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The Captain's Doxy
Degraded by Lust...
Homeless, friendless, and pursued by the law for stabbing a lecherous nobleman in defense of her honor, lovely Katy Coswell was abducted aboard the pirate ship Hawk, where she was forced to share the bed of cruel and relentless James Bartlett, captain of the buccaneers.
Exalted by Passion...
At first overcome by shame and revulsion at the lusty captain's amorous advances, Katy soon found herself responding with equal ardor, as his caresses aroused her to a frenzy of desire. Now her only fear was that Jamie would never return her love!
Homeless, friendless, and pursued by the law for stabbing a lecherous nobleman in defense of her honor, lovely Katy Coswell was abducted aboard the pirate ship Hawk, where she was forced to share the bed of cruel and relentless James Bartlett, captain of the buccaneers.
Exalted by Passion...
At first overcome by shame and revulsion at the lusty captain's amorous advances, Katy soon found herself responding with equal ardor, as his caresses aroused her to a frenzy of desire. Now her only fear was that Jamie would never return her love!
480 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1980
70 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 2, 2010
'The Captain's Doxy'(copyright 1980) was a disopointing book for me. For starters the begining of the book was just way to close to 'The Flame And The Flower' b Kathleen E. Woodiwiss(copyright 1972). In the begining of both books the h is a girl born to the working class, there is an attempted rape by a titled person in wich she stabs him. Thinking that she killed him,she runs. The h ends up at a sea port and is mistaken for a prostitute. The H is the captain of a ship and his men think that he needs a women for their next trip to ease the hurt from another women. The H's men, mistaken the h for a prostitute, brings her aboard the ship and gives her to the captain. The H thinks that the whole scared virgin act is just that,an act and proceeds to rape her. At this point he realises that she was telling the truth but with the damage already done he continues to rape her, over and over.
After this the book does seem to go in it's own direction but it had already lost me. So many things happen that have me rolling my eyes, maybe if this was the first bodice ripper that I had read I would have thought differently but I know there is so much better books than this one.
After this the book does seem to go in it's own direction but it had already lost me. So many things happen that have me rolling my eyes, maybe if this was the first bodice ripper that I had read I would have thought differently but I know there is so much better books than this one.
June 19, 2023
*2.75 this book was a hot mess, to say the least🤣 I’m giving it the rating that I am because I did enjoy the adventure aspect of the novel and it was easy to read. The endless typos, constant major dickishness and abusiveness of the supposed “hero” and the blatant racism that was present in this book made it hard to read at times and brought the rating down quite a bit. I wouldn’t say that I hate this novel, but I definitely didn’t love it or really even like it. I went into it expecting typical old school bodice ripper so certain aspects weren’t as jarring, but that doesn’t mean that I liked them or that they were any less abhorrent. Onto Gentle Warrior by Julie Garwood that I am sure I will enjoy much more!🙂
September 11, 2011
So this one killed my desire to read romance books for several years, and even colors my review of romance even today. I don't care if it was pre-feminist; I don't care that rape fantasies exist. I'm sorry, if she escapes one rape, and then is raped by a man who is really sorry, but he thought she was doxy - there is no difference between either of the men. Sorry. She should have stabbed them both, instead of just the one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2022
While I didn't care for everything (like the usual "You're a virgin!!! I thought you were a whore!" nonsense), the book is worth reading for its depiction of life in a plantation. Aside from the stereotypical fat black woman who really runs the plantation house without the credit and has words of love and wisdom (not to mention a stern talking to when needed) and who you can't help but love, this book shows what slavery was. There are black men used as studs (to make future slaves when importing them became illegal), black women used as breeders (or as mistresses to their masters), whippings, sales, the whole not-so-pretty picture. It's no wonder there were rebellions; it's a wonder there weren't more of them. While I don't approve of all the violence and innocent people getting hurt or killed, that works both ways. Whites did terrible things to blacks, blacks rebelled and did terrible things to whites, blacks were punished by whites, on and on. This book didn't skimp on details so it's not for the faint of heart.
I'm convinced there could have been an alternative to the slave system. Quakers had sharecropping; some people hired Natives (though I don't imagine they paid them much) and since many southerners complained about the expense of feeding, clothing and housing slaves, if they hired them instead, they wouldn't have to worry about those things. If paid a salary, they'd have to feed, clothe and house themselves. (It may have proved cost effective in the long run.) They'd have to work somewhere, and not being forced to stay, or hunted down and tortured if you try to leave, might make them willing to hang around. How about a few kind words, some thanks for a job well done, treating them like people instead of property?
But I digress. The story could have been better, as far as the H and h are concerned, because too much of it was about the issues the H had with his parents, and the fact that he was illegitimate. It doesn't take a psychiatrist to know why this guy's so troubled, with the parents-from-hell he had! His mother was an alley cat, who screwed her husband's brother (the H's father and dad was a real pig, whose hobby was sticking his dick between as many women's legs as he could. He even tried to seduce the h, his own daughter-in-law! (Unfortunately, she had a moment when she responded to his kiss, due to her estrangement from the H and the strong resemblance between father and son, but she soon regretted that and felt guilty, despite her hubby having bedroom fun with a sexy slave girl.) The H's mom, meanwhile, was insane half the time, imagining her son was her husband, yelling one minute, crying the next, then acting like a proper society matron, then jealous of her daughter-in-law, whom her husband kept trying to sleep with. The best thing Mom and Dad Horrors did was when they both dropped dead. Good riddance to them!
There was on and off conflict between the H and h, most of it because of his inability to show his feelings, hiding behind an angry (or horny) facade. The h loved him, but at times she wanted to strangle him. It takes a while for issues to be resolved and for them to really have a marriage.
Meanwhile, there was a doctor who saved the h's life, (and went through plenty in his own life) and the first mate of the H's ship who was a good friend, and couldn't help falling for the h. Both deserved a HEA of their own.
The book's worth reading, but had the couple been more of a couple instead of strangers who shared orgasms for most of the story, it would have been much better.
I'm convinced there could have been an alternative to the slave system. Quakers had sharecropping; some people hired Natives (though I don't imagine they paid them much) and since many southerners complained about the expense of feeding, clothing and housing slaves, if they hired them instead, they wouldn't have to worry about those things. If paid a salary, they'd have to feed, clothe and house themselves. (It may have proved cost effective in the long run.) They'd have to work somewhere, and not being forced to stay, or hunted down and tortured if you try to leave, might make them willing to hang around. How about a few kind words, some thanks for a job well done, treating them like people instead of property?
But I digress. The story could have been better, as far as the H and h are concerned, because too much of it was about the issues the H had with his parents, and the fact that he was illegitimate. It doesn't take a psychiatrist to know why this guy's so troubled, with the parents-from-hell he had! His mother was an alley cat, who screwed her husband's brother (the H's father and dad was a real pig, whose hobby was sticking his dick between as many women's legs as he could. He even tried to seduce the h, his own daughter-in-law! (Unfortunately, she had a moment when she responded to his kiss, due to her estrangement from the H and the strong resemblance between father and son, but she soon regretted that and felt guilty, despite her hubby having bedroom fun with a sexy slave girl.) The H's mom, meanwhile, was insane half the time, imagining her son was her husband, yelling one minute, crying the next, then acting like a proper society matron, then jealous of her daughter-in-law, whom her husband kept trying to sleep with. The best thing Mom and Dad Horrors did was when they both dropped dead. Good riddance to them!
There was on and off conflict between the H and h, most of it because of his inability to show his feelings, hiding behind an angry (or horny) facade. The h loved him, but at times she wanted to strangle him. It takes a while for issues to be resolved and for them to really have a marriage.
Meanwhile, there was a doctor who saved the h's life, (and went through plenty in his own life) and the first mate of the H's ship who was a good friend, and couldn't help falling for the h. Both deserved a HEA of their own.
The book's worth reading, but had the couple been more of a couple instead of strangers who shared orgasms for most of the story, it would have been much better.
June 30, 2020
This book had some potential in the beginning, but wow, it went downhill fast. Katy is nearly raped by her guardian, then flees him only to end up in the arms of another rapist. She is taken aboard James's ship, repeatedly raped as well as physically abused. James never apologizes or attempts to treat Katy better. Before long, Katy decides she is deeply in love with James. Her love grows so strong for him that it nearly kills her when he won't say that he loves her in return, which is laughable in itself.
Katy supposedly cares so much about her child when she becomes pregnant, that at the first time her relationship struggles due to James being unfulfilled, she's willing to risk the baby's life to just be with him. "We can have other babies.". Really?
Weirdly enough, Katy is desired by just about every man in her life so it didn't really surprise me when several of them put the moves on her/try to rape her, including James's father. Nor did it surprise me when Katy standing up to James somehow led him into the arms of another woman (a slave woman who he treated like trash).
Don't even get me started on the slave situation. No wonder they rebelled? These people were treated appallingly, even up to the bitter end. One minute Katy wanted to fight for someone, the next it was, why does James have to be working out in the fields like the slaves. In the end, everyone just had to stand by and watch as James did as he pleased to his slaves.
To top it all off, James abandons Katy once again. Katy then abandons her child with whomever, probably the poor wetnurse/slave Amanda, to ride out to James's ship to convince him she never cheated on him (even though he cheated on her) and that she loves him. Suddenly, all is forgiven and Katy and James are happy together and so in love once again.
Honestly, I was rooting for something more to come of Katy's true family and she would go on to a better life. Or for her and James's indentured servant, Billy, to find happiness together.
Katy supposedly cares so much about her child when she becomes pregnant, that at the first time her relationship struggles due to James being unfulfilled, she's willing to risk the baby's life to just be with him. "We can have other babies.". Really?
Weirdly enough, Katy is desired by just about every man in her life so it didn't really surprise me when several of them put the moves on her/try to rape her, including James's father. Nor did it surprise me when Katy standing up to James somehow led him into the arms of another woman (a slave woman who he treated like trash).
Don't even get me started on the slave situation. No wonder they rebelled? These people were treated appallingly, even up to the bitter end. One minute Katy wanted to fight for someone, the next it was, why does James have to be working out in the fields like the slaves. In the end, everyone just had to stand by and watch as James did as he pleased to his slaves.
To top it all off, James abandons Katy once again. Katy then abandons her child with whomever, probably the poor wetnurse/slave Amanda, to ride out to James's ship to convince him she never cheated on him (even though he cheated on her) and that she loves him. Suddenly, all is forgiven and Katy and James are happy together and so in love once again.
Honestly, I was rooting for something more to come of Katy's true family and she would go on to a better life. Or for her and James's indentured servant, Billy, to find happiness together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2025
DNF after 36%
It was a deliberate DNF.
After I came to 36% mark, where the MCs have already declared there love and are going to marry each other, I don’t know what’s the point of reading it any further. I tried to get info from other reviews. And I’m done.
It seems there’s unnecessary ow drama. And H sleeps with the ow. And he enjoys his time with her. Ugh….
He also leaves h and then she goes after him leaving there child.
I think it’s end of the book for me when they declare love around 36%.
Beginning was interesting. Interesting in the sense for me. Because it’s whole lot of toxic relationship between the MCs. A typical bodice ripping (which I like). 3 stars till that part.
It was a deliberate DNF.
After I came to 36% mark, where the MCs have already declared there love and are going to marry each other, I don’t know what’s the point of reading it any further. I tried to get info from other reviews. And I’m done.
It seems there’s unnecessary ow drama. And H sleeps with the ow. And he enjoys his time with her. Ugh….
He also leaves h and then she goes after him leaving there child.
I think it’s end of the book for me when they declare love around 36%.
Beginning was interesting. Interesting in the sense for me. Because it’s whole lot of toxic relationship between the MCs. A typical bodice ripping (which I like). 3 stars till that part.
September 16, 2010
Ah, in the time before feminist sensibilities... Really, really awful. I kept reading to see whether the captain would be redeemed, but he doesn't - he remains a brutal abuser which we're supposed to find sexy or something. Violent to the point of masochism, it really says a lot about the author's psychology. It could have been an enjoyable historical romance if it wasn't for the deeply dodgy ongoing subtext of rape. Read if you want to get an idea of how not to write a romance novel in today's world!
September 6, 2013
Just ran across an old list of books I hated in the 80's.
October 11, 2014
funny at times
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews