As You Wish: Two Sensual Pirate Romance Stories of Desire and Treasure on the High Seas

Fairy Tales

by Eloisa James

From New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James come two stunningly sensual stories in which gentlemen who rule the waves learn that true danger lies not on the high seas, but in the mistakes that can break a heart…and ruin a life forever.

With This Kiss

Lady Grace Ryburn is in love with a dashing young lieutenant, Colin Barry, but she turns away, thinking that Colin is in love with her sister.

Should Colin throw propriety to the winds, imitate his pirate father, and simply take what he most desires?

Seduced by a Pirate

After years at sea, Sir Griffin Barry comes home to claim his wife. But is Phoebe his wife, if their marriage was never consummated?

As an infamous pirate, Griffin claimed and kept gold and jewels… but this is one treasure that will not be so easy to capture.


As You Wish is a special collection in Eloisa's Fairy Tales that pairs a novella previously published electronically, Seduced by a Pirate, with a brand new, longer story, With this Kiss.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Regency, Short Stories

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.

After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.

Eloisa...on her double life:

When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.

When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.

So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.

One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seduced by a Pirate

After years at sea, Sir Griffin Barry comes home to claim his wife. But is Phoebe his wife if their marriage was never consummated?

As an infamous pirate, Griffin claimed and kept gold and jewels . . . but this is one treasure that will not be so easy to capture.

We met Griffin in The Ugly Duchess when he returned to England with his cousin and fellow pirate. It's past time for him to return to the wife he left fourteen years ago after a disastrous wedding night. Phoebe has been quite content with her life and has no desire to add Griffin back into the mix.

I really liked both Griffin and Phoebe. Griffin has come back and knows he must reconnect with Phoebe and make his marriage real. He doesn't expect to be confronted with a woman who has three young children and every intention of dissolving their marriage. But Griffin is fascinated by her and attracted to her. He has no plan to let her go and every intention of seducing her to his way of thinking. I really liked the way he didn't get mad when he thought Phoebe had been with another man even though he did admit to some jealousy. I loved seeing how much he actually liked Phoebe as well as being attracted to her. I also loved seeing how much he liked the children and enjoyed being around them.

I loved Phoebe's independence. She had been married to Griffin because her merchant father wanted her to marry a title. When Griffin ran off on their wedding night she took the opportunity to live her life the way she wanted to. She wasn't interested in society doings and was quite happy at home. When the children came along she was even happier. She is not happy when Griffin returns to England and intends to ask him to dissolve the marriage. She is stunned when she sees him because he is nothing like the seventeen year old boy she married. She is confused by the feelings he stirs in her. I loved her independence and how she was quite happy to live life on her terms. I really enjoyed her reaction to the changes in Griffin's appearance. Seeing her try to deal with her feelings was fun to watch. I loved seeing her decide to go with it and see what happens. She ended up taming the pirate - but not too much.


With This Kiss

Lady Grace Ryburn is in love with a dashing young lieutenant, Colin Barry, but she turns away, thinking that Colin is in love with her sister.

Should Colin throw propriety to the wind, imitate his pirate father, and simply take what he most desires?

Good book. Colin, oldest of the Barry children from Seduced by a Pirate, finally got his wish and went to sea. While he is glad to be there parts of it aren't what he expected. He confides in his young friend Grace that hearing about the ordinary things from home helps him forget so she starts writing to him. Over the next several years she continues to write, even though he rarely answers. She sees him when he comes home on his rare visits, but they are still just friends. But as her feelings start to change she has to deal with the disapproval of her family and Colin's sudden interest in her younger sister.

I liked both Grace and Colin. As the oldest of her siblings, Grace is the responsible one who follows all the rules. When her family gets together with that of the Barry's on their yearly holiday she spends a little time with Colin who she notices is quieter than usual. She is pleased when he confides in her and offers to write to him while he is gone. Over the years she wishes he would write back more often but is happy he talks to her when he visits. Once she is older her parents decide it is no longer appropriate for her to write to him, so she must stop. About this time Colin sees Lily on one of his visits home and suddenly thinks he's in love with her. This breaks Grace's heart, but she isn't going to stand in the way of her sister's happiness. Eventually she succumbs to the courtship of another man, until Colin arrives back in England having been wounded. I really liked Grace's sensitivity to Colin's difficulties even as a child. She seemed to see more than anyone else did. Just as she was ready to confess her feelings to him, she saw his reaction to Lily. While I appreciated that her love for her sister made her withdraw, I wished she had been a bit more aggressive in making her feelings known. I really wanted to smack her for settling for someone else. I loved it when Colin came back and she threw all the rules out the window. She didn't care about his injuries she just wanted to be with the man she loved. I really loved seeing them get to know each other as adults.

I loved Colin from the time he was a kid. Once he was grown and had started his career in the navy he showed the effects of his upbringing. He was very good at what he did, but he doesn't enjoy the death and destruction. He can feel it eating away at his soul until he finds himself confiding in Grace. Something about her makes it easy to talk to her. Over the years her letters are a lifeline for him. He has sent an occasional brief responses but can never find the words to truly respond. He doesn't want to inflict the horrors he's seen on her. Back in England on leave he attends a ball hoping to see Grace, but is dazzled by Lily. He spends the next few days with her when possible and even asks her father for her hand. He is denied and heads back to sea. He comes to his senses and realizes it is Grace he really wants, but then is injured. He is discharged from the navy and sent home to recover. I loved seeing Colin's connection with Grace. It was obvious how much he cared for her, but because of the age difference he just didn't see it. I wanted to smack him when he got distracted by Lily. I was glad to see him come to his senses about her and realize that he loved Grace. After his injury he just wanted to go home and avoid everyone. I loved the way that Grace took charge of him. His dreams of her were very interesting and that last "dream" was especially vivid to him. I loved seeing him finally able to convince Grace that it was her that he really wanted.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story.

[Romanticamente Fantasy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Come diavolo farai ad adattarti all’alta società?”
“Pensi che il mio tatuaggio non piacerà?” James rise di nuovo, ardito come quando per la prima volta aveva affrontato Griffin e la sua orda di pirati.
“Parlerò del visconte Moncrieff se qualcuno mi guarderà storto. E magari, chissà, tu e io riusciremo a lanciare una moda.”
“Mio padre è ancora vivo,” rispose Griffin, incerto se prendersi la briga di accomodarsi sulla poltrona o no. Alzarsi, dopo, era sempre un problema.
“Non sono visconte.”
“Sua Signoria non vivrà per sempre. Un giorno ci ritroveremo vecchi, incanutiti e tatuati a discutere animatamente alla Camera dei Lord di una legge sul granturco.” Griffin imprecò e si girò verso la porta. Se il cugino voleva illudersi che ritornare alla civiltà sarebbe stato facile, che lo facesse pure. Erano finiti i giorni in cui ognuno era il braccio destro dell’altro, il compagno fidato, il fratello di sangue.
“Cugino.” James lo aveva raggiunto con la grazia silenziosa che tante volte gli era stata utile durante le schermaglie in mare. “Quando ti rivedrò?”
Griffin si strinse nelle spalle. “La settimana prossima, magari. Non so neanche se mia moglie mi permetterà di varcare la soglia di casa. La tua ha già detto di volersene andare. Potremmo essere entrambi impegnati nella ricerca non soltanto di una nuova dimora, ma anche di una nuova consorte.”
James ridacchiò. “Sei scoraggiato? Il capitano della Flying Pop
.
In questo libro ci sono due racconti che si agganciano alla serie “Lieto fine” e in special modo al libro “Beata ingenuità”, che vede James Ryburn, Conte di Islay ed erede del Duca di Ashbrook, tentare di riconquistare la sua Duchessa. James infatti, dopo un litigio era andato per mare diventando un famoso pirata, veleggiando assieme all’amico Sir Griffin Barry. Le loro due navi ben presto erano diventate famose, ma una ferita quasi mortale inferta a James aveva convinto i due nobili a chiedere il perdono del re e tornare in patria nel tentativo di farsi perdonare dalle loro mogli, che da anni non hanno avuto più loro notizie. Fra i due, pende anche una scommessa su chi sarebbe stato in grado di farsi perdonare in meno tempo.

In Sedotta da un pirata vediamo Griffin tornare a casa e scoprire con costernazione, che la donna che ha lasciato la notte stessa delle nozze, senza essere riuscito data la giovane età a deflorare, ha ora ben tre bambini e vive felicemente senza di lui. Il loro è uno degli incontri più divertenti di sempre. Ammaliato dalla sua sposa, che all’epoca del matrimonio non conosceva e non aveva mai visto prima, per tutta la cerimonia era stato preda di una forte emozione. L’aveva trovata bellissima, ma con i suoi tre anni in più gli incuteva anche molta soggezione e questo gli aveva impedito di comprendere bene il suo nome. In suo ricordo aveva così battezzato le sue navi col nome sbagliato, facendosi fare anche un bel tatuaggio. Phoebe, d’altro canto, fatica moltissimo a trovare in lui qualcosa del timido ragazzino diciasettenne che aveva sposato e che in preda alla vergogna era fuggito, finendo poi caricato a forza su una nave, dopo essersi ubriacato. Ma Griffin non intende rinunciare a quella donna che in fondo ha sempre amato, ed è deciso a farsi perdonare per i 14 anni che ha passato lontano da lei.

È un racconto molto breve, e i personaggi per quanto simpatici non riescono a esprimersi al meglio, ma risulta comunque romantico e molto godibile con alcune scene passionali ben scritte, e che introduce i tre bambini di Phoebe, che risulteranno poi essere i protagonisti del racconto successivo, un po’ più lungo e articolato.

In Con questo bacio abbiamo modo di scoprire come durante gli anni, la famiglia del Duca di Ashbrook e quella di Sir Barry siano sempre rimaste in contatto, passando due mesi all’anno insieme riuniti sotto lo stesso tetto. I nostri due redenti pirati sono ancora uomini estremamente affascinanti, e continuano a sedurre incessantemente le donne che hanno dovuto così tanto penare per riconquistare. I figli sono ormai cresciuti, e il più grande dei Barry, Colin, ha seguito le orme paterne e il suo amore per il mare entrando nella Royal Navy. Ed è al suo ritorno a casa in licenza che si rende conto di quanto le figlie del Duca siano cresciute: Lily che tutti hanno sempre considerato una bellissima monella sta diventando una vera bellezza, mentre Grace, la maggiore, è molto più calma e riflessiva e ha sempre avuto per Colin una vera e propria venerazione. Quando il giovane ritorna in mare, dopo averle confidato che le battaglie e le morti a cui è costretto ad assistere sono sempre più difficili da dimenticare, Grace comincia a scrivergli lunghe lettere per rallegrarlo a cui il giovane risponde con brevi missive ed accenni alla sua vita. Grace si illude, lo aspetta, ma il ritorno di Colin è ben diverso da ciò che lei sperava: la bella Lily lo conquista, e per lei sembra non ci siano più speranze, ma la vita è piena di sorprese e Grace non è una ragazza che si arrende.

Nonostante non arrivi a essere un vero e proprio libro, questo racconto riesce ad essere interessante. I personaggi delle due sorelle sono molto ben caratterizzati e persino Lily riesce a essere un personaggio piacevole, anche se molto più frivolo della sorella. Grace è una ragazza dolce che brillerebbe se non fosse offuscata da questa sorella così espansiva e solare, che attira tutti nella sua scia come un pifferaio. È una ragazza tenace, sicura dei suoi sentimenti, e Colin riesce a ferirla moltissimo. In effetti per gran parte del racconto sembra che il giovane la sfrutti per avere un attimo di pace, inconsapevole dei sentimenti che la giovane prova per lui, dimostrando un grande egoismo, anche se ben presto si renderà conto di avere fatto un grosso errore. Non vi nascondo che è un personaggio che ho avuto spesso la tentazione di schiaffeggiare per farlo rinsavire. Ma alla fine non si può fare a meno di perdonarlo.

È un racconto carino che si legge con piacere e tutto sommato ho passato davvero delle ore piacevoli in compagnia di questi personaggi. La scrittura della James è molto bella e questo libro ha la sua limitazione solo nella brevità di queste due storie che non permettono una trama troppo ricca di avvenimenti e in cui tutto procede fin troppo velocemente. Se si può leggere come stand-alone, avere letto “Beata ingenuità” ci permette una conoscenza più approfondita di James e della sua Duchessa, e ci fa incontrare un Colin all’apice della sua carriera di pirata. Non amo particolarmente i racconti, li trovo sempre un po’ deludenti e frettolosi, ma l’autrice è brava e questo libro merita una possibilità.
.
Lucia63 - per RFS

[Emmaali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il primo racconto l’ho trovato troppo veloce, ci volevano molte più pagine!
Il secondo all’inizio è stato di una tristezza estrema, Grace mi ha fatto tanta pena, innamorata incompresa sin da bambina.
Adoro leggere queste storie così piacevoli e adoro sempre di più la James

[Anto64 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tre stelline e mezzo

[Tracey Risebrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at www.bookthing.co.uk

As You Wish contains four novellas – Seduced by a Pirate and With This Kiss Parts 1, 2 and 3. All I can say is thank god they were all together, as I think I would have died if I’d had to wait between each part, based on where each novella finishes!

Seduced by a Pirate involves Sir Griffin Barry, a character who first appeared in The Ugly Duchess. Having been given a full pardon by the crown after years of privateering, and sporting a leg injury, Sir Griffin decides to return home to Pheobe, the wife he last saw fourteen years ago after the total failure of a wedding night. He arrives home to find three children significantly younger than fourteen years old, and a wife who wants nothing to do with him.

I loved this novella, and while I haven’t yet read the Ugly Duchess, I don’t feel I missed out on anything. In fact, the only reason I knew was due to the authors note at the front. Phoebe is strong and takes no crap from Griffin but she does of course find herself physically attracted to him, after all who wouldn’t! Griffin doesn’t do much to help himself, calling her Poppy which he assumed was her name. “He must have misheard during the wedding ceremony. Bloody hell”. Particularly funny since he had not only named his ships after her but he also had a poppy tattooed on his face!

Ms James again manages to produce a wonderfully romantic story and my only disappointment is that it was too short, so everything happened so quickly. Definitely a recommended read if you are in the mood for some romance.

With this Kiss, Part 1 remains with the family but focuses on Colin Barry, the eldest adopted son of Sir Griffin, and Lady Grace Ryburn who is the daughter of his cousin and fellow ex-pirate, The Duke of Ashbrook.

This is a story that starts in childhood and continues during adolescence and into adulthood. It’s fraught with miscommunication and misunderstandings which ordinarily would annoy me, but With This Kiss is so well written that it didn’t. If I’d had to wait between novellas mind you, I might have said something different!

The first novella in particular was extremely emotional and I wanted to kick Colin up the backside at times. Grace is very much a wallflower, always overshadowed by her younger sister Lily, but surprisingly I did not hate her. Lily is very likeable and naturally effervescent, having no idea how her sister feels. I was close to tears at times and the ending of With This Kiss is not somewhere I ever want a book to finish – thank goodness I had the next one available to read immediately.

In Part 2, both are older and wiser. Grace is certainly much more able to stand up for herself and appreciate her own talents. Colin has returned from sea injured, battle weary and has finally wised up to his feelings, but doesn’t think to tell Grace and in desperation she takes matters into her own hands.

There again follows some very well written emotional scenes which tugged at my heartstrings for both of them, although if they had just communicated properly all would have been well – but then the book would have been shorter and far less interesting! Again this novella ended in a most unsatisfactory place leaving me definitely wanting more, so I swiftly moved onto the next.

Part 3 was all about the happy ever after (and some great sex), and it was definitely worth waiting for! Having followed them through their lives I felt very invested in them. The entire three parts to the story totalled just over two hundred pages but it seemed so much longer and a lot was packed in without compromising the story. The epilogue was hilarious and I do hope we get to see more of Portia – maybe she will have her own story at some point. I can but hope!

Overall, With This Kiss was wonderful, emotional and very romantic. A perfect book (in its entirety) for a miserable winter afternoon.

[May Mostly Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

เล่มนี้เป็นหนังสือรวมเรื่องสั้นสองเรื่องเข้าไว้ด้วยกัน โดยเรื่องแรกเป็นเรื่องราวของพ่อแม่ของพระเอกในเรื่องที่สอง ส่วนเรื่องของพ่อแม่นางเอกอยู่ในหนังสืออีกเล่มคือเรื่อง The Ugly Duchess

Seduced by the Pirate

หลังจากใช้เวลาหลายปีเป็นโจรสลัด ในที่สุดเซอร์กริฟฟิน แบร์รีก็กลับบ้าน เพื่อไปหาภรรยาที่ไม่เห็นหน้ากันมาสิบกว่าปี ภรรยาที่ไม่ทันจะได้เข้าหอกันด้วยซ้ำ การกลับไปเผชิญหน้ากับอดีตไม่ใช่เรื่องง่าย แต่มันก็ถึงเวลาเสียที

เรื่องนี้สมกับเป็นเรื่องสั้นนะคะ นั่นก็คือไม่มีอะไรเลย เราอ่านไปแบบผ่าน ๆ ไม่มีอะไรน่าสนใจ ทั้งที่พล็อตส่วนที่ฟีบี้ ภรรยาของเขามีอายุมากกว่า ปกติจะทำให้หัวใจเราเต้นแรงได้ (เพราะเป็นพล็อตแนวโปรด) ก็ยังรู้สึกเฉย ๆ เรื่องราวตามสูตร เพราะทั้งสองไม่เคยมีโอกาสได้รู้จักตัวตนที่แท้จริงของกันและกัน (กริฟฟินถึงขนาดจำชื่อเมียผิด เอาไปตั้งชื่อเรือว่าป๊อปปี้ ทั้งที่เธอชื่อฟีบี้) ซึ่งเมื่อรู้จักกัน ก็ตกหลุมรักกันและกัน

คงเสียดายเงินค่ะ ถ้าไม่มีเรื่องที่สอง

With this kiss

เล่มนี้เป็นเรื่องของรุ่นลูก และถือว่าเรื่องค่อนข้างยาวสักหน่อย อาจจะไม่ถึงกับเป็นนิยายเต็มเล่ม แต่ก็มีพื้นที่มากพอที่จะเล่าเรื่องราวต่าง ๆ ได้

เลดี้เกรซ เรย์เบิร์น หลงรักคอลิน แบร์รีตั้งแต่เด็ก เธอไม่รู้ว่าเกิดขึ้นตอนไหน แต่ทุกครั้งที่ครอบครัวเธอและเขาได้ใช้เวลาอยู่ร่วมกัน เกรซเฝ้ามองคอลินซึ่งโตกว่า และเป็นเหมือนวีรบุรุษสำหรับเธอ แต่ก็เหมือนเด็กที่โตกว่า คอลินไม่ค่อยได้สนใจเกรซนัก โดยเฉพาะเมื่อเขามีสิ่งที่สนใจมากกว่าอยู่

ตลอดชีวิตคอลินใฝ่ฝันการเดินเรือ และการเป็นทหารเรือก็เป็นหนทางเดียวที่ทำให้เขาได้เข้าใกล้ความฝัน (เพราะคงเป็นโจรสลัดแบบบิดาไม่ได้แน่) แต่ชีวิตทหารไม่ใช่เรื่องง่าย เวลายิ่งผ่านไป ความเลวร้ายจากประสบการณ์ของการออกรบยิ่งกัดกร่อนจิตใจของคอลิน ดังนั้นแม้อาชีพทางการทหารจะก้าวหน้า คอลินก็เริ่มสูญเสียตัวตนของตัวเองไปอย่างช้า ๆ และดูเหมือนจะมีเพียงคนเดียวที่ดูออกว่าเกิดอะไรขึ้นกับเขา

เป็นเวลากว่าสิบปีที่จดหมายของเกรซที่เขียนมาหาเขา ทำให้เขามีชีวิตอยู่ต่อไปได้ เป็นกำลังใจให้เขาทำในสิ่งที่ไม่อยากทำ ทำให้เขาฟันฝ่าอุปสรรค แต่ก็เพราะเกรซเป็นคนที่รู้จักเขาดีที่สุดนั่นเอง ที่ทำให้คอลินไม่อยากเผชิญหน้ากับเธอ เพราะเธอมองเห็นลึกเกินไป ทำให้เมื่อเขาได้รับอนุญาตให้ลาพัก และกลับมาที่ลอนดอน คอลินดีใจที่ไม่เจอกับเกรซ และน้องสาวของเธอเป็นเสมือนความสนใจของสาวแรกรุ่น เป็นแสงสว่างที่เขาคิดว่าตัวเองต้องการ คอลินจึงหลงเชื่อว่า ตัวเองตกหลุมรัก มากขนาดขอแต่งงาน

นั่นเป็นการทำลายหัวใจของเกรซ ทำให้ในที่สุดเธอก็รู้ว่า ตัวเองโง่แค่ไหนที่เขียนจดหมายไปหาผู้ชายที่แทบไม่เคยตอบจดหมายของเธอ หญิงสาวตัดใจ และคิดเริ่มต้นใหม่กับใครสักคนที่ต้องการเธออย่างแท้จริง

เรื่องนี้เริ่มต้นช้า ๆ ช่วงกลางเรื่องบีบหัวใจแบบอ่านไปถอนหายใจไป โดยเฉพาะตอนที่เกรซเริ่มตัดใจจากคอลิน เราแทบส่งเสียงเชียร์แบบออกนอกหน้า พระเอกใจร้ายมาก ๆ ตอนที่เขาหันไปหาน้องสาวของเกรซ เราเข้าใจเหตุผลที่คนแต่งอธิบาย คอลินต้องการในสิ่งที่เขาคิดว่าตัวเองต้องการ แต่ไม่ใช่คนที่เขาต้องการอย่างใจจริง ฉากที่เขารับรู้ว่า คนที่เขารักอย่างแท้จริงคือ เกรซ และมันอาจจะสายเกินไป เรารู้สึกสมน้ำหน้ามาก ๆ เรารู้ว่า เป็นโรแมนซ์ และคงจะลงเอยด้วยดี แต่ก็สมน้ำหน้าค่ะ สะใจดี

ช่วงท้ายเรื่องด้อยลงไป คงเพราะเรื่องสรุปง่าย เราอยากเห็นคอลินคุกเข่าขอร้อง และไถ่โทษ มันไม่เกิดขึ้น น่าผิดหวังค่ะ แต่มันก็ไม่ได้ทำให้หนังสือไม่สนุกนะคะ แค่ไม่ได้ดั่งที่ใจเราคาดหวังไว้เท่านั้นเอง

โดยรวมเป็นเรื่องสั้นขนาดยาวที่อ่านสนุก ปูเรื่อง และเล่าเรื่องได้ดี

คะแนนเฉพาะเรื่องนี้ 63

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Regarding the short "Seduced by a Pirate" i pretty much loved reading it.
It was funny, a little insane, but it was Eloisa James at her best:
_Making me believe and smile at improbable plots, and characters bigger than life.
Because a husband who leaves his wife on his wedding night, embarrassed to death with his incapacity *cough* to perform. A husband who ends up being kidnapped, placed on a boat and who goes missing for FOURTEEN YEARS, cannot expect a happy ending! Unless of course he's on a Eloisa James book!
And then there's the faux pas with his wife's name!! LOL
4 star rating

Then there's the Story "With this kiss". Part one, two and three.

With this kiss, part one
Well, this was pretty much perfection. It was more realistic and plausible written. The characters mostly behaving according to the time period they were living.
It had depth and soul.
4.5 stars

With This Kiss- Part Two
It started out good, but then the disaster occurred.
The main character Grace, who up until now had behaved in a most sensible and reasonable way, decides to undergo a total transformation and behave like someone in our century could.

The conversation with her mother who goes something along the lines of this:

(BEWARE SARCASM WILL ABOUND..)

"Oh mama, Colin is hurt, and as so, i must abandon my fiancee, despise all social conventions, and accompany my wounded LOVE to our house in the country, where i will seduce him!"

The countess:
"Oh daughter of mine, do not use that word...but okay!! I will delay your father with our earth shattering love making so that he doesn't notice that his oldest daughter is about to become ruined!"

A little later on the coach...

Grace and Colin the wounded dashing officer who has been given laudanum, but who instead of sleeping is very much active...

"Oh, where am i? Grace, Grace is that you? I know i never payed the least attention to you, but then suddenly i discovered that i LOBED you! But then i became blind!! Oh tragedy!! And now i can only see you in erotic dreams...hello, what is this?

Ah, here you are love of my life!! Now i will have my way with you!!
*rips her clothes of "wow this is very realistic dream" and proceeds to debauch her.
Goes to sleep.

Meanwhile Grace who is not a virgin anymore... o_O
What the hell? I'm not gonna touch that! says her looking at the sleeping man with the trousers wide open...

What more can i say...
Is this supposed to be sexy? Romantic?
1 star rating

With his Kiss - Part Three
Honestly, i can't even remember it anymore...but it wasn't as bad as the previous one.
2 star rating

What a disappointment.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of 3.5 stars, but still a cute collection. I liked how the first novella picks up with the character of Griffin, from "The Ugly Duchess." It was the shorter of the two stories in this book, but it was cute. I kind of loved that after marrying his wife and ending up at sea for fourteen years he names his ship The Poppy after her, has a poppy tattoo under his eye. But her name is actually Phoebe and he's had it wrong for years.

The second novella is about Griffin and Phoebe's son Colin, and the main characters of The Ugly Duchess- Theo and James' daughter Grace. Basically it shows pieces of their lives when they were children into adults. I liked that Grace was very proper outwardly but feels things so deeply internally; and that she's a great artist who sends basically little cartoons of their two families to keep Colin's morale up. I also liked that while Colin, introduced as a little boy, wanted nothing else than go to sea, but as an adult the reality was very different. He's got some PTSD going on, it was dealt with but I wonder how this story could have been expanded even more if it was a full novel length. It's nearly two hundred pages, but it would be interesting to see further areas explored, and yes, maybe a few more cameos from Theo and James especially. I also wondered what happened to Lily? Did she grow up and become less silly, did she end up Fred (who has been her childhood nemesis) because I thought that would be funny. But it's not their story in the end, it's about Colin and Grace, who are super adorable.

Put together and read with the original novel, it is a nice revisiting of those characters in these novellas.

[Angelc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who can resist a story about pirates? Not me! I liked the first story, "Seduced by a Pirate" a lot more than the previous companion novel, "The Ugly Duchess." I much preferred Griffin, the hero in this story, over his best friend, James in "The Ugly Duchess." There were still themes of infidelity in this story, but I tried to give the benefit of the doubt since Griffin and Phoebe were only married (and knew each other!) for only one day before they were separated from each other.

While "Seduced by a Pirate" was enjoyable, the real gem in this book is "With this Kiss." First released as three e-novellas, the build up and cliffhangers at the end of the three parts is amazing! It was so much fun to read because of this format. I can imagine it was difficult to get to the end of each part and have to wait for the next ebook to be released! But with the paperback version, you get to read all three parts at one time. Still, the anticipation was great here too.

Overall, these are great novellas, and "With this Kiss" especially provides a little something different for historical romance readers.


book sent by publisher in exchange for honest review

reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

“With This Kiss: Part One”
As a girl, Lady Grace Ryburn fell in love with Colin Barry. Since their families have always been extremely close, Grace was able to write Colin once he joined the Royal Navy. The connection forged by her letters only served to make her fall more deeply in love with him. Now that she’s out in society (however much a wallflower), Grace hopes that Colin will notice her when he comes to London on leave. But will her dreams of romance be dashed when it’s not Grace, but her beautiful sister who catches Colin’s eye?

“With This Kiss: Part One” is heartbreakingly beautiful. In this first installment of Colin and Grace’s love story, author Eloisa James brought tears to my eyes even as she captivated me with this gorgeously woven tale.

Grace is the biggest reason I fell in love with “With This Kiss: Part One.” She's smart, kind, relatable, and she endeared herself to me immediately. What broke my heart is that Grace — an ordinary-looking wallflower — is almost always overshadowed by her vibrant, stunning younger sister, Lily. Everyone falls in love with Lily…including Colin. To her credit, Ms. James doesn’t make Lily a vain or unlikeable character. It’s actually easy to see why Colin, haunted by the battles he has to face at sea, is drawn to someone as convivial as Lily. In “With This Kiss: Part One,” it’s Colin himself who is the biggest obstacle when it comes to his and Grace’s romance. While Colin is everything that’s appealing in a hero, he’s too blind to see that he’s in love with Grace until it’s almost too late. Yet even though I shook my head at him for his overlooking Grace, Ms. James made me understand Colin and why he makes the mistakes he does.

Ms. James packs a lot of action into “With This Kiss: Part One.” I can guarantee that you’ll want to make enough time to read the story in one sitting, because it’s impossible to put it down. While “With This Kiss: Part One” can easily be read as a standalone, fans of Ms. James’s work are in for a treat. Grace is the eldest daughter of James and Theodora of The Ugly Duchess, and Colin is the eldest adopted son of Griffin and Phoebe of “Seduced by a Pirate.” The Ryburn and Barry families are as close as ever in “With This Kiss: Part One,” so if you enjoyed The Ugly Duchess and “Seduced by a Pirate” you’ll surely be delighted to revisit some of your favorite characters.

With This Kiss: Part One is a fantastic story that I loved from beginning to end. I Joyfully Recommend it! Just be warned, the cliffhanger ending will have you on the edge of your seat for parts two and three of “With This Kiss.”


“With This Kiss: Part Two”
Lady Grace Ryburn knows that the man she loves, Captain Colin Barry, will never love her back. After all, he did ask for her sister’s hand in marriage. Grace is happy to accept a marriage proposal from a kind Scottish lord and she’s determined to focus on her future with her fiancé, rather than dwell on the heartbreak Colin caused. But when Colin is wounded in battle and returns to London, Grace finds it impossible to put him out of her mind. Will Grace turn her back on the rules of propriety she was raised to follow and risk everything to win the heart of a man who’s never seen her as more than a friend?

Grace and Colin’s relationship changes forever in “With This Kiss: Part Two.” As one might expect, given the title, “With This Kiss” is a story that should be read in order. This second installment of Colin and Grace’s love story picks up where “With This Kiss: Part One” left off. Colin’s realization that Grace is the one for him doesn’t mean that things flow smoothly for the pair. Colin’s wounds — both physical and emotional — combined with multiple misunderstandings threaten to destroy both Grace’s plan to win Colin’s heart and his hopes of marrying her. Though it is very much a bridge story, “With This Kiss: Part Two” doesn’t lack for excitement. Ms. James keeps things moving at a fast pace and neither Colin nor Grace are predictable in the slightest. Ms. James had me on the edge of my seat for the whole of “With This Kiss: Part Two,” and I finished it wanting to dive right into the final chapter of Colin and Grace’s romance, “With This Kiss: Part Three.”


“With This Kiss: Part Three”
Captain Colin Barry has returned home from a life at sea wounded both inside and out. He knows he doesn’t deserve Lady Grace Ryburn, a woman he never saw as more than a friend until it was too late and she was engaged to someone else. But now that Colin has her alone, he realizes he can’t let Grace go. Throwing the rules of propriety to the wind, Colin embraces the attitude of his pirate father and sets out to capture the heart of the woman he loves.

Eloisa James brings Colin and Grace’s spellbinding romance to a close in “With This Kiss: Part Three.” After all the hurt, misunderstandings, and pure, unadulterated emotion in the first two “With This Kiss” installments, I was eager to see Colin and Grace find the happily ever after they so deserved. And boy did Ms. James make the culmination of their love story worth it. After everything Grace has been through, it’s not easy for her to believe that Colin could really love her. I loved watching Colin convince her that she absolutely is the woman for him. They’re such a great match that I almost hated to see their story end. Indeed, the epilogue of “With This Kiss: Part Three” has me desperately hoping Ms. James will pen more stories about the Ryburn and Barry families.

“With This Kiss: Part Three” is sexy, yet sweet at the same time. Don’t miss out on Colin and Grace’s story — read all three parts of “With This Kiss” in order and be prepared to be swept away!


“Seduced by a Pirate”
After fourteen years at sea as a pirate and privateer, Sir Griffin Barry is finally returning home. At least, that’s his plan. As Griffin hasn’t seen his wife since he was seventeen and leapt out of their bedroom window on their disastrous wedding night, he isn’t exactly sure his wife will let him through the front door, never mind welcome him into her bed. But Griffin isn’t a nervous seventeen-year-old anymore — he’s a pirate. And he’s determined to win the heart of the bride he left behind.

What he doesn’t expect is that his wife has a few surprises in store for him herself…

Forget the high seas — the real adventure is on land in “Seduced by a Pirate.” Griffin and Phoebe are truly delightful protagonists. Griffin may not have been the perfect husband at the beginning of the story — he ran away to get drunk after a wedding night embarrassment, got press-ganged onto a pirate ship, then sailed the seas for fourteen years before returning home — but he’s considerably more grown up than he was before. I love the mature Griffin, who’s caring, honest with himself and others… And yes, devilishly sexy. Phoebe, in turn, is a warm, intelligent heroine who’s made her own life in Griffin’s absence but doesn’t turn her reformed-pirate husband away when he graces her doorstep. Griffin and Phoebe are two people who may not have been right for one another when they wed, but having matured they’re a perfect fit. I loved watching them fall for each other; Ms. James made their romance so entertaining I devoured “Seduced by a Pirate” in one sitting.

“Seduced by a Pirate” can be read as a standalone, but it is a companion story to The Ugly Duchess, which featured Griffin’s cousin and fellow privateer James as the hero. Having enjoyed The Ugly Duchess, I went into reading “Seduced by a Pirate” with high expectations. Ms. James not only met those expectations, she surpassed them. There’s genuine warmth and humor in “Seduced by a Pirate” that utterly charms me every time I think about the story. My only wish is that the story had been a bit longer, and only because I adored Griffin and Phoebe so much that I couldn’t bear for “Seduced by a Pirate” to end. I’ve been seduced by Griffin and Phoebe’s romance and I cannot wait to read it again!


As You Wish is a book that is as warm and inviting as its characters. Eloisa James never fails to deliver a spectacular story and she does so with both “Seduced by a Pirate” and “With This Kiss.” Dashing former pirates and naval captains make excellent heroes, particularly when they’re trying to win over the strong, intelligent women who’ve captured their hearts. As You Wish is a delicious treat for fans of historical romance!


Note: “Seduced by a Pirate” and all three parts of “With This Kiss” are also available as individual e-books.

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book (or should I say, collection of novellas) I have read by Eloisa James, and I have to say it was humorous and charming enough to convince me that I need to explore the other books she has written. I received my copy from the author through a fresh fiction giveaway in exchange for a review, so many thanks to that website and the author for the opportunity.

Seduced by a Pirate was a delightful novella to start with. It was humorous and had me aching to read about the misadventures Griffin and James had gotten into in previous books. I thought the chemistry was on point and overall it was a fun way to start.

With this Kiss was comprised of three novellas that cover the romance that evolves between Griffin and James' children, Grace and Collin. I started out liking the first novella, but as Grace changed and Colin showed no interest whatsoever I started to lose interest as well. Colin's turnaround and his actions at the ball made no sense to me, and I just could not find myself feeling their romance. Indeed, I don't think it can really be called a romance when the whole relationship is built off lies, force, manipulation and misunderstanding. Grace turned into a character I really did not like, which is a shame because I liked her a lot at the beginning. The whole plan she hatched with her mother was ludicrous- no way would she have been allowed to undertake it. Her handle of John was despicable. For a timid girl of proper standing, I was also not convinced of her ability to handle all the sexual escapades in the last half of the novella set. There are a few sweet and sensual scenes, but the development of the actual romance felt off to me.

Still, I am eager to read more of Eloisa James. Apparently her other books are historical rewritings of various fairy tales, which I'm definitely on board to try out. I'd also like to read the books about Griffin and James, because they seem extremely interesting.

[Sashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is divided into 2 parts: first one will be Sir Griffin Barry and Phoebe story and the second part will be the story of their son Colin Barry and Grace Ryburn. Seduced by pirate which focuses on Sir Griffin arrival after 14 years of being a pirate to his wife. On their wedding night Sir Griffin will be having a problem with his manhood and because of the embarrassing moment he will go out to drink his sorrows but then later will be kidnapped by a pirate. After that he will manage to be a crew and be a captain of his own ship the Flying Poppy. After retiring from being a pirate he will return after 14 years and found out that there are 3 children at home which initially he thought was the children of his wife lover but then towards the ending he will discover they are adopted. He was determine to be the father of the children and claim his wife back. In the end they will be happy together.

The second part With this Kiss is about their son Colin and Grace story. Grace will be in love with Colin from small and she will be writing letters to Colin all the time because he was on the Navy. Colin initially love the concept of pirate but then in order to choose something legal he will join the Navy and he don't actually like it due to the killing he saw on board. On the other side he will ignore Grace love due to his stupidity but then after much drama he will finally be with her.

In this book I prefered Colin story and was really in love with the way Eloisa was describing the story. In overall however it was indeed a great book and Eloisa did a great job in these stories. It was magnificent.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked "With This Kiss" a bit better than "Seduced by a Pirate", but they were both enjoyable. I felt like "Seduced by a Pirate" needed to be a bit longer than it was. A man runs away on his wedding night and disappears for fourteen years (except for having his man of business give his wife the occasional allowance) and within a day of returning home, she's forgiven him and they're happily in love? It felt a bit much to believe, especially since they had never met before their wedding day, so it's not like there was some established relationship to fall back on.

One thing I did like in both novellas is that the author isn't afraid of the idea that the first time a couple is together isn't always going to be perfect. There's this trope in romance novels that the first time will always be magical, but in both stories it's not and things are still okay in the end.

A small nitpick I have (it didn't affect the rating, but it does bother me) is that the order of the descriptions written on the back of the book are the reverse of the order of the stories. That was a little confusing to me at first.

But still! This was a good way to pass an afternoon, and I've already reserved the novel that this is the companion to so I can read James's part of the story.

[Amarilli 73 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho scoperto soltanto a lettura iniziata che non si trattava di un romanzo unico, ma di due distinte novelle, sempre legate alla serie "Fairy Tales" della James.

Devo anche dire che ho un rapporto altalenante con quest'autrice pluripremiata e plurititolata: alcune cose mi sono (discretamente) piaciute, altre meno.
Con riferimento a questa raccolta ho trovato senza dubbio migliore e più carino SEDOTTA DA UN PIRATA (che peraltro è la novella insignita del premio Rita nel 2013).

Il ritorno a casa del temuto corsaro Griffin (perchè c'è differenza tra pirata e corsaro) si trasforma un gioco di incomprensioni e malintesi, reso buffo dal fatto che quella volta lui se ne andò per troppa ingenuità (ma non svelerò il motivo concreto) e reso tenero dalla presenza di tre deliziosi bambini che sono già impazienti di continuare le sue gesta piratesche.
Una novella simpatica e romantica.

Il secondo racconto prende appunto l'avvio dalla crescita e gioventù di uno dei tre figli di Griffin, il bellissimo Colin, che viene avviato alla carriera di ufficiale di marina e fa strage di cuori in patria. In particolare, il giovanotto incontra il favore di due sorelle, una frivola e una dolce e più calma, che gli scrive lettere con lui e lo ama profondamente in gran segreto.
Diciamo che mi è piaciuto (molto) sino a quasi tre quarti, soprattutto grazie alla simpatia e malinconia che provavo per Grace.
L'ultima parte, invece, mi è parsa molto tirata e poco credibile, e mi sono un po' trascinata per arrivare in fondo.
Tre stelline come media.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, multi-generational romance novella romps with perfect pacing, delightfully frustrating misunderstandings, and delicately woven details that terminate in an enjoyable, sweet, saucy tapestry of HEA. Couldn't be much better!

[Linda Smatzny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains two complete stories concerning the Barry family. The first story is about Sir Griffin Barry and his wife, Phoebe. The second story is about Colin Barry and Lady Grace Ryburn. Both stories are set in England mostly at the Arbor House. The book was a very quick easy read.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Eloisa James's books. Pure chocolate.

[Theresa Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one! Loved Grace and Griffin!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5☆

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of novellas.

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5/5 but rounded down to 3/5

[Sandy Frediani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a penchant for family and extended family stories. I enjoyed this very much. The personal and family relationships are well done and the stories flow seamlessly.
Well done.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looooved it!!! I want more from this series so badly.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reread for me, I originally read it when it was published a few years ago.
As You Wish contains two charming novellas/stories, both connected to her Fairy Tales series, specifically the book The Ugly Duchess. I enjoyed both stories for the second time.

[Ki · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Originally posted on doingsomereading.wordpress.com)

This was such a fun read! Two great stories in one package, who wouldn't love that. The two stories were first published as ebooks with their own titles but are connected together through characters from her other books and can or is apart of a series you can say.
First book story is Seduced by A Pirate
This was a short novella connecting with Eloisa's The Ugly Duchess book.
Tells the story of Sir Griffin Barry son of a Viscount returning home after 14 years at sea captaining his own ship called the Flying Poppy, named after his wife, to which he haven't seen since their first meeting at their wedding day night 14 years ago.
Phoebe on the other hand is not ready to receive a husband that ran away on their wedding night, unconsummating their marriage. But most of all how will he think coming home to a house with 3 children!?
This was a great read and was quite enjoyable, since many readers have met him in The Ugly Duchess, being cousin to hero, James Ryburn, another fellow captain who also has return home to England and wife, but that's another story to review another time. The speed on the romance was somewhat a problem because it was less than a day for them to fall in love. Although I loved Jennifer McQuiston's 24 hours romance debut book this one....I'm not sure what to make. They've been married for more than a decade so that might have been something that bothered me with the speed of their relationship, although I did really like their connection and awareness to one another. This was a great read to a character we readers wanted to know more about from another book.

The other story in this book was With This Kiss, originally a 3 serial part book. In this review I'll just summarize all 3 parts together so that it won't be so appalling?
This was the story of the children of James Ryburn and Griffin Barry falling in love. Lady Grace Ryburn, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Ashbrook, has fallen wildly in love with Colin Barry, a dashing young lieutenant serving his country in the Royal Navy and son to Sir Griffin Barry and Lady Phoebe Barry. Grace has been in love with Colin for years, at the age of 12 she new that her feelings and adoration towards Colin wasn't a brotherly-sisterly feeling. Her younger sister Lily on the other hand was the prettier and more outgoing one and Colin seems to like her more. As he went off to sea Grace would write him ever so often detailing the troubles or hilarious occurrences in their families. Although Colin never wrote back more than 3 lines or never at all she would still to write to him.
Colin has always felt uneasy and yet fascinated around Grace as a child even at her young age of 12 and him 16. She was quite, sweet, and proper and most of all nothing like her younger sister Lily, the Horror, everyone called her. Grace understood him and knew how he felt about the Navy and seem to always know too much about him. One evening when he return home after a couple of years at sea he laid eyes on Lily at a ball and was swept away with happiness at seeing her, secretly happy that he didn't see Grace because she knew to much about his battle scared life at sea. That same week Colin asked for Lily's hand in marriage.
Grace was devastated upon hearing the news and was told by her parents to never write to Colin again. She later accepted a gentleman's proposal for marriage and tried to move on with her life.
Upon learning that Grace would never write to him again and of her engagement, Colin was flabbergasted. Her letters were what kept him alive at sea and unharmed for so long.

I'm not going to spoil the ending but if you want to know go pick it up.
The characters were likable. They were understandable on how they play their actions. I can say I disliked Lily because how much she out shined Grace's character and you feel and understand how much Grace loves Colin. But Lily was also s great character that couldn't be left out; she was also likable because of her role in the story.
With This Kiss can basically be seen as one whole novel and it was great to have all the parts in one book together so that the story wasn't lost, or for many readers- lost interest on waiting. I can say I got teary eyed on some parts and that is a good sign of a good book for me.
All in all these two stories were amazing and hope that something like this- having two novellas in one book together happens more often. Especially for those of us who don't have ereaders to read ebook novellas but are dying too.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I loved this one!!! It actually includes two Novellas Seduced By A Pirate and As You Wish (I think "Wish" is actually somewhere between Novella and Novel though). I have "Seduced" listed separately and will eventually get to its review along with numerous others but I wanted to jot a few things down on this one while they're fresh in my mind. I understand from the Author's note that she does not have plans to write any more books for the Ryburn\Barry Crew. I'd just like to say for the record I hope she changes her mind because I would so Love to hear Phoebe and Emily's stories along with whoever else she feels inspired to write about. I think the reason I loved this one so much although there was that part when the Hero\Colin did something that made me go okay really, are you serious? I thought he was smarter than that and then there was that time he didn't do what I wanted him to but I'm pretty sure he wanted to and I think I can safely say without it being a spoiler since we know from the Cover Blurb who the Hero and Heroine are and in the first few pages I think the age difference is made clear that Colin develops feelings for Grace but denies them because it would be improper. The age difference between Colin and the Heroine\Grace was an issue for him for a number of years and when it reached the point of being non-issue he'd been fighting his feelings for Grace for so long it had become a habit. I think that's why he didn't begin to act on them as soon as he could have. Although it made sense why he thought someone else was who he wanted it didn't make sense why it was someone younger. You would think that while his brain was going "I want her because ....." it would also be saying "but she's so much younger than me". I'm glad the Author didn't have him become addicted to the Laudanum (my understanding is that it either actually is or contains Opium and can be highly addictive). Fortunately Colin "came to his senses" before I had the desire to "smack some sense into him". Of course I would never actually do something like that. Oh, the reason I liked this one so much is because it has one of my fave themes which is Best Friends getting married. I don't recall them actually being described as such but its pretty definite that's what they are especially when Grace turns out to be the only one he can talk to. He doesn't write her much but when they are in person he is able to talk. When she snuck into his room when they were younger and he was sick there were a few things I thought were going to happen but didn't. 1. I thought it was going to turn out he was either dreaming or thinking about her and it was having an affect. Note: This does happen later, more than once 2. I thought he was going to tell her that he was just messing with her and he knew all along it was her and not her younger sister. Note: At the end of the book it appears as if he knows it was her but its not clear when he found out since I don't recall her ever telling him or him ever saying he knew it was her. 3. I thought it was going to turn out he had something like Scarlet Fever or Measles and because she had been near him she was going to be Quarantined with him. Note: When he came home having been discharged I thought she was going to do something akin to what her Mom did for her Dad when they were young but that didn't happen either. Of course what did happen turned out to be much better. By the way If I hadn't gotten really sleepy at around 4:00 AM I would have read this in one day which for me is not common since I'm not s fast reader. I think I read "Seduced" at about the same rate and The Ugly Duchess to which both "Wish" and "Seduced" are linked took me a little over 2 Days (darn 4:00 AM). This belongs more with the review of "Duchess" than "Wish" but IMHO Ryburn should have gotten a Daisy instead of a Poppy and that his ship should have been named something that reflected on his wife. I get why it was Poppy Two but IMHO something like Poppy Theo would have worked. I'm sure the Author had her reasons for the decisions she made and I have no real objection or problem with it just would have liked to see Ryburn give a nod or two to his wife like Barry did to his If this were made into a Movie then we'd be looking at at least three parts because there are two others linked with this one "The Ugly Duchess" and "Seduced By A Pirate". A Mini Series of the other two would of course have to include this one.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh! I did enjoy this a great deal more than The Ugly Duchess! What a relief. These are my first Eloisa Jameses (that sounds rather shocking, like, oh, my) and I know my girlf is very fond of her books so when TUD made me so mad I was like OH NOOOOOOO because my girlf and I don't usually disagree on things so whenever we do I feel like a turtle that got flipped over on her back and also she doesn't have a shell anymore. EDITOR'S NOTE: My girlfriend has not read The Ugly Duchess.

Anywhoozle: Seduced by a Pirate is surprisingly fun, and while I took Issue with some of the stuff in TUD I found SbaP to be much less personally exasperating, so yay on that. YAY KIDS! Yay for Shark, who doesn't see a problem with a lady getting her jollies while her husband's away for fourteen years getting his jollies! Slightly less yay for OH BUT OF COURSE SHE DID NOT DO THE SEX WITH ANOTHER MAN, HOW VERY SCANDALOUS? Definitely no yay for the fact that reading this novella I found myself longing desperately for the AU in which Griffin was not press ganged and instead returned to his older bride and they were adorably awkward and great and it was properly noona romance, like, what's the point of Phoebe being three years older than him if Griffin's ultimately going to be the sexually experienced one and she's a virg??????? DON'T MESS W/ ME, I DON'T PLAY AROUND WHEN IT COMES TO THE NOONA ROMANCES, U GO GOLD OR U GO HOME

However the true delight comes with the three-part With This Kiss which is a DELIGHT and basically what I wanted from The Ugly Duchess but did not get aka childhood friends who fall awkwardly in love over the years and they're obtuse about it and they have separate OH MY GOD... I WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU THE WHOLE TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!! realizations and then there's Complications and People Are Silly but it all works out because They Talk About Things and there's making out and it's great, it's so great, between this and Romancing Mr Bridgerton I'm like wow should I be looking specifically for regency romances starring dudes named Colin??? but anyway, I ENJOYED IT MUCHLY. I had some issues with the first sex scene but the issues I had were in fact addressed by the characters after!!! Whoa!!!!!!! I'm not used to that shit! Esp bcs in TUD nobody ever talks about James forever picking Theo up as she tells him not to do that!! REFRESHING & DELIGHTFUL, wow, my standards are so low.

OK, but my one question is I guess a holdover from TUD also, and that question is, do people in Eloisa James books ever really talk about their misunderstandings??? I feel like in every one of these three stories there's a moment right before The Grand, Climactic Sex Scene where the heroine feels Horrible & Unwanted because she misunderstands some comment the dude makes and yet THIS IS NEVER ADDRESSED OR RESOLVED, and IDK, maybe it's just me but by With This Kiss I was all like oh, my God, STOP, can she PLEASE say something, can they PLEASE talk about this, I get that this honesty thru doing it to each other thing is a stylistic choice but also YO, I LIKE WORDS, let's get some words in here, let's do this communication thing, let's go to town with Talking About Our Shit! That's my feeling anywayz. But With Your Kiss did a really good job otherwise with Colin and Grace communicating with each other (whereas TUD was just a MESS), so that's cool.

Honestly I would recommend this book if you're looking for fun, quick romance, but I don't recommend The Ugly Duchess even though technically both Seduced by a Pirate and With This Kiss are secondary to it. You don't really need to read it to read this, and I didn't enjoy TUD enough to be all like YO, MAKE SURE YOU READ THAT BUSINESS FIRST! Yo, read it however you want. The power is yours.

[L.M. Pampuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not usually a duke and duchess type of reader yet this book captivated my imagination and kept me up reading far too late into the night.
This is a beautiful escape.

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As You Wish

Seduced by a Pirate

When he was seventeen, Sir Griffin Barry was summarily married to a twenty-year-old merchant’s daughter who intimidated him so much, he raced from their bed chamber without ever consummating the marriage. Years later, he finally returns from sea to live with his wife, Phoebe (which he misheard as Poppy, fun little quirk!) only to find that she doesn’t particularly want to live with him and she’s somehow obtained three children.

I loved that Griffin wasn’t bothered (overly) by her having children. He slept with plenty of women so why wouldn’t she have an affair with another man.

As with most novellas, I wish there had been a little bit more room for development but what James was able to put in, was fantastic.

With this Kiss

For years, Lady Grace Ryburn (daughter from Ugly Duchess) has been in love with Colin Barry (one of the children from the previous novella), a lieutenant with the Navy. Usually overlooked in favor of her more vibrant and outgoing sister, Grace is impressed that Colin actually talks to her when he comes home from sea. One of those times, he mentions that hearing news of normalcy helps to keep him sane and she starts writing him letters. This goes on for years, until one shore leave, Colin falls into instant love (lust?) with Grace’s younger sister. While this has never bothered Grace before, she realizes now that Colin will never be hers and she accepts an offer of marriage.

Colin, now returned to his ship, realizes fairly quickly what a fool he was. He was momentarily blinded by beauty but Grace is the one that has been writing to him for all these years, she is the one who will not only help stave off the nightmares he’s going to have for years to come but she is truly the woman he loves. But how is he going to ever be able to tell her that?

When he’s discharged from the army, blinded by cannon fire, Grace and Colin have the chance to start moving toward the life that they both dream of.

First published as three serial novellas, the final work is a great story of two people whose characters we get to see more than in your usual short works. There is some WTFery involved Grace’s mother encourages her to seduce Colin and sends her off without a chaperone but it’s mostly a good story.