Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "honesty"

The Pirate's Duty: A SWASHBUCKLING Romance by Katherine Bone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It’s only a matter of time. Sooner or later he will come and his price will be high. But Oriana Thorpe doesn’t regret her betrayal. What she regrets is that her dreams won’t come true.

Oriana owns the Marauder’s Roost, an inn that’s been in her family for years. At twenty-three, she has seen more violence and bloodshed than she cares to remember, but she and her brother are the last living members of a smuggling family, who plied their trade with ruthless abandon, off the coast of Cornwall. Her brother, Charles – perhaps the most depraved – will never forgive her for choosing strangers over blood, but she could not allow him to kill two innocent women. She did so to save him, but as far as he’s concerned, Oriana betrayed him and therefore must pay. Until then, his spies watch and wait for his return.

The day Captain Carnage – the alias of Charles Thorpe – kidnapped his sister, Captain Pierce Walsingham’s life changed in ways he never dreamed. It’s 1809 and he is no longer a decorated revenue officer. In fact, he died when his ship sank during a battle with Carnage – at least the majority of Cornwall and his parents believe this to be so. Now, he is the infamous pirate known as the Black Regent, assisting the downtrodden of the local villages. He, too, waits for Carnage’s return. Until that nefarious fiend dies, Pierce’s sister will never be safe – she witnessed his crimes and lived to tell about it. Nor is Oriana safe, and Pierce promised to protect her as well. Two of his men are with her, and once his plan is put bears fruit, he will don another disguise and stay close to her. What he doesn’t know is whether he can trust her. After all, her family operated a successful and brutal smuggling business and he still has not located the gold her brother left at the Roost. While his mind distrusts her, his heart betrays him. No good can come from this mutual attraction. She values honesty above all things, and he’s been telling lies since the day they met.

This third tale in the Regent’s Revenge series focuses on consequences of one’s actions and how the past very much shapes a person. It’s a classical struggle of good versus evil, and Bone pulls no punches in either her description of life in isolated Cornwall when times are tough or its brutality. There are poignant moments that will bring heartache and tears. There are also passionate episodes where hope and the desire for dreams fulfilled never dies. She imbues each character with a mix of good and bad traits, making them human and alive. The Pirate’s Duty shines like sunlight sparkling on a gemstone and is perhaps the best so far in this pirate series.




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