Help A Bitch Out

HaBO: Pirate Cross Dressing Romance

T.L. sent me the following email:

Over at the Amazon Romance forum, a few of us have been having a devil of a
time figuring out what this darned book is. It’s historical fiction, takes
place at least partially on a ship, and the heroine disguises herself as a
boy. The captain is oblivious for at least a little while, his crew is not,
and exciting adventures ensue. We’re sure the heroine gets punished because
she does something really, really stupid that endangers the crew somehow,
and we think the crew stands up for her right before the captain starts the
punishment, claiming that they are all responsible in some way, shape or
form. The captain is frustrated by this and does not punish her. Oh, and we
think there is a sidekick, possibly named Kit.

Here are a few of the books it is NOT: Anything by Johanna Lindsey, Lady
Vixen by Shirlee Busbee, Kinley MacGregor’s Master of Seduction, Captain’s
Woman by Saliee O’Brien, and Captain Jack’s Woman by Stephanie Laurens.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I am CONVINCED I know this. I first thought it was a Darlene Marshall book, but I was confusing a sidekick named “Kit” with a goose – easy mistake to make, right? Of course. But do you remember this one?

 

Categorized:

Help a Bitch Out

Comments are Closed

  1. SheaLuna says:

    Oh, that sounds familiar.  If it’s the one I recall, the captain was freaking out because he had the hots for the cabin-girl-he-thought-was-a-cabin-boy.  I also think there was some “Forcible Seduction” which always pisses me off.  Gonna have to research.

  2. Tracy says:

    That sounds like both Captain Jack’s Woman (Stephanie Laurens) AND Gentle Rogue (Johanna Lindsey) but if you’re sure it’s neither, I am definitely interested in what it is as well.

  3. Willamae says:

    I don’t know what it actually is, but a friend and I are writing a romance novel that sounds EXACTLY like it, only the sidekick is actually a gay drunk pirate named King.

  4. Kathi says:

    This sounds to me like Marsh Canham’s Across a Moonlit Sea

  5. Monica Burns says:

    It’s Katie Dancy’s FAVORITE ALL-TIME Book

    The Windflower by Laura London (Kit is actually Cat)

    It’s out of print, but available for a “PRICE” on Amazon. Didn’t check to see if it was available in eBook format.

  6. No, it doesn’t sound like The Windflower- I’m in the middle of reading that, and she isn’t disguising herself as a boy, she’s just wearing boy’s clothes for lack of anything better.

  7. Raine says:

    Are you sure that there is a seperate cabin boy named Kit and it is not the Heroine is pretending to be a cabin boy named Kit? This book sound REALLY familiar. And now it is going to bug me!

  8. Suze says:

    Hmm.  Is there a scene where the heroine trims her eyelashes so that she looks less girly?  I have vague memories of a book like that, but the only thing I remember clearly is the eyelashes getting trimmed.

    @redheadedgirl:  WOOT!  You deserve a good read after that last review.  I hope you find the Windflower as wonderful as I remember it being.  (My tattered copy is in storage and inaccessible to me.)

  9. Keri Ford says:

    Ohhh. I was wondering if anyone had gotten this book yet!

    *subscribing to comments!*

  10. Carrie S says:

    redheadedgirl, I’m so happy you are reading Windflower! Willmea, I totally want to read your book.

  11. Troutqueen says:

    I’ve read this. I’m sure I have! Its not a Julie Garwood is it?

  12. Vanessa says:

    Sounds so familiar!  Especially the eyelash cutting part.

  13. Terra says:

    Hah! Aislinn Kerry’s m/m romance A King’s Ransom features a cross-dressing prince and a pirate.

    Definitely not the right book! But who knew there were so many variations of pirate cross dressing romances? ^__^ Funny!

  14. Susan Reader says:

    Are you SURE it’s not Windflower? HaBOs don’t always get EVERY detail exactly right…

  15. Cat S says:

    I’m convinced it’s The Windflower, too!  Sometimes the HaBO details are a little off.

  16. Annette says:

    Could the book be “Master of Her Dreams” by Danelle Harmon? It features an English naval officer, Captain Christian Lord (I think his nickname is Kit) who takes on a ship known for its unruly crew. The heroine is an Irish girl named Deidre who’s looking for her brother who’d been press-ganged into serving in the navy. She stows away on Christian’s ship during a journey to the colonies.

    IIRC the crew knows she’s on board and they keep it a secret to spite Christian. There’s also a crewman aptly named Skunk, an American prostitute who wants to be a French courtesan and a pregnant dog who belongs either to the First Mate or the ship’s doctor. I remember a post-battle scene where Deidre has to extract a bullet from Christian’s shoulder because she’s the only one with fingers nimble enough for the job. Their affair begins at this point.

    The last third of the novel takes place in Boston just before the American Revolution breaks out. Christian helps Deirdre locate her brother who turns out to be a privateer wanted by the British. So Christian is forced to choose between love and duty.

  17. Suze says:

    It’s absolutely NOT The Windflower.  The captain, Rand (who’s not the hero) is the opposite of oblivious of anything, at any time.  (My god, Rand was awesome.)  Merry is never in disguise.  Devon never devolves into brutal ass-hat who only punishes because he lurves his woman.

  18. Tiblet says:

    This sounds almost like Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crighton, but I seriously doubt it is.

  19. Freshechelle says:

    This isn’t Suzanne Enoch’s Lady Rogue, right?  That has a Kit who cross dresses.  Beyond that, I don’t recall the details. 

    How do you all keep track of these plots and details?  Boggles my mind.

  20. Kymberly says:

    Another option is Patricia Cabot’s An Improper Proposal. I don’t remember a sidekick, but there is a heroine who dresses like a boy and it takes place partially on a ship.

  21. Jessie says:

    This has to be a Julie Garwood.  The scene with all of the crew lining up—she’s written.  In THE BRIDE where Brenna is always misplacing things and unintentionally stealing things because of her absentmindedness—the people of the clan all line up to tell Connor she didn’t mean it.  And I’m pretty sure in THE GIFT, the captain’s wife, Sara, comes on board a ship and constantly endangers the crew with her parasols and other general craziness. There’s probably a scene with the crew defending her, though I don’t remember.

  22. Heathero says:

    To me, this sounds like a mash-up of Guardian Angel (because the pirate he seeks is really Jade -the heroine) and The Gift (because Sara sets the boat on fire at some point) by Julie Garwood.

  23. Lindz says:

    Could it be “One Night of Passion” by Elizabeth Boyle?  I know that has pirates (or at least the hero is the captain of a ship) and the little sister is named Kit (and pretends to be a boy, I think).

    It’s been years since I last read it, but it’s at least similar enough to ring a bell.

  24. Laurel says:

    Actually, it sounds like The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi – but I don’t remember the sidekick.

  25. maryde says:

    Not all the criteria sounds like Windflower at all.
    *Windflower is my most fav book of all time.
    *Devlin (duke of St Cyr) is the hero, not the captain (his half brother Rand Morgan—British Royalty) and terror of the seas)
    *Cat is the Boy(also british Royalty)  who befriends Merry after she is accidently kidnapped and brought aboard.
    *Yes she has half the crew under her spell as only a pure innocent can with her naievety and antics.
    *Dev treats her a little unkindly- (whilstfighting the feelings as he falls deeply in love) and his unkind treatment goes against the rest of the crew.
    *No… as far as I know, this book is unavailable in e-formatt but SHOULD BE.. It is a true historical and witty tale by Laura London.
    I feel I should know this one as the setting reads like one I’ve read a long time ago. Sorry can’t help further.

  26. Kathy says:

    Sasha Lord wrote a similar book.  Similar plot anyway.

  27. Thanks for the shout-out, but it’s not Darlene Marshall’s Pirate’s Price.  Sally the goose wasn’t a sidekick so much as a valued crewmember of the Tigress (not to mention a particular friend of Howe, the gunner).  Geese make excellent watch-animals.

    In The Bride and the Buccaneer the heroine is punished for getting the ship’s boy in trouble with the captain, but the crew all agree that she deserves it.  She agrees also.  I couldn’t live with a heroine who doesn’t take responsibility for her screw-ups.

    This HaBo book does sound familiar, but I can’t place it at the moment.

  28. Saker says:

    It does sound like The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle except in that one the “pirates” aren’t pirates (they’re sailors, easy mistake), the “sidekick” isn’t named Kit (also, not really a sidekick) and the captain isn’t oblivious—he hates her for not acting like a proper lady.

  29. Kitala says:

    I agree with Lindz, my first thought when I saw the summary was Elizabeth Boyle’s “One Night of Passion”.

  30. Jessica G. says:

    I knew this sounded familiar, I really think it is “Lady Rogue” by Suzanne Enoch, as Freshechelle mentioned.

    Or it’s an amalgamation of multiple books with the same plot. I’m starting to think the latter.

  31. Sara says:

    It’s definitely not Lady Rogue by Suzanne Enoch.  While the heroine IS nicknamed Kit and does cross-dress, there are no pirates.  And she doesn’t really have any sidekicks, if I recall correctly.

  32. Tina D. B. says:

    Could it be Deborah Simmons, Heart’s Masqerade?  The heroine is Catherine Amberly “Cat” and she pretends to be a cabinboy on Ransom Du Prey’s buccanerring ship.

  33. Nurse Edna says:

    Could it be Seduced by Virginia Henley?

    She masquerades as a cabin boy, but I can’t remember if there’s a sidekick.

  34. TrustMe_2_Forget says:

    This will drive me nuts…I know that I’ve read this, or maybe it was just something very similar. :/

  35. kkw says:

    Definitely not Boyle’s One Night of Passion.  I just read it last week, so I can actually recall some details for a change.  It’s not really a pirate ship, and the heroine doesn’t really ever masquerade as a boy (certainly not to trick the hero), or do anything to endanger the crew, who don’t really exist as characters much less rally to her defense, nor do I recall punishing sex.  I don’t know what book it is, although I feel certain I have read it.

  36. Katherine C. says:

    I’m going to toss out Kat Martin’s Night Secrets, although it’s been so long since I’ve read it the only things I remember is that it involved ye olde girl stowes away on boat, becomes beloved by all, most-especially the captain plotline. Of course it also involves her returning home, him becoming crippled somehow and then she shows up in England to help him miraculously regain the ability to walk, while he acts like your typical douchebag. Anyway, not certain if this is the book in question, but it’s one of the few along those lines I remember anything about, so it must have been good …

  37. Alpha Lyra says:

    So many people are recommending “The Windflower”! I went to check it out, but it’s out of print, there’s no ebook, and even the used prices are ridiculous. Does anyone think an ebook or reprint will become available?

  38. Carrie S says:

    @ Alpha Lyra, lurk on Amazon a lot.  sometimes it’s $50+, sometimes you can get it for more like $5.

  39. Daisy says:

    Not Henley’s Seduced – she does dress like a boy, but she is impersonating her brother who they believe has been killed in a boating accident by a cousin scheming to take his inheritance.  She and the hero do end up on a ship, with her dressed as a boy, but the Hero is her/his guardian and has decided to “make a man” of her. 

    Also, just FYI @ Jessie – Alec and Jamie are the H/h of Garwood’s The Bride. Connor and Brenna are the H/h of The Wedding. 

    As for the HABO – don’t really have any idea.  Like most of the others it does seem familiar but not placing all the elements into one book.

  40. Cat S says:

    If you want a copy of Windflower Google it to find used bookshop copies.  Be patient.  I eventually found a beautiful lavender hardcover for $17.  It was worth the wait!

Comments are closed.

By posting a comment, you consent to have your personally identifiable information collected and used in accordance with our privacy policy.

↑ Back to Top