Sunday, November 28, 2010

Review - The Pirate Lord



Title: The Pirate Lord
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Publishing Date: 1998
Genre: Historical
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I received a used copy from Paperbackswap.com

The Pirate Lord is the first book in Sabrina Jeffries Lord Trilogy. Sara Willis, Stepdaughter to the late Earl of Blackmore, has devoted her life to helping those less fortunate than her. She learns that a group of women convicts are being shipped to New South Wales. Despite her brother's opposition Sara obtains passage on the ship as a schoolteacher. Shortly after passage Sara's boat is taken by a group of pirates. The Captain Gideon Horn learns that the ship is full of women and gets the brilliant idea to capture the ship so his men will have wives. Gideon has found an unoccupied island in the tropics and plans to create his own Utopia. His plans don't exactly go as planned once Sara puts her mind to riling up the women to disagree to the idea.

I picked up The Pirate Lord because my good friend Kristie J. recommended it to me. It sounded like a fun, yet silly book and I haven't read a good pirate romance in a while. I was pleasantly surprised that the book wasn't as silly as I feared. It actually had more serious undertones than I expected and was pleasantly surprised. It was a little slow in the middle and the ending was predictable. However, I thought both Gideon and Sara were strong characters.

Sara and Gideon have met their match with the other. Both are used to getting what they want, easily bowling over any opposition. Once they encounter each other it is like fire to water. Both are stubborn in the face of their own wants and beliefs and are not afraid to go after them. Their first encounters are fun to read. The middle part of the book drags a little bit for me because Sara takes so long to come to the conclusion that Gideon is a good man. It is pretty obvious to the reader that he is a decent guy despite his kidnapping a bunch of women for his own nefarious purposes! Gideon is one of those heroes who doesn't trust women and predictably the story foreshadows that Gideon will believe that Sara betrays him. While that was predictable there is still a surprise element that left me quite satisfied with the story. Thanks Kristie J for recommending this one to me!

8 comments:

Lover Of Romance said...

Glad to hear that you enjoyed Pirate Lord!! Its one of my favorite books to read by this author, especially since I love Pirate themed romances!!! Lovely review!

Maija said...

This is my favorite book by Jeffries. And probably my favorite pirate book ever (I haven't read many). There was just something there that I really liked...

Sugarbeat said...

I'm also glad to hear that you enjoyed this book! I think this is the first Sabrina Jeffries book I picked up and haven't looked back! Try the rest of the trilogy - if memory serves they are as good as the first.

The Romance Girl said...

I love Sabrina Jeffries, but I don't think I'd ever be able to give this book a try. I don't know how I'd be able to get over the absurdity of the plot. Stolen as pirate wives? Utopian island? Great review though :)

Jill D. said...

Hi Ladies! This was only my second book by Sabrina Jeffries. I have no idea how she stayed off my radar for so long. This was a fun book. Hopefully I will have time to read the other books in this series.

Hi D.L! Yes, I think you really have to be in the right mind set to give a book like this a try. I figured it was going to be silly, but surprisingly it wasn't as bad as I feared. But, it definitely won't be for everyone.

Leslie said...

It sounds like a fun read w/o venturing into the ridiculous. I have a bunch of her books on the tbr pile, this one included. Good to know it's worth the read!

nath said...

Hmmm, I've been enjoying Ms Jeffries latest books, but I don't know if I want to go back... and I've never been a fan of pirate books.

You know that they just re-released The Pirate Lord with a new cover? I'm debating which one is the worst ^_^; I swear, they got inspired by Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean...

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Pirate-Lord/?isbn=9780380797479

Jill D. said...

Leslie - It's worth a read when you are in the mood for something different than the usual regency set historical. Plus, it is the first in a series, so you can just jump right on in.

Nath - Funny you mention the cover because my book has the cover from your link. I get my book cover pictures from Barnes and Noble and they had the other cover. Both are horrible. My hubby was laughing and giving me a hard time at my choice of book because of the pirate on the cover.