What do you think?
Rate this book
Lone Warriors #2
Tell Me Lies
They are pirates, lawless, merciless, hungry. Only one way offers hope of escaping death, and worse, at their hands. Their captain must claim her for his own, risk his command, his ship, his very life, to take her. And so she puts her soul into a seduction like no other?a virgin, playing the whore in a desperate bid for survival. As the blazing sun descends into the wide blue sea, she is alone, gazing into the eyes of the man who must lay his heart at her feet. . . .
368 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2000
8 people are currently reading
478 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Dain
37 books99 followersIt was while writing a descriptive essay in seventh grade English (that was the assignment, to write a 'descriptive essay') that Claudia first fell in love. With descriptive essays. Boys being what they are in seventh grade, there was hardly much choice.
By her ninth grade year, Claudia was spending hours each week in her bedroom writing descriptive essays that heavily featured older boys (eleventh grade). She also practiced her kissing technique on a pole lamp next to her bed. It was less than satisfactory, but the writing was fun.
She attended the University of Southern California as an English major. She'd mastered kissing by this time and writing, strangely enough, was still fun. 'Strangely' because while it had become obvious to her that almost everyone enjoyed kissing, it was equally obvious that very few people enjoyed writing. This was as peculiar to her as, well, not enjoying kissing.
Clearly, something had to be done. The idea of combining kissing and writing seemed the obvious course of action. While Claudia does not claim to have invented the romance novel, she certainly has a lot of fun describing kisses and inventing men to bestow them upon. And not a one of her heroes looks remotely like a pole lamp. (And don't act like one either.)
Claudia was first published in 2000, is a two-time Rita finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling author. Which just goes to prove that you can make a career out of kissing and writing about it.
By her ninth grade year, Claudia was spending hours each week in her bedroom writing descriptive essays that heavily featured older boys (eleventh grade). She also practiced her kissing technique on a pole lamp next to her bed. It was less than satisfactory, but the writing was fun.
She attended the University of Southern California as an English major. She'd mastered kissing by this time and writing, strangely enough, was still fun. 'Strangely' because while it had become obvious to her that almost everyone enjoyed kissing, it was equally obvious that very few people enjoyed writing. This was as peculiar to her as, well, not enjoying kissing.
Clearly, something had to be done. The idea of combining kissing and writing seemed the obvious course of action. While Claudia does not claim to have invented the romance novel, she certainly has a lot of fun describing kisses and inventing men to bestow them upon. And not a one of her heroes looks remotely like a pole lamp. (And don't act like one either.)
Claudia was first published in 2000, is a two-time Rita finalist, and a USA Today Bestselling author. Which just goes to prove that you can make a career out of kissing and writing about it.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 6, 2016
WTH? Seriously. I like some of the old bodice rippers, but this is not one of those.
The POV switched with every paragraph. Not kidding. Everyone was so overwrought and we were privy to everyone's thoughts.
The hero was a complete psycho douche with all his 'I am a pirate, I'm not a pirate, I am a pirate.' Argh!!!!
Plus all the religion just didn't mesh with this story. It was very weird. I'm not quite sure what I just read.
The POV switched with every paragraph. Not kidding. Everyone was so overwrought and we were privy to everyone's thoughts.
The hero was a complete psycho douche with all his 'I am a pirate, I'm not a pirate, I am a pirate.' Argh!!!!
Plus all the religion just didn't mesh with this story. It was very weird. I'm not quite sure what I just read.
March 2, 2012
OOOOH pirates! That's how this book drew me in. Fucking bad ass pirates with romance equals win!
Then I read this garbage. Let me start this out as saying that there are two things in romance novels that I detest. Rape and Religion. I do not want to be preached at, and I don't want to be raped at. Mixing the two adds a whole new level of what-the-fuckery. The kind of what-the-fuckery that i thought stayed in the 80's where it belonged.
Ok, in a nutshell: a ship is taken by pirates and the lone survivor is a pretty, young woman. The captain takes one look at her and says to himself, "wow she's so pretty and sexy, she must be a whore! And I'm not sharing with my pirate mates". So he takes the 'whore' back to his cabin and rapes her. She's a virgin, so the scene ends with her quietly crying. But then the wtf really starts to kick in. She falls in love with him. What. The. Fuck.
She flees, he finds her, he humiliates her, is shitty to her. He even finds out that she wasn't a whore *gasp* and basically says she was asking for it because of her wanton ways. He plans to kidnap her again and screw her up and down the coastline. She even would willingly go if he marries her. But of course he wont, because she's a whore, even though he knows she isn't. Pepper the whole story with "I'm not a pirate", "I'm a pirate"over and over, and a whole bunch of God this and God told me that.
I wanted to fucking throw shit at this book, i hated it that much. I'm sure other people could really like this book, if they dig the whole rape/humiliation thing. The hero was an ass-hat, and though i love the bad boy (Anne Stuart does it best) this guy was an asshole.
whew, it felt good to get this out.
Then I read this garbage. Let me start this out as saying that there are two things in romance novels that I detest. Rape and Religion. I do not want to be preached at, and I don't want to be raped at. Mixing the two adds a whole new level of what-the-fuckery. The kind of what-the-fuckery that i thought stayed in the 80's where it belonged.
Ok, in a nutshell: a ship is taken by pirates and the lone survivor is a pretty, young woman. The captain takes one look at her and says to himself, "wow she's so pretty and sexy, she must be a whore! And I'm not sharing with my pirate mates". So he takes the 'whore' back to his cabin and rapes her. She's a virgin, so the scene ends with her quietly crying. But then the wtf really starts to kick in. She falls in love with him. What. The. Fuck.
She flees, he finds her, he humiliates her, is shitty to her. He even finds out that she wasn't a whore *gasp* and basically says she was asking for it because of her wanton ways. He plans to kidnap her again and screw her up and down the coastline. She even would willingly go if he marries her. But of course he wont, because she's a whore, even though he knows she isn't. Pepper the whole story with "I'm not a pirate", "I'm a pirate"over and over, and a whole bunch of God this and God told me that.
I wanted to fucking throw shit at this book, i hated it that much. I'm sure other people could really like this book, if they dig the whole rape/humiliation thing. The hero was an ass-hat, and though i love the bad boy (Anne Stuart does it best) this guy was an asshole.
whew, it felt good to get this out.
July 29, 2021
I have ambiguous feelings regarding this book. It started off well enough, but then it began to drag and I was forced to skim some parts of it.
Although I was impressed with the heroine who refused to be a victim, who made a decision to survive and acted accordingly, I found her to be too pious which grated on my nerves.
I loved the fact that the hero fell under her spell at first sight and just kept relentlessly pursuing her.
The writing style of this author was not to my liking which is the reason I sometimes skimmed the book.
Although I was impressed with the heroine who refused to be a victim, who made a decision to survive and acted accordingly, I found her to be too pious which grated on my nerves.
I loved the fact that the hero fell under her spell at first sight and just kept relentlessly pursuing her.
The writing style of this author was not to my liking which is the reason I sometimes skimmed the book.
August 4, 2021
RTC! I think I shall be reading more of Claudia Dain's earlier works...
~Full Review~
I've been wanting to read something by Claudia Dain, just curious no reason, but after failing to get into some of her newer works about courtesans, I went into her backlist and found this story about pirates. Something about the reviews intrigued me and I decided to give Tell Me Lies a go.
I actually liked the direction of the plot but I put it down for a few weeks because I wasn't in the right mood for romance. So, when I went to pick it up again, I felt a little disoriented because I was about halfway through but I was able to follow it along and WOW.
Dan became an obsessed hero and it was hot.
But not only that but there was this silly humour of Dan and his matchmaking Aunt Patsy both wanting the dinner with the Richardson girls but both not wanting to tip the other person off.
The first half of the story takes place on Dan's pirate ship. The ship Lydia is on is overtaken by Dan's ship, and her fate might have been portioned off to the men where she might not have survived, but Lydia makes goo-goo eyes at Dan, the captain, and he takes her for his portion, giving up his share of the loot.
Lydia is a practical woman and she knows that she needs protection from one man against the rest while she is on a pirate ship. She deduces no honourable men are on board, so in order to survive, she determines her best shot is to seduce the man in charge. Dan, man in charge, is thus under the impression that Lydia is a whore while Lydia is under the impression he is a pirate.
So you can see why the title of the story is Tell Me Lies. The MC tell lies to each other about who they are, as they roleplay and pretend to each other. It's roleplay meetcute.
However, tensions are strained on the ship as Dan has a challenger in the wing who tries to manipulate the emotions of the men and turn them against Dan through Lydia. And it is during a fight scene that Lydia finds a moment to escape to land.
When Dan returns to land, he tries to find Lydia and they both realize each other's identities... One note about this is that I was annoyed by Dan's reasoning here:
"If she had pleaded and explained her position, he would have listened. He was no ravisher of innocents. All she would have had to do was be honest with him."
I know that Dan was like, sweating or drinking during this moment but it was incredibly unsatisfactory as he lays the blame for her disguise at her feet, not taking his responsibility that from her perspective, she could see no other way of survival especially as she assumed he was a pirate of no morals. I like that Lydia's father calls him out on it later on.
Although some reviews note the second half is not as interesting or that this story is not their favourite Claudia Dain, I have no point of preference in terms of other Dain works, and I quite like this story overall. Refreshing heroine who really goes all in with the courtesan route (more than some courtesan-styled romances), and some obsessed hero stalker stuff. This is currently $4 on Kindle Canada store.
Will be reading more of Dain in the future!
~Full Review~
I've been wanting to read something by Claudia Dain, just curious no reason, but after failing to get into some of her newer works about courtesans, I went into her backlist and found this story about pirates. Something about the reviews intrigued me and I decided to give Tell Me Lies a go.
I actually liked the direction of the plot but I put it down for a few weeks because I wasn't in the right mood for romance. So, when I went to pick it up again, I felt a little disoriented because I was about halfway through but I was able to follow it along and WOW.
Dan became an obsessed hero and it was hot.
But not only that but there was this silly humour of Dan and his matchmaking Aunt Patsy both wanting the dinner with the Richardson girls but both not wanting to tip the other person off.
The first half of the story takes place on Dan's pirate ship. The ship Lydia is on is overtaken by Dan's ship, and her fate might have been portioned off to the men where she might not have survived, but Lydia makes goo-goo eyes at Dan, the captain, and he takes her for his portion, giving up his share of the loot.
Lydia is a practical woman and she knows that she needs protection from one man against the rest while she is on a pirate ship. She deduces no honourable men are on board, so in order to survive, she determines her best shot is to seduce the man in charge. Dan, man in charge, is thus under the impression that Lydia is a whore while Lydia is under the impression he is a pirate.
So you can see why the title of the story is Tell Me Lies. The MC tell lies to each other about who they are, as they roleplay and pretend to each other. It's roleplay meetcute.
However, tensions are strained on the ship as Dan has a challenger in the wing who tries to manipulate the emotions of the men and turn them against Dan through Lydia. And it is during a fight scene that Lydia finds a moment to escape to land.
When Dan returns to land, he tries to find Lydia and they both realize each other's identities... One note about this is that I was annoyed by Dan's reasoning here:
"If she had pleaded and explained her position, he would have listened. He was no ravisher of innocents. All she would have had to do was be honest with him."
I know that Dan was like, sweating or drinking during this moment but it was incredibly unsatisfactory as he lays the blame for her disguise at her feet, not taking his responsibility that from her perspective, she could see no other way of survival especially as she assumed he was a pirate of no morals. I like that Lydia's father calls him out on it later on.
Although some reviews note the second half is not as interesting or that this story is not their favourite Claudia Dain, I have no point of preference in terms of other Dain works, and I quite like this story overall. Refreshing heroine who really goes all in with the courtesan route (more than some courtesan-styled romances), and some obsessed hero stalker stuff. This is currently $4 on Kindle Canada store.
Will be reading more of Dain in the future!
August 5, 2015
When I was younger I didn't read, I hated it, then for summer my aunt gave me two books told me if I read them she'd buy me a GBA and the new Pokemon. The two books where this and Dark Legend by Christine Feehan, I now own every single Christine Feehan book. This was the first one I read, I fell in love with reading. I'm not a chrstian and I don't like like to be preached at but the use of it in this book is more to show you what life was like in that time, to add depth to the story not just give you a written porno. I know a lot of readers like to have a story glaze over the stuff they don't want to hear about and just give you all frilly lacy. Life isnt like that especially back then and I felt this was actually believable as far as time of our history this happened in.
June 8, 2015
Negatives:
1. Way too much God talk - I can take it from a Christian romance but on an erotic pirate read?
2. I didn't understand the hero - he pursues the heroine because she's his "portion" but he doesn't care that she's now back with her family and his aunt is friends with said family and that if he does abduct her he'd have the Navy after his pirate-a$$
3. Heroine was so pathetic at times - and the last dinner scene was cringe-worthy
4. Didn't understand why the parents were so forgiving over the hero's behaviour towards their daughter - that was weird. I can understand Christian forgiveness but not informing the law?? Particularly as the hero is still set on harassing and stalking your daughter??
5. The time that the couple did get it together was just $ex (mediocre repetitive $ex that was more quantity than quality) so it lacked depth and any sort of connection. There was hardly any banter or anything.
----------------
Was ok - not bad but nothing special and dragged. I skipped loads of it
1. Way too much God talk - I can take it from a Christian romance but on an erotic pirate read?
2. I didn't understand the hero - he pursues the heroine because she's his "portion" but he doesn't care that she's now back with her family and his aunt is friends with said family and that if he does abduct her he'd have the Navy after his pirate-a$$
3. Heroine was so pathetic at times - and the last dinner scene was cringe-worthy
4. Didn't understand why the parents were so forgiving over the hero's behaviour towards their daughter - that was weird. I can understand Christian forgiveness but not informing the law?? Particularly as the hero is still set on harassing and stalking your daughter??
5. The time that the couple did get it together was just $ex (mediocre repetitive $ex that was more quantity than quality) so it lacked depth and any sort of connection. There was hardly any banter or anything.
----------------
Was ok - not bad but nothing special and dragged. I skipped loads of it
November 19, 2011
I really like this one. It starts off unimpressively, and I did roll my eyes a time or two but then it turned and the characters get a little more depth. The story rolls into inner struggles for the main characters and you witness them mistakes and wrong assumptions and you find yourself frustrated and pushing through just to find out if they finally see what they are trying so hard not to. I enjoyed the effect the main characters had upon each and the constant mental turmoil it placed them in. It moved along well, but I did find myself skimming, not out of boredom but out of angst. I found the author style quite good and I will absolutely pick up another of her books.
January 3, 2015
I'm a Claudia Dane fan , and I loves me some pirates, but this fell flat.
February 18, 2012
This was so slow starting out. There were several 'oh good grief, really?' moments for me. It just wasn't working.... The middle and end of the book were much better than the beginning. The characters were more likeable when they were a bit more developed. I LOVE pirate reads, but for me, this was just OK.
August 5, 2016
I wish I could unread this. This is one of the worst books i have ever read. It is all over the place. All kinds of stupid shit happens. If you are thinking of reading this you might want to give it a little more thought. If you read it anyway do not say no one warned you.
March 30, 2016
I am sorry, but I was not so pleased with this one.
The Holding was much better.
This is her first, maybe that's it,.......
The Holding was much better.
This is her first, maybe that's it,.......
July 4, 2018
Not All I Hoped
I wanted a great pirate tale. It was okay, but it lacked the bite that I wanted. It was somehow clinical and methodical.
I wanted a great pirate tale. It was okay, but it lacked the bite that I wanted. It was somehow clinical and methodical.
April 19, 2024
A young woman, Lydia, is kidnapped by a band of blood-thirsty pirates and then claimed by the ship’s captain, Dan, who is mistaken thinking she was a rich man’s courtesan instead of the God-fearing virgin she is.
Thoughts: *CW: SA*
- Straight into the smut in the very first chapter (before the main characters even have names)
- Enjoyed the first third of the book that takes place on the ship but was over it once the story stepped on dry land
- Could not get over the obvious fact that the main female character had literally been r***d by the male protagonist
- The sexual a*****t was almost excusable when the captain thought the woman was a willing courtesan, but, after finding out the truth, he jumps through mental hoops to forgive himself and never apologizes
- The male protagonist’s character is ruined when he turns out to be from a wealthy and respected family and isn’t actually a pirate but a pirate hunter trying to survive
- The female protagonist consistently gaslights herself into thinking she loves her r**ist when she’s still traumatized from being kidnapped
Thoughts: *CW: SA*
- Straight into the smut in the very first chapter (before the main characters even have names)
- Enjoyed the first third of the book that takes place on the ship but was over it once the story stepped on dry land
- Could not get over the obvious fact that the main female character had literally been r***d by the male protagonist
- The sexual a*****t was almost excusable when the captain thought the woman was a willing courtesan, but, after finding out the truth, he jumps through mental hoops to forgive himself and never apologizes
- The male protagonist’s character is ruined when he turns out to be from a wealthy and respected family and isn’t actually a pirate but a pirate hunter trying to survive
- The female protagonist consistently gaslights herself into thinking she loves her r**ist when she’s still traumatized from being kidnapped
June 10, 2017
In the beginning we don't get any presentation of the characters. In chapter 3 we suddenly get the heroes name, Dan. Up until then he's only been referred to as "the pirate".
The heroins name or age hasn't been mentioned by this point. Nor why she was on a ship in the first place. A couple of chapters on and her name is finely revealed as Lydia, and the reason for her being on the ship that was attacked is that she's been visiting her aunt.
The beginning of the book felt badly written for some reason, And the plot ridiculous. But the book improves when she runs away and the plot is taken away from the ship (if you are hoping for a pirate novel you're going to be disappointed). I thought this was an OK read, but maybe that's because I started reading with low expectations, after seeing all the bad reviews. Oh, and the stupid cover didn't help!
The heroins name or age hasn't been mentioned by this point. Nor why she was on a ship in the first place. A couple of chapters on and her name is finely revealed as Lydia, and the reason for her being on the ship that was attacked is that she's been visiting her aunt.
The beginning of the book felt badly written for some reason, And the plot ridiculous. But the book improves when she runs away and the plot is taken away from the ship (if you are hoping for a pirate novel you're going to be disappointed). I thought this was an OK read, but maybe that's because I started reading with low expectations, after seeing all the bad reviews. Oh, and the stupid cover didn't help!
November 7, 2017
This was an amazing story of romance that was also full of suspenseful events that kept me involved to the very end. I felt for the characters, and spent the whole book praying for a happy ending. The author has dreamed up, and committed to paper characters I couldn't help liking, or sympathizing with. This is a truly moving love story, and the trials and tribulations that the characters experience only make the ending more enjoyable.
May 26, 2021
I really wanted to love this book but... I enjoyed it at the beginning when they were at sea. Somehow it stopped being interesting when they came ashore. It dragged and made absolutely no sense. I had to force myself to pick it up and finish it. I’ll make a note to give this one away.
January 8, 2023
I really enjoyed this book! Loved the cover and all that it entailed. Yes, some of this was quite unbelievable, but still it was a fun read!
March 14, 2014
Not quite what I was expecting giving the cover and the description of the book. I was really drawn in by the Pirates, I admit it, and I've read some good pirate romances thus far so I was excited. Not quite a pirate book. Sure you start out there but then you move on to land and the whole pirate thing turns out to be a bad conspiracy to gain money(you'll understand if you read till the end). Lydia is an interesting character though I did go between loving her and then thinking 'really?' about her. Dan was a bit the same, over all I liked him but personality wise I felt that he should have just made off with Lydia when he found her again and then worked on proving how much he loved her. In the end she still never found out why he was a pirate or any of the what, why's and how's behind it; And that was just something that needed to be said. Interestingly enough, for all that this was a romance and a little bit of a bodice ripper the author also almost made it into a christian romance as well. 3 stars over all, it was a good book even if I felt that it was a bit misleading.
November 3, 2022
This is the first romance book I read as a 14 year old so I reread it often for nostalgia factor more than anything. I actually do like the book and enjoy Dan’s unhealthy fixation on Lydia.
The religious themes are a bit heavy and absurd. The sex is upfront and then the story cools down and it’s more focused on the fallout of their relationship when they return to polite society. If you can’t stand the writing style after the first couple chapters then it’s probably not for you.
But hey, the appeal is in being kidnapped by pirates and having to offer your body to the captain (who’s rather attractive) to survive. I mean, look at the cover.
The religious themes are a bit heavy and absurd. The sex is upfront and then the story cools down and it’s more focused on the fallout of their relationship when they return to polite society. If you can’t stand the writing style after the first couple chapters then it’s probably not for you.
But hey, the appeal is in being kidnapped by pirates and having to offer your body to the captain (who’s rather attractive) to survive. I mean, look at the cover.
September 22, 2008
Lydia McIntyre is returning to Virginia from the Bahamas where she was caring for a relative, when the ship is attacked by pirates. In an effort to save her life, Lydia feels she needs to seduce the captin.
Something in the style of writing felt a little strange and different. Not horrible and not great. It had its good points but not enough to get more than 3 stars from me.
Something in the style of writing felt a little strange and different. Not horrible and not great. It had its good points but not enough to get more than 3 stars from me.
May 20, 2015
This one just never caught my attention. I read it over the course of a couple of weeks, reading a chapter here or there until it was finished but it never made me want to forget everything else to continue reading it.
May 13, 2013
I really liked this book for some reason. Yes in the beginning it read slow but picked up and I wanted Lydia to stand up to situations and admit and be ok with her feelings for Dan. I've read this book about 6 times now. I love historical romances and now pirate reads.
August 23, 2010
I thought this book D-R-A-G-G-E-D. First few chapters were "okay" and then the author's narration started to irritate me. Book was WAY longer than necessary. Didn't really care for either h/h.
October 1, 2017
This was rather interesting how the hero developed. This book had more depth than you might expect, although it did have some inappropriate content that had to be edited.
September 26, 2025
Heavy religious themes 👀
My favorite parts about this book is the cover and the back 🤭
That being said, I had fun reading the first half of this book 🥴
My favorite parts about this book is the cover and the back 🤭
That being said, I had fun reading the first half of this book 🥴
historical
January 29, 2019They are pirates, lawless, merciless, hungry. Only one way offers hope of escaping death, and worse, at their hands. Their captain must claim her for his own, risk his command, his ship, his very life, to take her. And so she puts her soul into a seduction like no other?a virgin, playing the whore in a desperate bid for survival. As the blazing sun descends into the wide blue sea, she is alone, gazing into the eyes of the man who must lay his heart at her feet. .
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews