This type of romance book is not very common in today's romance, and was written during a time (70s, 80s, and even into the early 90s) when certain elements of romance were more common: the harsh alpha male hero and "forced seductions" (in other words, borderline rape scenes) were the norm. Nothing wrong with this type of romance, it has its own unique charm and in some ways I enjoy reading these older romances more than ones written by today's authors.

I have found that the historical romances written during this time period were very detailed and that the authors researched into the history of the setting of their stories (another author that comes to mind was Kathleen E. Woodiwiss). This is the 2nd Shirlee Busbee book I've read and the author did an incredible job in laying the background of what was occurring politically between England and Spain and their colonies in the New World.

The story is set in 1664-1668 and takes place mostly in the islands of the Caribbean. There are pirates, raiding, and fighting, and while reading The Spanish Rose it really did bring to mind swashbuckling pirates and captive damsels in distress. The descriptions of the battles between the English buccaneers and the Spaniards and the lush tropical islands of the Caribbean were vividly described that I could almost picture the scenes in my mind.

The hero, Gabriel Lancaster, is captured by the heroine's brother, Diego Delgato, during a fight at sea in which his young wife is killed and his sister taken captive. He is made a slave on the Delgato plantation on Santa Domingo for a year before he escapes where he later joins the Brethren of the Coast, a band of English pirates and plans his revenge. His revenge involves using the heroine, Maria Delgato, to strike back and he waits and bides his time. When he finally gets a hold of Maria, his plans for revenge backfire as he finds himself falling for his captive.

I really enjoyed this book, but the hero, Gabriel Lancaster, and the heroine, Maria Delgato could get really frustrating at times. The hero and heroine fought a lot throughout the book, and their desire for each other and determination not to give in could get tiring at times. I could understand that there was bitterness and hatred between the English Lancasters and Spanish Delgatos (all stemming from an event 100 years in the past!), but I felt the hero and heroine were too stubborn in their pride in not admitting to themselves how they truly felt for one another. They bicker, fight, make up until almost the very end of the book when they finally can no longer deny their love.

Despite the character flaws of the hero and heroine, I'd still recommend reading this book, the emotions and thoughts behind the characters were fully fleshed out and there was no question behind their behaviors and actions. Not to mention, the incredible richness of the scenery and setting of the story more than made up for the small annoyances I had with the hero and heroine. ( )