In Lord of the Privateers Stephanie Laurens brings us the conclusion of the adventure that began back in book 1, The Lady’s Command. Royd Frobisher and friends head back down to Africa to execute the mission to free the captives at the mine and then follow that up with exposing those in England who are backing the entire mission and bring them to justice. The action/adventure has been an element that I have repeatedly thought that Laurens does well in this series. I found myself looking forward to those parts and I believe that is why I found that I enjoyed books 2 and 3 the most. Those two books were primarily all action, all the time. If you look at this quartet it really covers one story arc throughout and thus the first book provides exposition and the last the conclusion, so they do get a little bogged down with more quiet elements.

While each new book brings the reader a new couple to root for and love, I found that it took a lot longer for me to get behind Royd and Isobel than I have the other couples. These two have SO much baggage and hurdles to get over. However, I loved that this was a second chance story, as they had been nearly married several years ago. Laurens has brought us couples in very different situations and relationships status throughout this series which I found refreshing.

I felt that this novel took a long time to get moving and could have used some paring down (and a second look at the page count reaffirms my belief of this). There is always a period of getting to know the characters, but this was primarily accomplished through internal dialogue here and made me wish for something, anything, to happen. I know they have a lot that they need to digest dealing with each other again after 8 years, but this was definitely a case of too much telling, and not enough showing. It would go on for pages and then we would go through even more from the other character’s perspective and all that has happened is they are standing in the cabin looking at each other. I didn’t notice this issue in any of the proceeding novels in the series, so this was even more out of character here. I also felt that the novel could have easily resolved a few chapters earlier than it actually did, specifically on the boat trip home from Africa. There was a really nice beat where the relationship story and the bulk of the action story nicely had a pause. I get that the author wanted to bring us back into England and discover who the backers of the illegal mining activity were, but I didn’t feel like I needed it and it would have helped with the length issue.

By this point, we have quite the cast of characters, and for once I am actually glad for one of those cheat sheets at the beginning of the book. We now have not only all four of the Frobisher brothers, but the women that have come into their lives throughout the series, and also some friends and family who have made appearances in other Laurens novels, especially when they are plotting to catch the backers toward the end. It was a lot to handle, but it was easy to keep track of the main characters and I just let the others become fluff. I can say that I am interested in looking into The Black Cobra Quartet whose events are mentioned in passing quite often and the multiple series that involve the Cynster family members, so the author did a good job of linking interest with her other series.

As a whole I enjoyed the series. I like the action and romance element and appreciated that Laurens relies more heavily on the adventure story and uses the romance to build the characters and the story. My biggest gripe with the series overall is that each book is not self contained; there is no sense of resolution at the end of each novel. They aren’t exactly cliffhangers, but you certainly HAVE to read them in order and I wouldn’t be able to have just read the first and felt ok to move on. I had to know what happened to the captives even though I didn’t enjoy the first book enough to normally have picked up the next in the series. While this certainly works for the author as it keeps a reader acquiring the books, it doesn’t leave me with a good feeling because I almost felt strong-armed into having to finish the series.

Unfortunately, this was a DNf for me. I just couldn't get into it.

I love a good swashbuckler, and I love a good romance, especially when the characters feel equally matched. In Lord of the Privateers, Stephanie Laurens gives us exactly that. The romance – actually a rekindling of a relationship both parties keep trying to forget – has just the right amount of sizzle, and the sparks aren’t limited just to chemistry. Isobel and Royd banter, argue, bicker, make up, and start all over, all while handling the care and maintenance of a shipyard, a sailing fleet, their specific ship the Corsair, family drama, and a greater mission.

And they do it well. Seriously if Amy Sherman Palladino or Aaron Sorkin wrote Age of Sail romantic comedies, the result would be Stephanie Laurens’ work, except that Laurens has her own voice, and her own point of view, and nothing she does feels anything but fresh, fun, and interesting.

What I loved was Isobel in general. Yes, I found one plot point – one key decision she made – a little contrived, but over all she’s smart, strong, funny, and supremely real.

What I didn’t love: no one used a cutlass to slide down a mainsail. Okay, these weren’t actually pirates, but privateers – there is a distinction – but still.

If you want a romance that will have you totally hooked from page one, that will make you sigh with longing even as you feel imagined salt air in your face, and also balances the love story with the adventure story, Lord of the Privateers is the novel for you.

Goes well with fish and chips and a good ale.

Stephanie Laurens brings her The Adventurers Quartet to a close with a story of adventure, suspense, and a second chance to claim the love of a lifetime.

Royd and Isobel are a couple that should have made it. They had known one another since childhood, were friends before falling in love, and shared common interests and goals. But they were young when they were handfasted and it fell apart, largely due to a lack of communication and trust...on both sides. They've continued to be business partners but Isobel has been clear that there will be no second chance for a personal relationship...until the day she appears in Royd's office to insist she be allowed to sail with him to West Africa to look for her cousin who has disappeared from the settlement there.

I'm all for high seas romance and the potential inherent in Royd and Isobel being confined aboard ship for a weeks long journey had me rubbing my hands with glee. It was obvious desire, and deeper feelings, between them still simmered, even though Isobel fought it every step of the way. Watching them dance around each other had me flipping pages to see what would happen next but it was the surprise awaiting them when they boarded Royd's ship that really mixed things up and had me second-guessing just whose side I was on. And, while they are both likable characters, one of them is responsible for a decision that I was not quick to forgive...though in the end, I did.

I've enjoyed all of the main couples in the quartet and Royd and Isobel are no exception. I always enjoy a good second-chance romance that doesn't come easily and Laurens put these two through some significant hoops and individual soul searching that made their happy ending all the more enjoyable.

While the first half of the book focuses primarily on Royd and Isobel's relationship, once they arrive in West Africa it switches to the rescue of the captives as well as the mystery of who has been behind the abductions. I like the mix of suspense and romance that has continued throughout this series and found that part of Lord of the Privateers to be as intense and satisfying as I had hoped.

If you enjoy a blend of mystery, romance, and high seas adventure, I recommend you give Stephanie Laurens' The Adventurers Quartet a try. I also strongly suggest reading the four books in order as each builds upon the events of the previous book. They are, in order: The Lady's Command, A Buccaneer at Heart, The Daredevil Snared, and Lord of the Privateers.

Lord of the Privateers is an adventure romp with a romance attached – or a romance with an adventure attached. There be two plot threads here, and they are both compelling, if not equally so.

This book is the culmination of The Adventurers Quartet, and as such wraps up all of the many plot threads that were started all the way back in The Lady’s Command, and built up and added to in A Buccaneer at Heart and The Daredevil Snared.

The story would not be a pretty one if it weren’t for the inevitable happy ending. Far from England, in the English colony of Freeport in South Africa, someone is operating an illicit diamond mine. Not only is the mine unlicensed, and therefore not under government scrutiny of any kind, but the backers of the mine decided to maximize their profit by using slave labor.

They think they are so far above the law that they can kidnap colonists from Freeport, and that no one will care. And even if they are eventually caught, they will be able to walk away.

But the people they take are missed. Not just the children, but also the adults. Especially when they do stupid things like kidnap the military men who are sent to investigate, one after another. The government contracts with the Frobisher shipping clan to find out where everyone has gone, and that’s where the fun of this series begin.

Each one of the Frobisher children (sons AND daughter) is captain of his or her own ship. One by one, the oldest four sons go down to Freeport, put their share of the pieces together, and come back with a bride who is not willing to stay at home and wait while their men sail into danger.

It’s all been leading up to this book, Lord of the Privateers. That “lord” is Royd, the oldest brother and captain of their fleet. It’s up to him to lead the military operation to rescue the prisoners and gather as much evidence as possible on those mysterious and nefarious backers. In that order.

But Royd’s mission is compromised. Not by betrayal, but by his own unfinished business coming back to haunt him. Isobel Carmody, his childhood best friend and the love of his life, turned him away eight years ago. One of the captives is Isobel’s cousin, and she insists on accompanying him to Freeport. They have unfinished business between them to work out on this journey. They need to decide once and for all whether to try again, or to finally move on.

Royd thinks he has all the time in the world to woo Isobel again. Isobel thinks the voyage will be long enough for her to figure out whether she can trust Royd with her heart again, after he broke it eight years ago.

And they have a colony to save. And in the process, all their secrets will come out, and all the truths will finally come to light.

Escape Rating B: There are two plots here, the second chance at love story, and more importantly, the military operation to rescue the enslaved workers at the mine.

Unlike most second-chance love stories, this one feels resolved fairly early on. They are back together almost instantly, so most of the rest of the romance angle seems a bit anti-climactic. Also, their inevitable marriage is a foregone conclusion from the outset. Eight years ago, Royd and Isobel were handfasted, an old Scottish form of trial marriage. But if a child is born of the handfasting, the couple must automatically marry, or the child must be given up to the father. (Yes, I know it’s terribly misogynistic, etc., but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the law of the time).

Isobel gave birth to Royd’s son eight years ago, while he was away on a secret mission that he chose not to tell her about. She’s kept the boy a secret ever since, at least until he stows away aboard their ship to Freeport. Once that “cat” is out of its bag, an eventual wedding is the only possible conclusion.

But the military operation and the subsequent clean up of the gentleman backers is a romp from beginning to end. And if it weren’t for the fact that this is historical romance and therefore must lead to a happy ending, the clean-up operation feels like it might teeter towards disaster at any moment. That was the part of the story that had me on the edge of my seat.

It was wonderful not just to see all the dirty bastards finally get their just desserts, but to have those desserts handed to them by a combined delegation of the Frobishers, the Cynsters and the Bastion Club was a special treat for those who have read any of the author’s previous series.

But speaking of series, The Adventurers’ Quartet is one where you probably need to have read at least some of the previous entries. I read books 1, 3 and 4, and didn’t feel as if I missed anything except a good story by accidentally skipping Buccaneer. Because Lord is the payoff for all the previous books, I think it looses its punch if you start with it.

Because the romantic side of the plot was resolved early on, those scenes that “furthered” the romance were furthering something that already felt completely developed. To say they became anticlimactic makes for a very bad pun that nevertheless was true for this reader. Your mileage (measured in knots in this case) may vary. But the rescue operation makes for a cracking good yarn.

LORD OF THE PRIVATEERS is the best of Stephanie Laurens! If I could give it more than 5 stars, I happily would. Words like exciting, engrossing, thrilling fail to do justice to this book, but they'll do in a pinch. I have read previous series - the Cynster series, the Black Cobra and Bastion Club books and in my opinion LORD OF THE PRIVATEERS wraps everything up with a big bow, with action, drama and romance as only this author can write.

Two lovers reunited in service to the Crown. Greed and treachery. Danger and intrigue. Adventurous and honorable men dedicated to the cause of the Crown and the independent and strong women that stand tall beside them, as well as the passion that blooms between them and their hard-won happy endings are a hallmark of Ms. Lauren's writing and Royd and Isobel are no different.

Isobel is very smart and strong-willed, determined to forge her own path and take her chances. Royd is a protector through and through, but mature enough to know that Isobel was her own woman and would not tolerate being treated like delicate china and also to respect her abilities. Even though there was a lot to settle between them, their no-drama approach to handling what was between them was my favorite part of their romance.

This story is the climax of a mission that has spanned several books and as expected was filled with a lot of intrigue, suspense and action, the kind that must be experienced by the reader. The rekindled relationship between Royd and Isobel was very enjoyable, along with the revelations of their past and combined with the mission they were undertaking made for really great reading. I loved that the characters from previous series were brought in to help with taking down the villains and I'm itching to dive back into those previous books again.

LORD OF THE PRIVATEERS is a really great conclusion to the series and if you're going to read one historical romance this year, then make it this one!