Can she save her family from his wicked influence without ruining herself?The murky waters of the marsh are a treacherous place filled with smugglers and deserters from the war. There are even whispers the Savannah coast is home to the deadly pirate, Alligator George, but Christine Fryer needs a peaceful place to escape her father’s disapproving stare.Captain Nathaniel Butler understands it’s … understands it’s time to put his secret smuggling operation to rest now that the American Revolution is over and won. He just needs to make one last run to pay off his remaining debt, but his plans are threatened by the meddlesome sister of his best friend who appears in the marsh at the worst possible moment.
As Savannah society brings a privileged and pressured young woman and a man desperate for success together, the marsh will reveal their secrets—and their hearts. Christine will do anything to stop the rogue captain from influencing and ruining her brother, but she never expects the crew of Alligator George is watching and waiting…
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I enjoyed A Smuggler’s Heart by Danielle Thorne. This little novel is FUN! I’m talking the sort of fun where you just cannot put the book down for one second. Thorne packed a punch into only 160 pages. Seriously, this novel has it all. There is a handsome hero, a headstrong heroine, an unfortunate suitor, smugglers, pirates, a kidnapping, and a sweet romance. Oh! There’s also pretty dresses, fancy dinners, and dancing, too.
What I really appreciate about this novel is that it tells such a satisfyingly complete adventure-romance in such a short amount of pages. I’m SO impressed with Thorne’s storytelling skills. The plot is engaging. The characters are unique, relatable, and endearing. The action is solid. And, the friendship-to-romance between Christine and Nathan is perfectly paced and believable. A Smuggler’s Heart is a stellar read that I highly recommend. You really do not want to miss out on this delightful story!
I purchased a review copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on February 27, 2020, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I received an ARC of this book from the author, Danielle Thorne, via Bookfunnel and this is my voluntary and honest review. This is a wonderful tale of a Captain of a ship who is smuggling goods to avoid paying taxes. He is partners with the son of a wealthy merchant who has a daughter, Christine. She finds out about her brother’s involvement with Captain Nathaniel who then kidnaps her when he catches her spying. His trip to the West Indies brings out a side of Nathaniel that Christine hadn’t seen before and a side that changes her opinion of him. This was the part of the book that I enjoyed the most. This book is full of adventure and I recommend it.
(4.5 stars) – Ah, I love a good pirate story…
… and this is a great (as well as clean) pirate story!
Christine is the daughter of a wealthy post-Revolutionary War businessman. She’s being pressured by her father into an undesirable betrothal with a much older man. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have any real alternatives available.
Meanwhile, she’s worried about the business relationship her brother shares with his friend, Nathan, as she has determined that it’s not legal.
Thru an unfortunate series of events, she ends up being taken captive & put aboard Nathan’s ship. There she gets to know him without all the obstacles previously between them.
I love how Nathan, though a little rough sometimes, is still a gentleman. Christine’s father made it clear that Nathan wasn’t good enough to associate with them, and Nathan believes & respects that – happily, however, Christine knows better.
The ending is fun as well as romantic. I only wished for an epilogue to let us know how our happy couple fared from there
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
What a great fun quick read. Gripping from the very beginning. Loved the character development and descriptions made you feel like you were there. I really appreciate a feel good clean love story. I do recommend this book.
Humorous and wonderful book. Joy to read
Loved this story. I am a fan of swoony pirate romance and even though this is a pretend pirate story, it had all the wonderful elements.
Nathaniel Butler was a smuggler, not a pirate, but he played along, when he needed the cover, as Alligator George, a fictional pirate who was extremely dangerous. He was smuggling goods to and from the West Indies to return his family’s fortune, lost during the Revolutionary War. He was going for one last run and then his smuggling days were over. Then, she caught him and life would never be the same again.
Christine Fryer, was from a wealthy, established Savannah family. The Butlers had a cloud of mystery and less than pristine history hanging over their family. Nathaniel was the final member of his family and he was determined to be found acceptable to society. Christine knew something was up between her brother, Matthew and Nathan Butler and she was determined to protect her brother from the likes of Captain Butler.
Nathan thought he needed society’s acceptance to be happy. He soon found that what he needed was a good woman and that would be enough.
I won’t give away the rest of the story but there is a happy ending. There is also danger, suspense, intrigue and some great romantic moments. I loved both Christine and Nathan’s characters. Christine is strong and finally stood up to her father to get what she knew she wanted and not settle for what made her father happy. Nathan, too, was strong and good. This was a clean romance with no graphic details but some great swoon worthy moments.
I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.
This is the first book in the Gentlemen of the Coast Series and is a great series beginning. Well written with an engaging story line and likable characters. This historical romance is full of pirates, smugglers and war deserters. Located off the coast of Savannah, Georgia is non stop action and suspense. Christine and Captain Nathaniel Butler will capture your heart as their secrets are revealed. Their chemistry is explosive. I read an arc and voluntarily chose to review.
A Smuggler’s Heart is a short, sweet read. The setting was easy to picture and will take you from the Spanish moss covered trees in the Savannah squares, aboard a merchant vessel occasionally masked as a pirate ship, to the Indies, and back.
Christine discovers her brother might be mixed in with smugglers and attempts to stop him. In her search for him, she is discovered and forced to join the crew of Captain Nathan Butler on their last illegal voyage.
I haven’t read an early American historical fiction book in quite some time. It was a good change of pace for me and I’m really looking forward to reading more in the near future.
Smugglers, balls, pirates, kidnappings, romance – this book has it all! Christine Fryer’s father is pushing her toward a marriage with a man twice her age. Captain Nathan Butler is trying to turn around his family’s estate and is using unique skills he learned during the war to help him achieve that. I loved how the relationship between Christine and Nathan slowly grows from distrust to friendship to a little something more. Their characters are captivating and the story moves along quickly while keeping you in suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and eagerly await the next book in the series.
What a wonderful story by Danielle Thorne! A Smuggler’s Heart shows a view of the post-revolutionary South that is fascinating. So many interesting historical bits that I’ve never thought of or learned about. And the characters were wonderful. I loved their story. So sweet and with a great ending. A clean and lovely story that makes me look forward to more from this author.
I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own and are expressed voluntarily.