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Devon
The Black Angel
Rescued from a shipwreck by Roarke O'Connor, the captain of the Black Angel, Brianna pays back the debt with one night of passion. Original.
317 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Cordia Byers
18 books21 followersCatherine Blair (a.k.a. Cordia Byers) grew up in Texas, were she spent her high school years writing romances for her friends. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Cornell University and currently studies opiate addiction. No one else thinks that the pun between "heroin addiction" and "heroine addiction" is as funny as she does. Catherine is a member of the Romance Writers of America and lives with her husband in San Diego, California.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 13, 2025
Read: 3/13/25
3 stars
Setting: early Revolutionary War
England, Sint Eustatius, France, America
This was a generic bodice ripper. It's not bad, but it's not memorable either. I'll probably forget it in a month but other readers may enjoy it more. Never know with BR
This can be read as a standalone
3 stars
Setting: early Revolutionary War
England, Sint Eustatius, France, America
This was a generic bodice ripper. It's not bad, but it's not memorable either. I'll probably forget it in a month but other readers may enjoy it more. Never know with BR
This can be read as a standalone
April 25, 2013
4 and ½ Stars! Irish Privateer and an English Lass During the Revolutionary War
This is the sequel to Byers’ DEVON, though it can be read as a “stand alone.” Set in England and the Caribbean in the time of the Revolutionary War, this is the story of Roarke O’Connor, privateer captain of the Black Angel, who rescues Brianna McClure when her ship goes down after a storm.
Brianna fled England after stabbing her stepfather when he tried to rape her. Hiding her deep secret by taking a different last name, she hopes for a new life in the West Indies. Since Roarke is headed to Eustatia Island, she decides that will do.
When the Black Angel docks, Roarke’s first mate thinks to seduce Brianna by taking her to a certain tavern where aphrodisiac herbs come with the rum, which he does, but Roarke intervenes to save her, but alas, not from himself. Brianna, who is already half in love with Roarke, then becomes the object of jealousy from Roarke’s mistress and Roarke must save Brianna once again.
It’s a fast-moving, well-written tale of adventure and peril as Brianna tries to make her own way in a hostile world. And when the English lord she stabbed recovers and wants vengeance, Brianna gains one more enemy. There’s lots of action and shipboard scenes to please the lover of high seas romance. I recommend it.
This is the sequel to Byers’ DEVON, though it can be read as a “stand alone.” Set in England and the Caribbean in the time of the Revolutionary War, this is the story of Roarke O’Connor, privateer captain of the Black Angel, who rescues Brianna McClure when her ship goes down after a storm.
Brianna fled England after stabbing her stepfather when he tried to rape her. Hiding her deep secret by taking a different last name, she hopes for a new life in the West Indies. Since Roarke is headed to Eustatia Island, she decides that will do.
When the Black Angel docks, Roarke’s first mate thinks to seduce Brianna by taking her to a certain tavern where aphrodisiac herbs come with the rum, which he does, but Roarke intervenes to save her, but alas, not from himself. Brianna, who is already half in love with Roarke, then becomes the object of jealousy from Roarke’s mistress and Roarke must save Brianna once again.
It’s a fast-moving, well-written tale of adventure and peril as Brianna tries to make her own way in a hostile world. And when the English lord she stabbed recovers and wants vengeance, Brianna gains one more enemy. There’s lots of action and shipboard scenes to please the lover of high seas romance. I recommend it.
July 25, 2023
4 - 4.5 stars. Read this for Regan Walker’s monthly theme/blog, July is American patriotic month. I thought this book might involve the American Revolution a little bit more than it did. The AR was mentioned numerous times and the characters did go to VA, our H is a munitions smuggler/pirate, but other than that is wasn’t featured much. However, it was still a very good book. I really enjoy Cordia Byers books and this one didn’t disappoint. I read its prequel Devon and the two books can definitely be read as stand alones. Really enjoyed the plot in spite of nothing new here. Really liked both the H/h. Definitely worth the read.
October 18, 2025
He had never met a woman like her before. She was no innocent, yet the very air surrounding her seemed to proclaim her purity of spirit. She had known man’s deepest inherent desires to their fullest, yet they had not ruined her sweetness of heart or she would not now be looking at him from her gold-flecked eyes as if he were her friend.
This second Devon book was good as well. What I loved more about this one was how the couple's love was portrayed: it was gradual and they weren't clashing at each other the entire time.
Roarke is the blacksheep of the Barclay family. He had a difficult past (the downside here is that I wish we had more insights of what he went through in the past, not just recallings).
Brianna was running away from a vile step-father and a murder attempt (and there's a good plot twist towards the last quarter of the book).
Roarke rescues Brianna and her friend as they were stranded on an island after running away, and thus the story begins.
This second Devon book was good as well. What I loved more about this one was how the couple's love was portrayed: it was gradual and they weren't clashing at each other the entire time.
Roarke is the blacksheep of the Barclay family. He had a difficult past (the downside here is that I wish we had more insights of what he went through in the past, not just recallings).
Brianna was running away from a vile step-father and a murder attempt (and there's a good plot twist towards the last quarter of the book).
Roarke rescues Brianna and her friend as they were stranded on an island after running away, and thus the story begins.
April 25, 2022
I really loved this story (and not just because it takes place in my fav time period, the American revolution)! There isn't a dull moment from the start, when Brianna McClure flees England with her maidservant, Rachel, after she's apparently killed her lecherous stepfather in self-defense. Next thing you know, they're aboard a ship for the West Indies, then floating on a raft for three days after a shipwreck, then picked up by The Black Angel, a privateer ship, where she'll fall for the captain, Roarke O'Connor, though their relationship will hardly be smooth sailing.
Both are mistrustful of the opposite sex. Both have secrets they want kept hidden. Both are using false surnames (she's calling herself Brianna Tarleton, while his family name is Barclay). And both try to fight their true feelings, though it takes Brianna less time to admit them.
There are engaging side characters as well, like Nick, Roarke's first mate and best friend. He's a very amorous Frenchman, whose record in female conquests runs a close second to Roarke's. When they reach the island of St. Eustacius (where Roarke has both a home and business interests), his devious attempt to get Brianna into his bed results in her sleeping with Roarke! (I'll leave it to the reader to learn the details.)
There's also George Fielding, the ship's doctor, who soon became Rachel's husband. He learns their reason for fleeing England and keeps their secret. (I would have liked George and Rachel to have had more of a story, too bad Ms. Byers didn't use them for another book.)
Then there's the OW/Villainess, Rosalee. She's a former prostitute (with a very unsavory family background) and Roarke's current mistress, whom he'd been living with on the island. When her status changes to platonic housemate after Brianna's arrival, she plots her revenge.
There's plenty of action ahead, including a kidnapping, a rescue at sea, a nautical battle with the British, Roarke confronting his past, and Brianna's past catching up with her. There's also a lot of emotion, as Brianna acknowledges her love for Roarke and fights to break through his defenses, while Roarke reluctantly starts to open his heart, and let Brianna's love fill the emptiness (the dark void, as he called it) in his soul. They both have epiphanies, of sorts, when it comes to their respective mothers, that each misunderstood and resented for the wrong reasons. Sad to say, since both women were dead, the revelations came too late, except to help them let go of what held them back from being able to trust.
I also appreciate the way Ms. Byers puts real feelings into her love scenes, letting emotions rule the day, so you really believe what Roarke told Nick, that with Brianna he wasn't having sex, he was making love. There's a lot of tenderness in the love scenes, rather than just a lot of groping and grabbing and loud orgasms. This author has class!
The only minor fault I found was that the book ended rather abruptly, so you don't see Rosalie being confronted for her latest scheme, or what happens next for George and Rachel, not to mention that Nick seemed to be having a bit of a change of heart regarding his promiscuity (now he would have also been a good subject for another book). Those things are left up in the air.
But, what the heck! Why be nitpicky? Read the book and have fun!
Both are mistrustful of the opposite sex. Both have secrets they want kept hidden. Both are using false surnames (she's calling herself Brianna Tarleton, while his family name is Barclay). And both try to fight their true feelings, though it takes Brianna less time to admit them.
There are engaging side characters as well, like Nick, Roarke's first mate and best friend. He's a very amorous Frenchman, whose record in female conquests runs a close second to Roarke's. When they reach the island of St. Eustacius (where Roarke has both a home and business interests), his devious attempt to get Brianna into his bed results in her sleeping with Roarke! (I'll leave it to the reader to learn the details.)
There's also George Fielding, the ship's doctor, who soon became Rachel's husband. He learns their reason for fleeing England and keeps their secret. (I would have liked George and Rachel to have had more of a story, too bad Ms. Byers didn't use them for another book.)
Then there's the OW/Villainess, Rosalee. She's a former prostitute (with a very unsavory family background) and Roarke's current mistress, whom he'd been living with on the island. When her status changes to platonic housemate after Brianna's arrival, she plots her revenge.
There's plenty of action ahead, including a kidnapping, a rescue at sea, a nautical battle with the British, Roarke confronting his past, and Brianna's past catching up with her. There's also a lot of emotion, as Brianna acknowledges her love for Roarke and fights to break through his defenses, while Roarke reluctantly starts to open his heart, and let Brianna's love fill the emptiness (the dark void, as he called it) in his soul. They both have epiphanies, of sorts, when it comes to their respective mothers, that each misunderstood and resented for the wrong reasons. Sad to say, since both women were dead, the revelations came too late, except to help them let go of what held them back from being able to trust.
I also appreciate the way Ms. Byers puts real feelings into her love scenes, letting emotions rule the day, so you really believe what Roarke told Nick, that with Brianna he wasn't having sex, he was making love. There's a lot of tenderness in the love scenes, rather than just a lot of groping and grabbing and loud orgasms. This author has class!
The only minor fault I found was that the book ended rather abruptly, so you don't see Rosalie being confronted for her latest scheme, or what happens next for George and Rachel, not to mention that Nick seemed to be having a bit of a change of heart regarding his promiscuity (now he would have also been a good subject for another book). Those things are left up in the air.
But, what the heck! Why be nitpicky? Read the book and have fun!
July 24, 2025
Boring.
The H was a dull tard. The h was no good either.
Boring.
The pattern of this author’s book are same. The h is running away from home from evil people. She ends up in H’s ship or care. H is smitten but hates women. He treats her bad. The h keeps hating H.
In this book though the h tries to chase the H. When he says they should end things she chases after him. I was not really invested in the Hh. Lost already wavering interest.
The H was a dull tard. The h was no good either.
Boring.
The pattern of this author’s book are same. The h is running away from home from evil people. She ends up in H’s ship or care. H is smitten but hates women. He treats her bad. The h keeps hating H.
In this book though the h tries to chase the H. When he says they should end things she chases after him. I was not really invested in the Hh. Lost already wavering interest.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews