Of Noble Birth

by Brenda Novak

Dreaming of escaping her cruel stepfather, lovely seamstress Alexandra Cogsworth never expected to be kidnapped by handsome seafarer Nathaniel Kent, a vengeful pirate who mistakes her for his half-sister. Original.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Pirates, Fiction, Ebooks

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.

Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.

“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she continues to publish two or three novels a year, in a variety of genres.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. Now that they are empty-nesters, she spends her free time babysitting her two grandchildren.

When she’s not with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. To date, she's raised almost $2.6 million. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking--she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-...

Reviews

[Antonella · Rating 1 out of 5]

hero kidnapped heroine thinking she is his half sister in order to blackmail his estranged father... cool cool cool but when things got blurry he still thinks she is his sister (she knows she isn't btw) ... I just have the ick from this book...get it away froooom meeeee.....

[liirogue · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by the idea of a hero with one arm. The rest of the novel is fairly standard romance - a seamstress is mistaken for a noble woman, gets kidnapped by pirates, falls in love with pirate, and helps pirate exact his revenge. The one-armed hero should have really helped set this apart from others in the genre and given it a neat twist or flavor.

But that doesn't happen, at all. It's as if Novak wrote the book, sent it to the publisher, and they came back and said "Hey, do something to make your hero stand out." Novak thought a bit, and went in and added random descriptions of a guy with one arm. Novak doesn't actually do anything with his disability, other than occasionally mention he's got one arm. How does he wear his clothes - does he pin the sleeve up or let it dangle in the wind? She describes him climbing rope ladders several times - how does he do it? Does he use his partial arm to help balance himself or wind it in the rope while he moves his good hand to another grip? When he gets into fistfights or knife fights (which happens several times), does he move like everyone else? Can he even use his partial arm at all or does it just hang there?

And that is how this book failed - none of the issues above are ever addressed. He is literally just like every other pirate hero except he's a little easier to pick out in a crowd. Novak had a great opportunity and idea to set this book apart and give it a little depth, and she completely squanders it.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another from the Kindle backlog. The story is draggy for reasons I can't put my finger on, and while the author keeps describing the chemistry between the hero and heroine, I'm not feeling it. Also, the hero was born without a hand on one arm yet it seems to work exactly like an arm with a hand about 90% of the time, except when someone is looking directly at it and remarking on the deformity. I think the author kept forgetting it was missing.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the story was very good. Lot's of excitement and suspense with drama throughout the whole story and it ended well. My favorite character was the beautiful Alexandra, she seem to be very heroic throughout the story even though she started out meek and feeble at the beginning of the story. Nathanial of course my other favorite, being able to be a brave and strong despite his past when he was born and was cast out by his father. The romance and suspense was good between the two characters. I liked the ending, but I thought it seemed to be rushed and could have had more detail as what happened to all the main characters as there lives continued. It's a stand alone novel and I highly recommend it. I've read one other novel of Brenda Novak's and it was also very good.

[she_batts · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to DNF this, I'm bored to tears. When the H kisses his "supposed" sister on the lips to shut her up, that creeped me out. Gross!!!

[Gator Girl Eaton · Rating 2 out of 5]

***Possible Spoilers....but I'm saving you some time.***

Was interesting since the Hero of the story, Nathaniel, is born with a deformed arm. So....not your typical physical perfection from the Hero. But he's still very handsome and muscular and every thing else about him is typical romance novel perfection.
When Nathaniel is born, his jerk of a father, tries to smother him since he is deformed. The father can't have a deformed son as an heir. The maid saves him and leaves....raising him the best she can. Our heroine, Alexandra, is being abused by a stepfather.....and is kidnapped by Nathaniel at a dress shop because she favors Nathaniel's half sister. Nathaniel is going to use his half sister as a way to get back one of his men, who his jerk father had captured....because Nathaniel had been pirating from his dad's shipping business.

yeah....really involved plot to get these two together. And it's one of the reasons that this was just "ok" for me. The ending is just as involved. Ever watch one of those horror movies where the villain keeps popping up, over and over again. It's like, "Will you die already?" It happens in this story....we not only have jerk father, but we also acquire a jerk half-brother. The jerk half-brother loses a hand because of Nathaniel. Then Alexandra ends up working at the jerk father's home....and the jerk half-brother pursues her. Nathaniel ends up in jail. Alexandra at one point tries to get a job as a seamstress...and ends up drugged and being forced into prostitution. Don't worry....Nathaniel turns out to be her first client because he had been searching for her. How convenient....
Like I said...just a whole bunch of convoluted story lines. Felt like the author should have simplified it a little bit. Just too much going on....

Finally....we don't even get to read about these two going all the way. You get real close a few times and then you know that they had to of consummated the relationship because a child is born.

If you have some extra time...it isn't too bad of a read. It was ok. I do like the fact that our Hero has a physical flaw...and he thrives. He doesn't have a bad attitude about it at all and that makes it a good read because it's difficult when the Hero or the Heroine are whiny and complaining throughout the book.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it. Wasn't an all-time fav, but enjoyable enough. Lots of angst...and lots of sexual tension building, without allowing the reader the payoff of seeing the consumation, which left me a little let-down. Intricate plot, leads readers on quite a ride. Likeable characters...though I was often perplexed by how much this one-armed main character could do. I have a one-armed friend, who is amazing with as much as he can do, but still, I think it unlikely that he could tie up an unwilling captive - or two - alone with one hand. Growing up with a handicapped parent as I did, I love that this author didn't use this character's handicape to define him, but in showing how capable he was, I think she sometimes forgot that the very nature of having a handicap does sometimes leave one with some deficits.

Anyway, it was a free offering from Amazon, and one of the better ones, for sure. I would probably give this author a try again.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of Noble Birth was a fun and exciting read! Captain Nathaniel Kent is the unacknowledged son of a duke, since he was born with only one arm. Raised by his father's ex-housekeeper, he grew into a life of piracy. But he only targets his father's ships! Then one night, one of Nathaniel's men is kidnapped by his father, so he sets out to kidnap his half-sister for ransom. Well, he winds up with Alexandra, who looks like his sister, but is really just a seamstress who was trying to hide from her abusive step-father. Oops.

I love tales of mistaken identity and Of Noble Birth was a great one! Alexandra had been fixing a dress for the duke's daughter, when her father whom she's running from arrives. She dons the dress and slips past him, only to get taken aboard a pirate ship! She tries to explain who she is, but Nathaniel thinks she's just trying to escape. But then...there's feelings! Nathaniel is attracted to his sister who's maybe not his sister! He doesn't know! He's so conflicted, especially when Alexandra starts saying she is his sister (for her own protection, of course)! This was all too funny! Obviously the truth has to come out soon enough when the duke doesn't pay up for his precious "daughter."

While Of Noble Birth has a fast paced, action packed, and engaging plot (there's a lot more to come after the initial kidnapping), I wish there had been more romance! I loved the beginning with Nathaniel struggling with his attraction to his sister, who's not really his sister, but after that the romance aspect kind of fades. Alexandra and Nathaniel spend a lot of the book apart because of reasons, but they're always pining for the other. I wanted more kissing! They do get their happily ever after as is the norm for Historical Romance, but I wish it had been explored more earlier on.

I really enjoyed Of Noble Birth. It was nice to see different kinds of characters in the lead roles: a one armed pirate and a lowly seamstress. The plot was really well developed, although there were a few jumpy transitions that had me momentarily confused. All in all, it was a great read, though don't expect much in the way of quivering thighs and heaving bosoms.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Jilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just because a book is free (with good ratings) doesn't mean it is actually worth reading. Sadly, I discovered this. I downloaded this from Amazon as a Free Kindle book. It sounded promising... not spectacular. And I would say that is what I got. The story kept me mostly interesting though everything that happened was highly convenient and Nathaniel's missing hand didn't even trouble him when he had to tie ropes!

Alexandra was a very stereotypical heroine with her easily succumbing to Nathaniel's charm and good looks though surprisingly enough these characters waited until getting married before consummating their relationship.

I don't hold much hope for Novak's writing as this book seemed to twist and turn and toss stuff into the story just to make page count.

Even free it isn't really worth recommending.

[Kim B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please tell me there will be a sequel!!! "Of Nobel Birth" by Brenda Novak, had everything a good romance should have, action, adventure and attraction.
An engaging tale, where a babe of Nobel birth, born less than perfect , is rescued from an attempt on his life by his very own father, the Duke of Greystone. Much to the displeasure of the Duke, he lives to become a pirate, scoundrel to some, yet an honorable man, Capt. Nathaniel Kent of the ship the ROYAL VENGEANCE. I loved the strength of this unlikely hero who is not perfect in body but of his soul, who won me with his charm.

Alexandra Cogsworth, a seamstress, a young lady, abused by the cruelty and greed of her own father, was a perfect character to turn Nathaniel's world upside down. She is a strong female lead, but she doesn't know that yet, I love where we get to watch her grow into herself as a woman.

A kidnapping, a mistaken identity, bold decisions to change a life's path, go awry, sets the stage for a sequence of events that challenge them as individuals and draws them together, in spite of themselves. Nathaniel thinks he has kidnapped his half-sister, Anne, to trade for a friend his father has captured. He is puzzled as to why he is drawn to his half-sister Anne of whom he has never met. But it is not Anne, but Alexandra, who too finds herself drawn to him, which adds to the tension. Fearing her fate if he learns the truth of her real identity, she fights the attraction, and plans her escape. What Alexandra doesn't realize is that Nathaniel highly suspects is that she is not his sister, but keeps the pretense to keep her safe from his pirate crew.

At a point, Ok, I got worried as to where this book was going to go, as I am not into the incest thing. Cautiously I did continue to read and found it does not go in that direction, how Novak directed her hero, Nathaniel in this situation only, made me love him more.
Brenda Novak's supporting cast of characters, her vivid descriptions of the landscape of where the story takes place, enriched this exciting tale. Novak's romantic twists of the attraction, the fighting of the characters within themselves as they battle with their dreams of what LOVE, and family mean to them, were realistic.

Some complained that it was not romantic enough and that it had TOO much adventure. This was a perfect romance for me, as romance is not just being hot in bed, with graphic details(none here), IT IS ABOUT THE DANCE "BEFORE" you get there. Overall I found myself trapped, delightfully so, within this fast moving novel, with no errors in the editing, spelling and grammar of this heartwarming romantic tale.
5 stars *****

[Lover of Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexandra, is desperate to escape her cruel stepfather who beats her, she finds a way to escape with a disguise never expecting to be kidnapped and taken aboard a pirate's ship. Only they think she is a daughter of a lord so they can ransom her, but no matter how much she protests they don't believe her to be a seamstress. Nathaniel, is very bitter toward his father, but when one of his closest friends gets captured he goes out to capture his father daughter, and his step sister....only he never expected that he would be so attracted to a relation, but something nags at him, that she is not at all who she appears to be and that she is hiding something, and that this increasing desire that he has for her might just inflame them both...This is the first book that I have read by Brenda Novak and I just fell in love with this book, and I want to read more by this author....the synopsis and the cover are what drew me to open the pages, but once I really got into the story I could barely put it down and found entranced by the amazingly written love story of two people that come from different situations in life however they share one thing... a common love and desire for each other. Of Noble Birth is of the Georgian Time period and is packed with excitement, adventure, passion, and a intense love story that will leave you with delight.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those rare reading experiences that will engage every level of the reader's brain. The romantic factor is certainly central, but the family situation for both Alexandra and Nathaniel are critical to the story's development; the politics of the time--the imminent nature of the Crimean War is very much present; the almost sociopathic nature of the evil that drives Nathaniel's father and brother are an over-arching canopy to the story's character and context. Just a wonderfully well-thought-out story that is not an easy or simplistic read, but one that will keep the reader's interest from start to finish. Beautifully constructed as a first novel that is only now finding its rightful place among the portfolio of an author who has gifted readers with many great pieces of writing. Historical romance fans really don't want to miss this one!!

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There were emotions, turmoil, suspense, action, and humor too. I liked the characters and their personalities, except for the bad guys, of course. :) I liked the honor and loyalty of the crew. The helpmates and traitors of the new people met. I would read this book again, but more for a rainy day cuddle-up book. There were some really good parts and I liked the sparring between the two leads. This is a great shorter read with plenty filled into all the scenes and characters. There were some very good twists and turns and a very good HEA for the lovebirds. Enjoy!

[Katie(babs)]

DNF by page 80. The lower class clang was hard to follow and the story didn't really pick up at all.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, for my first book by Brenda Novak I couldn’t have been happier. I didn’t realize until afterwords, that this was Brenda’s first novel. I have read alot of debut ficton over the years and this is one book that did not read like a debut. It was engaging from the get go, I liked that neither the hero or the heroine were perfect.


Of Noble Birth will take you on a voyage and one that I do not think will disappoint anyone. Our hero is Nathaniel ( I love this name by the way), he is a pirate captain who is bent on getting vengeance on his father, the Duke of Greystone. His father denies Nathaniel as his son and heir, as he was born with a deformity. On the night of his birth, his father tried to kill him, he survived only through the actions of the housekeeper.


Nathaniel has been attacking his fathers ships at sea and taking his cargo aided by someone in his father’s household. But on one meeting to gather information, they are ambushed and his best friend is captured. Wanting to have something to have bargaining power with, he embarks on a mission to kidnap his half-sister and use her as leverage.


Meet our Heroine Alexandra, she is a spunky female with a desire to live and is being smothered and exploited by her step father Willy. Alexandra knows she needs to get away from Willy soon or it will be too late. She comes up with a plan to sweet talk her way into getting payment for a job Willy would normally collect on, but this is fiction and nothing ever goes to plan as our hero and heroine would like. While delivering the goods, Alexandra has to step in and help the establishment out. Who should the client be, only Nathaniel’s half-sister and so ensues a moment of mistaken identity as Alexandra looks identical to Nathaniel’s sister, she is kidnapped in her place.


Nathaniel must now be in close quarters with his ‘half-sister’ and is disturbed by his attraction to her. Alexandra also feels the attraction to Nathaniel but knows that she is safer as long as he and his men believe she is his half-sister.


Soon the truth will come out and how will all parties involved deal with the truth? Well, to get the answer you will have to read it yourself and find out.


This may be my first book that I have read by Brenda, but she is an author that has been on my radar for the past thee years due to the fantastic work that she does in raising money for the Diabetes cause, and she is a woman who I have a lot of admiration and respect for.


Of Noble Birth will not be my last book by this author and with so many to choose from, my biggest problem will be which to choose!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Duke of Greystone’s heir is born with a deformed arm, he tries to kill the baby, but his housekeeper manages to take his son and get away. Since the Duchess dies shortly after the birth, he reports that the baby died with his mother, remarries and has a son and daughter by his new wife. The housekeeper raises Nathaniel as her own child and though he has a hard life, he hasn’t his the handicap hinder him, although he hates his father and wants nothing more than to cause him trouble. To this end, he becomes a pirate captain and goes after his father’s ships and steals their cargo, justifying this as property that should come to him as the heir anyway. When one of his men, Richard, is captured by the Duke, Nathaniel kidnaps Alexandra, who has been mistaken for his half sister Anne, thinking that he can trade her for Richard. The story follows the adventures of Alexandra and Nathaniel as they fight his half brother and the Duke through sea battles, imprisonment, and treachery to try to reach a place where they can be happy and free to live their lives in peace. There were times I thought this couple would never get a break, they went through so much, but the conclusion was very satisfying and I enjoyed the story.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. The story was well written.

Born with a deformed arm, Nathaniel Kent was almost smothered by his father until the housekeeper rescued him. She loved him and raised him until his father, the Duke, killed her. Vowing revenge, Nathaniel became a pirate and preyed on his father’s ships looting them of their cargo. When one of his crew was taken by the Duke, Nathaniel kidnapped his half-sister, only to find that the lady was not his sister but a humble seamstress named Alexandra Cogsworth. Nathaniel and Alexandra fought their attraction to each other since Alexandra wanted a home and family and Nathaniel was a wanted man.

Alexandra saved Nathaniel from the prison ship that his father had him sentenced to and saved him again when his half-brother tried to kill him. With his first mate, Nathaniel got the proof of his half-brother's gun running to England's enemies to get him convicted of treason. Finally, he got revenge on his father but it was not as comforting as Nathaniel thought.

Nathaniel and Alexandra married in England and sailed to America to begin their life together.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alexandra Cogsworth is a simple seamstress hoping to escape her abusive step-father when she is mistaken for the daughter of a duke and kidnapped by the pirate Nathaniel Kent. Nathaniel is the first son of the Duke of Greystone but because of his deformity (born without one arm) he was rejected and the Duke attempted to murder him. Now he lives to get vengeance on the man who fathered him.

I love Brenda Novak's Romantic Suspense. In fact she is one of my most favorite writers when it comes to RS. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the historical romance as much as I'd hoped. It wasn't bad but I didn't have the same feelings as I got when reading the RS.

[Literati Literature Lovers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Bad Just not Riveting

If you have kindle unlimited and want to kill a few hours then your could listen to the audiobook as part of your subscription. The book isn't bad, it just isn't memorable. It's kinda like a Hershey kiss not the greatest chocolate but will still satisfy the need for a sweet treat. Then ending was a head scratcher and Brenda Novack contemporary books are a lot better.
I listened to the audiobook and the performance was okay, the character voices varied from scene to scene, so they weren't consistent.

[JaNeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't totally a clean read, but it was a very captivating story and kept me wanting to read more. My favorite part was that Nathaniel wasn't 'perfect'. It was refreshing that he had imperfections. I didn't give it 5 stars because it wasn't a totally clean book.

[Molly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had an actual bodice-ripping scene.

The first half of the book had my complete attention, in that perfect enthralling escapism way. The second half dragged immensely. There were too many details and not enough to keep my invested in the story.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was much better than I expected it o be.

[Mermarie]

Free again today. 11/21/2012

"He grins at her and warns her to be more ladylike, because "even though she's his half-sister, he's no eunuch."

[Donna Dv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

Enjoyable read. The book started out good and kept flowing on. Not too many slow parts at all. This is the first book I have read from this author.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story follows the tale of Nathaniel Kent, son of a Duke but who was disowned by him as he was born with part of his arm missing. Due to his disability, the Duke refused to recognise him. Elsewhere, Alexandra Cogsworth is leaving behind an abusive step father to travel to London to hopefully gain work as a seamstress. Their paths collide and make for an adventure that includes mistaken identity, pirates and gun crime!

This is an enjoyable read, but like other reviewers have said, I also struggled to keep going in the middle and I'm not really sure why. Nathaniel and Alexandra are great characters and the pace of the story was quite fast. Therefore, I've given it 4 stars rather than5!

[Dixie LoCicero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, haven't read many based on historial setting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters, there weren't a lot of twists and turns but there were a few times I was surprised at which way the story went. The historal interest was in the culture of the times and the way people dressed.
I was least happy with the way prisoners were treated, I know it is true to form, just didn't like reading that part as much.

I highly recommend this book if you particularly like historical based stories. Brenda Novak is an amazing author, have read many of her books & recommend them as well.

[Ashley Hedden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of Noble Birth was a great read by Brenda Novak. Alexandra is a steam stress who has envisioned sailing far away from England to escape her cruel stepfather. But she never thought it would be as a captive on a pirate ship. Nathaniel is a pirate captain who is looking to exact revenge on his cold hearted father. He intended to hold his half sister captive, not Alexandra. They are fighting an attraction, while trying to fight Nathaniel’s father. I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to read more by Brenda Novak.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first taste of a Historical Romance Novel, and I must say that I really enjoyed it. Being a huge fan of Brenda Novak's I decided to give it a whirl and was rewarded with a book which not only had a beautiful and believable story, but was also an attention grabber which made it very difficult to put down. Bravo!
I am very pleased that there are 3 more Historical Romance Novels written by this amazing Author and I will most definitely be reading them in the very near future!

[Joyce Westmoreland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirates Treasure

This was a great read. Nathaniel the Pirate Captain the firstborn of a duke thought he never needed a woman until he met Alexandra. He thought he was kidnapping his half sister to trade for his man Richard but found a treasure in Alexandra. Nathaniel May be a pirate but he fights for justice. He found love on the open seas. This was an exciting book. Thank you Brenda Novak.