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Pirate's Golden Promise
Wynter McChesney, daughter of the wealthiest man in Cotswold, England, finds herself suddenly penniless when her scheming half-sister takes both their father's inheritance and Wynter's fiance. Determined to buy back her ancestral home, Wynter turns to the only man who can lend the vast sum needed. But the collateral the arrogant Captain Cort Van Linden demands is ... her!
Then an act of piracy on the high seas leaves her at Cort's mercy -- and in his wild embrace, Wynter discovers she will give anything to know the achingly sweet fulfillment of her pirate's golden promise.
Originally published by Leisure Books as LOVE'S GOLDEN PROMISE.
Then an act of piracy on the high seas leaves her at Cort's mercy -- and in his wild embrace, Wynter discovers she will give anything to know the achingly sweet fulfillment of her pirate's golden promise.
Originally published by Leisure Books as LOVE'S GOLDEN PROMISE.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1987
36 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Lynette Vinet
22 books28 followersBorn in New Orleans, Louisiana, I have always been intrigued by the history of the city and the south. New Orleans is unique, there is no other place like it and once you’ve lived there, you can never forget the sights, sounds and smells of the city. I am also intrigued by other countries, especially Ireland and England, probably because my ancestors were born there. So, I feel it is only natural that I have combined my love of history, New Orleans, and the British Isles in many of my novels.
EMERALD DESIRE was my first novel, published in 1985, and begins in Ireland and sweeps the reader to the French Colonial city of New Orleans. That was the first book in the Emerald Trilogy, followed by EMERALD ENCHANTMENT and EMERALD ECSTASY. Eight more books followed. I am pleased that ereads.com will eventually publish my backlist of books. At the present time EMERALD DESIRE, EMERALD ENCHANTMENT and PIRATE’S BRIDE are available on Amazon Kindle.
EMERALD DESIRE was my first novel, published in 1985, and begins in Ireland and sweeps the reader to the French Colonial city of New Orleans. That was the first book in the Emerald Trilogy, followed by EMERALD ENCHANTMENT and EMERALD ECSTASY. Eight more books followed. I am pleased that ereads.com will eventually publish my backlist of books. At the present time EMERALD DESIRE, EMERALD ENCHANTMENT and PIRATE’S BRIDE are available on Amazon Kindle.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 8, 2021
This was originally published in 1988 under the title “Love's Golden Promise” and reissued for Kindle in 2013. I'm guessing “Love's” was changed to “Pirate's” because of keyword, algorithm shenanigans. A ship on the cover or Pirate in the title, well...
Y'all, within the first six or so paragraphs I was introduced to this man who loved this girl, had to marry her older sister for money, keeps the younger sister as mistress and impregnates her (don't worry older sis was impregnated 8yrs ago), the sister's father disinherits everyone because he's not about mess (don't blame him), the younger sister dies in childbirth but not before making the sister impregnator (I know this isn't a word) promise to raise her daughter as if she was legitimate, making everyone lie and say the older sister is the baby's mother.
We get a little bit of Cinderella with the sister imprenator doting on his illegitimate daughter, thus making the wife and legitimate daughter hate her. In fact, when illegitimate baby Wynter was born, her half-sister Lucy, who was SEVEN at the time, had this to say:
Leaning over the sleeping Wynter, she said, “One day your prettiness won’t be enough, little baby. I’ll make sure of it.”
We fast forward to Wynter's seventeenth birthday, get introduced to the stable boy Fletcher who is her bestfriend and in love with her and learn that Wynter Loves a Lord Adam. At her birthday party she learns that Adam is going to ask for hand in marriage, he shows a little bit of his rapey side, and she gets rescued from a Captain Cort Van Linden. The captain is a bit too Man for this seventeen year old and even though she gets lost making out with him, she flounces away.
Scorned wife ain't having Wynter marry Lord Adam because her daughter Lucy wants him and wife wants his inheritance, he's their second cousin and got the inheritance that no mess daddy refused to give to daughters. She threatens to tell everyone about Wynter's illegitimacy but sister impregnator ruins her plans by telling Wynter, who is shocked but fairly whatevs to the situation. Wynter also tells Lord Adam who doesn't care as long as her money is still intact, he got bills to pay.
Anyway, as dads are wont to do in these situations, he dies and forgot to (or is evil stepmothers at work?) write in Wynter into his will, as she is illegitimate, Lucy stands to inherit everything. Lucy gets the money and then gets Lord Adam, because bills but Adam wants to keep Wynter as his mistress. Wynter doesn't want to repeat history so she looks for an escape.
She first turns to Captain Van Linden, they had another make-out shesh when she was out riding and asks him for money to buy her childhood home. He says sure but she has to go with him on his ship for one year. “For one year you’re to sail on my ship, eat beside me, share my quarters at night, and I don’t mean only to sleep there. The life of a sea captain is very lonely.” Her fear of his too much Man and that Ah-mazing offer has her refusing him in only the way a seventeen year old bodice ripper girl can.
She then turns to her stable boy bestie Fletch who has a plan to travel to America as an indentured servant and make his fortune. Remember how I said the author took the time to change the title, well, I wish they had taken the time to go back through this story and edit it because, I kid you not, this is a line Fletch says: Do you know there are slaves in Virginia? Have you ever heard of such a thing? But, aye, if one needs slaves to be rich, I’ll get me some.”
What in the holy hell??? Wynter ends up marrying this paragon of virtue and they travel to America.
On the ship to America, it gets attacked by pirates and guess who the pirate is! Captain Van Linden.
So, Fletch gets conveniently disposed of, I didn't cry for him, and then a storm hits, Wynter ends up banging her head and gets the goofiest form of amnesia I have ever read. She thinks she and the Captain are married. Y'all. This was around the 30% mark and after all this, I just started skim/speed reading. Van Linden makes everyone go along with her married thing, he Loves her, I guess??
Captain Morgan gets thrown into the story, part two takes us to New Amsterdam, every dude wants Wynter, Van Linden is a gentle pirate, they have a baby, people try to break up their marriage, and basic bodice ripper drama ensues for most of part 2. There really wasn't any depth to characters, the beginning, especially felt like everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off and part two was more bodice ripper family drama.
Verdict: not a hidden gem.
Y'all, within the first six or so paragraphs I was introduced to this man who loved this girl, had to marry her older sister for money, keeps the younger sister as mistress and impregnates her (don't worry older sis was impregnated 8yrs ago), the sister's father disinherits everyone because he's not about mess (don't blame him), the younger sister dies in childbirth but not before making the sister impregnator (I know this isn't a word) promise to raise her daughter as if she was legitimate, making everyone lie and say the older sister is the baby's mother.
We get a little bit of Cinderella with the sister imprenator doting on his illegitimate daughter, thus making the wife and legitimate daughter hate her. In fact, when illegitimate baby Wynter was born, her half-sister Lucy, who was SEVEN at the time, had this to say:
Leaning over the sleeping Wynter, she said, “One day your prettiness won’t be enough, little baby. I’ll make sure of it.”
We fast forward to Wynter's seventeenth birthday, get introduced to the stable boy Fletcher who is her bestfriend and in love with her and learn that Wynter Loves a Lord Adam. At her birthday party she learns that Adam is going to ask for hand in marriage, he shows a little bit of his rapey side, and she gets rescued from a Captain Cort Van Linden. The captain is a bit too Man for this seventeen year old and even though she gets lost making out with him, she flounces away.
Scorned wife ain't having Wynter marry Lord Adam because her daughter Lucy wants him and wife wants his inheritance, he's their second cousin and got the inheritance that no mess daddy refused to give to daughters. She threatens to tell everyone about Wynter's illegitimacy but sister impregnator ruins her plans by telling Wynter, who is shocked but fairly whatevs to the situation. Wynter also tells Lord Adam who doesn't care as long as her money is still intact, he got bills to pay.
Anyway, as dads are wont to do in these situations, he dies and forgot to (or is evil stepmothers at work?) write in Wynter into his will, as she is illegitimate, Lucy stands to inherit everything. Lucy gets the money and then gets Lord Adam, because bills but Adam wants to keep Wynter as his mistress. Wynter doesn't want to repeat history so she looks for an escape.
She first turns to Captain Van Linden, they had another make-out shesh when she was out riding and asks him for money to buy her childhood home. He says sure but she has to go with him on his ship for one year. “For one year you’re to sail on my ship, eat beside me, share my quarters at night, and I don’t mean only to sleep there. The life of a sea captain is very lonely.” Her fear of his too much Man and that Ah-mazing offer has her refusing him in only the way a seventeen year old bodice ripper girl can.
She then turns to her stable boy bestie Fletch who has a plan to travel to America as an indentured servant and make his fortune. Remember how I said the author took the time to change the title, well, I wish they had taken the time to go back through this story and edit it because, I kid you not, this is a line Fletch says: Do you know there are slaves in Virginia? Have you ever heard of such a thing? But, aye, if one needs slaves to be rich, I’ll get me some.”
What in the holy hell??? Wynter ends up marrying this paragon of virtue and they travel to America.
On the ship to America, it gets attacked by pirates and guess who the pirate is! Captain Van Linden.
So, Fletch gets conveniently disposed of, I didn't cry for him, and then a storm hits, Wynter ends up banging her head and gets the goofiest form of amnesia I have ever read. She thinks she and the Captain are married. Y'all. This was around the 30% mark and after all this, I just started skim/speed reading. Van Linden makes everyone go along with her married thing, he Loves her, I guess??
Captain Morgan gets thrown into the story, part two takes us to New Amsterdam, every dude wants Wynter, Van Linden is a gentle pirate, they have a baby, people try to break up their marriage, and basic bodice ripper drama ensues for most of part 2. There really wasn't any depth to characters, the beginning, especially felt like everyone running around like chickens with their heads cut off and part two was more bodice ripper family drama.
Verdict: not a hidden gem.
September 26, 2025
Reread: 5/22/21
Reread: 9/24/25
Setting: England, Caribbean, New Amsterdam
Another great book by LV!
The book starts with the beautiful Wynter's 17th birthday party. She is daddy's little pet and is going to marry the man she loves. Things fall apart when her father tells her she is illegitimate and dies shortly after, without changing his will. She is left nothing. Next, her spiteful sister has married the man she loved, and her bitter Aunt (who she thought was her mother)is trying to arrange a marriage for her with a wife beater. So Wynter marries her servant/best friend. Together, they become indentures and head for American. Later, the ship is taken over pirates. The captain of the ship is the one man she has never forgotten - with good reason. Who knew a Dutch privateer could be soo sexy? The author seems to have a fascination with privateers. She writes enough stories about them.
The story continues to the Caribbean, where they have a run-in with Captain Henry Morgan. Sadly, no rum was involved.
In part two, the Mc ended up at his family home in New Amsterdam. I can honestly say I've never read a book with that setting. By this point, the MC are in love and have a baby girl. Unfortunately, others are plotting to ruin their marriage.
I have read this book several times and still love it. The MC had such great chemistry together. I just love Cort. Though Wynter does starts off as a spoiled brat, she eventually matures as the book continues.
Now, throughout the book, every villain is obsessed with one of the MC. This seems to be a recurring theme in the author's other books. But I enjoy them so much, I don't really care if the bad guys are a little campy.
This is a book I would highly recommend!
Reread: 9/24/25
Setting: England, Caribbean, New Amsterdam
Another great book by LV!
The book starts with the beautiful Wynter's 17th birthday party. She is daddy's little pet and is going to marry the man she loves. Things fall apart when her father tells her she is illegitimate and dies shortly after, without changing his will. She is left nothing. Next, her spiteful sister has married the man she loved, and her bitter Aunt (who she thought was her mother)is trying to arrange a marriage for her with a wife beater. So Wynter marries her servant/best friend. Together, they become indentures and head for American. Later, the ship is taken over pirates. The captain of the ship is the one man she has never forgotten - with good reason. Who knew a Dutch privateer could be soo sexy? The author seems to have a fascination with privateers. She writes enough stories about them.
The story continues to the Caribbean, where they have a run-in with Captain Henry Morgan. Sadly, no rum was involved.
In part two, the Mc ended up at his family home in New Amsterdam. I can honestly say I've never read a book with that setting. By this point, the MC are in love and have a baby girl. Unfortunately, others are plotting to ruin their marriage.
I have read this book several times and still love it. The MC had such great chemistry together. I just love Cort. Though Wynter does starts off as a spoiled brat, she eventually matures as the book continues.
Now, throughout the book, every villain is obsessed with one of the MC. This seems to be a recurring theme in the author's other books. But I enjoy them so much, I don't really care if the bad guys are a little campy.
This is a book I would highly recommend!
January 18, 2015
I love a good historical romance and I love pirates. This book had both. But it was not well written. It just went on and on.
**Spoiler**
Seriously, at first, it was great. I loved the suspense, the drama, the action. The love story was amazing. But then it got tedious. Every man who met Wynter loved her. Obsessively. Every man tried to imprison her. Over and over, the same thing. Poor Cort. Over and over, the same thing. Poor Cort.
Over and over things happen to Wynter and it becomes tiresome.
Cort, this gorgeous "pirate" who really wasn't doing much pirating. I expected someone darker, harder. He was soft. I feel that this book was a huge let down.
Sure, happy ending and all, but at the expense of a very long read. Don't waste your time.
**Spoiler**
Seriously, at first, it was great. I loved the suspense, the drama, the action. The love story was amazing. But then it got tedious. Every man who met Wynter loved her. Obsessively. Every man tried to imprison her. Over and over, the same thing. Poor Cort. Over and over, the same thing. Poor Cort.
Over and over things happen to Wynter and it becomes tiresome.
Cort, this gorgeous "pirate" who really wasn't doing much pirating. I expected someone darker, harder. He was soft. I feel that this book was a huge let down.
Sure, happy ending and all, but at the expense of a very long read. Don't waste your time.
August 6, 2014
It was long and highly unbelievable... I mean I think there were 4 bad guys... that's a lot of baddies to put a reader through... and there were two parts!
We are expected to believe that every man who came in contact with Wynter fell madly in love with her and must have her for a wife.. or a mistress while married to her sister... I mean come on. Then you have the hero who I initially liked. He was a pirate for f*cks sake! But then he got all mushy and for what? A lady who acted like a child every other chapter? Ugh... I kinda felt sorry for him. And then it became... have a fight, fix it with sex and then it just became blah...
But the story just went on and on... and on .... and on... I almost DNF'd this book but it became a joke to see if I could get through this clap trap!
Classic bodice ripper that makes the reader feel like it's the never ending bad story.
We are expected to believe that every man who came in contact with Wynter fell madly in love with her and must have her for a wife.. or a mistress while married to her sister... I mean come on. Then you have the hero who I initially liked. He was a pirate for f*cks sake! But then he got all mushy and for what? A lady who acted like a child every other chapter? Ugh... I kinda felt sorry for him. And then it became... have a fight, fix it with sex and then it just became blah...
But the story just went on and on... and on .... and on... I almost DNF'd this book but it became a joke to see if I could get through this clap trap!
Classic bodice ripper that makes the reader feel like it's the never ending bad story.
March 27, 2024
I had not read this since my early 20’s and wanted to go back and read it again for nostalgic reasons. I found that although I enjoyed it there was too many misunderstandings for it to be totally enjoyable. I also felt that the characters should have been in a soap opera for everything they went through. It is very fast paced but just too much
August 23, 2018
Dutch pirates
This is only the second book i have ear with Dutch pirates in it. This book is one of my favorites , i bought it back in 94 and have read it like 7 times so far. Took me 24 hours to read it was that good.
This is only the second book i have ear with Dutch pirates in it. This book is one of my favorites , i bought it back in 94 and have read it like 7 times so far. Took me 24 hours to read it was that good.
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March 26, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/26/2020)! 🎁
January 18, 2016
This was fun but really could have been about 200 pages shorter.
It starts out as a pirate romp, not badly written and the author did some good research on Morgan and Port Royal. Van Linden is quite amusing, though the heroine acts like a spoiled child the whole book. Of course, she is a child, a young debutante of 17 years, which is mildly disturbing yet was perfectly normal back then, so I can't really complain.
The first half of the book set in the Caribbean is well and good, but then it spirals off into this weird Dutch family drama set on an estate in New Amsterdam (which becomes New York).
It starts out as a pirate romp, not badly written and the author did some good research on Morgan and Port Royal. Van Linden is quite amusing, though the heroine acts like a spoiled child the whole book. Of course, she is a child, a young debutante of 17 years, which is mildly disturbing yet was perfectly normal back then, so I can't really complain.
The first half of the book set in the Caribbean is well and good, but then it spirals off into this weird Dutch family drama set on an estate in New Amsterdam (which becomes New York).
April 20, 2013
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April 5, 2015
Exasperating
Due to the time I spent reading this book in hopes that it would get better and didn't I gave it a poor rating. The plot was decent but the writer very often restated the obvious making the book unnecessarily long.
We all know that fiction is simply entertainment but I still like what I read to have some depth of character and sensibility but found none in this book.
Due to the time I spent reading this book in hopes that it would get better and didn't I gave it a poor rating. The plot was decent but the writer very often restated the obvious making the book unnecessarily long.
We all know that fiction is simply entertainment but I still like what I read to have some depth of character and sensibility but found none in this book.
October 11, 2014
ok read
May 8, 2015
Characters needed more depth. Unlikely reactions and poorly stated responses.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews