This review, however, is not about either of these issues, but about the fabulous The Duke & the Pirate Queen
that caused me to track down Victoria Janssen's other publications and is also the cause of a small dent in my bank account--more on that later.Synopsis (from Amazon):
Aboard her privateering ship Seaflower, Captain Imena Leung is the law. Ashore she answers only to her employer, Duke Maxime. They are a powerful couple, with an intense attraction neither can disguise or deny. As a nobleman, Maxime is destined to wed strategically, so his seductive advances must be purely for pleasure. And what self-respecting pirate denies herself any pleasure?
Their delicious dalliance is prolonged when Imena is forced to abduct Maxime to foil a political plot against him. At sea, with a stunningly virile man bound in her private quarters, Imena can imagine--and enact--any number of intoxicating scenarios.
The heat between captain and captive is matched only by the perils that beset Seaflower and her crew. Violent storms, marauding corsairs and life-or-death sex games on a desert island--how fortunate for the seemingly insatiable lovers that danger and desire go hand-in-hand.
Length: novel
Release Date: December 1, 2010 from Spice (Harlequin imprint)
The Good:
Where do I begin? If I could have consumed this book in one sitting, I would have.
Imena is not one of those "too stupid to live" or whiny ass, weak heroines that seem to be populating lots of romances and erotic romances lately (especially the paranormal and urban fantasy stuff). She is strong without being overly tortured and has a more realistic past. Simply put, she is an interesting and relatable character. Oh, and did I mention she is a pirate? No? Well, surely that in and of itself is a selling point. Right?
Maxime is a somewhat flawed and, yes, a bit manwhorish, character from one of Janssen's early books, The Duchess, Her Maid, The Groom & Their Lover
, that is also set in the same world, which I now must read. He is very charming and is a nice foil to the hard edged (but squishy centred) Imena. Janssen has managed to create a story and world that stands out from the crowd (or crowded book shelf if that is a better image for you), rather than being part of the indistinguishable and inchoate din.
The Bad:
I finished the book? This is one of those cases where I would have to go out of my way to find something negative to say and frankly I don't do that and I am also far too lazy. I suppose for a negative I would flag my own bias for an ungodly love of pirate historical romances, so I am predisposed to like/be amused/turn into a rabid fangrrl about such topics. Especially when they are fresh and new, like the breeze after a spring rain.
See? I found a negative.
If You Like:
...erotic romance, pirates, historical fantasy, and, well, pirates.
Overall:
At the risk of sounding overly gushy, which is not typical of me, I love this book. So much so that I bought The Moonlight Mistress
immediately as a treat to get me through midterm grading (which by the way, will cover WWI--topic overlap FTW!). I have been driving my friends crazy (the ones who are unfortunate enough to be online via google chat) about this book. This is one of those rare cases where I went into the book reading experience with rather high expectations and the author managed to exceed my lofty expectations.So, go pre-order this book. It will be a nice treat when you are dealing with holiday shopping and holiday madness.
~end of embarrassing gushtastic moment.
Where I Got It: Netgalley
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