Lady Valoree Ainsley spent half her life at sea, the last eight years as the captain of the Valor, her late brother's ship, disguised as a man. Valoree had planned to avenge her brother's murder, but when she returns to London to at last reclaim their legacy, now there is enough money, she is told by the solicitor that, in order to do so, she must first be married and at least be with child before she turns 25, which is about nine months away. Valoree has always been independent and knows very well that a husband will rule over everything she has fought for, and that she will lose her freedom as well. At the solicitor's, she encounters a nice-looking young man about her age, Lord Daniel Thurborne, who finds himself in a similar predicament.
I sit on the fence when it comes to reissues: LADY PIRATE originally came out in 2001, and in this case, I think it would have been a shame to hide this gem in the vaults, because the least I can say is that this book definitely stands the test of time. LADY PIRATE is a fast-paced and brilliantly crafted historical romance, and in true Lynsay Sands fashion, filled with adventures, hilarious moments, wickedly sensuous passages, and witty dialogues. I enjoyed very much the fact that Valoree is indeed a real privateer, not just a ploy for a clever title or a few pages of mindless froth. She is fierce, competent, and a real leader to her crew. When Valoree needs to husband-hunt, she needs to make herself more feminine, and Ms. Sands shines here as there are several laugh out loud moments, but better yet, not a shadow of Pygmalion in sight.
Every character is finely drawn - several of the pirates missing various body parts - and one of the many highlights of LADY PIRATE is when Valoree acquires her "Aunt Meg", as Meg has a fascinating story. As for Valoree's romantic interest, Daniel is a very appealing, if persistent, suitor, and utterly charming, for the most part. And here again, Lynsay Sands surprised me, because just when it seemed that everything was neatly wrapped up, well, it wasn't, there were some challenges coming from a most unexpected source!
LADY PIRATE also sneaks in a nifty mystery, and I had no idea how it tied in with the narrative, which added to my delight. More and more, I am convinced that Lynsay Sands could not write a boring story even if she tried.
Valoree no longer has to masquerade as her murdered brother
and scourge the oceans as Captain Red. She no longer has to
command his pirate band in a quest to regain his birthright.
She has been named heir to Ainsley Castle. But no executor
would ever hand over the estate to an unmarried pirate wench
and her infamous crewβno matter to whom sheβd been born. And
the will distinctly states that in order to inherit, Valoree
must be married to a nobleman . . . and pregnant.
Upon learning that, the virgin captain is ready to return to
the seasβbut her crew has other ideasβ and for those
rascally cusses she would do anything. If they could find a
way to put on her a sweet face that would fool the ton, she
would handle the rest, even with a drunken prostitute as an
βauntβ and her merry cutthroat crew as βservants.β But to
herself she swears one thing: she will only marry a man who
fires her blood, a man who is not afraid of a . . . Lady Pirate
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