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Pirate Wolf #2
The Iron Rose
While on a mission to persuade English privateers to uphold a peace treaty with Spain, Varian St. Clare, the king's aristocratic envoy, finds himself the prisoner of Juliet Dante, the daughter of the notorious Pirate Wolf, who, amidst danger and intrigue, captures his heart. Original.
368 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 4, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
October 11, 2018
Recommened by my friend Laura
Thank you Laura!!!
I don’t know why I didn’t read this book before!!! I loved everything here! But most of all the highly unusual heroine!
Juliet, in spite of having such a girly name, is anything but!
She drinks, she takes lovers, she dresses like a man, she speaks like a man and she’s a privateer captain!!! And very much successful and respected by her crew, not only because of her famous father, but because she’s truly capable!
She leads her man, she fights with them! WOW! Truly, WOW!
Varian is almost overshadowed by Juliet. Almost, but not totally, since he’s very sure about his masculinity that he doesn’t need to beat his chest and act like an ass. He’s highly intelligent and ready to listen.
At first they clash and it was a pleasure to read how shocked Varian was when confronted with Juliet’s behavior!
I appreciated the love story, but I just adored the pirate politics and fighting parts! The two were masterfully mixed and I didn’t feel the least bored!
The dialogue is highly entertaining! What comes from Juliet’s mouth is something that could come from the mouth of the worst rake of Romancelandia! I just loved it!
The whole book is one huge adventure. I think I’ll be reading the rest of the series too! I only hope they’re as good as this one!
Thank you Laura!!!
I don’t know why I didn’t read this book before!!! I loved everything here! But most of all the highly unusual heroine!
Juliet, in spite of having such a girly name, is anything but!
She drinks, she takes lovers, she dresses like a man, she speaks like a man and she’s a privateer captain!!! And very much successful and respected by her crew, not only because of her famous father, but because she’s truly capable!
She leads her man, she fights with them! WOW! Truly, WOW!
Varian is almost overshadowed by Juliet. Almost, but not totally, since he’s very sure about his masculinity that he doesn’t need to beat his chest and act like an ass. He’s highly intelligent and ready to listen.
At first they clash and it was a pleasure to read how shocked Varian was when confronted with Juliet’s behavior!
I appreciated the love story, but I just adored the pirate politics and fighting parts! The two were masterfully mixed and I didn’t feel the least bored!
The dialogue is highly entertaining! What comes from Juliet’s mouth is something that could come from the mouth of the worst rake of Romancelandia! I just loved it!
The whole book is one huge adventure. I think I’ll be reading the rest of the series too! I only hope they’re as good as this one!
May 18, 2025
I thought I didn’t like pirate books. Turns out I only like really good pirate books. Like this one.
Juliet Dante is a badass. A sword-wielding, pistol sharp-shooting, stone-cold captain-of-her-own-privateer-ship badass. She’s smart, she’s ambitious, she’s brave, and she’s in the middle of a battle when the book begins, as her smaller ship saves an English warship from a much larger, more heavily armed Spanish galleon. After fending off two Spanish swordsmen she turns to face the barrel of a Spanish pistol, only to be saved by a nattily dressed combatant who sends the bullet astray.
That nattily dressed combatant is an English duke, whom she saves right back, and then owns as a spoils of war, along with the cargo of the Spanish galleon.
The way she treats the duke ought to have him whimpering and crying for his mommy:
“Indeed, my lord, you are not in London now and there are no courtiers present. You have no friends on board this ship, no power, no authority, no influence over so much as the lowliest seaman. On board the Iron Rose, I am the only authority. I am the queen, the duchess, the countess, the high priestess, and the only one who decides whether you remain here, as our guest ... or become fodder for the first school of sharks we see swimming past. Had we not happened along when we did, the Spaniards would have sunk you and left no witness behind to the deed. Make no mistake, sir: it would not cause me a moment in lost sleep to do likewise.”
But the duke is badass too, and their battle of wills continues until he tries to assert his dominance by rage-kissing her, and finds himself out-manned and out-gunned when she flips the scenario on him. Again. And again. And yet, her brilliance never seemed to dim his. How does an author accomplish such a thing?
I absolutely loved this. The prose is sleek and assured, the characters are fully formed and memorable, the story arc thoughtfully planned and flawlessly executed, and the action scenes, the sea battles, are so exciting I had to force my eyes to read one sentence at a time because they kept jumping down the page to discover “and then what happened?”
My first book by this author, soon to be followed by ALL the books by this author.
One note: this book, so excellently researched and written, contained too many proofreading errors: omitted words, words missing endings or containing an extraneous letter, transposed words. Also, and I don’t know if this is a misprint or the author’s error, but the Duke of Harrow is referred to as an earl at least twice. I didn’t subtract from my rating for these errors, but preventable mistakes shouldn’t happen in books this good.
Juliet Dante is a badass. A sword-wielding, pistol sharp-shooting, stone-cold captain-of-her-own-privateer-ship badass. She’s smart, she’s ambitious, she’s brave, and she’s in the middle of a battle when the book begins, as her smaller ship saves an English warship from a much larger, more heavily armed Spanish galleon. After fending off two Spanish swordsmen she turns to face the barrel of a Spanish pistol, only to be saved by a nattily dressed combatant who sends the bullet astray.
That nattily dressed combatant is an English duke, whom she saves right back, and then owns as a spoils of war, along with the cargo of the Spanish galleon.
The way she treats the duke ought to have him whimpering and crying for his mommy:
“Indeed, my lord, you are not in London now and there are no courtiers present. You have no friends on board this ship, no power, no authority, no influence over so much as the lowliest seaman. On board the Iron Rose, I am the only authority. I am the queen, the duchess, the countess, the high priestess, and the only one who decides whether you remain here, as our guest ... or become fodder for the first school of sharks we see swimming past. Had we not happened along when we did, the Spaniards would have sunk you and left no witness behind to the deed. Make no mistake, sir: it would not cause me a moment in lost sleep to do likewise.”
But the duke is badass too, and their battle of wills continues until he tries to assert his dominance by rage-kissing her, and finds himself out-manned and out-gunned when she flips the scenario on him. Again. And again. And yet, her brilliance never seemed to dim his. How does an author accomplish such a thing?
I absolutely loved this. The prose is sleek and assured, the characters are fully formed and memorable, the story arc thoughtfully planned and flawlessly executed, and the action scenes, the sea battles, are so exciting I had to force my eyes to read one sentence at a time because they kept jumping down the page to discover “and then what happened?”
My first book by this author, soon to be followed by ALL the books by this author.
One note: this book, so excellently researched and written, contained too many proofreading errors: omitted words, words missing endings or containing an extraneous letter, transposed words. Also, and I don’t know if this is a misprint or the author’s error, but the Duke of Harrow is referred to as an earl at least twice. I didn’t subtract from my rating for these errors, but preventable mistakes shouldn’t happen in books this good.
December 14, 2025
This book simultaneously gave me life and took ten years off of it
First of all, when Isabeau (from Book 1) goes full Molly Weasley on us I literally screamed.
I'm not even joking. Fist clench, punching the air and everything. Is this what sport watching men feel when they see a score happen?
Anyway, review.
I don't know what to say expect
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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First of all, when Isabeau (from Book 1) goes full Molly Weasley on us I literally screamed.
I'm not even joking. Fist clench, punching the air and everything. Is this what sport watching men feel when they see a score happen?
Anyway, review.
I don't know what to say expect
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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
September 9, 2025
Another good pirate 🏴☠️ story by MC.
Two good main characters and supporting characters. Plenty happening.
The Duke wanted his last adventure, before settling down on his responsibility as Duke.
He definitely got that, and also won the lady Pirate.
Two good main characters and supporting characters. Plenty happening.
The Duke wanted his last adventure, before settling down on his responsibility as Duke.
He definitely got that, and also won the lady Pirate.
October 6, 2025
He had allowed himself to be seduced by a sea witch, one who encouraged him to relish the sensation of hot sun on his skin, the sweat of hard labor on his brow. He had killed those men last night without hesitation, the lust for blood almost as potent as the lust he was feeling now to spread his hands wide and catch the wind.
I just savored the last sentence, with a huge smile on my face, and I am so awestruck I don’t know what to say. So here’s my stream of consciousness review.
Maybe, see my review for Across a Moonlit Sea? That would help explain how phenomenal these books by MC are.
I wasn’t expecting this one to be as good as the first because the first was un-toppable (is that even a word?) Book one, I loved the MCs more. But book two had much more of a romance than book one. (And Varian was pretty damn hot).
Oh I know I’m not making much sense so I’m going to stop here. Just read both books. I guarantee you won’t find anything like them when it comes to bringing history alive, swashbuckling privateers, hateful villains, fabulous MCs and side characters, hold-your-breath adventure, and beautiful, glorious love.
Juliet welcomed him eagerly into her arms. She was ready—sweet Christ she was more than ready—and she laughed for the sheer pleasure of it when he grasped two fistfuls of her shirt and tore it from neck to hem. He knelt above her a moment, his shoulders gleaming in the candlelight, his eyes dark and full of questions that had no answers.
###
“I sent you away,” she whispered, “because I didn’t think—” He pushed away from the boulder and moved closer. “You didn’t think ... what?” “I didn’t think ... you could love someone like me.” He raised his hand, touching a fingertip to the fat tear that rolled slowly down her cheek. “Someone like you?” he murmured. “Someone who takes my every breath away?
Don’t mind me: I’m just drunk on love and adventure at the moment.
I just savored the last sentence, with a huge smile on my face, and I am so awestruck I don’t know what to say. So here’s my stream of consciousness review.
Maybe, see my review for Across a Moonlit Sea? That would help explain how phenomenal these books by MC are.
I wasn’t expecting this one to be as good as the first because the first was un-toppable (is that even a word?) Book one, I loved the MCs more. But book two had much more of a romance than book one. (And Varian was pretty damn hot).
Oh I know I’m not making much sense so I’m going to stop here. Just read both books. I guarantee you won’t find anything like them when it comes to bringing history alive, swashbuckling privateers, hateful villains, fabulous MCs and side characters, hold-your-breath adventure, and beautiful, glorious love.
Juliet welcomed him eagerly into her arms. She was ready—sweet Christ she was more than ready—and she laughed for the sheer pleasure of it when he grasped two fistfuls of her shirt and tore it from neck to hem. He knelt above her a moment, his shoulders gleaming in the candlelight, his eyes dark and full of questions that had no answers.
###
“I sent you away,” she whispered, “because I didn’t think—” He pushed away from the boulder and moved closer. “You didn’t think ... what?” “I didn’t think ... you could love someone like me.” He raised his hand, touching a fingertip to the fat tear that rolled slowly down her cheek. “Someone like you?” he murmured. “Someone who takes my every breath away?
Don’t mind me: I’m just drunk on love and adventure at the moment.
October 29, 2022
"Babasının, ilk yaylım ateşinden önce söylediği gibi; ölmek için güzel bir gündü."
May 22, 2021
Award for Most Alpha Female Goes to… Juliet Dante in The Iron Rose.
RTC.
***Full Review***
I was reading a few interviews with Marsha Canham and one in particular was for the release of The Iron Rose where Canham says she was playing with role reversal. When she said that, I was like, OH.
Because as I read The Iron Rose, I felt like Canham cranked it up a few notches.
It got me reminiscing about other Canham heroines. Like Brenna Wardieu in The Last Arrow one of the most talented archers who yet is bested by the hero, Griffyn, in one scene, and who downplays her femininity (long hair) and the hero tells her not to so that the enemy can see they were beaten by a woman. Or even Beau, Juliet's mom in the previous novel, Across a Moonlit Sea - she is the equal to Simon Dante.
With The Iron Rose, Canham stretches the ass-kicking female archetype even further, where Juliet is not the equal but the better of Varian.
Juliet reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in that she kicks butt. I’m really partial to warrior heroines. Barring that, a plucky heroine who gets by with her wits and quick thinking. I like these heroines because they get their day in the sun, they get to be the Leo in the room, they get the good insult in, the dramatic insult, and say what they feel.
And Juliet is the rapine pirate. She always gets the best of Varian and I liked that Canham did this because it would have been offensive otherwise (Varian has no naval experience and for him to know how to sail or fight on sea better than Juliet would have been insulting, IMO). There were a few power struggles between the two, and I can't quite put my finger on it, but I wished that there was more to their attraction, at times.
Readers sometimes critique Canham for not developing the romance, and I think this may be what I felt, at times. While it didn't stop me from consuming the book, Varian, in particular, I would have liked to get his POV more to see that development of how he relates to Juliet.
There are scenes where Juliet and Varian spar verbally and physically. Juliet nearly always gets the better of the interaction. I liked that Juliet didn't let shit fly. Her rising to any and all perceived or nonexistent challenges to herself as a ship's captain was entertaining. However, whether it's a hero or a heroine, I did find it boring and a little frustrating at times, because things get predictable, and it never feels like the other partner has power.
Overall, I loved The Iron Rose!
RTC.
***Full Review***
I was reading a few interviews with Marsha Canham and one in particular was for the release of The Iron Rose where Canham says she was playing with role reversal. When she said that, I was like, OH.
Because as I read The Iron Rose, I felt like Canham cranked it up a few notches.
It got me reminiscing about other Canham heroines. Like Brenna Wardieu in The Last Arrow one of the most talented archers who yet is bested by the hero, Griffyn, in one scene, and who downplays her femininity (long hair) and the hero tells her not to so that the enemy can see they were beaten by a woman. Or even Beau, Juliet's mom in the previous novel, Across a Moonlit Sea - she is the equal to Simon Dante.
With The Iron Rose, Canham stretches the ass-kicking female archetype even further, where Juliet is not the equal but the better of Varian.
Juliet reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in that she kicks butt. I’m really partial to warrior heroines. Barring that, a plucky heroine who gets by with her wits and quick thinking. I like these heroines because they get their day in the sun, they get to be the Leo in the room, they get the good insult in, the dramatic insult, and say what they feel.
And Juliet is the rapine pirate. She always gets the best of Varian and I liked that Canham did this because it would have been offensive otherwise (Varian has no naval experience and for him to know how to sail or fight on sea better than Juliet would have been insulting, IMO). There were a few power struggles between the two, and I can't quite put my finger on it, but I wished that there was more to their attraction, at times.
Readers sometimes critique Canham for not developing the romance, and I think this may be what I felt, at times. While it didn't stop me from consuming the book, Varian, in particular, I would have liked to get his POV more to see that development of how he relates to Juliet.
There are scenes where Juliet and Varian spar verbally and physically. Juliet nearly always gets the better of the interaction. I liked that Juliet didn't let shit fly. Her rising to any and all perceived or nonexistent challenges to herself as a ship's captain was entertaining. However, whether it's a hero or a heroine, I did find it boring and a little frustrating at times, because things get predictable, and it never feels like the other partner has power.
Overall, I loved The Iron Rose!
September 25, 2019
2.5 estrellitas.
Es una novela desarrollada en el siglo XVII en el Caribe. Es muy diferente a las novelas románticas que vengo leyendo últimamente. No me defraudó pero no tiene el romance propio de las novelas de J. Lindsey o Lisa Kleypas. Aqui nuestra heroína, Juliet es una mujer que de delicada NO tiene nada; Todo lo contrario es una capitana del "Iron Rose" y es de armas tomar, valiente y nada de inocente porque por la vida de Juliet ya han pasado varios amantes. Proviene de familia pirata y tiene una gran destreza en el manejo de la espada, por lo tanto es una temerara corsaria y maneja la espada con una destreza sobresaliente.
Debo reconocer que por momentos se me hizo pesada la historia sobre todo porque la autora ha investigado mucho y nos describe al detalle cada cosa de los barcos, de las guerras en el mar. Felicito a Marsha Canham porque me ha enseñado cosas sobre el navío que yo desconocía. Al tomarse su tiempo y contarnos éstos, los capítulos son bastantes extensos, pero en los siguientes la autora nos complace con diálogos cargados con algo de humor e ironía.
Aquí el personaje masculino es Varian, duque ingles, refinado y pomposo, todo lo opuesto a Juliet pero sin embargo me fue sorprendiendo con su personalidad a medida que iba avanzando en la lectura del libro. Y mejor así porque yo mientras leía me preguntaba: ¿Cómo hará la autora para dar un final a ésto? Juliet es más fuerte y brava que Varian, "aquí las cosas no encajan" pero por suerte nada es lo que parece.
Me gustó pero no me encantó. Reconozco la originalidad de Canham y lo recomiendo para aquellas amantes de las novelas de éste tipo.
Es una novela desarrollada en el siglo XVII en el Caribe. Es muy diferente a las novelas románticas que vengo leyendo últimamente. No me defraudó pero no tiene el romance propio de las novelas de J. Lindsey o Lisa Kleypas. Aqui nuestra heroína, Juliet es una mujer que de delicada NO tiene nada; Todo lo contrario es una capitana del "Iron Rose" y es de armas tomar, valiente y nada de inocente porque por la vida de Juliet ya han pasado varios amantes. Proviene de familia pirata y tiene una gran destreza en el manejo de la espada, por lo tanto es una temerara corsaria y maneja la espada con una destreza sobresaliente.
Debo reconocer que por momentos se me hizo pesada la historia sobre todo porque la autora ha investigado mucho y nos describe al detalle cada cosa de los barcos, de las guerras en el mar. Felicito a Marsha Canham porque me ha enseñado cosas sobre el navío que yo desconocía. Al tomarse su tiempo y contarnos éstos, los capítulos son bastantes extensos, pero en los siguientes la autora nos complace con diálogos cargados con algo de humor e ironía.
Aquí el personaje masculino es Varian, duque ingles, refinado y pomposo, todo lo opuesto a Juliet pero sin embargo me fue sorprendiendo con su personalidad a medida que iba avanzando en la lectura del libro. Y mejor así porque yo mientras leía me preguntaba: ¿Cómo hará la autora para dar un final a ésto? Juliet es más fuerte y brava que Varian, "aquí las cosas no encajan" pero por suerte nada es lo que parece.
Me gustó pero no me encantó. Reconozco la originalidad de Canham y lo recomiendo para aquellas amantes de las novelas de éste tipo.
December 31, 2013
Maybe I should give this one a higher rating but, truth be told, it was just too formulaic for me to praise it too highly. I loved the fact that the heroine was a pirate captain, I loved that the hero wasn't an overbearing alpha male, and the amount of action was, again, commendable. I was, however, confused about a rather glaring inconsistency that marks the author as perhaps a bit lackadaisical; the character of Lucifer is speaking in this sequel. Perhaps I'm remembering wrong, but I could have sworn that Simon told Beau in the first book that Spaniards cut out Lucifer's tongue....which would make him speaking rather an impossibility, would it not?
Anyway, my biggest complaint would be that the heroine, Juliet, is a bit too standoffish for my taste. It's really hard to find stories where the heroine is strong without being a prickly, humorless, oversensitive bitch. Women can be strong without obviously trying to act like men. I wish more authors would portray women who are strong in their own rights without having to resort to theatrical displays of hubris.
Anyway, my biggest complaint would be that the heroine, Juliet, is a bit too standoffish for my taste. It's really hard to find stories where the heroine is strong without being a prickly, humorless, oversensitive bitch. Women can be strong without obviously trying to act like men. I wish more authors would portray women who are strong in their own rights without having to resort to theatrical displays of hubris.
April 6, 2016
It's official. I do not like pirate stories.
This is well written with some beautiful descriptions. The sex was good. And there's a very strong female heroine. Hero is undeveloped, but he's fine. If action/adventure romance is your thing: have at it; you'll likely enjoy this book.
For me, when there's this much peripheral stuff going on it distracts from the romance. That's not too bad when I'm interested in the matter which causes the distraction. But pirates, much like rakes, bore me to tears. Perhaps I saw Pirates of the Caribbean one too many times or something.
This is a personal rating for me, and the nuts and bolts of the writing on display here don't deserve two stars, really. However, I skimmed towards the end (once the romance was resolved) because I didn't care about the outstanding high jinx on the high seas.
If Ms Canham had been writing about enclosure, or the corn laws, or the chancery division, I'd likely have been right with her 'til the end. Perhaps I'm just boring.
This is well written with some beautiful descriptions. The sex was good. And there's a very strong female heroine. Hero is undeveloped, but he's fine. If action/adventure romance is your thing: have at it; you'll likely enjoy this book.
For me, when there's this much peripheral stuff going on it distracts from the romance. That's not too bad when I'm interested in the matter which causes the distraction. But pirates, much like rakes, bore me to tears. Perhaps I saw Pirates of the Caribbean one too many times or something.
This is a personal rating for me, and the nuts and bolts of the writing on display here don't deserve two stars, really. However, I skimmed towards the end (once the romance was resolved) because I didn't care about the outstanding high jinx on the high seas.
If Ms Canham had been writing about enclosure, or the corn laws, or the chancery division, I'd likely have been right with her 'til the end. Perhaps I'm just boring.
June 24, 2025
Found this in the pile created during my pandemic book-buying fugue state and thought, “Lady Pirate? Why tf not.” And overall I found this fun in an early 2000s grrl powery way, though it certainly doesn’t pass the Bechdel test and uses sexual violence as a plot device. I wouldn’t exactly recommend it, but hey, another book finished.
October 22, 2025
Isabeau and Simon Dante, fierce couple from Across a Moonlit Sea, have two sons and a daughter, each in command of their own ships. Juliet Dante comes by her temper and her fortitude honestly, and her ship Iron Rose saves and English crew and commandeers and Spanish Galleon. Among the rescued - Varian St Clare, Duke of Harrow.
The Spanish Armada still rules the seas, and the Dante clan is out to open up trade and prevent another war between Spain and England.
Like all of Canham’s books, Iron Rose is sweeping, fierce, and romantic. It has more history than a lot of historical romances, putting us in current events of 1614 during the Golden Age of Piracy!
The Spanish Armada still rules the seas, and the Dante clan is out to open up trade and prevent another war between Spain and England.
Like all of Canham’s books, Iron Rose is sweeping, fierce, and romantic. It has more history than a lot of historical romances, putting us in current events of 1614 during the Golden Age of Piracy!
September 24, 2010
Super read!! LOVE Marsha Canham and her brilliant skills as an author!! If you like high seas adventure with some really HOT smoldering romance then you HAVE TO READ the Dante Pirates Series...there's only two books. Read Across a Moonlit Sea FIRST.
May 28, 2025
So good! I love the sarcastic humor, the FMC competence as a captian and the MMC's acceptance of her knowledge.
April 24, 2018
Juliet Dante, daughter of the notorious Simon Dante, comes to the rescue of an English envoy ship about to be blown to smithereens by the Spanish. On board is the twelfth duke of Harrow, Varian St. Clare, who saves Juliet's life and then gets knocked unconscious by a blast...Only to wake up on board of Juliet's ship, the Iron Rose and bound for the secret island where the pirate wolf reigns...
I liked this one. The story flew nicely, the tempo was spot-on, increasing with each and every chapter, the action sequences were gripping, the sea battles intense (especially the heart-wrenching last one), and it was nice seeing old friends again and learning of their life beyond their story.
The only major problem this book had were the two leads. There was a glaring imbalance of power between the two from the beginning. He was injured and then spent chapter upon chapter coming across as a weak, spoiled English aristocrat, while she, unlike her mother, spent the majority of the book in full bitch mode.
I like my heroines strong and spunky, yet Juliet's bravado and obstinacy truly grated on my nerves. There's a difference between a strong, self-assured and resilient woman and a pig-headed, obstinate, unbending bitch.
I didn't like her, and I especially didn't like the imbalance of power between the two in their "romance", as the hero was forced to do all the work, while she kicked and spat almost the entire way.
I wished there was an apology scene or some grovelling thrown into the mix in the end.
Granted, I didn't care much about the two protagonists or the romance aspect of the story, but the rest more than made up for it. I'm also looking forward to Juliet's brother's stories.
P.S. Something else pricked me in this story—the glaring continuity error of Lucifer, the hulking black, scimitar and loincloth loving behemoth Simon Dante rescued all those years ago. In Across a Moonlit Sea Lucifer communicated through sign language and grunts, since, according to Simon, the Spanish had cut out his tongue. In this book, the man spoke without problems. Which one is it? Was the tongue thing a lie? Or is the speaking part in this book a mistake?
I liked this one. The story flew nicely, the tempo was spot-on, increasing with each and every chapter, the action sequences were gripping, the sea battles intense (especially the heart-wrenching last one), and it was nice seeing old friends again and learning of their life beyond their story.
The only major problem this book had were the two leads. There was a glaring imbalance of power between the two from the beginning. He was injured and then spent chapter upon chapter coming across as a weak, spoiled English aristocrat, while she, unlike her mother, spent the majority of the book in full bitch mode.
I like my heroines strong and spunky, yet Juliet's bravado and obstinacy truly grated on my nerves. There's a difference between a strong, self-assured and resilient woman and a pig-headed, obstinate, unbending bitch.
I didn't like her, and I especially didn't like the imbalance of power between the two in their "romance", as the hero was forced to do all the work, while she kicked and spat almost the entire way.
I wished there was an apology scene or some grovelling thrown into the mix in the end.
Granted, I didn't care much about the two protagonists or the romance aspect of the story, but the rest more than made up for it. I'm also looking forward to Juliet's brother's stories.
P.S. Something else pricked me in this story—the glaring continuity error of Lucifer, the hulking black, scimitar and loincloth loving behemoth Simon Dante rescued all those years ago. In Across a Moonlit Sea Lucifer communicated through sign language and grunts, since, according to Simon, the Spanish had cut out his tongue. In this book, the man spoke without problems. Which one is it? Was the tongue thing a lie? Or is the speaking part in this book a mistake?
May 15, 2009
This was my very first Marsha Canham book, and it hooked me so thoroughly, I spent the next two weeks finding the prequel to this one, Across a Moonlit Sea - and every other book of hers I could find by nosing through used bookstores & shopping ebay (she has a fairly long out of print list). I hadn't read romances in years before I picked this one up, and my first thought was that romance heroines had drastically changed in the intervening years...
Juliet Dante is a pirate and the captain of her own ship (you guessed it), the Iron Rose. She also happens to be very good at it. I love strong, determined heroines who are driven to excel at whatever it is they do. Trouble is, they usually have a difficult time when it comes to finding men who are their equals, much less surrendering any small measure of their will to those honored few when they do find them. This usually leads to the time-honored (and often dreaded) game of push/pull between the protagonists - something that never fails to bore and irritate if not done well. I'm happy to report that in this case, it was skillfully done, and not the least bit irritating.
Varian St. Clare is Juliet Dante's equal in every way. He's every bit as skilled with a sword, just as strong-willed, and equally determined when it comes to getting what he wants. No surprise, he decides early on that he wants Juliet. I found a great deal to like about Varian. He's all man, but more open to his emotions than your average romance hero. Juliet shouldn't appeal to him beyond a brief romp between the sheets; she's just not the type of girl a guy like him brings home to the stately family manor, and drapes in expensive jewelry and silk ballgowns - she's a pirate! Varian realizes she's Miss Inappropriate, but he also realizes much faster than the average hero that he's in love, and he goes after the object of his affection with enough tenacity & determination to make even the coldest heart skip a beat.
Juliet is a little more pragmatic. She wants him too, but she's not kidding herself that marriage is the logical outcome for a relationship between two people as different as she and Varian. He has a tough time convincing her, but the journey to their HEA is nine-tenths of the fun. Great attention has been paid to historical detail in this novel, the secondary characters are strongly written without being intrusive, and the love scenes are signature Marsha Canham H-O-T. It's a keeper, and one of my top ten most highly recommended historical romances.
Sensuality Rating: R
Juliet Dante is a pirate and the captain of her own ship (you guessed it), the Iron Rose. She also happens to be very good at it. I love strong, determined heroines who are driven to excel at whatever it is they do. Trouble is, they usually have a difficult time when it comes to finding men who are their equals, much less surrendering any small measure of their will to those honored few when they do find them. This usually leads to the time-honored (and often dreaded) game of push/pull between the protagonists - something that never fails to bore and irritate if not done well. I'm happy to report that in this case, it was skillfully done, and not the least bit irritating.
Varian St. Clare is Juliet Dante's equal in every way. He's every bit as skilled with a sword, just as strong-willed, and equally determined when it comes to getting what he wants. No surprise, he decides early on that he wants Juliet. I found a great deal to like about Varian. He's all man, but more open to his emotions than your average romance hero. Juliet shouldn't appeal to him beyond a brief romp between the sheets; she's just not the type of girl a guy like him brings home to the stately family manor, and drapes in expensive jewelry and silk ballgowns - she's a pirate! Varian realizes she's Miss Inappropriate, but he also realizes much faster than the average hero that he's in love, and he goes after the object of his affection with enough tenacity & determination to make even the coldest heart skip a beat.
Juliet is a little more pragmatic. She wants him too, but she's not kidding herself that marriage is the logical outcome for a relationship between two people as different as she and Varian. He has a tough time convincing her, but the journey to their HEA is nine-tenths of the fun. Great attention has been paid to historical detail in this novel, the secondary characters are strongly written without being intrusive, and the love scenes are signature Marsha Canham H-O-T. It's a keeper, and one of my top ten most highly recommended historical romances.
Sensuality Rating: R
February 19, 2011
If I could I would rate this 3.75, but only in the context of comparison to Marsha Canham's other books I have read. As a whole I would leave it at 4. Again, she writes such life into her books that you are transported on to the wood deck of a great ship in the middle of a rolling sea and you feel like wiping the salt mist from your eyes to watch story unfold around you. That said, this was not my favorite book of MC's. I was surprised with the rating and my findings. The story was really good and if she ever finished the third in this series I would absolutely read it. The thing that brought this down for me was Juliet was a bit too much and Varian wasn't enough. He did not take my breath away as Simon Dante in the first book, and he never seemed to win over Juliet, more like he accepted her being the stronger of the pair. I am all for a strong willed, fiery, uncompromising female lead, but I need that alpha in my males. Time and time again she bested him, and I never really felt him take control. But that's me, would I recommend the book? Yes. Would I recommend it over any of the others from MC? No. Overall, it is a very good book, but I have come to expect these amazing men that have your knees buckling at the thought of them and Varian just didn't get there. I still think Marsha Canham is a phenomenal author and and going to still pursue every book she has written.
July 19, 2022
This book was a lot of fun -- swashbuckling pirate romance. My only issue with it was that there were some sections where the copy-editing wasn't thorough enough, which was distracting. Oh, and it was pretty unrealistic, but that's part of the charm.
March 5, 2016
3.5 stars. A fun and thrilling story. I enjoyed very much.
June 9, 2020
En serio estoy algo dolida de que esta sea una trilogía (aunque pueda leerse independiente) y solo hayan traducido el segundo libro, porque amaría tenerla completa en español. En fin...
La autora nos ofrece un escenario magnífico, donde la nobleza/piratería está en constante tensión. Pero no una tensión mala, sino una tensión que llega a resultar sexy porque es prohibida. Lo vemos en los padres de Juliet... y en los asuntos del corazón de la misma Juliet. Estoy muy enamorada de Varian y ella, son el complemento del otro, además de que el escenario de sus aventuras es super sensual.
Le quité una estrella porque:
1) Mucho, mucho sexo. Entiendo lo divertido de la tensión sexual, por eso soy más partidaria de que los protagonistas se coman en la mitad del libro o poco después de ésta, no de forma tan rápida como sentí con Juliet y Varian. Las escenas eróticas de todas formas estuvieron bien, pero creo que me hubiera gustado más si ellos hubieran sufrido un poco más el deseo.
2) Sé que eran otros tiempos -cuando la autora escribió el libro y además el contexto histórico donde está ubicada la obra: siglo XVII- pero no puedo empatizar con novelas que usen la palabra "violación" a la ligera.
3) Todo el drama intenso sucede en las últimas cincuenta páginas, cuando era lo más interesante. En serio me hubiera gustado que el libro tuviera hasta 800 páginas más si significaba más detalle en aquellos momentos cruciales :(
4) A veces me abrumaba la información tan concisa sobre las partes de un barco o el contexto político del momento pero eso la hace una novela histórica concisa y completa. Si algún día escribo algo de piratas, este libro será una referencia.
Yo se los recomiendo un montón, además tiene párrafos imperdibles :)
La autora nos ofrece un escenario magnífico, donde la nobleza/piratería está en constante tensión. Pero no una tensión mala, sino una tensión que llega a resultar sexy porque es prohibida. Lo vemos en los padres de Juliet... y en los asuntos del corazón de la misma Juliet. Estoy muy enamorada de Varian y ella, son el complemento del otro, además de que el escenario de sus aventuras es super sensual.
Le quité una estrella porque:
1) Mucho, mucho sexo. Entiendo lo divertido de la tensión sexual, por eso soy más partidaria de que los protagonistas se coman en la mitad del libro o poco después de ésta, no de forma tan rápida como sentí con Juliet y Varian. Las escenas eróticas de todas formas estuvieron bien, pero creo que me hubiera gustado más si ellos hubieran sufrido un poco más el deseo.
2) Sé que eran otros tiempos -cuando la autora escribió el libro y además el contexto histórico donde está ubicada la obra: siglo XVII- pero no puedo empatizar con novelas que usen la palabra "violación" a la ligera.
3) Todo el drama intenso sucede en las últimas cincuenta páginas, cuando era lo más interesante. En serio me hubiera gustado que el libro tuviera hasta 800 páginas más si significaba más detalle en aquellos momentos cruciales :(
4) A veces me abrumaba la información tan concisa sobre las partes de un barco o el contexto político del momento pero eso la hace una novela histórica concisa y completa. Si algún día escribo algo de piratas, este libro será una referencia.
Yo se los recomiendo un montón, además tiene párrafos imperdibles :)
March 30, 2020
This is the second entry in the series, and it is as wild and far-reaching as the first one. Not a duplicate in any way, but the same detailed battles and lusty interactions. Except for some typical angsty moments near the end, this rose above the pirate tropes and was quite enjoyable. The sex scenes were infrequent, but hotter than in book 1.
I'll keep reading this series.
I'll keep reading this series.
Want to read
May 28, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/28/2021)! 🎁
September 1, 2023
I AM ENTERTAINED.
September 2, 2010
My review copied from Amazon.
This is my first book by Marsha Canham. I must say I was quite surprised to look up on Amazon that there weren’t any sequels to this book for our heroine Juliet Dante’s two brothers Jonas and Gabriel. She seemed to set it up quite well and they were great characters. I concur with the review of Darmish.
This book has a fairly different setting, but combined with the time period makes this a unique novel. The characters are well drawn. The description is vivid. I loved the dialogue, especially the crude sayings by the pirates/sailors. This novel has quite a few different circumstances- like the heroine(Juliet) beating the hero(Varian) physically and with a sword, Juliet’s mother having lost an arm, etc.
With all that said I did have a few negatives…
As manly as Varian is described physically did the author really have to have him dress in purple velvet and with rosettes on his shoes? Did he have to be in full court regalia at sea? This first description made him seem like a pansy, however, I will say that he redeemed himself later in the book with him working side by side with the pirates and wearing the island clothes. As much as I understand the style of the time period to my modern mind this just makes him seem effeminate. As an aside did she have to make him the man who stopped Guy Fawkes from blowing up parliament?
As another review stated I think I would have liked Varian to get the better of Juliet in at least one of there verbal or physical sparring. She just seemed too good at everything. Sword fighting, sailing, leading her men, physical fighting, and wittiness.
Another thing, the author seemed to bombard/broadside(pun intended) us with sailing and ship terminology. I understand since 3/4th of this book takes place on a ship she had to include some info. I know the basics bow, stern, mast, quarterdeck, helm, but when she mentioned such things as shrouds, lanyard, culverins, and pataches she started to loose me. Especially since there is no glossary of terms.
The last thing that bugged me-this seemed like only half the story. When I finished the last page I thought “that’s it? where’s the rest?”. With Varian being a duke surely he has responsibilities and duties back in England. Can he even live permanently somewhere outside England without at least going back occasionally? What about his betrothed-to-be? What about his mother? What about his mother meeting Juliet? It just cut off without resolving how they’re going to live. Are they going to live in Simon and Beau’s house or build one of their own on Pigeon Cay? So many questions.
This is my first book by Marsha Canham. I must say I was quite surprised to look up on Amazon that there weren’t any sequels to this book for our heroine Juliet Dante’s two brothers Jonas and Gabriel. She seemed to set it up quite well and they were great characters. I concur with the review of Darmish.
This book has a fairly different setting, but combined with the time period makes this a unique novel. The characters are well drawn. The description is vivid. I loved the dialogue, especially the crude sayings by the pirates/sailors. This novel has quite a few different circumstances- like the heroine(Juliet) beating the hero(Varian) physically and with a sword, Juliet’s mother having lost an arm, etc.
With all that said I did have a few negatives…
As manly as Varian is described physically did the author really have to have him dress in purple velvet and with rosettes on his shoes? Did he have to be in full court regalia at sea? This first description made him seem like a pansy, however, I will say that he redeemed himself later in the book with him working side by side with the pirates and wearing the island clothes. As much as I understand the style of the time period to my modern mind this just makes him seem effeminate. As an aside did she have to make him the man who stopped Guy Fawkes from blowing up parliament?
As another review stated I think I would have liked Varian to get the better of Juliet in at least one of there verbal or physical sparring. She just seemed too good at everything. Sword fighting, sailing, leading her men, physical fighting, and wittiness.
Another thing, the author seemed to bombard/broadside(pun intended) us with sailing and ship terminology. I understand since 3/4th of this book takes place on a ship she had to include some info. I know the basics bow, stern, mast, quarterdeck, helm, but when she mentioned such things as shrouds, lanyard, culverins, and pataches she started to loose me. Especially since there is no glossary of terms.
The last thing that bugged me-this seemed like only half the story. When I finished the last page I thought “that’s it? where’s the rest?”. With Varian being a duke surely he has responsibilities and duties back in England. Can he even live permanently somewhere outside England without at least going back occasionally? What about his betrothed-to-be? What about his mother? What about his mother meeting Juliet? It just cut off without resolving how they’re going to live. Are they going to live in Simon and Beau’s house or build one of their own on Pigeon Cay? So many questions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 3, 2012
17 Yüzyil başlarinda Ingiltere-Ispanya savasi zamaninda gecen müthis bir korsan hikayesi.Demir Gül sıradisi insanların sıradisı hikayeleri. 17 Yüzyıl korsanlarinin inanilmaz agir şartlarda hayatlarini sürdürmeleri,kendi kanunlarini koyup kendi kanunlarını uygulamalari. Bu sartlarda yasayan Korsanlar Krali Simon Dante'nin kızi Juliet Dante'nin bir erkek gibi Demir Gül'ü kaptani olmasi bunu büyük bir basari ile yapmasi ve hayatini diledigi gibi yaşamasi. Kralin elcisi Harrow Dükü Varian St.Clare'i esir almasi ve aralarinda çakan kıvilcımlar.Tarihi dekoru icinde büyüleyici atmosferinde Cok etkileyici bir romandi. Keske serinin ilk romani Simon Dante'nin hikayesini okuyabilseydim ki bu şu an mümkün gözükmüyor çünkü bu kitabın telif haklarını hangi yayınevi aldı belli değil ne yazık ki..
Virginia Henley'in tarihi kurgudaki basarısi kadar başarıli bence Marsha Canham müthiş bir yazar bu okuduğum ikinci eseri.Benim Ebedi Aşkım kadar basarıli Demir Gül donemi yazar o kadar güzel canlandırmıs ki birebir yasamış gibi hissediyorsunuz okurken.
The Dante Prates serisinin ikinci kitabi Demir Gül ilk kitapta Korsanlar Krali Simon Dante'nin hikayesi var. Okudugum ikinci kitapta ise bu kurt korsanın kızi Julliet Dante'nin hikayesi Üc kardesten kiz Juliet'tir. En az agabeyleri Gabriel ve Jonas kadar gözüpek acımasiz idi. Erkek gibi yetistirilmış olup bir kac gönül macerasida yaşamısti.
Evet kadin kahramanimız bakire degil. Erkek kahramanimız Varian St Clare ise Yakısikli bir Dük olup Ingiltere Krali tarafindan kurt korsan Simon Dante ile görüsmesi icin gönderilmiş bir elcidir. Ama rastlanti sonucu Juliet onu Ispanyollardan kurtarip babasi ile görüsmesi icin daha elverişli bir zemin olusturacaktir.
Ikilinin karsılasmalari,carpismasi müthiş idi. Juliet etkilenmemek için ne kadar çaba gösterirse göstersin bu yakışıkli ve kibirli dükten gün geçtikce daha cok etkilenir. Dükümüz Varian ise annesinin buldugu renksiz kizlardan biri ile evlenmeden önce denizlere acılip son bir macera yaşamak isteyen ailenin üçüncü oglu olmasina ragmen ağabeylerinin arka arkaya ölümü ile ünvan bir anda ona kalmistir. Orduda yıllarca çalismis bir kılıç ustası olup Juliet gibi bir kadin ile hic karşılaşmamistir. Birbirlerinin hayatlarıni derinden etkileyecek bu iki kisinin bu kadar farkli ortamdan olup birbirini cekmemesi olamazdi zaten.Dönemi yazar o kadar güzel canlandirmis ki,hele o korsan gemilerinin savaslarini cok güzel anlatmisti kendimi Erroll Flynn'ın korsan filmlerinden birini izliyor sandim.
Güzel degisik bir roman okumak istiyorsaniz bence Demir Gül çok iyi bir secim.Bu sıradışı yazarı okumak için daha çok bence beklemeyin..
March 16, 2015
YARRR!!! This is pirate romance at its best. In a genre often plagued with terrible, laughable stories like the much maligned "pirate's secret baby" plots, extremely stereotypical gender roles, bodice ripping and what have you, The Iron Rose probably seems better than it really is because it suffers a distinct lack of secret babies, actual bodice ripping and the gender roles in this one is surprisingly mellow. Goodreads also thankfully supplied a much more sedate cover than the one I got on my reading copy, which was some sort of variety of "people with totally random hair colours having nothing to do with anyone in the actual novel inexplicably making out in the rain" with some sails in the background. Thanks, Goodreads, for being kind to my stash of eye-bleach.
Normally the romance genre serves us a young governess/heiress/something woman meeting a bad, but oh so handsome, but bad pirate man, falling in love with him and his eyepatch and then they live happily every after in his choice of establishment.
The Iron Rose turns the tables on this however, as the pirate captain is a woman, and she ends up with a foppish nobleman on board her ship whom she goes on to constantly be more badass than. In fact, I can remember few romance novels, if any, where the female heroine is allowed to outshine the hero. It's clear in this novel that the heroine has worked hard to earn her place in a male dominated world, and that she has become badass in the process. When the hero waltzes in, dressed in lavender, she doesn't magically become a fawning, incompetent heap of sap, she continues to be badass. In fact, she is so badass she beats the hero in a sword fighting match!
When it comes to who's going to relocate where, and who's going to give up what for whom, it's not the heroine relocating and being sucked into the hero's world either: it is something so refreshing as the other way around.
In addition to this, The Iron Rose also made me google lewd pictures of cannons and assorted artillery. Culverins! Demi-culverins!! Mortar! Broadsides!! There is enough terminology pertaining to ships, sailing and artillery for it to at least seem authentic to me, but then I get most of my naval training from Sid Meier's "Pirates".
The main drawback of this novel in my eyes is the heroine's Perfect Pirate Family and their own little Caribbean Pirate Paradise, like a bunch of 17th century Richard Bransons. Apart from that I'd say this novel has nearly everything you could wish for in a pirate romance novel. Grab your eyepatches and cutlasses, and load the demi-culverins for a broadside! YAARRRRRR.
Normally the romance genre serves us a young governess/heiress/something woman meeting a bad, but oh so handsome, but bad pirate man, falling in love with him and his eyepatch and then they live happily every after in his choice of establishment.
The Iron Rose turns the tables on this however, as the pirate captain is a woman, and she ends up with a foppish nobleman on board her ship whom she goes on to constantly be more badass than. In fact, I can remember few romance novels, if any, where the female heroine is allowed to outshine the hero. It's clear in this novel that the heroine has worked hard to earn her place in a male dominated world, and that she has become badass in the process. When the hero waltzes in, dressed in lavender, she doesn't magically become a fawning, incompetent heap of sap, she continues to be badass. In fact, she is so badass she beats the hero in a sword fighting match!
When it comes to who's going to relocate where, and who's going to give up what for whom, it's not the heroine relocating and being sucked into the hero's world either: it is something so refreshing as the other way around.
In addition to this, The Iron Rose also made me google lewd pictures of cannons and assorted artillery. Culverins! Demi-culverins!! Mortar! Broadsides!! There is enough terminology pertaining to ships, sailing and artillery for it to at least seem authentic to me, but then I get most of my naval training from Sid Meier's "Pirates".
The main drawback of this novel in my eyes is the heroine's Perfect Pirate Family and their own little Caribbean Pirate Paradise, like a bunch of 17th century Richard Bransons. Apart from that I'd say this novel has nearly everything you could wish for in a pirate romance novel. Grab your eyepatches and cutlasses, and load the demi-culverins for a broadside! YAARRRRRR.
September 8, 2014
Podríamos decir que cuando leí esta novela, me gustó, pero no sería del todo cierto. Sus personajes principales, me cayeron muy bien, pero su trama no fue lo que yo buscaba, y me aburrí completamente leyendo esta novela. Tanto que no quise repetir con Marsha. Y no pienso volver a leer nada de ella. Tiene personajes simpáticos y atractivos pero no me gusta nada su forma de escribir. Además, de romántica tiene poco, más bien, yo destacaría su aspecto marítimo-naval. La rosa de hierro fue una novela absolutamente decepcionante para mí, sin ningún atractivo. Sus protagonistas me cayeron bien, todos estaban muy bien perfilados, pero ninguno me emocionó tanto como para querer seguir acompañándoles en sus aventuras. Aunque el principal problema diría yo que es la forma que tiene de escribir Marsha, muy densa, muy mecánica.
April 16, 2017
Marsha's writing style is amazing and deliciously crisp and colorful. Her research especially had me believing she had actually captained a ship on the Caribbean in 1614 because her descriptions of the ships and their individual pieces and functions were so real, I felt I was reading a pirate's journal. The research effort into this must have been massive, because at no point did the feel for the year 1614 on a ship lag. The fight scenes were realistic - again - as if Marsha and captained a ship herself. Every character had individual personality and enriched the story with their uniqueness. It was awesome to see a badass female in charge of a ship and to fight with it as well as any man. The plot too never swayed, and moved you along at a gripping pace. Loved it!
November 3, 2019
Es una novela para leer en la playa. Sus personajes son felices en sus barcos piratas y lo transmiten. La historia romantica de personajes es intensa, sin grandes pensamientos ni reflexiones, muy siglo XXI en un comienzo. Los ánimo a leerlo reparando en las batallas con mapa en mano
August 23, 2020
The second instalment in this series doesn’t disappoint. I am continually impressed with this author’s writing skills. She is clearly second to none in developing three dimensional and very human characters, a compelling and fast based story and a vibrant, believable historical setting.
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