Need help finding book! Please :)

[Andrea]

I read this book 15 or so years ago and only remember parts, but it was very long (250+ pages I think). The main character is an orphan (I think) who works on ships rather than live on the streets. He works his way up very high in a shipping company. I believe there's a reveal when he finds out he's the son of a pirate. He also is on a ship while a young boy at the same time as a wealthy young girl and they have a brief interaction and she saves a momento.
The guy eventually gets pulled into pirating after being captured by I believe a Chinese female pirate who takes him as a lover. Meanwhile the girl is engaged/ possibly even married to another man. The main guy and girl somehow find each other a few different times and there's a whole other storyline about a war going on in China? Or possibly one of their territories that the female pirate gets involved with.

Ugh, it's such a vague memory and I can't find anything online that sounds close. The title isn't telling as to the erotic aspect of the book (and I believe the cover image is sjmply a ship on rough seas) and I remember being shocked when I got to the first scene.

I'd like to re-read it if anyone has any ideas.
TIA!

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

There is sure a lot going on in this one!
Nothing rings a bell for me though.
Covers are the biggest "make me buy" when it comes to a pirate romance, I very rarely buy one that has a ship only on the front and if it's "erotic" I'm not a reader of that genre.
Hope someone here can help you out :)

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~*]

Hi Colette I moved your comment to this thread "helping to find a book." The other thread was for concerns, ideas, for the group only.
Hope someone can help!

message 11: by Colette 7 hours, 13 min ago
Colette | 1 comments Anybody recognize this book!?!? I read a book years ago that I'm trying to find. What I remember is that a pirate who I think is Jean Lafitte in disguise falls in love with a painting of a beautiful girl that he is transporting on his ship. He goes to find this girl. The setting is in the south. He goes to the girls house and finds her trying to smoke a cigarette or a pipe. That of course is the beginning of the romance. Of course this was a long time ago so my description might not be 100% accurate. Any suggestions would be much appreciated :-)