For the Love of a Pirate

by Edith Layton

A proper gentleman, Constantine, Lord Wylde, proposes to a similarly proper young woman. It's a practical proposal that pleases both parties....Until the night Constantine finds an old pistol–packing pirate waiting for him at home. The old man claims that Constantine was promised at birth to his granddaughter. Constantine travels to Cornwall to unearth the truth and, once there, discovers the family fortune is the shameful result of piracy and highway robbery. And he meets the young woman his father promised him to at birth.

Lisabeth is beautiful and well–educated, but because of her unusual upbringing, she's unaware of the proper behavior of young ladies in the ton. As she has always been enamored by stories of Constantine's swashbuckling ancestors, she's half inclined to fall in love with him too, but she finds him nothing like them! He's too staid, and he finds her too Original.... until they fall into each other's arms and realize that they may have been meant for each other after all.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Regency, Fiction, Pirates, Regency Romance

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 28, 2006

About the author

Edith Layton wrote her first novel when she was ten. She bought a marbleized notebook and set out to write a story that would fit between its covers. Now, an award-winning author with more than thirty novels and numerous novellas to her credit, her criteria have changed. The story has to fit the reader as well as between the covers.

Graduating from Hunter College in New York City with a degree in creative writing and theater, Edith worked for various media, including a radio station and a major motion picture company. She married and went to suburbia, where she was fruitful and multiplied to the tune of three children. Her eldest, Michael, is a social worker and artist in NYC. Adam is a writer and performer on NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Daughter Susie is a professional writer, comedian and performer who works in television.

Publishers Weekly called Edith Layton "one of romance's most gifted writers." Layton has enthralled readers and critics with books that capture the spirit of historically distant places and peoples. "What I've found," she says, "is that life was very different in every era, but that love and love of life is always the same."

Layton won an RT Book Reviews Career Achievement award for the Historical genre in 2003 and a Reviewers' Choice award for her book The Conquest in 2001. Amazon.com's top reviewer called Layton's Alas, My Love (April 2005, Avon Books), "a wonderful historical." And her recent release, Bride Enchanted, is a Romantic Times 2007 Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee.

Edith Layton lived on Long Island where she devoted time as a volunteer for the North Shore Animal League , the world's largest no-kill pet rescue and adoption organization. Her dog Daisy --adopted herself from a shelter-- is just one member of Layton's household menagerie.

Edith Layton passed away on June 1, 2009 from ovarian cancer.

Reviews

[HR-ML · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF on DTB edition. IMO a deceptive title.

Was it my mood? the story? or pacing? which resulted in
me stopping @ the end of chapter 6?

Constantine, a lord mostly raised by his rigid vicar uncle,
became engaged to biddable Lady Charlotte. Soon after
Lisabeth's grandpa, former sea Captain Bigod, confronted
him & claimed that Con + Lisa's families agreed years
ago that these 2 would wed. Bigod had a rep as a pirate &
Con's late sire cheated and robbed others. Uncle kept this
secret.

Con was intelligent, but a colorless, staid, priss. I could
almost picture uncle's many lectures rattling around in
Con's head. Lisa, an intelligent beauty, in my use of
modern language, wanted 'a man with more pep in his
step.' And more courage. I wanted Con to confirm close
to a mirror that he was still breathing? I gave up on Con.

Revised.

[Jo Reads Romance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging but slow paced historical novel
4 stars

Lord Constantine Wylde is the perfect gentleman - there's not a black mark to his name or character. When it comes times to find himself a wife - he needs to find someone as well-bred, well-behaved and proper as he is. But all his perfectly laid plans go awry when a fierce, aging pirate bursts into his home with some shocking news: Constantine is already engaged to the pirate's lovely granddaughter, Lisabeth.

Lisabeth has dreamed of pirates and wild romances since she was a child and this nobleman standing before her is far removed from every girlish dream she's ever had - she will not marry him. Yet as they spend more time together she realises he may have a wild side that he's yet to discover and Constantine soon finds himself acting like the lusty pirate he never thought he'd be.

I'll admit that I wavered between giving this book 3 stars and 4. It was a very character driven book with the plot focussing mainly on how both Constantine and Lisabeth coped on their journey towards true love.

Constantine was a very well written character - so much so that I genuinely didn't like him at the beginning when he was so stiff and formal. But he grew on me as the book went on. Lisabeth was a very genuine, down to earth kind of girl and not nearly so wild as I had imagined she would be. Together they worked well although I didn't feel the passion and chemistry was as electric as I would have hoped.

The writing itself was excellent and the book was engaging enough to hold my interest throughout. I think the main reasoning behind my indecision between 3 and 4 stars was due to the book's title. With a title like 'For the Love of a Pirate', I was expecting pirate ships, heroic buccaneers and lots of wild action-adventure. When it wasn't there - I guess I was slightly disappointed. But that doesn't mean to say that the book wasn't very good in its own way, which is why I opted for the 4 stars.

All in all, if you enjoy a good, character-led romance which is well written and keeps you interested, you can't go wrong with this one. Just don't expect a high seas action adventure romance.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Constantine, Lord Wylde, is a gentleman beyond reproach. A member of the nobility, and the most untarnished member of the ton. He has endeavored his entire life to make it that way. His entire existence aimed at carrying on a respectable family title that can be envied by anyone of his peers. He has taken the utmost care to not leave the smallest crumb of scandal. Now, he has decided to take the next step in securing his future, and that is the choosing of a proper wife who will make a most proper mother to his future heir. Of course, Lord Wylde believes he has found her and wastes not a moments hesitation in moving his so respectable life forward. His life's work, however, is suddenly threatened by an aging pirate who appears to make outlandish accusations and claims of his own. One such accusation is that Constantine has already been engaged to his granddaughter since he was a small child! Constantine has no intention of marrying said granddaughter or complying with the brigand's outrageous demands, but ever the gentleman, he will pay his respects and intelligently work-out this craziness. For surely, they have the wrong man! Or do they?
Edith Layton lays out an interesting plot, but unfortunately the characters just don't seem to be able to pull it off. First, although the hero is a character to be above reproach and as straight-laced as they come, he is too much so. This makes him dull and much too safe to be interesting in my viewpoint. The heroine is much more vibrant, but there aren't any real sparks that leap off the page between the two. Besides it takes 3/4 of the book before anything really juicy seems to happen between them, and that much or longer before the hero can even see the error of his ways and really start doing something about it. By that time, I was long gone!

[LadyAileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

L'ho trovato decisamente piatto (sono riuscita a terminarlo dopo alcuni giorni).
La trama è decisamente povera, priva d'azione (salvo forse le ultime pagine), privo di colpi di scena, niente momenti drammatici e se dovessi farne un breve riassunto, basta poco. Non metto in dubbio che l'idea era buona ma l'autrice secondo me avrebbe dovuto approfondire di più.
Per quanto riguarda la caratterizzazione dei personaggi non mi ha soddisfatto particolarmente per esempio il cambiamento del protagonista maschile non è stato trattato in modo approfondito.
Quanto al divertimento non metto in dubbio che alcuni personaggi con i loro comportamenti possono suscitare qualche sorriso ma niente di più e per finire un livello di sensualità molto soft (sbrigative anche le scene più hot).
Seppur scritto in maniera elegante mi aspettavo qualcosa di più.

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already engaged, Lord Wylde is visited by Lisabeth's grandfather. He tells Lord Wylde that his father and Lizabeth's father had already arranged a marriage between them when he was a lad and before she was born.
Lord Wylde confronts his uncle who has kept the secret and others hidden. He then goes to visit Lisabeth and her grandfather with the intention of proving they don't suit each other. One week turns into over a month and he finds himself bewitched with Lisabeth's improprieties, attitude and wild spirit. But he is still engaged to another....................
I loved this story

[Plum-crazy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't expect romance on the high seas as there's no "live" pirate in this tale. A perfect gentleman finds he is promised to a wild independent girl & neither are particularly happy about it....at first...you can guess where this is going...
Not the best historical romance I've read but it kept me happily entertained for a few hours.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this book, I wasn't totally comfortable with it. Con definitely comes across as too prim and proper for a gentlemen of his times, but Lisabeth seems brash rather than free-spirited. Like Con, I didn't know what to make of her. The ending seemed silly to me, and I always like a good ending, which this one only partially was.

[Teddy]

A classic, old-school romance.

[Elmax · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/4
J'ai beaucoup aimé la rigueur de Constantin et j'ai fini par beaucoup apprécier Lisabeth aussi, dans ses doutes, surtout.

[Patricia Burroughs]

Almost finished (and wishing I already were). It's not awful, but it's not great. I guess I'm agreeing with the general thoughts since it has a 3-star rating here.

ETA: Okay, I see I was reading this book? I don't even remember this book. If anything, I assumed it was on my TBR pile. So... I guess that tells us as much as we need to know about my impression. Ooops.

I think it's safe to say I finished it (because I'm sure I must have) and call 'er done.

[LisaDianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Manic-Pixie-Dreamgirl alert: How many times can you describe a young lady's 'upbringing' as 'unconventional', in one book? I think I remember seeing it three times in one paragraph. The story was light, which was good for a break from all of the Lindsey's I have been reading. The author did a very good job of showing that Lisabeth had an 'unconventional upbringing' but also had to tell it on what felt like every.other.page.

[Reeny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as a gag gift from a friend because it reminded her of "Passionate Trousers". It was a much better read than I expected it to be. The plot was a little slow and drawn out, but the characters were likable enough. The writing wasn't fantastic but I wasn't expecting anything great. It made of a good laugh.

[Cary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This really wasn't bad but the characters just didn't seem real at all. It was like watching a movie that was ok but in the end you aren't sure why you used the time that way! Mindless entertainment.

[Traczie · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read this at work, it was my staff rec that never made it. it was more plot driven than i would have hoped.

[Michelle]

Just so-so so far.

[penelopewanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Layton's best... but nonetheless a good read for a long train director.

[Maya · Rating 1 out of 5]

J'ai trouvé l'histoire assez fade. déçue-_-