Romancing the Pirate (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

Romancing the Pirate is a little misleading as the hero is more of a privateer than a pirate but it has a certain charm and the hero is still quite a dashing brave captain.

Alicia Davidson's world is rocked on its axis, first her father dies and then she discovers a letter he wrote explaining that she was adopted by him and his wife when she was twelve. She has no memories prior to her adoption as she was found washed ashore on a Caribbean island. Her adoptive parents who had previously lost two boys, raised her as if she were their natural born child and her adoptive father allowed Alicia to work as a blacksmith in his shop, a rather different career for a heroine.

Alicia also discovers she has an older sister living on St. Kitts and she goes on a quest to find her. Alicia's father gave instructions for her to search out an honorable man to assist her, Captain Blake Merritt. Blake is a fine hero, very smart and harboring a ton of secrets, he has certainly suffered some tragedies along the way. He refuses to take Alicia aboard his ship. Alicia is fiercely determined though and stows away. Blake is infuriated to find her when his ship is at sea. He does agree to take her to St. Kitts though.

The middle portion of this novel is by far the best part of this book. Blake discovers his stowaway and what ensues is a delightful romance. Alicia is a very caring person and she sees that Blake is haunted; she truly wants to help him overcome his bitterness and anger. Blake is guarded in the extreme but he is not cruel or unkind to Alicia. In many ways he has a noble heart when it comes to her virtue. Alicia can be a little pushy but her intentions are pure and by the time they reach St. Kitts the two are engaged in a heated affair. Both are very much in love with the other. I never doubted this.

St. Kitts brings a whole mess of trouble. A rather sinister threat looms for this couple and one aspect of the novel I did not enjoy was how uncompromising the leads were. This was a little surprising as they seemed to have rather open and forthright communication aboard ship but on dry land both jump to conclusions. I am never fond of protagonists keeping important secrets from the other and this couple has a big one between them. Also the heroine has a tendency not to truly examine how her actions will have second and third order affects. Those close to her also have the same weak spot when it comes to strategizing. Blake and his loyal crew are usually the ones to solve and point out flaws in other's plans.

I am giving this book a four star rating despite the leads inability to compromise toward the end of the novel. This couple does have a romantic and passion filled voyage. Blake's crewmembers have unique personalities, their devotion to their captain and willingness to self sacrifice is memorable. Finally this novel depicts the sweetness of life coming full circle and the power of forgiveness.

In 1657 when her father died in Port Royal, Alicia Davidson learns the truth about who she really is; at least her roots. Apparently a victim of amnesia, she is not the biological daughter of the blacksmith who raised her. She also learns the scar on her face came when she was a little girl who survived a pirate attack at sea. Finally Alicia finds out she has a sister living in the Caribbean.

Although she remembers none of this, Alicia has a deep need to meet her sibling Samantha (see WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES). She begs Captain Blake Merritt to take her on his ship heading to the Caribbean, but he refuses. He loathes any Davidson having left that household in disdain years ago vowing never to return. To his chagrin, what he thought was the end of the story is only the beginning as Alicia sneaks onto his ship. When he discovers the stowaway, Blake realizes he must get her on dry land soonest as he is attracted to the adopted daughter of a man he loathes. Still crossing the Atlantic proves his undoing as he falls in love with his unwanted guest and to her shock she reciprocates. However, his loathing of her family and a betrayal leave the captain and the stowaway with seemingly no future together on land or at sea.

The story line is a fast-paced historical romance that brings to life the seventeenth century Caribbean Islands like Jamaica and St. Kitts. The lead couple is a wonderful pairing of two obstinate opposites who find love at sea. Fans will enjoy cruising the Caribbean with Michelle Beattie as the guide. ROMANCING THE PIRATE is an enjoyable and exciting tale.

Harriet Klausner

The most basic romance plot, storyline is very predicable from the the first few paragraphs... no new unexpected twists are thrown as lifelines to the reader. Generally, I am a romance novel fan, and have read hundreds over the years, however, this was one of the most poorly written novels I have read in the last decade. In particular, the ending reads like it was sloppily thrown together in an effort to meet a final deadline, which leaves an unsatisfying aftertaste in the readers mouth, so to speak. If your going to spend any money on a romance novel... go with something other then this.