characters/BloodyJack Character Sheet]]

'''This series provides examples of:'''

* AmbiguouslyGay: Higgins, although it's not so much ambiguous as heavily implied.

** Likewise the dangerous female pirate Cheng Shih seems to take a shine to Jacky. Jacky is subsequently vague and dreamy about her position as Cheng Shih's "pet."

* AuthorAppeal: History and ships, of course. other non-sexual examples:
** the author is an artist and owns an art gallery with his wife. Thus, Jacky is a skilled artist and much detail goes into the techniques she uses.
** The author also appears to be interested in period clothing, as he expends much detail on Jackie's various outfits and disguises and each novel gives her at least one extended dressing scene.
** folk songs and sea chanteys. Jacky's repertoire is extensive and historically accurate.

* CatchPhrase: "I'm a good girl... mostly."

* DisguisedInDrag: Used by the pirates in the beginning of ''My Bonny Light Horseman'', and also by Jacky. All the time.
** More so in the earlier books, when she had a more boyish figure.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Jacky's fellow ship's boys temporarily kick her out of their group because "they think [she's] queer," a line that, under the circumstances, could be (and is) interpreted all kinds of ways.
** The ship boys also refer to her as a "bleedin' fairy," a thought to which Jacky concurs ("That I am, a right wee elf") although it's entirely possible Jacky doesn't fully understand the implications.

* HonorAmongThieves: Despite the backstabbing, violence, and constant turf wars in Cheapside, it’s tacitly agreed among the urchins that involving the police in any way breaks the code of the streets.
** Rooster Charlie was known for being scrupulously fair, dividing spoils evenly and refusing to eat until all the members of the gang were present.

* ShoutOut: The [[TreasureIsland Admiral Benbow Inn]] shows up on occasion.

* TookALevelInBadass: Jacky. ''Definitely'' Jacky.

* TakeBackYourGift: In her typical dramatic fashion, Jacky hurls her promise ring at Jaimy’s feet at the beginning of ''Under the Jolly Roger'' when she discovers that he is cheating on her. [[spoiler: As it turns out, the girl is only his cousin, and all of the grief Jacky goes through over the next several months as a result of the incident could have been avoided if she’d just stopped to ask.]]
* TheSocialExpert: Jackie gradually becomes an expert at identifying key people and winning their sympathy. Put her aboard any ship, even in chains, and she'll soon have the whole lower decks rooting for her. She also learns when to play the DoubleStandard to her advantage.
* TitleDrop: Amped up to eleven in ''In the Belly of the Bloodhound''. Made even more noticeable in the audiobook version, whether by design or accident, as Kellgren tends to slow down and give it weight whenever she runs across it.

* ATasteOfTheLash: [[spoiler: Jacky, in book 4]] and [[spoiler: Jaimy in book 8.]]
* UncleTomfoolery: "Jerome", [[spoiler: until he turns out to be a slaver. His antics were to fool the girls into thinking he was harmless.]]

*** She also uses Jackie Kennedy Onassis' maiden name "Jaqueline Bouvier" as her french pseudonym.

** All of the girls of the Lawson Peabody in ''In the Belly of the Bloodhound'', [[spoiler: and in particularly The Dianas, who took a blood oath to fight to the death rather than allow themselves to be sold into slavery.]]

*** [[Music/TheRollingStones Mick and Keefe]] in ''In the Belly of the Bloodhound''. Note the large lips, cockney accents, and leather-tanned skin.

*** Ric's Café Americano is an obvious reference to Rick's Café Americain from {{Casablanca}}.

* BetaCouple: Several, but most notably Amy and Ezra.

* ArcherArchtype: Silent, independent, stoic Katy Deere seems ready to slip under the plot-radar in ''In Belly of the Bloodhound''. Then she gets a bow in her hands, and we learn very quickly that Katy Deere doesn’t need words to get her point across.