Captain Robert Ashton, Earl of Darington, knows finding a bride in London will not be easy—not since he has been notoriously dubbed as the “Pirate Earl”. What he didn’t expect was to get abducted—and to have his escape go horribly awry when an innocent lady gets caught in the crossfire. Amateur physician Emma St. James is on her way to meet her betrothed when she is rescued by an injured … injured gentleman. Despite her shock after discovering he is the Pirate Earl, Emma feels drawn to the man who saved her life. Duty forces them apart, but when they meet again on the high seas, Darington will risk all—his fortune, his name, and even his life to keep her safe.
The Daring Marriages Series:
If the Earl Only Knew (Book 1)
Earl Interrupted (Book 2)
more
This is a daring, fast-paced adventure with well-developed characters and a tight plot line. It sucked me in from the first word and held me captive through the last! While this is part of a series (two books I believe) you can read them in any order – even the author says so. If you are looking for steam, it isn’t in this book – but the story is wonderful, the characters relatable and the situations are exciting. There is never a dull or boring moment in this book!
Emma St. James is a beautiful, smart, and level-headed young woman and she’s in a boatload of trouble. She was the apple of her father’s eye and when he died he left the entire estate to her – except for a settlement for her step-mother. When she is just a couple of weeks away from obtaining her majority and thus her inheritance, her step-mother, and step-brother try to force her into marrying the step-brother – otherwise, they will have her declared insane and sent to Bedlam. She’s never been afraid of a challenge and decides to betroth herself to someone she has never met – in America. (Yeah, that part didn’t make sense to me either given that she is a smart girl). She takes off for Plymouth where she will be taking a ship across the waters to her betrothed, but along the way, her coach overturns and the drunken driver takes off with their horses. If it isn’t bad enough to be left stranded in the cold on the side of the road with a ruined carriage, another coach stops, but instead of offering assistance, they intend to rob (and worse) Emma and her maid.
Captain Lord Robert Ashton, second Earl of Darington, the ‘Pirate Earl’, Dare is absolutely tongue-tied around females. He sister has convinced him that he needs to find a wife and he’s tried but had no luck. Then, when he and his sister are returning from the wedding of his friend’s sister – Dare’s sister is kidnapped. Dare speeds out after the kidnappers and manages to rescue his sister. He does rescue her, but he gets shot and taken prisoner himself. He’s lying on the floor of the coach, bleeding out, when the coach suddenly stops and he hears the kidnappers raising their voices. They have stopped for a wrecked coach on the side of the road. Barely conscious, Dare realizes that the kidnappers are threatening a young woman.
Emma is trying to plot her escape and sees no way out – when – out of the blue comes a rescuer from inside the coach. As she realizes that her rescuer is wounded and evidently a prisoner as well, they manage to escape on foot. Thus begins a long journey with trouble dogging them at every step. They are pursued by the kidnappers as well as the wicked step-brother – and Emma even ends up on a ship full of smugglers who think she is a light-skirt. Wall-to-wall action and adventure await our intrepid hero and heroine around every corner.
Our heroine has a bright sunny disposition and a strong faith – and our hero has no faith. Emma and Dare each realize that they care for the other, but they doubt that the other cares for them. Each feels that they are lacking in some way, but they see and appreciate the strengths of the other.
I loved this read and was sad to see it end. Now, I think I’ll go back and read the first book in the series.
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“I requested and received this e-book at no cost to me and volunteered to read it; my review is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.”
4.5 stars
Robert Ashton, the Earl of Darington AKA Dare is a successful privateer and his latest prize has just restored his family fortune and now it is time for him to enter society and find a wife…
Emma St. James days away from reaching her majority and coming into her sizable inheritance. But her stepmother and stepbrother are plotting to have her declared insane so they can steal her fortune. Emma goes behind their backs and contracts a marriage for herself. She flees her home and intends to go to America and marry…
Dare along with his sister Kate and their friend the Earl of Wynbrook are enroute to a house party when Kate is kidnapped. Dare chases down her abductors and manages to save her, but gets shot and knocked out before he can escape. When he comes to, he realizes the coach has stopped and when he gets out, he sees his abductors robbing a young woman. He is unable to walk away and leave her. He saves her, but collapses before they can get away.
Emma refuses to leave him, she gets him to an inn and tells the innkeeper they are married and need a room. Emma tends Dare’s wounds. Dare awakes and sees Emma, he knows they will have to marry and asks her why she was traveling alone, when she tells him she was on her way to meet her betrothed, Dare is not happy with the news. Emma and Dare get to know each other a bit better and he tells her she should leave, but she refuses. When the men that attacked them show up and the magistrate that Emma and Dare robbed them and killed one of their friends, they know they have to leave. Thankfully, Kate and Wynbrook show up and are able to help them escape.
They travel to Dare’s country estate and Dare plans to ask Emma to marry him. But when Kate and Dare learn some disturbing news, Dare knows he can’t marry her and he must find the man who killed his father and is now trying to kill him. The only way he can keep her safe is to send her away.
Emma has not had an easy life since her father died and she turned to her faith in God to get her through her darkest times, but after Dare told her he could not marry her and is sending her away, she is heartbroken and for the first time is losing faith in God. She and Dare part and she goes to meet her escort, but instead she overhears her stepbrother Eustace telling the woman that Emma is insane. She hides in her room and hopes to talk to the woman after Eustace leaves, but she learns the woman left right away. She attempts to catch her, but soon learns the woman and ship she was supposed to take to America have both left without her and Eustace is hot on her heels. She manages to escape Eustace, but finds herself in a world of trouble.
Dare can’t believe that the woman he loves is on a smuggler’s ship and turns away from his own quest to save her. Emma is overjoyed to see Dare again and when he saves her and plans to lose his quarry to return her to England, she flat out refuse to let him.
These two are perfect for each other, Emma is a ray of sunshine and Dare is noble and steadfast. This story is a non-stop adventure from the first page until the very last word and I loved every minute of the ride! It is well written and fast paced with a lot of action, a couple of warm love scenes, pirates, treasure, revenge, greedy relatives and a very hard earned HEA.
This story is the second in the series, but it could easily be read as a stand alone title with no problems as it runs concurrently with the previous book.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher*
Captain Robert Ashton, Earl of Darington, the ‘Pirate Earl’, has returned to London to find a bride. Unfortunately, Dare is more comfortable on the high seas than with mingling with the ton and is never more obvious when two young ladies refuse his marriage proposal. While out in his carriage with his sister, they are attacked by highwaymen. Dare manages to push Kate out of the carriage, but in the process, he is shot. When the carriage stops, he realizes that the same brutes are now harassing 2 young women stranded on the road.
Emma St. James and her maid are fleeing her vicious step-brother and were on their way to Portsmouth when their carriage overturns. Thinking their rescue is imminent, Emma is aghast to realize that these are not gentlemen who have stopped. Though wounded, Dare attacks the men and Emma, her maid and Dare escape into the woods and finally to an inn. Emma tends to the wounded Dare while he tries to puzzle out who attacked him. Emma reveals why she was running away and Dare finds himself drawn to the fiesty and brave Emma.
The storyline was good and the writing well-done, but I didn’t quite believe the instant connection between Emma and Dare. Perhaps if more time had passed than just a few days, their attraction would not have felt so forced.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
a pirate Earl – he needed to recover his wealth – who is now looking for a wife.
An orphan lady who finds herself in an intrigue game of her stepmother to steal her inheritance left by her father.
When the two end up meeting because of a fluke – a kidnapping !! -, they decide to join forces so that each one could get rid of its opponent.
Perhaps Darington’s, the Pirate Earl, was more deadly, but for sure Emma’s enemies would do anything to rob her of money and estate.
An interesting plot, whose characters didn’t captivate me.
4 stars
The dare is to not fall in love with not only the characters, but the author as well. Adventure on the high seas spills over to dry land with a Pirate Earl and an amateur physician. Earl Interrupted is an active look at a dangerous love affair that ignites the heart and inspires the soul. Any tale that inspires women to be courageous in not only matters of the heart, but following their dreams is A – okay with me. Robert and Emma steam up the pages of this action packed thrill ride.