The captain of the Prodigal Son has a deserved reputation as the deadliest (and best dressed) pirate in the Caribbean, but Robert St. Armand’s totally at sea when it comes to “Marauding Mattie,” the daughter he never knew he had. How in the world can he deal with the littlest pirate, one who prefers knife-throwing to arithmetic lessons, and who’d rather be keelhauled than eat her beets? He needs help!
Lydia Burke is living a safe, respectable life, separated from England by an entire ocean. It’s exactly what she needs and she’s not going to risk her boring, but secure, position as a governess to consort with pirates, especially one who’s too pretty for his own good or her peace of mind.
No self-respecting governess would be willing to come aboard the notorious Prodigal Son, but Robert didn’t fight his way to the top by letting small obstacles like scruples stop him. If he can’t hire Lydia Burke, he’ll steal her and take her to England with them, certain he can charm her into his bed along the way as an added bonus on the voyage.
It will be a true voyage of discovery for the pirate and the governess, as one learns to navigate the rocky shoals of parenthood while the other tries to keep deadly secrets hidden, and both will find that while it’s a child who initially brings them together, the growing passion between them offers the greatest temptation.
Series: N/A
Release Date: 03/02/2014
Publisher: Amber Quill Press
Source: Publisher
Reviewer: Michelle
Rating:
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Reviewer’s Thoughts
I was determined to read this book as soon as I read the title. I love reading romance books that involve a baby.
The hero in this novel is Captain Robert St. Armand. He is a swashbuckling pirate with a fondness for prostitutes…lots of prostitutes and kinky sex. The heroine Lydia Burke. She is the governess to the pirate’s secret daughter, Mathilde. Mathilde’s mother and Lydia’s friend was a prostitute. I kind of liked the hero, but I never felt like I was vested enough in his character to really care whether things worked out for him. Lydia’s character was just really strange. I never became vested in her character, and I found myself shaking my head quite a bit. She was an uptight governess turned freak in the sheets. There were several very colorful secondary characters that helped add depth and interest to the story.
The storyline wasn’t bad, but it was bogged down with pages of minute details that had nothing to do with the story. The author took great pains to explain all of the process Lydia used in her teaching of math, history, geography, etc. It was information overload. I felt like I was in neutral while reading a book on educational methods. I found the information mildly interesting as a teacher, but I picked this book up to be entertained. There was absolutely no action. I was sure there would be a fight of some sort when Robert kidnapped Lydia. However, he just boarded the ship and told her to come with him. Lydia was supposed to have secrets that were so dark she was afraid to return to England. That turned out to be a dud because her “transgressions” were very minor, and the problem was solved by sending the man looking for her on a trip. There was some chemistry between Robert and Lydia, but I was so tired of wading through the dialogue that I could care less. Their passion erupts toward the end of the book in an unexpected and awkward way. One night she just gives in to his advances and they have sex every night after that. I did enjoy the author giving a glimpse into Robert and Lydia’s thinking. It was interesting to see things from a male perspective.
There were some good elements to the storyline. However, the storyline ending was too nice and tidy. There were way too many details on tutoring and conversations that really were not essential to the storyline. Unfortunately, this diverted interest from the storyline with the main characters and took away from my enjoyment.
