#408 ~ Sweet Piracy

Sweet Piracy by Jennifer Blake

My rating: 2 of 5 stars






This was one of my DSOA picks on the Blog, way back in April 2013, and I've only just managed to find the time to read it.

I had been expecting more than it actually delivered I'm afraid .... it was a little too sweet, and the pace a little too slow and predictable for my taste - it felt like formulaic writing. Actually, a couple of times I really did think it would be a DNF, but I managed to get through it in the end.

On the plus side there were very few Errors or Bug Bears (if you don't know how I roll yet, they are always featured on my Blog in the fuller post).

It may be that this was not as good as some of Ms Blake's other books, and I may well try another to see if there is any improvement.

A sad and disappointing 2 Stars from me I'm afraid.


Product Details:

As mentioned above, this was a DSOA pick in April 2013, and can be found HERE.  The Kindle edition is currently listed at 77p and the paperback £8.50. I would say that the Kindle price of 77p is fairly reasonable value for money.

256 pages
Adult reading (no overt sexual content)
Published by Steel Magnolia Press (29 March 2013)
Fiction, Historical, Romance genre

Errors/Bug Bears:

Happily only a smattering.

Loc 551:  ...and with Anatole somewhat more nattily tamed out beside him ..

Correct to:  ...and with Anatole somewhat more nattily turned out beside him ..

Loc 1729:  ... his two sons, and their tutor rode horseback.

Okay, I admit this one is a bug bear rode horseback jarred, and seemed superfluous, just "rode" would have been sufficient.

Loc 1771:  ... French windows onto its dimly lighted expanse.

I would argue that it should be changed to:  ... French windows onto its dimly lit expanse.

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

#370 - Black Sam

Black Sam: Prince of Pirates by Mat McLeod

My rating: 2 of 5 stars













Sam Bellamy isn't so much a faux Pirate, as a faux pas.  All you will get here is a mealy mouthed main protagonist with a vapid blonde lady love, with more hair than wit.

In my mind, and this is only a personal view, a Pirate should buck his swash and be full to the brim with derring do - nothing like that happened in this book, it was dull as a Florida Swamp.

I need a big pat on the back for getting through this, it was quite an achievement as it was so dull I kept dropping off to sleep - and I love an all action Vast Me Harties story full of plunder and mayhem.

On the positive side, apart from a big corker, there were very few errors - as usual, I will list them below.

The corker I will talk about here:  Now, I've just re-checked it on Amazon and it is still showing the Author as James Lewis both on the Amazon page, and on the cover image that downloaded.  I will say though, when the file was opened it clearly says Mat MacLeod. Interestingly, the cover image above, which was obtained from Good Reads, seems to be showing the correct Author name.

Why put a different author's name on the front cover? It's not the first time that I've come across this: I still remember what I like to call "Highlander's Hope Gate" earlier this year (if you're interested Blog Post #381 in July 2013.

I digress ......... like most of the cannon balls in the book .... it fell way short of the mark, and only got 2 stars from me (one of those is for being relatively error free).


Product Details:

I downloaded as a freebie Kindle book in March of this year - it was on of my DSOA (in my defence, from memory I think it was a new release at the time, and hadn't had any reviews).  

At the time of writing this it's listed HERE at £2.63.  I will leave you to decide if you want to read it.

343 long boring pages in length.

Errors/Bug Bears:

See above for the big one, after that not many more.  Reasonably good spelling and grammar.

9%:  Sam looked up as he chuckled noticing the many blossoms still on the tree.  They gave off a lovely, fragrant scent.  He looked back at the young woman to comment on the flowers, when a wall of white pedals slapped him right in the face.

To be honest, that would have engendered a bit of excitement into the book, but it should be corrected to:  

Sam looked up as he chuckled noticing the many blossoms still on the tree.  They gave off a lovely, fragrant scent.  He looked back at the young woman to comment on the flowers, when a wall of white petals slapped him right in the face.

18%:  "You are very hansom when your forehead wrinkles like that", Maria said.

Correct to: 

You are very handsome ....

32%:  He turned his attention back to their current task, resupplying at Bathtowntown.

Correct to:  He turned his attention back to their current task, resupplying at Bathtown.

34%:  Maria stood between her parents, holding a white umbrella.

I might be a bit of a nit picker here, but shouldn't that be a parasol?

Correct to:

Maria stood between her parents, holding a white parasol.

37%:  He missed her terribly and wished he could go rescue her from such drudgery...

Conjunction missing here, and possibly a comma.  Correct to:

He missed her terribly, and wished he could go and rescue her from such drudgery...

46% (and several times more at 72%):  "Here" Sam threw an extra blouse to his friend.

See, I told you they weren't particularly pirartical pirates ... blouse?  Women wear blouses, and men don't.

Correct to:

"Here" Sam threw an extra shirt to his friend. 

51%:  He set the bread inside cell.

Correct to: 

He set the bread inside the cell.

55%:  Weaving in and out of trees, Sam did his best to keep a safe distance between he and the redcoats....

Correct to:  

Weaving in and out of the trees, Sam did his best to keep a safe distance between himself and the Redcoats....

I did Bookmark a few more things, but looking back at the I did I was being too pedantic!

Happy reading.

Hugs

Kay

My Daily Selection for Free Kindle Download at Amazon

Across a Moonlit Sea

Dante Pirates Series

Marsha Canham

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Historical > Romance > Adventure > Pirates

Indie Writer (Self-published)

*Introducing a New Author to the Blog*

A winning combination for me:  Historical Setting, Romance and Pirates.  So I decided on this Indie Writer, Marsha Canham, for today's selection:

A rip roaring high seas adventure set in Elizabethan England when dashing privateers known as sea hawks banded together to guard their country and their queen against the Invincible Armada being amassed by Spain. Simon Dante, the Pirate Wolf, meets his match in battle and in love when he crosses swords with Isabeau Spence. Together they join forces with Sir Francis Drake on a daring attack on Cadiz.

It's 25 Reviews, with only a couple of negative remarks (it averages out at 4.5 stars).  I've downloaded my copy, get yours HERE .... it's free at the moment.

On Amazon today my rating is (still static) 3,740. I suppose that I'm still heading in the right direction, but very slowly now. I would love to get to the top 1,000 Reviewers' some day ....... so if you find the Daily Kindle Downloads info useful please go over to my Reviews on Amazon and leave me some positive feedback  on some of my reviews (which helps my rating, and will earn you my grateful thanks).

Hugs

Kay

My Daily Selection for Free Kindle Download at Amazon

Pirates Bride

Lynette Vinet

*NEW AUTHOR

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Historical > Romance

I'm sorry ...... I think ......... I've weakened and gone for an Historical Romance today .... I know, I know, some of you will be thanking me and others will be less than pleased!  It's a pirate one: does that make it better?

Young Bethlyn Talbot, daughter of the Earl of Dunsmoor, is forced into an arranged marriage with brash colonial Ian Briston, who abandons her after the wedding ceremony. Seven years later, Bethlyn has blossomed into a beautiful and alluring young woman, with a husband in name only. 

Wishing for the marriage to be annulled or force her errant husband to make her his wife in all ways, Bethlyn leaves England for America on one of her father's ships. But when the ship is captured by the infamous American privateer, Captain Hawk, he mistakes her for a prostitute.

Fighting her attraction for the masked pirate, Bethlyn becomes Hawk's prey and succumbs to nights of passion in the arms of the buccaneer. What will happen when she finally arrives in Philadelphia to claim her wayward spouse now that she's known the ecstasy of being the pirate's bride?

You can get a copy by clicking HERE.  Personally, I'm really looking forward to reading it, but as I discussed with a friend yesterday, my own personal reading is falling further and further behind.  I've had so many books sent in to review and requests to look at more ..... don't get me wrong, it's lovely and I really am excited about it, especially as I have a change to extend the genres that I read.  However, I need an extra 9 or 10 hours a day to get through it all.  I think I'll have to stop doing the housework and concentrate on getting my pile down a bit.  Here's hoping that the weather will cheer up and I can use that as an excuse to read.

On Amazon today my rating is (>) to 4,970. I suppose that I'm still heading in the right direction, but very slowly now. I would love to get to the top 1,000 Reviewers' some day ....... so if you find the Daily Kindle Downloads info useful please go over to my Reviews on Amazon and leave me some positive feedback  on some of my reviews (which helps my rating, and will earn you my grateful thanks).

Hugs

Kay

#350 - Sea Scoundrel ~ Annette Blair

Sea Scoundrel ~ Annette Blair

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

Publisher:  ABA LLC (2nd edition)

Description:

Lady Patience Kendall crossed the sea to marry, but her intended died before she arrived. Penniless and stranded, she found only one way to get home: Bring rich American Misses to England to find them titled husbands. At the ship, she realized their mothers expected each to wed the Marquess of Andover. She'd have to seek an introduction. On the journey, Captain Grant St. Benedict was anything but friendly. Just because her girls caused a few mishaps? Grant had never met a woman more irritating, or more desirable, than the Lady Patience Kendall. But however dangerous his interest, he couldn't resist teaching the delicious distraction that independence was nothing to passion.

Product Details:

I snagged it as a free Kindle download back in March, and at the time of writing it is still available as a free download HERE.

306 pages in length

This is Book 1 in a series.  As a brief history of SEA SCOUNDREL: In 1999, the book, LADY PATIENCE, needed to be cut in half to fit the Precious Gem Line for Kensington Publishing. Now, here in its full award-winning, uncut glory for the first time is the story of the Sea Captain and his Lady.

Other books in the series:

CAPTIVE SCOUNDREL, Knave of Hearts, Two
PROPER SCOUNDREL, Knave of Hearts, Three
HOLY SCOUNDREL, Knave of Hearts, Four

* * * * *

Summary/Review:

Actually quite amusing from the start, this is a wonderfully gentle novel, with some great scenes.

As a Hero, The Captain, wasn't didn't quite put the swash in swash-buckling, but he wasn't that far off.  He tended to the more sarcastic and humorous than full on alpha .... which is always a nice change.  Which girl can resist funny?

It was entirely predictable that he was in fact the very Marquess of Andover she'd been fabricating an introduction to, but hey ho I don't think that it could have gone down any differently!

Rating:

Notwithstanding the above, it's 4 stars from me, and a big thumbs up.

Errors/Bug Bears:

48% - "Almacs" - spelt incorrectly - it should be Almacks.  Also, only a patroness could give vouchers and permission to dance the waltz.  Author implied they had to have permission to dance it each time ... odd.

65% - I could be wrong but, I don't think Turkeys' have ever run wild in England.

75% - "cement balustrade" - surely stone in any well to do household?

All the above are just be being a nit picking pain, but I do like authenticity in my reads.

Hugs

Kay

#348 - Silver Storm (The Raveneau Novels, Book 1)

Silver Storm (The Raveneau Novels, Book 1) ~ Cynthia Wright

Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

Indie Writer (Self-published)

Description:

Dashing and dangerous Andre Raveneau is the Revolutionary War's most reckless privateer captain when Devon Lindsay stows away aboard his ship after her Connecticut town has been burned by the British. Raveneau sardonically agrees to deliver her to her childhood sweetheart in Virginia but doesn't count on his own potent attraction to the enchanting, courageous Devon.

Through high adventure, swashbuckling sea battles, and the colourful history of America's revolution, the couple battles the fiery passion that binds them together.

Product Details:

I snagged this as a freebie download, and at the time of writing this post it is still showing as available as a free download HERE.

341 pages

Other books in the series:

The Raveneau Novels* and The Beauvisage Novels intertwine, with some characters crossing over. Should you wish to read them in chronological order, this is the sequence:

1781- SILVER STORM*
1783 - CAROLINE
1789 - TOUCH THE SUN
1793 - SPRING FIRES (A Beauvisage/Raveneau Novel)
1814 - SURRENDER THE STARS*
1814 - NATALYA
1818 - SILVER SEA* (A Raveneau/Beauvisage Novel)
1903 - TEMPEST*

*SILVER STORM was revised in December, 2012, and all reviews posted before that date which refer to the hero's unforgivable behaviour are inaccurate.

* * * * *

Summary:

Actually, I loved it.

The dangerous sparks that flew between Andre and Devon, all brought about by chemistry.

Admittedly, he was a bit of a bounder, but then again Devon seemed to behave just as badly.  Possibly should could be forgiven just a bit of that, as she was so young and had been through quite a bit. 

Lovely twist towards the end when she finds out about how her Mother died (no point asking, I'm not giving you a spoiler!).  It's amazing that what you think you want, and what you end up with are sometimes wildly disparate.

All in all a great read with a lovely swash-buckling hero and highly recommended if pirates, or indeed love and romance are your thing.

I've put the other books in the two inter-twining series (see above) on my "To Read" List over at Good Reads.

Rating:

I've given this a bit of thought, and decided to give it 5 stars on Amazon/Good Reads.  It was too good for just 4 - if I could hand out half stars, it would have been a 4.5 rating.

Hugs

Kay