Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and Commentary

It’s International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Recommendations anyone? I know Jayne is particularly found of Marsha Canham’s, The Iron Rose. The most recent pirate/privateer book I recall reading was Jane Feather’s Almost a Lady. Other Pirate related books:

The Pirate Next Door by Jennifer Ashley
River Lady by Jude Deveraux

The Windflower by Tom and Sharon Curtis

Anyone have recommendations for a good pirate adventure? (More pirate related titles at Likes Books.)

Dear Mrs. Styles,

Thanks again for sending me an advanced copy of “A Noble Captive.” I agree with you that the cover is great. Not that “A Gladiator’s Honor” was bad, well except for the wrong color hair for the hero! Have you ever noticed the difference in the texture of Mills and Boon books vs US published Harlequins? Strange….anyway, back to the review.

Marcus Livius Tullio and his men have no idea where the pirates have taken them but Marcus knows he needs to get his men out of the stinking trireme where they’re being held captive before any more of them die. The junior tribune seizes an opportunity when the island’s gold-masked sybil comes to inspect the tribute goods also taken by the pirates, though those swine disguise their actions by saying they rescued the Romans during a storm at sea. After racking his brains to remember the correct words of supplication to invoke the hospitality of the goddess Kybele, Marcus maneuvers the sybil into offering the sanctuary of the goddess’s Temple while they all wait for the ransom money to arrive from Rome.

While Marcus is pleased with himself at getting his men …

Dear Mrs. Canham,

I hope that your muse can tempt you back into writing. I keep hearing rumors but what I want is to read another new Canham book! ;) Other reviews have decried the amount of violence and sex in “The Iron Rose.” Yes, it’s violent. Yes, it has sex. But it’s a pirate book! It’s supposed to be violent. It’s supposed to have sex. And it’s a wild, exhilarating ride. Like watching an old MGM movie. I kept expecting Errol Flynn or Tyrone Power to come swinging out of the shrouds, sword in hand, to battle the dastardly enemy in a duel of flashing rapier death. “Away, all hands up and over!”

Varian St. Clare, 12th Duke of Harrow has been sent to the Caribee by King James to persuade the English privateers to lay down their arms and sail tamely back to England in order to further a peace treaty with Phillip III of Spain. But when his ship is attacked without provocation by the Spanish and he’s rescued by Juliet Dante, the daughter of the famed Sea Wolf, Simon Dante, and captured documents are translated to reveal the …

Dear Ms. Mueller,

I read about your books on the Historical Delights yahoo group then followed the link to your website. There I would swear that I found a page of all your short stories then followed a link from them to where I bought this book. But upon going back to try and get a book cover image, I can’t find any of your books listed at Diskus Publishing. Have I lost my mind? Don’t answer that. ;)

Anyway, except for some editing problems, I had a good time reading your interesting short story about a 17th century French woman’s encounter with ruthless pirates, a pirate hunter sent to track them down and her revenge on her perfidious husband. And I also liked her revenge on the pirate who held her captive for two weeks. I must say that certainly put the fear of God into the pirate hunter’s crew!

You don’t shirk from placing your heroine into a difficult situation nor making the story as realistic as you can. Good for you. It’s also filled with an emotional depth that’s hard to achieve in a novella much less a short story. I’d like …

Dear Mrs. Marshall,

This is a nice pirate romance with a more capable heroine than most “chick in pants” stories. I think it works better than most because Christine is more a thinking pirate rather than a true swashbuckling one. She tries to outwit her victims thereby making herself and her crew richer than when they started yet at the same time still alive at the end of the sea cruise. The fact that she’s tall and is willing to cut her hair off also helps her masquerade work better than in most romance books. You give her lots of reasons for not believing in her marriage of convenience husband, Justin and I love her idea of not only getting mad at being forced into it by her uncle but also getting even by raiding his shipping line. But I wonder just how easy it would be to obtain a divorce in this era. Was it easier legally than later in the century? I would assume the social stigma would still be as bad.

Justin very quickly wises up from his initial boorishness and is truly sorry for what he did to Christine and for thinking only of his own interests and feelings in their marriage of convenience. I came to like him a lot.

Dear Mrs Hart,

I’m finally getting back to Pot of Gold, your first story about Captain Robin Steele and his love, Nora as they search for a hidden leprechaun fortune beneath a Caribbean island. I like it just as much as the sequel, Emerald Isle. It’s fast and humorous and since it’s a fantasy, I just sat back and enjoyed the fun. Despite the fact that romantica isn’t usually my thing, the numerous sex scenes make sense because of the leprechaun sex spell. And they’re hawt without being too purple or ending up silly.

But what really makes me happy about the story is the fact that both lead characters are so well balanced. Robin isn’t an overbearing hero and Nora doesn’t go all feisty on us, even when she saves Robin from the merbitch with the teeth of a shark. Y

Dear. Ms. Jordan,
While “The Legend of Black Robert Flynn” isn’t awful, neither is it any better than just average. It starts well with young, innocent friends then fast forwards to the heroine running away from an abusive marriage straight into the hands of the now pirate hero who saves her after she’s nearly raped by an entire ship of other pirates. After recognizing her as his lost love, he vows to “have her” and makes a bargain to keep the others off her if she gives herself to him. For a woman who’s endure 5 years of marital hell followed by a narrow escape from a gang bang, she sure gives herself over to hot loving quickly enough. But the lovin’ is hot and he does truly love her, even if he’s not going to tell her who he is just yet. But her husband appears on the scene and a fight is in the works. But then, suddenly we’re fast forwarded yet again but this time back to London where a faithful subordinate has delivered our girl who now mourns her recognized love until suddenly he appears and it’s The End. C- for you, as Jane says.

Dear Ms. …