A high-seas adventure with a young man who learns what it really means to be a pirate.

Lt. Christopher (Kit) Penrose, who recently lost his ship and crew, takes a job as a valet for a traveling elderly gentleman. The ship is attacked by pirates who take Kit captive due to his sailing capabilities. Le Griffe (Griffin) is the pirate ship captain who actually has a strong belief in honor and rules. As Kit spends more time on the ship, he finds many of his own values and beliefs being brought into question.

The entire story is told from Kit’s perspective. Kit is a nice character who has a lot of experience on the sea, but he is still pretty naive about life. There is a huge cast of interesting characters in this saga, providing plenty of opportunity for adventure. Some parts of the story were a little challenging to read if you aren’t familiar with shipping terms. The majority of the story was Kit telling us what was happening on the ship with some touches of Kit’s thoughts and feelings.

While the story was well written, and the author did a nice job making the adventure seem somewhat exciting, this didn’t work at all as a romance novel. The only real romance happening was between Lewis and Protheroe, who made it abundantly clear that they were truly in love with each other. Kit and Griffin had feelings for each other, but there were almost no conversations that we were privy to that would explain why they were attracted to each other. They spent a good portion of the book upset with each other for one reason or another. A few stolen kisses and quick sex scenes do not qualify as a romance.

If you are looking for an exciting tale of pirates and life on the sea, this is a well written tale of one man’s journey.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

BLURB

“Give me a reason to let you live…”

Beached after losing his ship and crew, and with England finally at peace, Lt Christopher Penrose will take whatever work he can get. A valet? Why not? Escorting an elderly diplomat to the Leeward Islands seems like an easy job, but when their ship is boarded by pirates, Kit’s world is turned upside down. Forced aboard the pirate ship, Kit finds himself juggling his honor with his desire to stay alive among the crew, not to mention the alarming–yet enticing–captain, known as Le Griffe.

Kit has always obeyed the rules, but as the pirates plunder their way across the Caribbean, he finds much to admire in their freedom. He deplores their lawlessness but is drawn to their way of life, and begins to think he might just have found a purpose. Dare he dream of finding love too? Or would loving a pirate take him too far down the road to ruin?