An illustrated figure with long curly hair, a black wide-brimmed hat, and a blue coat holds a sword amid curling green waves, orange flowers, a golden mermaid tail, a bird, and an anchor. Gold text below reads, “When empires fall, legends rise.”

Libertad

By Cassandra James ’23

Published Nov. 12, 2026

Readers reunite with Ximena Reale in this sequel to James’ 2025 romantasy Capitana. This time, Ximena and her sister have joined the Gasparilla pirates to embark on an epic adventure. There’s a bounty out for Gasparilla and as the crew decides to escape Ximena runs into Cazador Dante de Leon who has sworn allegiance to the Cazadores, a crew tasked with hunting pirates. Ximena can’t deny her feelings for Dante and wants to trust the information he has come to her with, but can she? In Libertad (Quill Tree Books), the final book of the Capitana Duology, readers find out how much Ximena is willing to pay for her freedom and love.