Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "kidnap"

Devil of the High Seas by Lauren Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


1742. Gavin Castleton is Admiral of the Black, leader of a loose confederation of Caribbean pirates. He is not, however, in control of his own ship. One of his men has turned most of the crew against him and he fights for his life in the midst of a storm off the coast of Cornwall, England. Seven years ago, he vowed never to return to his homeland but now has no choice. Wounded, he makes his way to the manor house through the smugglers’ cave below. He stumbles into his twin brother’s bedroom in the middle of the night. Instead of finding Griffin, he falls at the feet of a beautiful lady.

Her life is ending. There is just no other way to see it, as far as Josephine Greyville is concerned. Her brothers, one of whom is a former pirate, have grand adventures. Being a woman, she is entitled only to life as a wife and mother. Until the wounded man enters her room. She surreptitiously tends to his wounds and helps him hide, but once she discovers his identity, she must tell her intended, Griffin Castleton, a consummate gentleman.

Smitten by the spunky lady who comes to his rescue, Gavin decides the time has come to turn the tables on his brother. Griffin stole his beloved away seven years ago; now Gavin kidnaps Josie on the eve of their wedding. She and Gavin board a new merchant ship appropriated by his quartermaster. They pose as master, wife, and first mate instead of pirates and set sail. Speed is of the essence since the Royal Navy is hunting pirates in coastal waters and because Gavin has discovered just who owns the vessel they have absconded with: Josie’s older brother and Gavin’s former associate among the pirates. He and Griffin will come after them, but in the meantime, Gavin intends to give Josie the daring and courageous life she craves. Hopefully, he will also find the devil who stole his ship before their brothers find them.

Gavin is the flawed hero who immediately captures the reader’s heart, while Josie is the daring heroine willing to risk everything for the one she loves. The villain personifies the devil and his brutality is as legendary as his vileness. Smith artfully weaves description with such magic that the reader is transported back in time to the locations where this third book in the Pirates of King’s Landing series takes place.

The story, which is written for adults only, is a rip-roaring romantic adventure spiced with humor and emotion. (My favorite line is: “Lady Josephine, you cannot keep a pirate as a pet!”) As special treats, a secondary romance is interwoven with the first and the epilogue hints at the next book in the series, which involves Josie’s twin brother.*


*In the interest of full disclosure, I read and commented on an early draft of the manuscript. My review, however, is based on the published book, which I did not see or read until after publication.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates & Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/LSmith.htm...)



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The Resolute by MaryLu Tyndall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Imprisoned for her association with a notorious pirate, Gabrielle is only saved from the hangman’s noose because of her pregnancy. She hated this child at first, because of the assault, but now she has come to love the babe she is unlikely to know. Once he’s born, she will meet her demise. At least she has been wise enough to keep her identity a secret. This way her shame will not become her family’s. Perhaps she deserves her punishment for her foolishness, her ignorance, and her willfulness. After all, having forsaken God and her parents, how can she truly expect help from them?

Assistance does arrive, but not in any form that Gabrielle desires. She isn’t the only one languishing in gaol, and when the pirate captain who engineers the escape learns the identity of her child’s father, she finds herself in another kind of a prison. This time aboard a different pirate ship, where the captain intends to use her and her child as bait to lure his nemesis into a trap to avenge past wrongs.

Cadan Hayes never intended to kidnap the woman, but her presence is a temptation he just can’t ignore. He has waited a long time to make Damien Allard pay for destroying his marriage and enslaving him. And detesting Gabrielle is easy, given that he despises women who belong to the aristocracy. No matter how much she tries to hide that aspect of her upbringing, he recognizes it all too well. Still, she is pretty, smart, and courageous. She knows things about ships and sailing that no highborn woman should. Plus, she likes his pet iguana and that feeling is mutual. What Cadan cannot abide is children, yet it isn’t long before hers is also a passenger aboard his ship!

Revenge isn’t the only item on his bucket list. He and his crew have one last clue to acquire to find a dead pirate’s hidden treasure. The problem is that they aren’t the only ones seeking those riches. Damien also wants them, and he’s underhanded enough to do whatever needs to be done to get what he wants – the treasure and a family, even if the mother is determined to keep his son away from him. Helping him is a traitor within Cadan’s crew, who has his own reasons for betraying the man who calls him friend.

The Resolute is the seventh book in the Legacy of the King’s Pirate series and relates the story of a daughter of the reformed pirate, Edmund Merrick Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. The story opens in 1696 in New Providence, but takes readers to other islands in the Caribbean as it unfolds. As usual, Tyndall entwines history with romance to craft a stunning tapestry that vividly depicts pirate life, treasure hunting, and wayward individuals who have lost their faith. Just when you think there is a resolution, she inserts another twist that adds greater complexity to draw us deeper into the adventure. Greed, love, fear, shame, hate, and anger are just some of the emotions we readily identify with. While some may find the frequent references to the sound of water against the ship’s hull a tad frustrating, myself included, the strength of this book is the memorable, multifaceted characters that Tyndall brings to life. While Gabrielle, Cadan, and Damien – a particularly despicable, but totally realistic villain – are the stars of this tale, the ones who steal the show for me are Soot, the gunner, and his pet rabbit, Hellfire. The Resolute is a fitting conclusion to the Legacy series . . . or is it? After all, pirates still haunt the seas.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/Tyndall.ht...)



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