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Under Crimson Sails
Book by Lynna Lawton
Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 25, 2022
This didn't work out for me. I buddy read this with a friend who unfortunately isn't on Goodreads. She finished before me. I asked her not to spoil me, but her response was very ho-hum about the book. I now know why. I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm leaving this book feeling disappointed. I think I was hoping for a forbidden love trope, maybe a separation, adventure on the high seas, forced proximity, a cabin romance...This book had almost all of that but the execution was off.
Cons:
-There is no plot. Just people and events randomly occurring and moving around.
-While promiscuous heroines are typical for many bodice rippers (I've read and enjoyed bodice rippers with this trope) it didn't work for me here. The heroine has no sense of loyalty to the mmc and is constantly sleeping with other men, whoever she fancies. This dampened the romance. I have no idea why either the heroine or hero liked each other, much less wanted to be with each other, beyond the sex was good. The author described both of them having good sex with others, nothing really seemed special about their connection.
-I especially didn't like she slept with Brandon while Ryan was healing. Previously Ryan had expressed his willingness to marry her. Ryan deserved to be upset about that.
-The MMC didn't do anything for me. I lol'd when the author decided to make him a 'pirate lord' fucking 90% in the book. There was no ship until something like 80%. Before that he was just brooding and insulting women the entire book.
-lacklustre characterization
-The word violet was used more times than I've ever seen -- it had to be used over 50 times. It was egregious, worse than Rebecca Brandewyne.
Pros:
-The writing style was sometimes nice.
1.5 stars, rounding up.
Cons:
-There is no plot. Just people and events randomly occurring and moving around.
-While promiscuous heroines are typical for many bodice rippers (I've read and enjoyed bodice rippers with this trope) it didn't work for me here. The heroine has no sense of loyalty to the mmc and is constantly sleeping with other men, whoever she fancies. This dampened the romance. I have no idea why either the heroine or hero liked each other, much less wanted to be with each other, beyond the sex was good. The author described both of them having good sex with others, nothing really seemed special about their connection.
-I especially didn't like she slept with Brandon while Ryan was healing. Previously Ryan had expressed his willingness to marry her. Ryan deserved to be upset about that.
-The MMC didn't do anything for me. I lol'd when the author decided to make him a 'pirate lord' fucking 90% in the book. There was no ship until something like 80%. Before that he was just brooding and insulting women the entire book.
-lacklustre characterization
-The word violet was used more times than I've ever seen -- it had to be used over 50 times. It was egregious, worse than Rebecca Brandewyne.
Pros:
-The writing style was sometimes nice.
1.5 stars, rounding up.
July 16, 2021
Ок, това е първият любовен роман, който съм чела в живота си, и просто не мога да го забравя, колкото и да ми се иска. След един страхотен маратон със Сандокан, бях зажадняла за още пиратски истории, но в библиотеката не намирах нищо, което вече не съм чела. Зървайки яката корица и гръмкото заглавие "Пиратът Лорд" си казах, ей, имаме пират, лорд, сладка двойка, сигурно ще е яко... цяло чудо е, че след това извращение, не се отказах завинаги да чета любовни романи.
Не е истина колко скапана книга. Тя ме отказа години наред да не пипна нищо с пирати, обачееее, точно след нея прочетох "Венчило с дявола" на Джули Гарууд, защото я бях взела от градската библиотека, и ами трябваше да я връщам... най-страхотната и любима книга, която съм чела. И точно прочитането на тези две книги една след друга ми показаха, че има "любовни романи" и Любовни Романи.
Не е истина колко скапана книга. Тя ме отказа години наред да не пипна нищо с пирати, обачееее, точно след нея прочетох "Венчило с дявола" на Джули Гарууд, защото я бях взела от градската библиотека, и ами трябваше да я връщам... най-страхотната и любима книга, която съм чела. И точно прочитането на тези две книги една след друга ми показаха, че има "любовни романи" и Любовни Романи.
April 9, 2022
4 stars. April is Classic’s/ Bodice Ripper month on Regan Walker’s Historical Romance Review blog. I chose this 1979 BR from her list and that is what it is as those elements are very present. This one was a little different as it seems to me more is written about what the Hero is doing and thinking, which I found refreshing. This guy admittingly doesn’t have much of a conscience. His treatment of women, as we often see in BR’s, can be rough and abusive. In spite of all that he’s quite a chick magnet. I liked the heroine, she is not perfect as she makes mistakes, and she’s also strong enough to endure some pretty awful treatment. There is OW/OM involvement for both the H & h, some forced, a lot of action, and the story takes us to different places. The book has 4 parts and the last part is when things really get wild, but all comes right in the end, which is tied up in the last few pages. All in all pretty good, but I’m not sure I’d read it again.
July 29, 2016
4 and ½ Stars! A Captivating Bodice Ripper with a Sea Captain from the Old South…ah yes!
This is a difficult one to review. It’s one that will grab you from the beginning and keep you reading late into the night. It’s well written and full of action. But you have to know going in that the hero is a cad for the entire book and though the heroine loves only the hero, she is with several other men, either for only one encounter or because, in the case of the pirates, she is forced to it.
Set in the late 18th century after the American Revolutionary War (which ended in 1783), in South Caroline, Scotland and the Atlantic, this is a story of Ryan Deverel, the bastard son of a wealthy plantation owner. Ryan is also a former privateer, a successful sea captain and landowner. He is also a man of many women. So when he first encounters the beautiful flaxen haired Janielle Patterson, thinking her a servant, he ties her to his bed and then later, rapes her (more a forced seduction). In Ryan’s own words, “when it came to women, he had no conscience.”
When Ryan learns that Janielle is not a servant, as he had thought, but the only surviving daughter of a fellow plantation owner and that she is betrothed to one of his friends, does he apologize or even care? Not at all. He takes advantage of the woman that he has made her and continues to make love to Janielle without a word about love or the future. The natural consequence is, of course, that she becomes pregnant. I don’t want to give away the plot, or the many developments which follow, as they are intricate and there are some surprises, but let me just say that Janielle makes some bad judgments, one involving Ryan’s estate overseer, who would have Janelle for his own. Of course, she was not alone. Other women made bad judgments where Ryan was concerned. It seemed women just couldn’t resist him.
Ryan knew everything about seducing women but he knew nothing about love. Janielle knew she loved Ryan but when Ryan scorned her, she tried to find happiness with others—and failed.
This romance will not appeal to all because the heroine, a very likeable courageous woman, makes mistakes we don’t like our heroines to make. And the year Ryan spent as a pirate (the way he treated Janielle) made me hope the authorities hanged him. (But for that I would have given this book 5 stars). But it will hold you captive, I promise. The author tells the tale well, letting us experience the emotions, the conflicting desires, the agony of lost love and the frustrations. She also adds meaningful history that brings the story to life. And, to my great delight, her ship scenes are well drawn and her terminology right!
This is a difficult one to review. It’s one that will grab you from the beginning and keep you reading late into the night. It’s well written and full of action. But you have to know going in that the hero is a cad for the entire book and though the heroine loves only the hero, she is with several other men, either for only one encounter or because, in the case of the pirates, she is forced to it.
Set in the late 18th century after the American Revolutionary War (which ended in 1783), in South Caroline, Scotland and the Atlantic, this is a story of Ryan Deverel, the bastard son of a wealthy plantation owner. Ryan is also a former privateer, a successful sea captain and landowner. He is also a man of many women. So when he first encounters the beautiful flaxen haired Janielle Patterson, thinking her a servant, he ties her to his bed and then later, rapes her (more a forced seduction). In Ryan’s own words, “when it came to women, he had no conscience.”
When Ryan learns that Janielle is not a servant, as he had thought, but the only surviving daughter of a fellow plantation owner and that she is betrothed to one of his friends, does he apologize or even care? Not at all. He takes advantage of the woman that he has made her and continues to make love to Janielle without a word about love or the future. The natural consequence is, of course, that she becomes pregnant. I don’t want to give away the plot, or the many developments which follow, as they are intricate and there are some surprises, but let me just say that Janielle makes some bad judgments, one involving Ryan’s estate overseer, who would have Janelle for his own. Of course, she was not alone. Other women made bad judgments where Ryan was concerned. It seemed women just couldn’t resist him.
Ryan knew everything about seducing women but he knew nothing about love. Janielle knew she loved Ryan but when Ryan scorned her, she tried to find happiness with others—and failed.
This romance will not appeal to all because the heroine, a very likeable courageous woman, makes mistakes we don’t like our heroines to make. And the year Ryan spent as a pirate (the way he treated Janielle) made me hope the authorities hanged him. (But for that I would have given this book 5 stars). But it will hold you captive, I promise. The author tells the tale well, letting us experience the emotions, the conflicting desires, the agony of lost love and the frustrations. She also adds meaningful history that brings the story to life. And, to my great delight, her ship scenes are well drawn and her terminology right!
Read
September 18, 2025It’s…… something. Dnf at page 16.
July 31, 2016
Couldn't bring my self to finish this. Th "hero" was indescribably cruel to everyone and totally unlikable. Wouldn't recommend this one to anybody. Glad I didn't pay full price for it or would have felt cheated.
August 25, 2025
If you like books where both the H and h have the morals of alley cats and get naked with half the population while supposedly "in love" with each other, then this is the book for you, but it was NOT the book for me!
DNF
DNF
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews