Shane Christian scorns danger as the notorious pirate, Falcon. Feared and respected for his realm over the sea, his exploits are only surpassed by his devilish charm. No battle waged or venture dared is as great as the ploy he devises to protect Maura Brent – a spirited beauty whose willful nature captures his heart. His strategy to thwart the law risks exposure and potential introduction to the … the hangman’s noose. If he succeeds in safeguarding their love, will he live long enough to treasure the victory?Maura Brent agrees to a contrived marriage with a manipulative English land baron in exchange for sparing her father imprisonment. A chance encounter with Shane Christian sets the course for a voyage of discovery awakening her passion, broadening her knowledge and strengthening her resolve to guard Shane’s identity from his nemesis. Determined to dissolve her marriage to remain with Shane, has her decision ensured his demise?
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Loved it! Maura Brent is being forced to marry Harold Mansbry, a very manipulative and power-hungry man. He wants to send her father to prison if she will not marry him. Her father has been fighting against this man for a year or more. Her father is now broke and not sure what to do about it. Maura loathes him but agreed, she could not let anything happen to her father. on the night before her wedding, there is a ball to celebrate and she meets two men one is Alexander Steele. The other is Shane Christian, he dances with her, goes into her father’s office and talks for a few minutes. Then he leaves.
Shane Christian AKA “The Falcon” is a pirate and made a deal with her father to get her out of there before the wedding. He came to get her the night of the marriage. He was very notorious and had been a pirate since he was fairly young. He loved the sea, it kept him calm, it made him rich as well. He was very successful. He was taking her to America. She had family there, so she could hide. Her husband would not stop looking for her.
This was such an action-filled, scary, fighting, and killing story. They also had to face betrayal. It was a fairly easy read but so much came at you. You did meet some pretty special people. There is crying and sadness. It just has everything, a truly remarkable tale. The characters were wonderful and caring. I can’t wait till the next book comes out.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and was delighted to leave a voluntary review.
Oh my, this is a tear jerker. Forced marriage, kidnappings, pirates, deaths, hanging, it never stops even when you think it ends. Who can you trust? Always the pirate known as Falcon. A new author for me. Fast paced and never a dull moment. I voluntarily read and reviewed.
He took what he pleased and he pleased what he took.
Who doesn’t love a good pirate story? I enjoyed Shane’s confidence and fierceness. I loved Maura’s stubborn spirit. Being on the wrong side of the law never seemed so good. That ending! Wow! My heart was in my stomach the entire time. It was so intense and detailed. I couldn’t help but love Shane.
The cover is gorgeous. The characters enjoyable. I never knew what was going to happen next, especially as Mansbry and Shane kept trying to best each other. I definitely recommend this book if you love a good pirate romance.
—4.5 Stars—
This book was intriguing, engaging, perplexing, and gratifying!!
Wow!! This book took me on such an emotional roller-coaster ride!! As some moments I was laughing and cheering on the characters, then was on the edge of my seat biting my nails nervous while they were in battle, then was in tears over those consequences and outcomes of the fights, then excited with butterflies in my tummy during the flirting and romantic scenes, and then curious and mystified about what was going to happen next. So many feelings over just 323 eBook pages!!!
I really liked that this book had so many plot points and that they were so well executed. This kept the story interesting, fresh, and engaging. I honestly wasn’t sure if this runaway bride story line could hold up for the long length of this book, but the author added in a vindictive husband willing to go to any lengths to get his “property,” aka “wife,” back, a vengeful private investigator willing to help that malevolent husband track down his wife while also tending to his own secretive agenda of getting payback for a past indiscretion, and a hostile former pirate crew member seeking vengeance and retribution for his loss. There really is sooooo much to this book!!!
I really liked the main characters, Maura and Shane. Maura was sweet, sensible, loyal, devoted, honest, simple, innocent, caring, and compassionate. But she is a bit naïve and too trustworthy at times. I also liked Shane, aka Falcon. He was strong, adventurous, daring, bold, brave, reckless, nomadic, and a bit of a Casanova. However, it is also later shown that he has a strong protective, supportive, benevolent, loving side as well. I loved Maura and Shane’s interaction together – especially in the beginning!! It was hilarious when Maura first finds out that Shane and the ship crew are all pirates and she keeps going on about it and asking questions like did her dad know that they were pirates when they made the deal to whisk her out of the country? And how could she be stranded on the ship with pirates on a long journey to America? And so many other silly realizations. But over time, Maura and Shane’s relationship grew and I enjoyed watching their character arc develop and become something deeper and more mature and meaningful than either of them saw coming.
I also really liked the supporting cast in this book! There were quite a few characters in this book, but each one felt important and unique to the story line. I especially enjoyed Maggie, Alex, Clancy, Rivers, Celia, Lydia, Finola, and Maura’s dad, James – just to name a few. I must also admit I enjoyed despising Harold Mansbry, Maura’s husband, and David Trent, the private investigator. They were terrible, awful men, and worthy adversaries!!
I was in awe of Maura willing to marrying a man that she strongly hates in order to keep her father out of prison. It is such a kind gesture and really made me like Maura even more. She always puts her family first and seems to always be worrying and taking care of them. So, when her father and Finola arrange her escape it seemed so thoughtful and loving that they would put everything on the line for her so she wouldn’t have to marry such a wretched man. Now if only Falcon had arrived on time and rescued her before the wedding… But then there wouldn’t have been such an intriguing story lol!!
I really liked the beginning of the book when Maura first moves onto the ship and starts kind of taking over Shane’s quarters. There’s this one scene where Shane comes into the room looking for a change of clothes and heads over to his armoire and when he opens it all of his stuff has been removed and in place are Maura’s dresses everywhere. He’s eyes get big and he tries to politely and calmly ask her where she’s moved his clothes and items LOL. It was just one of those scenes that you can so easily picture when a girl moves into a guy’s place and takes over. However, this time it was a strong, strapping, notorious pirate and on a ship and yea I couldn’t stop laughing LOL!!!
I really appreciate Maura’s values in this book about being married to Harold and knowing that she has to eventually go back, face him, and ask to have their marriage to be dissolved. She strongly fears him, but also at the same time, holds the sanctity of marriage in high regard, and knows she must do the right thing, if she truly wants to be able to give herself fully to Shane. It was so brave and courageous for her to stand up to Harold. Unfortunately, he has to be his usual pesky self and toy with her telling her that he needs to think about it and during that time she must stay in the guest room at their house. He then additionally puts her through weeks of hoops, but Maura is determined to do anything to get out of this marriage and be able to be with Shane.
This book has a creative story line with well executed plot points, fantastic writing style with detailed scenes, relatable characters, is evenly paced, and keeps you fully engaged and entertained.
There are some predictable scenes. However, there are still many unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!
This book is technically not part of a book series and can be read as a standalone.
All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it! I think all historical romance readers and pirate fans will like this book too! So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**
I enjoyed this story. Maura was a loyal yet independent young woman. Family was important to her. Shane loved adventure and danger so he lived the life of a pirate. A request brought these two together, and through the ups and downs, life and death, they realized what was important. It was fun, breath-holding, and exciting, and I recommend this story.
I received a copy of this story through Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
Maura is forced into an impossible marriage to save her father from debtor’s prison. Her father hires Shane (a pirate who goes by the name Falcon) to spirit her away to save her from her awful bridegroom. But Shane doesn’t kidnap her until AFTER the wedding ceremony, so Maura is technically a married woman. Their adventures on the high seas is complicated by her bridegroom trying to get her back and the authorities trying to capture and execute Falcon. Maura and Shane want to be together, but there’s the pesky little technicality of she’s already wed, and they try to figure a way to get the marriage set aside.
I really liked the characters, and the chemistry between Maura and Shane is instant, hot, and believable. The villains were appropriately despicable, and between them and the fast pace the tension and sense of peril was maintained throughout. It did feel a bit chaotic and rushed in places, but overall I really enjoyed reading.
I just love a good pirate story!! I really enjoyed reading this one and you get to go on quite an adventure with Shane and Maura. Shane is the pirate known as the “Falcon” and Maura, who has been forced to marry a man she detests, is suddenly “kidnapped” by the Falcon on her wedding night. Her father had asked him to take her away to safety and it soon becomes apparent that Maura is as stubborn as Shane which makes for a very interesting sea voyage! Love sneaks up on both of them and their heated passion is all encompassing. Trouble follows, though, and they find themselves separated and wondering if they will ever have a future together!!
Nicely written with lots of adventure and action, heated scenes, betrayals, etc…. I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.