(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Can love for his beautiful, aristocratic captive rescue Miles from his lust for revenge? A family tragedy steeped in deceit and betrayal saw Lady Eloise Blakely vow never to fall victim to a man's charms, let alone invite him into her bed. Until fate swept her aboard a pirate's ship and into its captain's embrace. Yet when he reveals a dark secret, her lover becomes her enemy . . .Ten years ago, Miles Zachary Fenton was framed for murder. For so long he has fought to clear his name and reclaim his dukedom. Now, when both appear to be just within reach, he is forced to abduct a meddling beauty, one who wreaks havoc with his emotions and complicates his plans

What a surprisingly fun little tale this was! I do try to read as much Australian fiction (or Australian authors) as I can and this book was appealing based solely on that. Historical romance isn't necessarily my go-to genre but...

...what a fun and exciting ride. Great sequences in this book really brought the action to life. The characters were really good (if not just a little clichéd - but I was okay with that) and I thought the romance between Eloise and Miles were just really written (and just a tad 'hot'!)

Other highlights were the authors ability to put the reader right into the story - one other reviewer said they felt like they could taste the salt in the air and that describes it perfectly. That is a skill that not too many authors achieve across a whole novel. The other thing that I appreciated was that the story wasn't kept to just being a romance story - there was action, adventure, secrets, betrayal...and passion and romance.

This is a book I would definitely recommend to lovers of historical romance novels, but also to anyone who wants to give this genre a go - there is much more to it than just historical romance.


Paul
ARH

The Pirate Lord by Vanda Vadas

Lady Eloise Blakely has brotherly affection for Gareth, Duke of Arlington. He has other ideas. The duke wants her dowry and he will do what he can to make sure the marriage takes place.

Gareth has done what he can to make sure he keeps close company with the Blakely family. He was the one to save Julian from being trampled when he was a teen when Julian’s parents were killed. As she tries to avoid Gareth, Eloise meets a stranger in the grounds when she takes some fresh air at a ball. When she pursues the stranger, she falls and hits her head and loses her sight, albeit temporarily.

Eloise is then kidnapped by the stranger who is known as the pirate lord. Zach, really Miles Zachary Fenton, has been forced to take to the seas but it is with purpose. He will extract his revenge on his brother, Gareth. Zach, as the pirate lord, has been making inroads into ensuring that Gareth’s crimes come to the notice of everyone. Too much more will mean that I give away some of the details and there are a few twists …

There are the normal misunderstandings of the relationships that Zach may or may not be involved in while he has been away pirating. Eloise does recover her sight and this leads to her being able to do things that assist Zach in his revenge. Zach does have to make the decision as to what is more important—Eloise or the final revenge on Gareth.

This book has been in my TBR (to be reviewed, as I prefer to call it) list for a while. I was looking for something historical and different, and chose this book. And then had to keep reading as there were enough turns in the story to keep me interested until the end.

Reviewed by Heather