Lady Emma Aston is not about to take kidnapping, the theft of her dowry, the murder of her bethrothed, and the piracy of her father’s ship laying down. Or, at least not yet. First, she must forge a deal with the beleaguered pirate, Lord Jack Winston, and then outwit the British navy while she’s at it. If there’s treasure to be found along Nova Scotia’s ragged shores, she’ll help find that, too, … that, too, but only on her own terms. This woman plans to claim the biggest prize of all…
It’s the mid-1700’s and the Mariner Griffin is crossing the Atlantic with the merchant owner’s daughter and her fiance onboard. But all is not what it seems. Not until Lady Emma discovers her fiancé ‘s poisoned body does she realize the scope of the plot hatched against her. Typical of ladies of the day, she has grown up without realizing how women are but pawns in the games of men. Only, here’s one woman who intends to turn the tables on them all.
Lord Jack Winston, the destitute youngest son of a deceased earl, is a desperate man, desperate enough to consider piracy to regain all that he has lost and more. He expects the British navy will chase him; he knows he’ll to be forever running from the hangman’s noose; he’s prepared for all manner of obstacles and trickery, but never once does he prepare himself for the likes of Emma Aston–the quarry who refuses to be victim. It will take a true partnership to best the forces against them but together they are in for the ride of their lives.
“Lively, steamy, intriguing and simply inforgettable!”
“I LOVE this book–call it romance, all it adventurous, call it mysterious as in what’s going to happen next…it kept me reading every step of the way. I stopped only when I absolutely HAd to do something else.”
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Now here is a book that you cannot put down until you’re done reading it!! Wow, I loved this story by Jane Thornley, a new to me author. It’s an historical romance that has a swoon worthy hero, a very brave heroine, pirates, treasure, romance, intrigue, heartbreak, adventure, etc….
Lord Jack Winston has turned to piracy to get back what is rightfully his and sets his plans in motion but when he meets Lady Emma Aston, his heart takes over! She refuses to be a victim and before he knows it, she is making demands and even giving orders to the crew on the Mariner Griffin!!! She is like no woman he has ever encountered before and what follows is quite the adventure.
I thought this story was very well written and didn’t find any lagging parts, it’s action all the way through. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Emma, daughter of a wealthy man who runs a merchant ship trade, is not pleased with her father’s choice for her betrothed. She is sailing to Nova Scotia with the ultimate goal being Williamsburg in the colonies, where her betrothed will be taking on a new post. All of her plans are upended when she discovers her affianced dead.
Soon, Emma finds out that she is part of a much greater scheme against both her late betrothed and her father. Lord Jack Winston is set on revenge because something of value was taken by the dead man. He has commandeered one of Emma’s father ships and plans to seek treasure if only he can find the map that was taken from him.
Will Jack find the treasure map, and ultimately the treasure? What will he do with Emma? How will Emma react to now being held hostage? What will her future without her betrothed hold?
The book is written in a style that is different from most 18th- and 19th-century historical romance novels. There are parts that are a little tongue-in-cheek or with wry humor or even a little slapstick. Some of the writing had phrasing that felt a little awkward, hampering complete enjoyment of this sometimes zany and steamy story. Emma is a fierce heroine; she will not willingly play the role of victim that the men would like her to. Yet, this intrigues Lord Winston, and he soon finds himself in an internal battle between what he has planned and his growing feelings for the lady. At times, I found Lord Winston to be the gentleman he was brought up to be, but other times he succumbed to his baser instincts, both in word and action.
I like it that the author made the secondary characters three dimensional. Dottie is portrayed as a lady’s maid who is still rough around the edges as she struggles to speak and act properly and whom Emma is still trying to train properly. The captain tries to keep Lord Winston on track with the original mission in a very colorful and fun-to-watch way.