One of the Dukes of War novellas, I received this from Netgalley.

My full review can be found here:

https://nordie.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/book-review-the-pirates-tempting-stowawa...

One of the Dukes of War novellas, I received this from Netgalley.

My full review can be found here:

https://nordie.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/book-review-the-pirates-tempting-stowawa...

This is a review of an ARC of this book.
I am a big fan of Erica Ridley’s Dukes of War Series so I have been looking forward to this book for a while. While the series originally focused on 4 men who had gone to war and suffered mental and physical wounds at Waterloo. In this book we move out into the larger community of family to find romance. Clara Halton (mother of the new countess of Carlisle – from The Earl’s Defiant Wallflower) is dying (of consumption she has been told) in PA. The Earl of Carlisle send his friend Gregory Steele (aka the pirate Captain Blackheart) to bring his wife’s mother to England so they can be reunited. Steele and Clara are older than the heroes and heroines of the other books (Clara is 39). Steele sails to PA and is pretty sure that Clara is sick but it’s not consumption. Sailing back to England an attraction grows but neither party acts on it.
After seeing her daughter and meeting her son-in-law, Clara finds that she needs to be on her own and accidentally manages to stowaway on the Blackheart’s ship. The chemistry continues but it seems they are doomed. She wants to live on the land near her daughter and he wants to remain at sea.
This is a story of love against all odds. It seems like they will be unable to overcome the living differences yet neither can let the other go completely. This is a great addition to the series providing a lighter look at love compared to the first few books in which the heroes struggled to overcome their war experiences.
This is a quick and very enjoyable read and a definite must if you love the series.
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The Pirate's Tempting Stowaway was a departure from the previous books within this series. It was the heroine Clara who needed to be rescued from all the pain and anger that was going on within her life. I received an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review. I was not as into Blackheart as I have been her previous male titular characters but the one thing that I did like about him is that he unwittingly helped Clara wake up to the things she was taking for granted and gave her a better appreciation for who she was. The Pirate's Stowaway is a story that I believe needed to be told. The negativity in life has a way of influences future choices. It also builds courage and the ability to show empathy to others. Empowering story. ( )

Deep sea romance!

This starts with quite a ruckus! Captain Blackheart, Gregory Steele, ex privateer and lately of a more dubious high seas occupation--namely pirating, has been employed by Oliver York, the Earl of Carlisle, to locate and bring back to England from Philadelphia, his wife's mother, Clara Halton. Steele arrives to find Clara abandoned by the small community she lives in, left to die of consumption. Despite her protestations, Steele bundles Clara up and takes her with him.
On the return voyage, Clara discovers that Blackheart is more Goldenheart. The journey back to England is filled with delightful and sometimes hilarious occasions. Clara worms her way not only into the captain's affections, but those of the entire crew. Clara and Steele find themselves strongly attracted to each other and the enforced intimacy of the Captain's cabin becomes the stage for their tempestuous and passionate encounters.
Blackheart has a job to do though and he delivers Clara as commissioned, despite his feelings for her. Not to be deterred, Clara sneaks back on board the ship to confront Blackheart, to force him to acknowledge the connection they have for each other. Unfortunately the ship sets sail before Clara realizes it and she finds herself headed for adventure and a treasure hunt involving the dreaded Crimson Corsair. An unexpected turn of events!
I found the ending and the treasure hunt somewhat difficult. Indeed I kept looking around for Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Caribbean during the cave incident. For some reason, although treasure hunting is part of a pirate's lot, the later actions are not as forceful as the beginning. Still, I enjoyed Steel and Clara's story and their interactions. This is a a pleasing and unexpected addition to the Dukes of War series. I loved it that Clara was no simpering young thing and that Ridley has included more mature characters within her romantic genre.

A NetGalley ARC ( )