The Pirate

Ladies and Legends #1

by Jayne Ann Krentz

Reality was much more satisfying.

Katherine Inskip's ideal man didn't exist in this century. Nevertheless, her dreams and the books she wrote were dominated by a swashbuckling pirate. She'd never imagined she'd encounter him in the flesh ... until she met Jared Hawthorne.

Owner of the South Seas island where Kate was unwinding, Jared could have stepped off the pages of a historical romance. In almost every way he was her perfect fantasy — bold, dashing, domineering .... But then Kate began to suspect that Jared had something more in common with his piratical ancestors—something that wasn't at all "by the book ...."

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense, Category Romance

248 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

The author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An old Krentz straight-up romance (no paranormal and not historical) from 1990. It ages relatively well, though it's a light story to begin with. Yeah, Jared can be dictatorial, but the reader isn't being asked to think that's normal and Kate holds her own just fine (including calling him on it outright). Jared's son, Dave, is a fun addition, though like all the other island folks a little too eager to embrace Kate.

Two instances of relationship fiat sat poorly with me, one by each lead. Jared's an idiot if he thinks he can just order Kate to ignore the mystery he's caught up in once she catches a whiff of it. And Kate's final push for relationship resolution was both unreasonable and high-handed. Worse, though, only Jared's high-handedness is called out as wrong and manipulative. And still worse, both felt out of character for the straightforward people they are and thus like authorial intrusion for drama.

For all of the shallow story and drama manipulations I still had a good time and laughed out loud more than once. Their banter was sometimes brilliant. So I'm going to stick with three stars and am happy I spent a couple fun hours with the characters.

A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes, though the last is almost perfunctory. So it's the middle of my steam tolerance, though barely.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overly fluffy and silly, but a good way to spend a few hours before bed.

[Hristina Tserovska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Захаросана книжка, която не пробуди никакви емоции докато я четях. Трудно ми вървеше четенето!

[Tina Gunther · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another romance novel

The outline of the plot is easy. Girl takes tropical vacation at resort owned by guy. Girl finds out guy is involved in questionable activity, but. falls in love with guy anyway. Guy decides girl is lovely enough to go to submarine races with, but not smart enough to trust. Guy is too dumb to realize girl he loves doesn't respond well to blind orders. Girl is too dumb to know the difference between being brave and being foolhardy. Girl and guy rescue each other. Bad guys get caught. Good guys triumph. Guy and girl get married. All's well that ends well.

I am generally a fan of the author, but I found myself skimming over pages in order to finish the book faster. If you are in the mood for a romance novel with the usual dumb girl and arrogant guy, you might find this book of interest. You are likely to find the supporting characters more interesting than the protagonists.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

The main characters were both really unpleasant people and the dialogue was weird.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I thought this was about a time-traveling pirate

It is in fact about a single dad

Worst. Downgrade. Ever.

[Bella Sun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light and cheesy romance, but in a mostly good way.

We get a grumpy guy and a sassy woman, plenty of island and a little fun mystery.

This book is perfect for the beach or if you just need something light and feel good.

There are some spicy moments not too many.

Overall I liked the characters and the setting. I wish there were more pirates because of the title! That’s the reason I read it it the first place.

3.5⭐️

[Brittany McCann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh wow... This was like an unedited indie release....

This is a straight-up cheese-fest...

The mystery is good, but the dialogue and situations are cheesy

The legend was good, but I didn't like anyone

The romance was terrible and unbelievable.

A 1.5 Star for me.

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually love JAK but this was really awful. Two reprehensible people who never redeemed themselves. Their relationship was absolutely cringeworthy and the "mystery" was ridiculous.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

---Book Hoarder Feb surprise-2 strangers fall in love

Pirates are a popular theme for romance books, and I've read many of them. It's a fun fantasy to escape into every now & then. Technically this is a re-read but I didn't remember much about it except the title.
A bit dated here & there as this is an earlier book by this writer in that it's the typical guy saying that he can win the girl over & get her to fall for him. As well as the sex scenes described with "flowery adjectives."
Great story, humorous, chemistry b/w the H/h, a little steamy. 
Good meet cute! And I'm a sucker for a cute kid just like Cate is.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly NOT dated, and fun to reread for perhaps the fourth or fifth time since it was first published in 1990.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated, short, contemporary romance from 1990

Kate is a 34-year-old divorcee who is a successful, published author of historical romance. Her biological clock is ticking with no prospect for a husband in sight, but since she's cynical about men in general and hasn't dated in ages, she's convinced motherhood isn't in the cards for her.

Jared is a 39-year-old man whose beloved, conventionally feminine wife died 5 years ago. He has been raising his 9-year-old son alone without benefit of a nanny. He is the scion of a wealthy, US hotelier family who struck out on his own around 10 years ago, building his own upscale resort on a small Caribbean island.

The main romantic conflict is that Kate is visiting Jared's resort for one month only. She is from Seattle and seems highly unlikely to settle on this little island if she falls for Jared. But beyond that, the true romantic conflict is that she is a mouthy shrew who is unreasonably rude to Jared from the moment they meet. He has no problem being equally rude in return, even though she is a paying guest. He is presented as a misogynistic jerk whose only interest in women is finding a new wife who is a clone of Wifey No.1, someone who will be contented to spend the rest of her life slotted into the boring role of existing only to serve her man in the kitchen and bedroom.

I experienced this novel as an audiobook. The narrator does a rather poor job with male voices. In addition, listening to this novel as an audiobook dragged out and amplified an already joyless experience of an outdated romance that wasn't at all to my personal taste.

[Anna Erishkigal · Rating 2 out of 5]

An exciting, rich, handsome hero who's the great-grandson of a pirate. Tropical island. Crumbling castle. Mystery. So why only two stars? The heroine, although feisty, was just so MEAN to everybody. This was the biggest 'Mary Sue' heroine I've read since my 9-year-old's third-grade writing assignment. The way they got together was just ... okay ... lets get together. There was no rhyme or reason for it. The hero was okay ... I think I would have liked him more if he hadn't let himself be such a doormat for the heroine and told her to take a hike. If there had been some wager to 'tame' the heroine as in the Taming of the Shrew and the story was laced with comedy, perhaps there would have been a point for it all, but the heroines meanness just never made sense and the heroes reason for still being attracted to her in spite of it also never made sense. And as for the mystery ... the heroine's reasons for suspecting something illegal (I won't spoil it) just don't make sense. The secondary characters were far more interesting than the couple itself.

The verdict ... pass this one by and look for more substantial fare.

[Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was just wishy-washy... Neither a good romance, nor a good mystery. The heroine was just mean and bitchy, while the hero was an as*hole most of the time!!
In the book's defense - i got stuck with an ABRIDGED version AGAIN! So i will try to find a full length one soon... Why do abridged books even exist?! If you are too lazy to read a book - then just don't read it, don't have someone re-tell you the short version of it!!

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a 1990’s style bodice ripper. Where the woman is huffy and jumps to conclusions and the man’s misogyny oozes from his pores. There’s really no connection between them other than quick sex and weird fighting where she demands to know all his secrets because she’s sleeping with him (for a few days) and he tells her to mind her own business and calls her a shrew.

Then, of course, she thinks she outsmarts everyone and tries to save the day. It’s all very corny.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun!! A much needed palette cleanser after finishing a book that was very much not fun.

Jared is a bit of a controlling asshole but I think Kate needs a man she has to butt heads with often. Their dynamic just works so well. I think a reread will prbly be in order at some point.

[Mafe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me entretuvo bastante la historia y le estoy muy agradecida porque al fin pude salir del bloqueo lector que llevaba de 2 meses. 😄🌺🫶

Calificación Final: 4.2 estrellas 🌟

[Susan Tunis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few years ago, I harbored uninformed attitudes about the entire romance genre being worthless. In the years since, I've been dipping my toes into the genre to be a less judgemental and better informed bookseller. I'd still never read a Jayne Ann Krentz novel, and while she feels more like a relic of my youth than a major player today, she sold a lot of books in her time. The Pirate sounded like my kind of tropic isle story, so I thought, "Why the hell not?"

Can I just state for the record, back when I thought all romance novels were worthless trash? This is the book I was thinking of. Wow, this was badly written! How did she sell millions of books? Her male and female leads were detestable. I didn't care about their relationship--which is good, because there's nothing remotely believable or emotionally engaging about it. The graphic sex scenes are truly cringe-worthy.

And then there's this... I'm aware that this 2018 audiobook is a fresh release of a novel originally published in 1990. But even if it had been written in 1950, the way the male lead talks to and treats the woman he supposedly loves (although, God knows why, she's not exactly great to him either) had me looking around for witnesses. What? You can't...! WHAT? Times have changed, baby, in my adult lifetime. It is hard to believe this dreck was ever considered romantic. Excuse me while I go wash my eyes out with soap.

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a stressed-out author of historical romances is sent by her friends to a South Pacific Island complete with a crumbling castle, Kate Inskip is expecting a quiet vacation. It doesn't start well when she is accosted by a knife-wielding robber after a long flight, lost luggage, and missed connections. Kate takes her frustrations out on the thief and fights him off with techniques she learned in a two-week self-defense course.

Jared Hawthorne, the resort owner, arrives in time to see Kate overcoming the thief and doesn't wait to share the story with his resort employees. He's impressed with her skills and with her moxie. He is also intrigued by Kate. This is a new thing since he hasn't looked at a woman since the death of his wife some five years earlier.

Kate is less than impressed with Jared at first. He reminds of her of someone and she's too over-stressed, tired, and hungry to notice his good looks at first.

Romance grows slowly but the fact that they live thousands of miles apart could be a dealbreaker. Then there is the possibility that Jared is too much like his pirate ancestor. Something hinky is going on in the ruins of that castle and Jared isn't telling Kate what.

I enjoyed this contemporary romance. I liked that Kate was a strong, independent woman. I liked Jared too. He's made a good life for himself and his young son. I liked the island setting and the interesting characters who lived there.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I've been to Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick fan for a long time. This is clearly one of her older books.

I wasn't that fond of the h, Kate. She was described in the book as a shrew, and she was a shrew. As someone who has been married 40 years, I have learned I can be a strong woman without being a shrew. I loved the H, Jared. He was a widower who loves his first wife but realized he needed someone who wasn't quite so delicate.

One of the other things that bugged me about Kate was that she was manipulative. Here she was holding this man's heart, but he also had a nine-year-old son. Didn't she think about how her behavior was impacting his son? Yes, Jared withheld some information but he had his reasons.

Anyway, I wonder how it's going to be for the two of them after they've lived together for a while. Hopefully, Kate will mellow out.

[Stacie Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to start this review stating that this is the first book I have given one star to that I have actually finished. Normally the books I can’t finish are the ones rated one star. This book started out mediocre and got progressively worse as it continued. It was very generic in the romantic sense and there was very little conflict in the book in total. Making the characters more complex or incorporating the history story alluded to in the book are two ways this book could have been made better. It is a very quick read, which its only redeeming value.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great love story about an over worked, over stressed romance writer and an amazing, dashing resort owning man. Who just happens to be the spitting image of the hero in all the novels. Great love story, ok adventure to keep you guessing.

[Diane ~Firefly~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's like hanging out with an old friend. I love the interactions between Kate and Jared as well as between Kate and David. Fun story with a prickly heroine and a stubborn hero on a gorgeous island resort. I also love how the staff bets on everything.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm surprised this was written by a woman the female character is one dimensional and frequently called a shrew and the male character is a supposed to be strong and dominant but is just chauvinist pig.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate is a writer of historical romance. Her two best friends have shanghaied her into going to a Pacific island for one month. It is all a plan to help her destress. The island is interesting to Kate, because it was first settled by a pirate and it even has a crumbling castle. She tells herself that is the only reason she finally surrenders to the inevitable. But, she also recognizes that she needs to do something other than work.

When she arrives she realizes she is in a tropical paradise.

She also meets, Jared, the owner of the resort and nearly the entire island. He is what she has always dreamed of in a true pirate. He is powerful, stubborn, handsome and bossy as heck.

And he is the man who has appeared in her dreams.

Jared is a widower with a young son, David. He has worked hard to develop his resort and his island. He is a good employer, a good friend and a very good father. His late wife was a delicate angel. She was everything Kate is not.

But, Jared is immediately attracted to Kate. He is drawn to her strong personality, her strength of character and her willingness to stand up for herself. In fact, when he first sees her she is assaulting a man who has been holding her at knife point attempting a robbery.

Jared is immediately interested.

I am a big fan of Ms Krentz and her writing. I love her books, no matter which name appears as the author. I have been reading her books for many years.

I enjoyed this book. It has many laugh out loud moments. The dialog is perfect. Jared is a terrific hero. He says all the right things. But, he is unable to get the concept of a woman who is strong and able to make her own decisions. He always felt if he found another wife, she would be a shy and gentle woman. Then he met Kate.

Kate was not always likable. At times, she behaves like a teenager unwilling to follow the rules. But, I did admire her intelligence, her sense of humor and her immediate connection to David. She has a great deal of kindness which helped me overcome her being so stuck in her ways.

I did not give the book five stars because I felt that this story fell into a formula. It is a really enjoyable book for me. But, it held no surprises.

Although, I must admit, even without surprises, Ms Krentz writes a wonderful story.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pirate, by Jayne Ann Krentz
I don't think Jayne Ann needs any reviews from me, she is such a successful author with so many great books to her credit. But I would be less than honest if I did not at least make a comment or two about this book.

Jayne is the mistress of feisty heroines, and almost every book she has written has left me laughing at the antics of her prime female characters. This book is no exception. Romance writer Kate blasts into view on an island vacation she didn't really want to take by dealing with Sharp Arnie, a would-be purse snatcher in a way that left me laughing right to the end of the book.

When Arnie demands her purse, in her stress she empties it out on the alley floor and dares him to pick it all up. When he foolishly bends to retrieve her wallet she gives him a karate kick that sends him flying, then proceeds to stomp all over him till he flees. all the while giving him a lecture on the perils of his profession. That scene alone was worth the price of the book. Buy it. It's one of her lower-priced novels and worth every nickel.

Mind you, all her books are worth it, but her publishers keep jacking her prices up so high I can only afford to buy her books when they go on sale. Seems like Penguin/Random House is trying to pay its bills on Jayne Ann Krentz alone. Such a shame. I would buy every one of them if they were in a proper price range for Kindle.

[SandyL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, this book wasn't what I expected. I was thinking pirates and booty and adventure and more. There was a bit of suspense, just not what I was expecting. Katherine Inskip is a romance novelist who writes historicals including pirate romances. After she almost works herself to death, her friends take it upon themselves to send her on a vacation of a small, isolated island to get some rest. The island is owned by Jared Hawthorne, a descendant of a real pirate. Jared is kind-of like a pirate himself, but, alas there is not much pirating going on - a little bit between the sheets, and some other goings on. Overall the book was okay, but I got really annoyed during the middle when Kate kept insisting Jared had to tell her what was going on at a deserted castle on his island, and he kept telling her it was none of her business (which it wasn't!)

[Jenny Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a pirate themed audiobook and came across this historical romance, I thought it would be a light-hearted choice and it was mostly an easy listen and ticked the box for romance although light on the history! I found the story engaging if predictable but was irritated by the character of Jared, his arrogance and control of Kate who submitted to him very easily and as much as she professed to abhor that side of him, didn’t put up much of a fight especially at the end. It’s supposed to be escapism from reality I guess so it did do that but I found it disappointing. The piratey undertones were there throughout but none of the swashbuckling adventure and buried treasure. There was the parrot who sadly had just the one phrase and I did appreciate the softer side of Jared’s character with his son.

[♏Vanessa♏ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I detested the fmc. She was an stressed writer who had divorced her husband as he resented and couldn't deal with her success. Her friends book her 1 month long vacation on a private island and her stressed self can not appreciate much in the beginning, specially as things go wrong.
Things get better in the resort, she gets involved with her perfect guy and around 2 weeks into their passionate love affair she argues with him because, apparently he has to tell her everything about his business and secrets that are not her business at all. after that I wanted to punch her in the uterus and damp her in the deep sea.
there is a mild mysterious mystery, some spice and hea.
Narration was really good.
Free on cat+ audible

[Deborah Gebhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast, fun, romantic read.
Katherine Inskip needs a break - at least according to her friends and publisher. So, they've booked her on a one-month stay on a South Seas Island.
There she meets the personification of the hero of her historical romances, Jared Hawthorne, widowed owner of the resort.
Neither is looking for something permanent, but a vacation romance would work. And when he finds out he is the man of her dreams (he fits the description, at least), she can cook and has befriended his young son, he just might want her to stay.
And when Kate gets curious about what might be happening besides catering to tourists, will they both survive long enough to decide whether they might actually be what each other needs.