Once a Pirate

by Susan Grant

A modern woman . . . A 19th century rogue . . .
A love transcending time itself.

Outlaw nobleman and pirate Andrew Spencer has one goal: to ruin the duke who destroyed his life. He’ll start by kidnapping the man’s niece for ransom. But the strangely garbed blonde he hoists onto his deck not only refuses to admit she's his highborn target, but insists she’s from another century entirely, babbling on about flying machines and the future. Will her bravery and fire be enough to melt his cold heart and convince him to reconsider his plans?

A desperate bid to fulfill their dream of a life together is their only option . . . if they can find each other again through time.

Genres: Time Travel, Romance, Historical Romance, Pirates, Historical, Time Travel Romance, Fantasy

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2000

About the author

Susan’s childhood dreams of becoming a space explorer fizzled when she found out calculus was involved. Luckily, she didn’t need math skills to fly jets--or to create sky-high stories in her head, first for herself, then for friends, and now for readers everywhere.  

A New York Times/USA Today bestselling author and a military veteran, Susan won the prestigious RITA® Award for her book Contact, a sci-fi aviation-thriller romance.

Reviews

[Kathrynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Read 9-27-2015 5 Star - Favorite!

Ten years after I read this book, I re-read it and still loved it! Still one of my all-time favorites. I think the updated book cover does the book justice, too!

Both Andrew and Carly (Amanda) were wonderful together. Carly was a spitfire. "Damn woman, I never know what is going to come out of your mouth!" She was a tell-it-like-it is 21st century female and I admired her spunk. The love story was amazing! Be still my heart!

If only I could find my Andrew...


First Read 10-1-2005 5 Star - Favorite!
A wonderful romantic time-travel! I like Susan Grant's style of writing and this book was right up there with my favorites. Fighter Pilot, Carly, is flying for the Air Force when a freak storm causes her to crash into the sea...but also sent her several hundred years in the past.. She's in her flight suit, carrying her gun, military insignia, etc. when rescued by a pirate ship.

Cute book and the ending is WONDERFUL. I have not read a time-travel with this type of ending before.

Enjoy!

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m on a time-travel kick and I’ve managed to read a fair few of these lately this one appealed because of the pirates and overall it was a pretty decent read. It didn’t blow me away but it was enjoyable enough. The developed romance and steam was a bit OTT and lovey-dovey but as a whole, this definitely had more positives than negatives. I think this is the second story I’ve read by this author and I’ve rated them pretty similar.

Lieutenant Carly Callahan works as a fighter pilot whilst on manoeuvres in her Jet and flying into a storm her radar malfunctions causing her to have to emergency eject into the ocean. Here she is greeted by a scene straight out of a reenactment with two old fashioned vessels engaged in combat. Plucked out of the sea by the captain of the Phoenix Sir Andrew Spenser Carly is mistaken for their original target Lady Amanda an heiress bound for her English fiancé the Duke of Westridge and Andrews sworn enemy. Amanda is the cargo for ransom and Carly now finds herself in the company of pirates.

So this wasn’t a dark one Andrew is quite a decent sort and though he thinks Carly is slightly deranged with all her strange uttering and fantastical tales he does treat her well. This is also relatively slow burn and bar the one obvious villain aboard the phoenix everyone treats Carly well. She makes friends settles in and endears herself to the crew. I did think that considering her background as a fighter we’d see a bit more oomph from her though but Carly is actually quite compliant and fails very quickly for Andrew. She also continues to try and convince him of her real identity.

This was fairly a predictable read and it’s dual POV which I prefer. It’s probably on the more sweet romantic side and I did like how this eventually resolved itself though there was a minute I was worried and thought it was going to be one of those annoying time travel romances with an unsatisfying conclusion. It wasn’t this had a sweet plausible HEA.

I will say I was slightly disappointed that them being pirates and all that they weren’t well more dastardly. They were all just so nice and normal and respectful except for the token baddy that is. Oh well, overall this was a nice enough read.



Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com

[Beth F · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't care for the beginning and the end was preposterous. But the middle part wasn't too bad. $20 says that in a few weeks I won't remember anything about this book.

So that's all I have to say about that.

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is typical of an early Susan Grant story, where a clever use of scifi or time-travel or whatever provides the setting for an angst-ridden romance. I picked up this book as I was in the mood for more pirates. Of course, the pirate captain was a good soul, and the lords of England were evil, so all was justified. Poor Carly, trapped on a ship out of time, has forgotten everything she knew about being a strong modern woman. Ignoring that (which wasn't easy), this is a well built romance. For those that care (like me), the sex scenes were sultry but not overly detailed.

Ms Grant's later books are much better.

[N Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lieutenant Carly Ann Callahan is your modern female soldier. But when this U. S. Navy fighter pilot goes down in a storm off the coast of Spain, her plane isn’t the only thing lost. Where is the training on what to do when you are pulling from the sea … in 1821?
Sir Andrew Spencer is the bastard son of the Duke of Westridge. Once he was a Captain in the British Navy, a hero, even a knight, now he is a pirate. On his ship the Phoenix he seeks revenge on his cousin Richard, the current Duke of Westridge. When Carly is mistaken for Richard’s fiancée Amanda Paxton, she is caught up in Spencer’s plans.
Can Carly convince this pirate that she isn’t Amanda? Can she get back to her time or she stuck in the past for life? What will Spencer do with her if she can’t help with his revenge?
If I didn’t know that this was Ms. Grant’s first book I wouldn’t have been able to tell. I’m not usually one for time travel tales, but this was invigorating. The plot was wonderfully original, and the detail is engaging. Whether Ms. Grant is describing a modern F-18C fighter jet or the deck of the Phoenix you can easily picture yourself there. The characters are fully developed and true on many historical points. While still making it easy to feel for them and cheer their loyalty. This is a wonderful read and should be added to your shelves if you like pirates, soldiers, or love that last though time.
I am voluntarily posting my review after receiving an ARC copy of this book so generously provided by the author.

[Susani · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Saly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hit a bad reading streak last-weekend and this was one snooze-fest of a read that didn't pull me in. Nothing seemed to happen in this and h/H just seemed to spend their time at sea.

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much tell and not show. I never felt an emotional connection between the characters, and I cared more about the secondary characters than our MCs.

[Helen Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you could want in a time travel pirate adventure. Would read more pirate romances by the same author.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel! Yuck! I find it jarring to hear twenty-first century language in 1821. Not my cup of tea. To add to that, the story itself was not terribly interesting. I do not know much about female navy officers, but I found it less than convincing that this one knew no hand-to-hand combat. I also found it less than convincing, no matter how much he wanted it not to be true, that when faced with things like zippers and velcro, the nineteenth century pirate still thought she was from his present time and her name was something other than what was stitched on her jacket. Logically it just didn't hang together well.

[Ngarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book published in 2000, read in 2025.
A time-slip romance of a Navy fighter pilot Carly, who ends up back in time, rescued by a pirate ship.
This is a fun read. Low-angst with some action and lots of romance.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was Susan Grant's debut and I could tell. I read both her books in the '2176' series and CONTACT and I enjoyed this author, so after reading this I could see how much she has improved in her writing over the years.

ONCE A PIRATE is a time-travel romance with a weak heroine who is suppose to be a fighter pilot during present times. She is the center of a bitter feud in the past between our hero, Andrew Spencer, and Richard, the Duke of Westridge. Hence, the reason she travels in time.

Besides our milk-toast heroine I found the story lacking that important tension/chemistry that is needed in a good romance. The plot was simple and after finishing the story I wondered if I could have used my time doing other things.

[Rachel Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great, solid, time-travel romance. Really great prose and dialog, well-thought out and exciting story, and smexy sex scenes. Her writing is detailed enough to really bring you into the setting, but it's not purple or overdone.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! I described this book a little bit to my husband when I first started, and he said "Wow. She (the author) wrote a book specifically for you, didn't she?" Yes! As a pilot myself, I'm always looking for books with a smart amazing heroine. This one combines that with pirates, going back in time, and good romance! And boy, what a twist at the end! Can't wait to find the authors other books!

[K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I sure did real some trash when I was a teenager. I remember hating the ending - do epilogues always have to end with the couple being deliriously happy because they have 2+ children? (Oh yeah, spoiler alert: they end up together.)

[EvilAntie Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be Still My Heart

Pirates...of all the books I just love stories of pirates -Andrew is just the best ever and Carly just deserves the very best pirate of them all. 6 stars if I only Grant 6 stars.

[Lisa DeVore · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started this book I didn't know what to expect. Reading the blurb, I was confused. A pirate and an airplane in the same book? I LOVED the crossing between times. A fun read!

[Diane Quist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak. Main female character was pretty silly. If you want strong female characters, this is not for you. I did, however, get a kick out of the pirate crew.

[Sandra Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good romance, with likable characters. It is called a time-travel romance, but it really isn't that -- I won't give spoilers, but it turns out to be something other than true time-travel that brings the couple together.

This book gets 3.5 stars from me, rounded up to 4 stars. I had never read anything by Susan Grant before, but this one was good enough that I will look for other books she has written.

I enjoyed the book, but thought the story, especially the ending, was a bit far-fetched. I get that it was meant to be a fantasy, but it was still a bit too "out there" for my taste.

I did get a little irritated with Andrew at first, when he was so set on revenge. He didn't seem to care that he could be hurting Carly (who he thought was someone else) badly by kidnapping her. He did get a lot better as the story went on, but it bothered me that is took him so long to realize that he should not have kidnapped her. It also bothered me that it took him so long to believe that Carly wasn't the person he thought she was. It made sense that he wouldn't believe she was from a different time, but why wouldn't he believe that she was not Amanda? It seemed to me he didn't believe because he wanted her to be Amanda, since he could use her for revenge.

I liked Carly, but didn't think she would have adjusted to life on an 18th century pirate ship as well as she did. I found it difficult to believe she would actually be happier there than back in her own time.

My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.

[Dr. Pepper Fantasies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and Poignant

I wasn't sure if the premise was going to work for me. I was expecting a lot less, but reading this I stumbled onto a must-buy book.

The characters were really well developed. They bring everything together and make you want to believe in miracles-which Susan Grant delivered against all odds in my opinion.

My only complaint, I selfishly wanted more of the couple as a happy couple. There was plenty of action and turmoil. The bad guy oozed and made you wish for a hand sanitizer bath after his pages.

The supporting characters were so vivid. I wanted more. Not because they were flat, but because they breathed and touched your heart. I was really happy with how the author handled the dramatic movement of the hero/heroine into the clutches of the antagonist. While the two leads move into danger, the reader gets to believe in hope for the other characters you have come to care about during the book.

I am thrilled Susan Grant has returned to the Romance genre. I missed out when she initially came onto the scene. Thank you for Theo, Cuddy, Andrew, and Carly Mrs. Grant. They nursed me through troubled and stormy waters.

[Eubie Toro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once a Pirate was definitely a good read. I loved that the heroine was a modern day pilot who ends up in the past and falls for a dashing pirate! So much of the story was plausible enough that a person could start getting ideas about time travel... The characters were well-developed and relatable, and the story moved along at a steady pace. Some of the exchanges between the couple seemed a little cliche, but I still felt that the story was altogether enjoyable. I never once felt that things happened that couldn't have happened in real life and there were moments where I wanted revenge for the characters. But, everything worked out and I loved how it all tied together at the end. Definitely a recommended read!

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

[KARLA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once upon a time a pirate and a pilot...

Met 180 before our time.
Pirates' stories are well used and abused, but this one is a fresh air.
Lieutenant Pilot Carly Ann Callahan is dropped by parachute in the middle of a pirates' raid. Saved by the captain of the pirates, Andrew Spencer, it takes a while to Carly figure out that she is not on 21th century anymore. And from here goes a story that will captivate you.
The only thing that is difficult to accept is that a well trained Lieutenant from US Air Force isn't exactly up to level with her warrior performance. Lots of situations a well trained militar wouldn't act as she did. But, this is fiction for our entertainment, so everything goes. This book is a nice one, and will take you to 19th century pirates and Regency times for some fun with a happy ending.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Navy pilot Carly Callahan's had a tough few months with her mother dying, boyfriend walking out on her pregnancy and then a miscarriage. When her plane goes down over the ocean en route to her 6 month carrier assignment, and she ends up 180 years earlier in the middle of a feud, she's not sure what to expect. Sir Andrew Spencer picks her up on his pirate ship thinking she's his half-brother's intended. He's determined to ransom her. Eventually she proves she's from a later time and not Amanda, although after finding a picture of Amanda, discovers they look alike. She and Andrew fall in love and marry, but are captured by his evil brother. An explosion sends them both back to the future where they live happily ever after.

Some sex, fun story.

[Linda C · Rating 3 out of 5]

During a freak storm in the Atlantic Lt Carly Callahan's fighter jet goes down. When surfaces she finds herself in the water next to a pirate ship in 1821. Captain Andrew Spencer assumes he is hauling in Lady Amanda, betrothed of his mortal enemy to be held for ransom. Over the next 6 weeks Carly tries to convince him of his mistake as she adapts to ship life and crew. Fun time-travel romance.

[Jamoz23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a lovely sweet read.
Well done for a time travel story as it blended fact and fiction well and was believable.
I am just trying to work out how he ended up a Lord.
I would have done a genealogy/history search to find out what happened back then.
Read this time in the box set SKYFALL but originally read many years ago.

[Chanell White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect time travel romance

This book is very well written and has some unexpected twists in the story that make it even more unique. I’ve read many time travel books and this is definitely one of my top three. Once I started reading this I could not put it down. If you are into romance, pirates, and time travel, look no further.

[Diane Horne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once A Pirate By Susan Grant

Five stars, good time travel romance storyline.. Carly a military pilot crashes into the sea and is sent back in time.. Andrew a bastard Duke son is a pirate, who thinks Carly is someone else.. Through all the mystery, and confusion they fall in love.. Drama comes to an exciting conclusion.. Good book

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once a Pirate

A pirate saves a women from drowning.After a long time of arguing he finally believes she is from the future. They fall in love but someone’s after them to kill them. During a storm the pirate and the woman go to the future safe. Only Susan Grant can write such an exciting book. ❤️

[Peggy Kuntz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

What a great book! I was hooked from the very beginning. Action, adventure, romance, and love all have a place I n this book. I highly recommend this book. It was wonderful!!

[Sheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books by this author and loved them. I enjoy time travel stories, so when I found this one I had to get it. I really enjoyed it. It had a twist towards the end I wasn't expecting and found interesting.