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Pirate #1

What a Pirate Desires

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Only Luke Bradley knows the secret of his fellow pirate Sam Steele: Sam is actually Samantha, a woman driven by revenge.

Though Sam sails her stolen ship under a pirate flag, there is no creature more loathsome to her than a scalawag. As they journey across the unpredictable Caribbean Sea, Luke finds that making a criminal pay for his sins is second to the quest to win Sam’s heart.

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

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641 people want to read

About the author

Michelle Beattie

17 books112 followers
International bestselling author Michelle Beattie has been writing since 1995. She sold her first book, What a Pirate Desires, in 2007.

Since then she finished her 5 book pirate series, wrote a well-received historical western series and is currently writing a contemporary romance series.

Despite the genre, you'll find Michelle likes to write about strong women and characters that'll linger in your heart long after the book is done.

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5 stars
42 (21%)
4 stars
70 (35%)
3 stars
60 (30%)
2 stars
14 (7%)
1 star
10 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Regan Walker.
Author 33 books827 followers
February 22, 2013
3 and ½ Stars: Entertaining Pirate Read with a Female Pirate

Set in in the Caribbean in 1656 (Prologue) and 1661, this is the story of Samantha Fine--whose family was slaughtered by pirates. The hero is the notorious one-eyed pirate, Captain Luke Bradley. Years after the attack that robbed her of her family, Sam has become the infamous pirate Sam Steele and needs Luke to find the pirate who killed her family, the same pirate who took Luke's eye. She frees Luke from gaol and they combine their talents to find the pirate that hurt them both...all the while Sam is being stalked by an evil predator.

Beattie writes well and has put a lot of action as well as angst into this story of two people trying to overcome the skeletons in the closets of their past. Luke lusts after Sam from the beginning and his intentions for most of the book were not honorable. Despite knowing this, Sam feels having sex with Luke is "inevitable" because of what is between them. She acts the pirate but really has no heart for the life.

I enjoyed the story and very much liked Luke as a character, but I couldn't call it a page turner or say it kept me up late at night (love those, but I acknowledge they are rare). When Sam went ballistic at one point, her histrionics left me rolling my eyes, but other than that she was quite likeable. At times the story seemed very contemporary in tone. Still, it's an entertaining read and I can recommend it.

Though the setting the Caribbean of the early 18th century seemed well presented, there wasn't much history or any historical figures in this story (which to some readers might mean little but to me is important for a high rating). A few things detracted from the authenticity, too: For example, in a pirate attack, the first mate would not have been dragging his young female charge up to the main deck in her nightgown into the middle of the fighting. She would have been below deck unless the ship was sinking. And with grappling hooks holding the ships together they would not be firing their guns. (At that point it's down to pistols and rapiers.)

In some cases the correct terms were not used: Not "walls" but bulkheads (or partitions if not permanent dividers); not "floor," but deck; and typically the captain would not stand watch all night nor would he tend the tiller; and the hatch leading below decks on the stern end (where the captain resides) does not lead directly into the captain's cabin unless it was a custom design but as there would have been other officer cabins there it is an unlikely design.
Profile Image for Shyann.
319 reviews6 followers
January 5, 2019
I read Aidens story first not knowing it was part of a long series. So I really enjoyed seeing him as a little boy here and learning more about some of the events he referred to. Can’t wait to read the rest
Profile Image for Kirsten.
170 reviews1 follower
Read
February 27, 2025
Dat was zeker een boek. Met een lichte piraten vibe. Nul onderzoek, nul geschiedenis, maar je mag dat ook niet verwachten van dit pareltje
Profile Image for Sara Zanetto.
439 reviews4 followers
March 19, 2022
Caraibi, 1656
Samantha Fine è per mare con la sua famiglia nel mare dei Caraibi. Si prospetta l’ennesima giornata tranquilla.
All’improvviso, però, la Destiny viene abbordata dallo spietato capitano Dervish e dalla sua ciurma di pirati. È un massacro: tutto l’equipaggio compresa la famiglia di Sam viene massacrato.
Lei e solo altri due marinai si riescono miracolosamente a salvare.

1661
Sono passati quattro anni e Samantha è diventata Sam Steele, un bucaniere senza scrupoli, governata solo dal desiderio di vendetta. Dopo tanti buchi nell’acqua, Sam sembra aver trovato la pista giusta: deve far evadere il pirata Luke Bradley, ex membro della ciurma di Dervish, e convincerlo ad aiutarla nella sua impresa.

Oltre essere un romance è soprattutto un romanzo di avventura: viaggi per mare, soste per rifornimenti a Tortuga, duelli mortali, bugie e inganni!
Sam la nostra eroina è tanto coraggiosa quanto fragile e poi abbiamo Luke che mi ha ricordato molto il capitano Jack Sparrow con un mirabolante piano sempre pronto e una passione per il rum.


Profile Image for Abbey.
42 reviews
January 8, 2025
called her breasts “creamy” THREE TIMES 🤨😟☹️
Profile Image for Laura.
39 reviews
December 19, 2010
This is the first book I've read by this author and although the book was ho-hum, it wasn't so bad that I won't read more of her work. It started out kind of slow but then became more interesting as the story went along. However, the ending left me wanting...wanting what I don't really know other than maybe a better ending.
Plot = C+
Romance = C+
Sensuality = B-
BOOK = C+
Profile Image for Monique Takens.
651 reviews13 followers
February 6, 2015
Ik heb de nederlandse uitgave gelezen ( Candlelight Historische roman 897 / Geef je over ) Ik begreep niet zo goed waarom Samantha een piraat was geworden want ik denk dat er ook wel andere manieren zijn om een persoon te vinden om daarna wraak te nemen . Er wordt nergens een reden gegeven waarom ze niet na haar ontsnapping naar een hooggeplaatst persoon ( gouverneur ) is gegaan voor hulp .
Profile Image for Jennifer Ashley.
Author 216 books7,336 followers
November 5, 2009
This non-stop pirate romance has it all: high-seas adventure, a daring quest, a courageous heroine, and best of all, a true pirate hero to die for.
Profile Image for Bailey.
1,205 reviews39 followers
December 9, 2025
People, I don't know if you know how long I've been on the hunt for a true pirate romance. What does that mean? It means...

-Action oriented plot moving the story along
*From the jump, when Samantha-AKA Sam Steele-is teasing Luke with freedom outside his prison cell, to the fake death turned robbery where Sam becomes a damsel in distress to manipulate the incoming other pirates, to the two big bads who were motivation for Sam's rightful revenge. It was a time.
-Not a ton in sight
*We're not in the realm of ballrooms and hushed garden meetings; we're in close quarters of ship where food is rationed and the air is thick with that unhealthy sea salt, and kisses are hard smacks given before a raid. It's such visceral writing, you can practically feel the grittiness on you skin
-Chemistry with banter
*With pirate romances, I need at least one of them to be flirty/fun loving, while the other is of sounder mind. Love how from the jump, Luke's like "you know you'll beg for me soon, right?", and Sam's like "yeah, I'm begging you to leave right now". The best repartee:
L: "It must've slipped my mind".
S: "I imagine it's not hard, what with the nothing in your head to hold onto" 🤣.
-Pirate attire acquired
*Luke dons an eye patch and gold sash 'round his waist whose ties hit his thigh just so. *chef's kiss*
*During the last battle, Sam dons pants herself. And she's a captain whose very presence demands respect.
-The scene where Luke literally puts her to bed, snuggles her to sleep, and is 'bout ready to off whoever dares wake her up.
-The smut.
*'nuff said.
-Sam's moral dilemma
*She worries she's just as bad as the pirates who pillaged her ship and by proxy, so is Luke.
*She also personally struggles with what to do once her revenge is over.
-Sam gets to kill Oliver herself.
*So satisfying. Fuck that guy. And Dervish too.
-The whole idea behind "who really is Sam Steele?"
*Turns out, everyone on board gets a turn to be "seen" as Steele, thus making their ID remain a mystery since it's a different person every time.
-Luke's proposal
*He's refuses to make his children go through what he did (being labeled a bastard) and offers the idea of building ships alongside Sam. Win win!

My cons were the big bad chapters, they were just kinda repetitive. There's a fade to black love scene (it just feels weird/lazy in an adult romance book), and I'd have liked a time jump epilogue seeing Sam and Luke thriving in beachy village, their ship business booming and maybe one and a half babies running around. But as someone who forever mourns the potential of Cutthroat Island (1995), this was a swashbuckling good time 🏴‍☠️🦜.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Cheri.
2,298 reviews28 followers
September 13, 2019
3.5 stars

I recently read this author’s Cowboy Up, her first foray into contemporary romance and my first experience with her writing. Since I enjoyed that book I decided to look for one of her historical romance books since that’s her wheelhouse. I really can’t recall if I’ve read a pirate book before, but if I have it’s been quite a long time. So this was an experiment of a sort, to see if this was a genre I’d be interested in reading more from.

Although I like how this book starts, and I definitely felt the spark between Samantha and Luke, the first half of this story was a bit slow for me. Interesting and still kept me wanting to get back to reading when I had to put it down, but I kept waiting for certain things to happen and they seemed to be taking to long to occur. The good news: the second half of this story flew by for me.

The concept of this story, the idea of a pirate with a secret identity out for revenge, is wonderful. I also loved the progression of Samantha and the story of how she came to be a pirate. I actually wish we could have gotten a bit more of that back story, but even without it I could understand her motivations and her desire to protect those around her so fiercely.

Overall, I liked this book. There was room for more depth for sure, but there wasn’t any overwhelming feeling of missing anything. From what I can tell, this is one of this author’s earlier published works. The story is tidy and well written. From reading her most recent published work I can say she has learned to add more depth to her story and characters, so I will be continuing this series to see how it goes.

You can find more of my book reviews at All In Good Time.
Profile Image for Sonja.
671 reviews27 followers
May 29, 2020
I enjoyed this book; however, I had mixed feelings about it. I felt that Samantha wasn't written quite as daring and bold as the book suggested. Immediately on meeting Luke, a pirate, whom she loathed all pirates, she immediately turns into this moony subservient female. UGH! No! As the captain of her ship for four years, I thought she'd stand up to him and put him in his place. Repeatedly. But she never really did until later in the book. Kind of a let down there.

As for the chemistry, they definitely had it and I did enjoy their sparring throughout the book. The conflict was interesting and well-written and drawn out - literally until the last page! I kept thinking "how are we going to tie up all the ends with 10 pages left?!" Well the author did, though it was kind of anticlimactic in a way. I understand why she did it the way she did though and I was glad to see the resolution the way it was. Overall a decent read and a fun adventure!
50 reviews
September 12, 2023
For the first half I was suggesting the book to a bunch of friends. I loved it. I thought it would become a new favorite.
Then I got to one specific moment and it all went downhill for me. Characters and their choices made no sense- the MC made less sense, the guy wasn’t making sense and some moments were so outta pocket that it took me out of the story.
And. I’m sorry but- his sister’s front room?? There’s no better options?? You both have bedrooms. Just out in the open??
I got to the most climatic moment with the slave owner and I was skimming because I wanted to be done with it.
The world was vivid, it was easy to follow the ship terms. Besides what I mentioned, it really is a fun story.
But it was better before the couple got together.
Profile Image for Nyssy.
1,959 reviews
November 4, 2018
A joy to read! A lot adventures and twists and turns but in the end all happy. ❤️
Profile Image for Letschat1974.
821 reviews10 followers
April 6, 2018
i found all 5 books in this series well written and followed the same format. witty dialog, good characters, story you can cruise along with and the romance piece balanced. a few hot kisses, about 70% mark first love making scene and a few afterwards towards the last 30% (not as detailed ). i read the last book first and found that it was much better reading a second time after reading the first 4 books in their order (would recommend others to read the series in order, believe it would be more enjoyable). 4 out of 5
2,988 reviews17 followers
October 11, 2015
Samantha will Rache üben. Dazu verkleidet als gefürchteter Freibeuterkapitän Sam Steele und um den Mörder ihrer Familie zu finden braucht sie den Piraten Luke Bradley. Doch Luke hat was anderes vor und Sam ist ja nur eine Frau mit einem Herzen. Als sie den Aufenthaltsort des Mörders suchen und sich auf den Weg machen. Luke hat seine eigenen Ziele und hält sich nicht immer an die Regeln.

Piraten, ich liebe Pirate schon vor Jack Sparrow, danach aber erst recht. Ich will auch. :) Dann mal zum Buch. Erinnerte mich am Anfang etwas an die Piratenbraut, doch dann ging es einen anderen Weg. Wir suchen einen Mörder, keinen Schatz. Hinter Samanthas Suche verbirgt sich viel mehr als man am Anfang erfährt. Mehr als einmal wollte ich sie Umarmen und sagen das alles wieder gut wird. Aber man spürt ihre innere Stärke und das sie trotz allem nicht so schnell aufgibt. Luke kommt mir vor wie ein Pirat der einen ist weil er nix anderes kann. Obwohl er eigentlich was drauf hat. Beide hatten es in der Vergangenheit nicht leicht und zusammen heilen sie sich von diesen Wunden. Außer die PIRATEN, hatte das Buch auch Spannung, ein Hauch Liebe und Erotik und natürlich Action.
Profile Image for Courtney.
533 reviews
August 15, 2016
I found this book through a goodreads recommendation and was hunting for a pirate book that my local library had available on the shelf. This one fit those marks beautifully.

However, it was just ok, hence the 2 star "it was ok" rating. There was absolutely nothing new, different, exciting, or unusual about this book. There was a dashing hero, an intrepid heroine, and a villainous villain. They were hunting for a common enemy while being chased by another foe. Swashbuckle, swashbuckle, swashbuckle, cannon fire, cannon fire. And, that's the general gist.

I gave it two stars, not one, in fact, because it was comfortingly familiar and enjoyable. But, I finished it a day or two ago and besides a general impression of "meh" I can't remember the main characters names. So....yeah. Two stars.
Profile Image for Danielles.
541 reviews2 followers
March 30, 2016
Good.

Sam ( antha), owner of a ( pirate) ship, needs Luke to get her revenge against a pirate!
But Luke likes her to much and lie'd to her,...
Sam likes him too, but after this lie she will end there relation,....but Luke had his reasons,....

Sam is not a real pirate, but she is tough!
Luke is great, but he has his lies,......
That was great!!!!in this story,.....

I like more from Beattie, but she is not the best writer,....yet,...
Profile Image for Regan.
2,071 reviews99 followers
October 10, 2010
It was okay. Nothing special. After a day or two the heroine is in love with the hero but instead of it being because of an attraction it came across that there was a formula that now they fall in love. I never felt a connection between them.

I did like how the author used the heroine's revenge on one to get back at another, but then she did the "good girl" thing and didn't take her revenge.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rachel.
901 reviews14 followers
July 10, 2016
I received this book from the Goodreads First Reads program.

I don't generally pick up Pirate romances, but do love a good historical. This fused the two subgenres well with a look at some of the "pirate isles" in the Caribbean. The story starts with a bang and ends with an awe. Everything in between was just as compelling. I do recommend it.
Profile Image for Sarah.
832 reviews13 followers
April 14, 2009
Not bad for a "romance". It was more action/adventure for females. Cracked me up because the pirate who is the object of desire only has one eye, and that one eye is very expressive. It can show all kinds of emotions. Now I know what a pirate desires...revenge and love!
Profile Image for Jess.
4 reviews
July 26, 2012
For a romance novel that has no fantasy it is good. It would be good for adult readers for some of the secenes that are suggested and acted out (but not throughly). It was a good read, and I would add more but I don't want to spoil it for future readers of this book.
Profile Image for Nanci L..
116 reviews9 followers
August 8, 2011

Really enjoyed this book. Well written, lots of action, lots of sex, good descriptions of life at sea and a good plot. Great beach reading! Easily keeps your interest.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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