In our last request for international romance, a few folks wrote in with romances that take place aboard a ship, and though the characters might be English, the locales were certainly not.
As a spin off, I thought I’d ask the Bitchery for pirate romance, or any high seas romance they’d recommend. I’m personally a sucker for pirate romance, because it’s a lot of fun to say, “YAAAAR!”
Pirate and high seas romances can easily be campy and fun, particularly because some of the problems that faced the crews at that time can mercifully be avoided, particularly the more awful illnesses. Seasickness? Ok. Often occurs, in fact. The trots? Oh, heck no.
Personally, I had a heck of a good time reading Pirate Prince by Gaelen Foley, particularly for the glee with which she amped up the more fantastical elements of the plot.
Also, there was a book I once read, and of course I can’t remember the title or even the heroine’s name, but she was a pirate with a long, wicked scar on her forearm. She also had an arch-enemy who was mad as a March hare who desperately wanted to impersonate her. Ultimately, the arch-enemy was attacked by a parrot who gave her a smiliar scar on her forearm, enabling her to launch her own evil-pirate career as a doppelganger to the heroine. But that’s about all I remember. However, it was an equally fun read.
So – what nautical tales of romantic mahem do ye recommend, mateys?
Siren by Cheryl Sawyer (Jean-Paul Lafitte! and the heroine’s a pirate her own self!)
And I loved the first half of Beyond Paradise by Elizabeth Doyle, does that count?
I’ve never read this one, but I think I wrote about ten chapters of it when I was 17.
I’m sure my version wasn’t nearly as good!
Once a Pirate by Susan Grant is wickedly good. Not only is it a pirate adventure but you get the bonus of a time travel thrown in there. I know – sounds silly, but it works! It really works. And I just finished Beyond Paradise by Elizabeth Doye and loved the WHOLE book *g* Now the pirate in that one was just a crew member, not the pirate leader which was unusual, but he was also more of a beta hero. A beta pirate you ask????????? Yes! But he was wonderful!
I loved “The Prince” by Elizabeth Minogue. Sure, the concept is tawdry, but it’s very well written and believable.
However, AVOID Holly Lisle’s “Matrin” series. The time they spend sailing across the world is dull and the entire thing is junk. Blech.
Savvy?
I can only recall 2 memorable ones, after having read all the Piratical romances I could find for many a year!
Once a Pirate by Susan Grant
Skye O’Malley by Beatrice Small
Both of these books had me looking for other stories by the authors and provided me with lots of great reading pleasure!
😀
I’ll probably get kicked out of the room, but I the only pirate romance I’ve ever read was the one by Rebecca Brandewyne. You know the one…woman is pirate captain who’s in love with her enemy who is actually her husband, etc. It was campy & ridiculous, but the sex was HOT. Hey as long as someone’s having hot sex. *snicker*
THE IRON ROSE truly was a marvelous book. It’s one of my top ten favorite books.
Had to contribute here.
One favorite? Julie Garwood’s “The Gift”.
I can’t remember the prequel to that one, but it’s about pirates too.
All these comments gave me a good laugh. How awesome! I’ve got some fodder for mindless reading.
The Iron Rose by Marsha Canham.
Great swashbuckler of a novel about a female pirate captain who “escorts’ a snobby, stuffy Duke to her parents’ hideaway home in the Islands.
Of course her daddy’s the legendary Pirate Wolf and her mom’s no slouch at the helm of a ship either. This book has heart and is funny to boot. Lots of Master and Commander sea action and a few grown and sexy love scenes.
I’m still trying to find out of if Canham ever wrote the Pirate Wolf’s story. How interesting it would be to read about the Prate Wolf and his one-armed lady!
Canham did write the Pirate Wolf’s story – before she wrote “the Iron Rose”. It’s called “Across a Moonlite Sea”. I can’t recommend it enough. Those two books are absolutely smashing!
As an aside her book “Pale Moon Rider” was really good but only had 1 highwayman instead of two swash bucklers.
To combine this topic and the one for young adults from earlier- Piratica by Tanith Lee. Swashbuckling heroine, MAD AS A SNAKE villainess, things all at sea.
Brilliant. I am waiting for my niece to get a couple of years older so I can buy it for her.
Fern Michaels had a series about Dutch pirates before she started writing contemporaries. Personally, I thought “The Iron Rose” was dopey beyond belief, and the hero was too emasculated.
Oh, for cryin’ out loud, people! I go away to Worldcon and a couple days with the dear husband in San Francisco and you start talking about pirate romances behind my back!
I recommend two books I really, really like, Captain Sinister’s Lady and Pirate’s Price by Darlene Marshall. They’re even going to be translated into Estonian! (No, I didn’t make that up.)
And Pirate’s Price has a cross dressing heroine.
I’ve heard most of my favorites…
The Charm School
Iron Rose
Surrender
Pirates by LLM
let’s see how about
Blaze by S. Johnson
Night Secrets by Kat Martin
The Elusive Flame by KW
Passion’s Ransom by Betina Krahn. One of my top 5 faves of all time!