by Lorraine Heath
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: Sep 25, 2012
Source: sent by publicist/publisher
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
Three young heirs, imprisoned by an unscrupulous uncle, escaped—to the sea, to the streets, to faraway battle—awaiting the day when they would return to reclaim their birthright.
Once upon a time, he was Lord Tristan Easton—now he is Crimson Jack, a notorious privateer beholden to none, whose only mistress is the sea. But all that will change when exquisite Lady Anne Hayworth hires his protection on a trip into danger and seduction. . .
Desperation brought Anne to the bronzed, blue-eyed buccaneer. But after the Captain demands a kiss as his payment, desire will keep her at his side. She has never known temptation like this—but to protect her heart, she knows she must leave him behind. Yet Tristan cannot easily forget the beauty—and when they meet again in a London ballroom, he vows he won't lose her a second time, as fiery passion reignited takes them into uncharted waters that could lead the second lost lord home. . .
My Review:
Lorraine Heath is one of my very favorite historical romance writers, and this book just proves why. She has a great way of writing a really emotional romance without melodrama. There is just so much heart in her books. I love that in this book, the romance is truly the heart of the story. There is no murder conspiracy, or stolen jewels, or spy sub-plot. This book is all about a sweet, yet all-consuming romance.
Tristan is such a great hero, he is a little impish on the outside, but he is so tender on the inside. Even though he's gotten much stronger on the outside, on the inside he is the same lost little boy he was when he was separated from his brothers. Once the second son to a Lord, Tristan became a rugged, no nonsense sea captain. Still, you can see just from the way he treats the men on his ship, and how he has taken the youngster, Mouse, under his care, that he is truly a good person. He's still so mischievous and playful though, and I love that he never loses that aspect of his personality.
Anne had her own trials before she met Tristan. Her fiance didn't come back from the war and I truly felt like she loved him. It was a different kind of love than she had with Tristan, but she did love him, too. This is a tough line to walk when writing a romance, but the author did a great job of portraying all the emotions involved with a lost love, and starting over.
I really wanted Anne and Tristan to be together so badly! It was so tough, though, because they just wanted different things in life. That makes it so much more interesting to read, than if they constantly fought or bickered all the time. They loved each other, but he wanted to stay at sea and she wanted a stable life on land. Seeing them come together was exciting and frustrating in a good way! They had many secret rendezvous that were such fun to read about, you could really sense how much chemistry they had together, they just couldn't be apart.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Bottom Line: I couldn't ask for more from a historical romance. This author will remain on my must-read list, and I can't wait to read the next story about Tristan's brother, Rafe.
Follow along with the rest of the tour here: TLC Book Tours
Oh those pirates. But yes another historical romance author that I have never tried
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't like it so much as that - I liked the first part a lot more than the second - but I can see your points.
ReplyDeleteThe best part for me was the epilogue :D
You've got me dying to know how it is they eventually come together when they want different things in life. Sounds like a great book! Thanks for being on the tour!
ReplyDeleteOh, lala! Not a big fan of these kind of books, but somethimes you just have to come out of the comfort zone. :) Love it.
ReplyDeleteWow, all 5s! Can't do better than that. I love strong on the outside, vulnerable on the inside heroes.
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