Lady Pirate

by Lynsay Sands

Valoree no longer has to masquerade as her murdered brother and scourge the oceans as Captain Red. She no longer has to command his pirate band in a quest to regain his birthright. She has been named heir to Ainsley Castle. But no executor would ever hand over the estate to an unmarried pirate wench and her infamous crew—no matter to whom she'd been born. And the will distinctly states that in order to inherit, Valoree must be married to a nobleman... and pregnant.

Upon learning that, the virgin captain is ready to return to the seas—but her crew has other ideas—and for those rascally cusses she would do anything. If they could find a way to put on her a sweet face that would fool the ton, she would handle the rest, even with a drunken prostitute as an "aunt" and her merry cutthroat crew as "servants." But to herself she swears one she will only marry a man who fires her blood, a man who is not afraid of a... Lady Pirate.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Pirates, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Adult

363 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author who is known for her hysterical historicals as well as the popular Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series. With her witty and charming personality, Sands describes books as, “Waking dreams or stories, tales to amuse, entertain and distract us from everyday life.” She’s been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus. Visit her official website at www.lynsaysands.net.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars (rounded up b/c it's readable)

Well, I'm on a Lynsay Sands kick and I'm trying to expand my 'knowledge' of Pirate Romance, so I genuinely thought this would be a winner.
Eh. The best I can say is that this was sorta ok.
I know, I know! You're shocked that 16 year old book called Lady Priate didn't blow me away, right?



There were parts that I thought were genuinely cute or funny and they would redeem the story enough so that I could keep reading, but there were also some things that I found genuinely annoying.
I know I've mentioned this before in reviews, but I'm just not a fan of spelling names oddly in books. I mean, I have to look at it overandoverandoverandover, and it just works my nerves.
Valoree. Ugh. Really? The spelling reminded me of how confusing the word banana used to be to me and my friends when we were kids.
Banananananana...wait. How many na's?
Valoreeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
How 'bout just...Valerie? What's wrong with that, huh? I know this may come as a shock, but not every reader likes pretentious spelling.



Then there was Valoree, herself. I'm torn on how I feel about her.
I get that she's spent the last 8 years on a pirate ship pretending to be a man, so yeah, she's bound to be rough around the edges, but sometimes it just felt fake. When she was climbing walls and hiding injuries, it felt like she was tough. But when she was clomping around, guzzling rum, & acting blatantly rude in general...it felt like she was one of those annoying girls who (for whatever reason) constantly and loudly announces that she's suuuuch a tomboy.
All. The. Time.
Blech. Like anyone fucking cares. Makes you want to punch 'em in the tit.



Or maybe that was just me.

However.
I loved the way she fought to keep her independence! <--LOVED!
I think her plan to try to marry a wimpy man that she could run over was actually pretty solid...at first.
But why marry at all?
I'm glad you asked, random Goodreader!

In order for her to inherit her family's estate, the will states that she must be married to a noble and either have a child or be pregnant with one by her next birthday. Of course, Daniel is a Lord who just happens to have found out (same time, same office) that he ALSO has to be married in order to collect the $$ from his grandmother's will. Problem solved for both of them, except she believes he's too dominant for her purposes. Also, she used to be (still is, sorta) a pirate.<--there's more to the story, but that's enough to get you started.



While I liked her original motives, after a while avoiding marriage to Daniel got on my nerves. They were both very attracted to each other (lots of heavy make-out sessions), he likes her quirks, he's funny and easy to talk to, and he keeps asking her to marry him. I mean, I get her initial reluctance, but I think it would have been easier to just let him know that she wasn't going to go along with it if he decided to try to lord it over her when/if they got married. And while I do love the back-and-forth thing in romances, if it goes on waaaaay too long or get waaaaay too crazy, my eyes glaze over and I start to check out.
By the end? Boy, did this get wacky...



I liked Daniel well enough. Too bad he wasn't paired up with a more likable heroine because he was pretty much what I look for in a fantasy guy. Sadly, Valoree's idiotic stunts towards the end made me wonder what in the world he saw in her. Just...no.



Around the last 30% the story just went completely off the rails and took a trip to WTFland. All these little unnecessary side plots started rapidly tidying up in pretty inorganic ways.
Someone is (maybe) trying to kill Valoree + Her fake aunt has a secret origin + One of her suitors may be someone's dead (only not dead) baby + The pirate who killed her brother is still at large + Gotta get preggo! + Will the king charge Valoree with treason? + Can Daniel open up and treat Valoree like an adult human with a working mind? + Valoree needs to stop sulking like a child = Clusterfuck.



Still, at the very end, Valoree kicked ass pretty hard. To me, it gave some redemption to the asinine way she acted during other parts of the story.



It's a readable story, but ultimately not what I was looking for to scratch my Pirate itch.
{insert syphilis joke here}

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on a pirate kick and have actually owned this book for quite some time. I found the audiobook on hoopla and decided to give it a try.

When this book started, I loved the storyline and found all of the characters so endearing. Since Valoree and her crew are pirates, they haven't been in society in years. When it comes to finding Valoree a man to marry and have a child with in order to gain her father's inheritance, it was so fun watching the pirates and Valoree try to fit into society. In the beginning, this just felt like a regular historical romance about a woman trying to fit into society and not so much like a pirate romance. But, about halfway through, more pirate-y things started happening and I was loving it!

I will say, when Valoree and Daniel's relationship progressed, I was not a fan of how much Valoree was willing to give up her power and status as the pirate captain in order to try and be a lady for the men on the ship and for Daniel. She was so adamant on marrying a man who was not too hard to control, which is why she pushed Daniel away so much, so it was sad to me that she would just give up control so easily and without a fight. The ending, though, was actually really fun and I enjoyed the turn this story ended up taking.

The romance in this book was so much fun and I loved how much Valoree tried to resist Daniel but just couldn't. The friendships and bonds Valoree has with her crew are great and I would definitely recommend picking this up!

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that's another old LS that I love.

The first 20% was slow for me. I almost gave up (they barely had any interaction then). I was waiting for the plot.

Then, it arrived. And it was glorious. I love every second of it. I love the lovable pirates and their shenanigans. I love the ever persuading and charming hero. I love the heroine who gives as hard as she gets.

And the 'pillaging' scene between the hero and the heroine.... CHEF'S KISS. It was really reaaallly good scene. I couldn't believe LS could deliver a scene as good as that. I demand this satisfaction every time, Ms Sands!

[Hannah B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Banger

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read : 2010 - 2015
Reread:6/27/20

I loved it! This was a different kind of hr. I couldn't stop laughing....it was just soo ridiculously funny! The h is the captain of a pirate ship whose crew wants her married, so they can inherited land as well.

They pirates don't offer the best advice. To appease them, the h attends several balls, which results in calamity and hilarity. Just thinking about them makes me laugh.

How is she to find the perfect man?

[SmartBitches · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

TW: discussion of rape and sexual assault

I’ve felt like I’ve had a vitamin deficiency for the past few months, and I finally realized what I needed to correct it. I needed crazysauce. I needed banana-crackers.

Valoree (the names!) is the captain of a pirate ship, the Valor (get it?). She and her brother were the children of some peer or another, and discovered when Valoree was about 8 or so that their guardian had bled their inheritance dry. Nothing left to do but acquire a ship and a letter of marque and go a-pirating to get enough money to restore the estate. As one does.

Fast forward a few years and Val has spent most of her life pretending to be the cabin boy, and then her brother gets murdered in the course of their pirating and she takes over as captain and then the crew finds out that she’s a women and everyone is surprisingly fine with that. Then they find out that according to her father’s will, if she wants to inherit the estate, she needs to marry and be pregnant with a potential heir by the time she’s 25. At the time she’s finds this out, she’s got 9 months.

Luckily, at the same time with the same solicitor, Daniel, the Peer of Something, also needs to marry and beget an heir in order to inherit his grandmother’s many many many thousands of pounds.

The pirate crew all vote that Valoree should try to get hitched, which she says she’s uncool with, but they voted and pirate ships are a democracy (which is accurate, actually) and so they rent a house and acquire an old woman who needs an occupation to pose as Val’s aunt and the pirates all play at being servants while they all acquire invites to various soirees so Val can meet a dude to marry.

Val thinks she needs a weak dude because she’s all used to independence, and Daniel’s like, all strong and alpha and shit, so even though they a) can solve each other’s problems b) can’t keep their fucking hands off of each other, including dry-humping in the garden, and c) can’t stop thinking about each other at ALL, she rejects him several times.

Eventually the pirate crew is like “FUCK ALL OF THIS” and kidnap them both, and somewhere along the line Val threatens to have Daniel hanged (for Reasons) so that sets things back a bit, and then the book hits a point where I just can’t anymore.

Daniel doesn’t want to deal with Val because she tried to hang him, and she NEEDS to get married and get knocked up, so she has the crew go ashore and acquire a minister and has them get Daniel SO DRUNK he marries her and signs the contract without knowing what he was doing. That’s all bad enough, but she also tries to fuck him while he’s unconscious (NOPE) and when that doesn’t work, she has him brought ashore, lays him out, and waits for him to wake up so she could make his dick work and fuck him that way.

Okay, no. Yes, sure, he’s mad but ultimately into it. BUT NO. Just because it’s female on male rape does not make it okay. And she married and tried to fuck him while he was too drunk to know what was happening. NO NO NO. Nothing about that is okay, and yes, I finished the book but only out of spite.

Up until the whole rape business, I was enjoying myself. Sands was not taking things seriously and was letting the wacky flag fly with this crew of pirates who just want their captain to be happy, even in spite of herself. And as the crew and Valoree try to navigate society, wackiness ensues, including using cake batter and raspberries as makeup. Like, some of the details weren’t right, but that only detracted somewhat.

But then we get to this whole rape thing and that just killed it dead. I know this was originally published in 2001, and we were still in the transition out of the Old School rapiness. But we were transitioning out, and equating the rape with the comedy and thinking it’s funny because it’s female on male just is a NO. This made me SO MAD. This was a reissue, and there had to have been the option of reworking it. It wouldn’t have even needed a huge massive re-write.

I needed some crazysauce. I got some crazysauce to put on my banana-crackers, but MAN I could have done without the rapiness.

- Redheadedgirl

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 3 out of 5]

So.. I did it. I finished it.. I don't quite know what IT is, but I did it...

This book was too exhausting for me to even get into.

But.. It started off fun. Great premise, cool crew of pirates..

And then it spun off the wheels for me.

This heroine likes to talk a lot and not really say anything important.

These two characters needed to freaking communicate.

Thats it. I'm done not.

[Lorrie Moar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg!!! This book was so damn funny, so damn wonderful, just so damn everything good! I freaking love Lynsay Sands and every damn book that I've read of hers!

[Trin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad. Every time it seemed something subversive or even just interesting would happen, it was immediately undermined -- including, even, the essentials of the premise. She is a pirate (she's a privateer) captain who commands a crew of men (they consistently order her around). She engages a sex worker to teach her about London society (the woman is not actually a sex worker but a proper lady in disguise). Her love interest is a pirate hunter (he is the most boring man alive who as far as I can recall never does anything). This book should be fun-bad but is, as stated, just bad-bad. But maybe I'll steal the basic premise and write an OFMD AU to make myself feel better.

[ReadToBreathe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta tell you I enjoyed this book. Of course I listened to it on audio so I didn't have to deal with weird-spelling-names. (Valoree?)
It was funny and sweet. Great characters, especially Back From the Dead Red.
Good book, fun read.

[Севдалина · Rating 4 out of 5]

Валъри и Дейниъл

📣🚨🛑РЕВЮ СЪДЪРЖАЩО СПОЙЛЕРИ🛑🚨📣

След смъртта на родителите им, и осъзнавайки, че настойника им е изхарчил наследството им, Валъри и по-големият й брат осъзнават, че да се върнат у дома и да възстановят дома си ще имат нужда от много пари. За целта брат й продава бижутата на майка им, купувайки кораб и подписва договор да бъде капер за кралят на Англия. Валъри, едва единадесет годишна, бива преоблечена като момче и събирайки екипаж, отплават за карибите, където да плячкосват испанските кораби от името на краля. Събрали огромно богатство, екипажът и капитана му решават да се оттеглят, но биват пленени и жестоко избити, а богатствата им заграбени. По една случайност, част от екипажа, заедно с Валъри остават на брега, и сега откривайки капитана и останалите мъже от екипажа избири, се заклеват да отмъстят. Най-логичното е Валъри да стане техен капитан, макар да е само на деветнадесет години, тъй като е брат на капитана, който е обещал на моряците, че щом съберат достатъчно богатство, че възстановят имотите му, ще им даде дом и работа при себе си. И така пет години Валъри е капитан на кораба на брат си кръстосвайки моретата в събиране на богатство и в търсене на убийците на брат й и екипажа му. Докато не идва деня в който Валъри е събрала достатъчно богатства, че тя и мъжете й да се оттеглят и да поиска наследството, което й се пада по право.

Дейниъл е възмутен. Макар да е наследил титла и земи от баща си, той няма богатството нужно за да ги подържа. След смъртта на баща му, научава, че парите са се изпарили, а от работата му за короната, като връзка между краля и каперите му, не е спестил достатъчно, че да може да подържа наследствената си земя. Сега, след смъртта на баба му, той очаква да получи парите, които му е наследила, само за да разбере ужасен, баба му е поставила клауза. Ще получи парите, от които се нуждае едва, когато се ожени за благородна дама, и му се роди наследник. Чудейки се, как може баба му да измисли подобна дивотия, Дейниъл притиска адвоката, който признава, макар и неохотно, че сам е дал идеята, тъй като преди години друг лорд е поставил същите условия, за да може дъщеря му да получи наследствените им земи.

И тази дъщеря е не коя да е, а именно Валъри. Щом научава, че докато навърши 25 години, което ще се случи след 9 месеца, тя трябва да е омъжена, за благородник и да има дете, или поне да е бременна, за да получи наследството си, тя е напълно решена да се откаже. Едно момиче отглеждано като момче на кораб пълен с пирати няма как да успее да хване благородник за толкова кратко време.
Екипажа й обаче, след като е подписал договор с брат й, получавайки права да гласуват за взимането на решения, отнасящи се за живота и здравето на всички тях, единодушно гласува Валъри да се омъжи и така примирена, тя се настанява в къща в Лондон, готова с неохота да започне търсенето на съпруг.

Щом се запознават, първоначално Дейниъл се интересува само от това, дали наистина брат й е жив, защото краля е поискал от него да разучи случая, но не е успял да разбере истината. Но много скоро открива, че Валъри е по-различна от всяка друга жена, която е срещал, и имайки предвид, че и двамата са в едно и също положение, и факта, че между тях прескачат искри, той е убеден, че най-разумното в случая е да се венчаят един за друг. Сега му остава само да убеди Валъри в това.

Книгата беше тоооооолкова забавна. Адски много се смях с Валъри, която израсла сред пирати се държеше безпардонно, заповеднически и нехаеше за нормите във висшето общество. Когато за първата й вечер, вместо с грим наплескаха лицето й със смес за торта и малини, и като започна да съхне сместта се ронеше от лицето й оставяйки следи из цялата бална зала, беше толкова смешно нелепо, че не е истина. И шантавите й пирати, облечени в розови ливреи бяха уникални.

Дейниъл пък беше страхотен в преследването си, не искаше да приеме, че Валъри не го иска за съпруг, само защото не може да го командори, и просто ме спукваше от смях как се мъкнеше при нея, уж случайно, докато е на срещи с ухажорите си, като им се подиграваше и я забавляваше.

Единствената ми забележка е това, че Валъри ме дразнеше с упорството си, отказвайки да приеме предложението му. Дори като искаше да го обеси, та едва я разубедиха ми идеше да я замеря с нещо. Много инатлива героиня, но това беше и част от чара й, и ако беше някоя мекушава, седемдесет мъже нямаше да следват заповедите й, тъй че се преживява. Супер книга.<3

[Lover of Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will be honest that when I started to read this one, I was super excited for this one, and it was pretty easy to get into. I did rotate between the audio and the ebook for this one. And both version were done very well. So if you really love audiobooks, then I highly recommend this one as the narration was done super solid. I have been wanting to read this one ever since it was published and I can't believe it was release over ten years ago!! How has it been that long??!!! I don't even know haha But even though there were some factors to this story that wasn't for me, I still enjoyed it in some ways.

The story sets off with our heroine, Valoree, is a pirate captain and became that after her brother was killed and she got her revenge. Now she learns that she is inheriting to Ainsley Castle, but will need to marry and have an heir. So she and her men (band of pirates) go to England, to find herself a husband. Even though there is one man that she is attracted to, she knows he is just as alpha as she is, and she wouldn't be in control of him, and wants a man she can control. But in her heart, she wants a man who will embrace her life as a lady pirate.

I will be honest, throughout most of this story, this book was a 4-star read for me. I was having a blast with the heroine and the friendship she has with her pirates who are like family to her. And the romance that builds between herself and the hero was so fun. I loved that he was a strong masculine man who made her feel her own feminine side because she is such in a manly role. They had some fabulous banter and great laughs throughout the story, but then it takes a toxic turn when she decides to kidnap the hero, and force a marriage from him when he is too drunk to think straight and would have forced him sexually. And yeah it was too reminiscent of Daphne from the Bridgerton series. To be honest I wanted to DNF this book due to the heroine's actions. In fact, I think I am being generous with my rating.

So while I enjoyed the story for the most part, it did have some toxic elements to actions from the heroine that affected my enjoyment of the story.

[Justin Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A decent historical romance-comedy that started out strong, then limped to its ho-hum conclusion. With a premise about a female pirate trying desperately to be married off in order to secure her inheritance, the first 2/3 of the book was a solid wild ride thanks to its collection of wacky sidekicks, and a slew of madcap scenarios. Unfortunately the budding romance (great while it lasted) kind of peaked and plateaued with a good chunk of its page count still left unaccounted for, resulting in an undesirable narrative shift, focusing on unnecessarily complex family drama involving flat secondary characters.

Lady Pirate was my first read from author Lynsay Sands; even though the lopsided story structure and some odd character development choices made this just an above-average read, there are enough likable elements here (passionate writing, and it was legitimately funny at times!) for me to continue seeking out her work—hopefully the next one will be even better!

**Buddy Read with Jenn (The Book Refuge)**

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the deaths of her parents and guardian Valoree was raised aboard her brother's pirate ship. In order to protect her, she was disguised as a boy the entire time, with only one crew member knowing her secret. Her brother's plan was to acquire enough money to restore the estate he's inherited, then retire from the sea. He had promised his crew that they would have a place with him. Just as Jeremy had reached his goal, he was captured and tortured by another pirate, and the money stolen. Valoree took over as captain, determined to avenge her brother and to replace the riches and follow her brother's plan, all the while keeping her secret from the crew. That plan hits a bump in the road, however, when she discovers that to inherit, she must be married to a nobleman and either have a child or be pregnant by the time she's twenty-five years old - only nine months away. She's ready to give it up and return to the sea, but her crew convinces her to give it a try.

Daniel is in a similar predicament. He has inherited the title and the lands, but not the money needed to maintain them. Instead, his grandmother's will states that he must be married and have a child before he can claim the money she has left him. He's not happy about having his hand forced, and his mother's efforts to help are making his life miserable.

Daniel and Valoree meet briefly at the lawyer's office on the day they each find out about the wills' requirements. Daniel is intrigued by Valoree, who is unlike any woman he's ever met and ponders the idea of them joining forces to gain their inheritances. Valoree is determined to find a husband that she can control, retaining her independence. To do so, she must enter society and check out the prospects. There are some pretty funny scenes of the "help" she gets from her loyal but clueless crew members. Her entry into society does not go smoothly, and in each of her attempts, Daniel is there to rescue her. He becomes more intrigued each time and feels an unexpected attraction to her. Valoree also feels the pull but feels that Daniel would not be the compliant husband that she seeks. Her attempt to find said husband results in an influx of worthless fortune hunters and her "interview" process is pretty funny. Daniel has determined that he wants Valoree for his own and inserts himself into her life whenever he can. He also takes advantage of their attraction to press his point. Valoree still resists, until her crew takes it upon themselves to force the issue. The abductions are carried out, but a secret involving Daniel ends up putting them at odds. There are some interesting maneuverings as roles are reversed, and Valoree presses for the marriage and Daniel resists. Valoree's solution is unique but effective, and they end up tying the knot.

But not everything goes smoothly. Valoree's fears are realized when it seems that Daniel has taken over everything in her life. She is left with nothing to do and her resentment builds. It takes Daniel's mother's arrival to open his eyes to what he has been doing. I loved Valoree's reactions to the various instructors and Daniel's cluelessness. Daniel has finally realized that he is in love with her, and his actions were an attempt to take care of her. Unfortunately, Valoree saw them as an attempt to control her. I loved seeing him confess his feelings. Though he wanted to hear that she felt the same, I loved seeing the patience that he had as he waited for her to be able to see it. It took Valoree a while to realize why she was resisting admitting her feelings and I enjoyed the self-examination that had her finally facing the truth.

There was a little bit of suspense/mystery running through the book. There were several "accidents" that happened, putting Valoree's life in danger. The truth behind the attacks came as a surprise as it was not at all what I expected. The final confrontation was good, and I thoroughly enjoyed the punishment that was rendered.

The only thing left was the revenge on the pirate responsible for Jeremy's death. That was wrapped up pretty neatly by the end. It was fun seeing how the relationship between Valoree and Daniel drove their way of dealing with the threat.

As much as I liked Daniel and Valoree, I think I liked the secondary characters even more. Valoree's pirate crew were hilarious and heartwarming. I loved how much they obviously loved and respected her and the lengths they were willing to go to for her. From the pink livery to their "votes" on what was best for her, she was always their top priority.

[Serena Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10
Ha sido un poco decepcionante este libro porque no empatizado con los personajes y la trama tampoco me ha terminado de convencer. No creo que tarde demasiado en olvidar de qué iba esta novela

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't even like romance books.
I was out with some friends and picked this up as a joke because it so clearly screamed "stereotypical trashy romance novel" (yknow like the ones you see pent up wives/middle aged women reading in media) and I just couldn't resist the hilariously expressive cover. I steeled myself for a corny, cliche romantic and ~*~steamy~*~ (lmfao) experiment that I could retell to friends for some laughs.
To be honest? For most of the story, I straight up wasn't mad at it. It was silly and corny and melodramatic in the way that I assumed all cliche, mass-market romance novels had to be and, while it did retain this air of casual eye rolling sexism, it wasn't anything I hadn't expected and actually exceeded my expectations on some fronts. The prose wasn't anything to write home about but it was palatable. I even found myself warming up to the inevitable romance between Val and Daniel. It definitely wasn't ground breaking nor would I say I was invested by any measure, but it felt randomly genuine and Daniel's feelings towards Val were surprisingly...sweet. He treated her well and was obviously intrigued by her and she was similarly interested in him. Their ballroom dancing scene was actually sort of nice in the dialogue department and their romance as it began was not as painfully boring to read as I first assumed.

Halfway through I legitimately resigned myself to giving this book 3 stars for being exactly what I thought it would be but OK because of that.

But just when I thought i'd stumbled across a moderately tolerable Trashy Romance Novel with only mild hints of sexism and misogyny... the second half of the book happened.
Not going to go into too much detail because it's not worth my time but basically Valoree gives up being a captain several times because men tell her to and generally goes against her own wishes to please others. She's robbed of her agency as a person multiple times and this isn't even the worst part. I thought this book would be free of rape-y undertones that I know are so prevalent in romance novels. That was sadly not the case. Even though rape/sexual assault is addressed as being a terrible thing to do to a woman (key word being) the book does a complete 180 on itself and has Val basically halfway sexually assault/rape Daniel. If it sounds like i'm exaggerating i'm not. She literally even says she's going to do "a little raping and pillaging" while Daniel is tied up and unwilling below her. Not to mention, this is after she forcibly marries him to her while he's too inebriated to refuse and after she tries to have sex with him while he's passed out and too drunk to give consent. Of course, Daniel eventually becomes fully willing in the act (despite having been understandably furious) which is more a result of the need for another sex scene in the book than anything realistic. I was pretty much appalled at this sudden drastic change from sweet, bland romance to gross unhealthy-but-painted-as-healthy relationship.

Oh Lady Pirate, what could have been.

[April Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a fantastic time reading this! found family, stubborn pirate heroine, some light kidnapping, lots of shenanigans and unhinged happenings and a hero who says I love you first. I loved this!

[starryeyedjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I didn't like this one quite as much as An English Bride in Scotland, but it was still fun, if not a bit long-winded for all the loose ends that needed tying up.Speaking of being tied up, the sex scenes aren't intensely graphic as they are often wont to be in this type of story, but they still manage to be steamy. I enjoyed the romantic pairing in this novel, most especially because their situations were so similar...as were their personalities. I'm definitely going to continue perusing Lynsay Sands' backlist, though I can't promise I'll venture into her vampire stories.

[Desi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adequate story. Not as amusing or swashbuckling as I thought it would be but not dull either. The main characters all fell just a little bit short of the mark where I would have cared much about them or their problems. But the cadre of secondary characters was sweet. And the adoptive/you-get-to-pick-your-own family, love and affection was real and prevalent throughout the book.

The "tie everything in a bow" / close off the past grand wrap up off the coast of England (where none of that would have ever, ever, happened as no foreign ship would be dumb enough to be that close), was way too convenient and more annoyingly unbelievable than fulfilling. But say what, it was one of the more engaging scenes under the Pirate column.

To tie off I must note my strong disapproval of the way the marriage itself was handled and the beach "sex" scene. I kept thinking the author would pull back from full on crossing the line with the consummation. But nope. That tractor rolled right on over it.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this!! Valoree is a Capt. Of a pirate ship, she has to marry a noble man and have a child in order to get her inheritance. This book is full of comedy and action and steam!! I am here for it!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good. Romance is not a genre I read, but this was fun and easy to read.

[Natalie Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I love Lynsay’s strong heroines, false identity trope, and sense of humor. Her books are also fast paced and captivating.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

When your daughter sends you a book to read....well, I can't say it's great literature. But it was a fun read.

[Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really on the fence with this one. Debated between 3-3 1/2 stars.
The plot line was good, but rather unrealistic.
The humour and sexual "banter" was what took up most of the story.
Historically accurate?
Not really, and had too much of a "modern feel"
Swashbuckling pirate action?
Big NO for this pirate wench..hence drop to 3 stars.
But..if your looking for a light hearted, funny fast read that's what you'll get.

[Shayna · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was so much potential. We could have had a Twelfth Night situation! And I'm all too spoiled now that I've seen Jim from Our Flag Means Death, and I just can't look back. Let's count all the problems in this book:

1) The writing is very weak. Every single thought and revelation is written out in excruciating detail and then repeated at least 3 times. I'm an intelligent reader, I don't need every little thing spelled out. And if I had a shot of rum for every time a character told Valoree she was smart I'd have alcohol poisoning. Every character tells her how smart she is, but she never does anything intelligent. SHOW me with her actions or dialogue!

2) The pirates were not believable. Again, the narration went on and on about how cut throat the pirates were instead of their actions and words showing us. I can't believe that Valoree saying empty threats to her crew (and the book telling us she never followed through with any punishments) kept a bunch of so called pirates in check. Not to mention the writing didn't suggest even a passible understanding of nautical knowledge.

3) Tell me how Valoree not once but TWICE was hit in the head from behind, when she's supposed to be an amazing pirate. She has zero survival skills, can't read a room, no perception, and despite what everyone else says about her superior intelligence she needs everything spelled out for her to understand what is going on at any given time.

4) Valoree date raping Daniel in an attempt to get pregnant was not okay. Honesty it was the most pirate thing she did in the whole book, and the only pirate thing we didn't need to see.

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

HILARIOUS AND UNCONVENTIONAL BUT IT DIDNT MARK UP AS A GRAND, SWASHBUCKLING OR TERRIBLY ROMANTIC STORY.

HEROINE inherited her dead brother's role as Captain after swearing revenge on his behalf and pillaging her first ship. FiVe years later, she wants to claim back their family inheritance but she has to marry and have a baby by 25, which means in less than 9 months. How on Earth was a foul mouthed, unladylike pirate like her supposed to find a nobleman to marry? Much less impregnate her? I do enjoy her motley and loyal crew who did a lot of silly things to help her, especially when all they knew were men stuff and not a hint about make up or society ways. They obviously loved her and wanted her to marry and find a good Husband. Luckily, she met Daniel, a man who was quite intrigued with her odd behaviour and unlikely ways.

HERO paled in comparison to the heroine but he still held his own. He's no man to be pushed around and can hold his own in a tavern fight. I rather liked his character, for while quiet, he's also appreciative of the unconventional and like Our heroine he has to marry soon. Why not kill two birds with one stone?

OVERALL it was a comedy with a hint of passion. Unfortunately it didn't really pull me into the story, it was more of a light romance.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look there are probably flaws in this book. But it's easily my favorite by Lynsay Sands. It's laugh out loud hysterical, a little emotional, there's some pining, but mostly it's got a bananas plot as befits a pirate romance. It definitely feels its age (2001) in places, but it's always hard to take Sands too seriously.

When Valoree goes to claim her inheritance she learns that there is a stipulation on the will: she needs to be married and have an heir by the time she's 25. Unfortunately at just past her 24th birthday this may prove difficult even with her aristocratic blood and piles of pirate gold, because she's been on a ship for so long disguised as a cabin not she hasn't the slightest notion what a lady does. Daniel also has a stipulation on his inheritance. He may have a title already, but the fortune from his mother's side isn't available to him until he's married with an heir on the way. They are clearly the perfect match, but Valoree refuses him because she wants a man she can manage and discard. Luckily her crew has other ideas....

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good whodunit. I was a little frustrated with some factors in the ending, though. The story begins with the heroine and her crew swearing vengeance against the pirates who brutally tortured and killed her brother and most of their crew. Midway thru the story we're told that a member of the crew may have betrayed them to the pirates. In the end, we finally get to see her confront the pirate who killed her brother, and what does she do? She freezes, and her husband shoots the man in the back. No problem with Alvarez dying quickly, but I guess, after reading the horrible way he killed her brother, I wanted to see her do the deed, and I wanted Alvarez to know why he was dying. Also, we never do learn who among the crew betrayed her brother.

[Ellama42 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Idk what I expected but wtf😭
Valoree: you're not-like-other-girls pirate, she loves the single life but needs to get married in order to receive her brothers heritage, but she also needs to have had a baby by then (already wasn't a fan of this, I'm not a fan of pregnancy in novels I want to read for fun okey). She meets this crazy not-like-other-guy Daniel and falls in love. Okey crazy but still funny, then suddenly she is getting Daniel drunk to marry her and later on fuck him but she is telling him how she is raping him GURL WHAT THE FUCK. So I stopped reading, I really don't like, well I hate not consensual sex scenes. This was my last straw, I just couldn't finish it. 1 star, nothing more nothing less