Pirate's Price

by Darlene Marshall

Christine Sanders of St. Augustine in Territorial Florida is a runaway wife who believes the best way to live comfortably on her own is to turn pirate and rob a man with money. And the perfect man to rob is her own husband, Justin Delerue, Lord Smithton, especially since he got rich by marrying her against her will and taking her inheritance! Pirate's Price is a rollicking tale of marriage and mayhem, gender confusion and piracy. With the help of her godfather Julius Davies, himself a retired pirate with a fondness for young sailors, Christine puts together a gay, er, jolly crew and takes to the seas as Captain Christopher Daniels. It doesn't take long for the dread pirate Daniels to become a force to be reckoned with in Florida's sealanes, especially for ships owned by DelerueSanders Shipping. But when Smithton himself is taken captive and held hostage by Daniels and the crew of the Tigress , he has a different plan for his runaway pirate bride, and could very well end up stealing something from her-her heart.

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

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Darlene Marshall is the author of award-winning historical romance featuring pirates, privateers, smugglers, and the occasional possum.

Past jobs include working as a reporter, news anchor, news director, obit writer, news producer and radio station owner. She's never been a pirate, but the day's not yet over.

Awards for her books include: Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence and Readers' Choice Award for Historical Romance; The Aspen Gold Award; finalist for the Desert Rose RWA Golden Quill Award; FCRW National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award; and the Eppie (Electronic Publishing) award twice for Best Historical Romance.

Her books are also available in French, German and Estonian.

Marshall can be reached at darlenemarshall[at]darlenemarshall.com

She/her Represented by Barbara Collins Rosenberg of The Rosenberg Group.

Reviews

[Gaijinmama · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended by the awesome Sarah Wendell of www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com and I couldn't resist hunting down a copy. I couldn't put it down!
It is hot but not graphic, well-written and at times hilarious. The historical details are more or less believable and didn't make me groan or roll my eyes (Don't you all hate when a 19th-century character acts like she just read a 21st-century self-help book? Rest easy, because that does not happen here).
Most importantly, it has a unique twist on the conventional romance tale. The heroine disguises herself as a man, captains a pirate ship with the help of her gay "Uncle Julius", and among other things kidnaps and ties up her own husband.
Gay pirates? Female protagonist kicking butt? Comic relief from a nasty hissing goose named Sally? Cross-dressing heterosexual spouses who realize that they truly love, respect, and thoroughly enjoy shivering each other's timbers?

Count me in! What's not to love? Ms. Marshall, please consider me a fan.

[Misti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always liked the whole woman-pretends-to-be-a-man-to-get-what-she-wants trope and this story was no exception. Cute, quick read. Not quite as good as the Bride and the Buccaneer.

[Crissy Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim because I saw an advertisement for the author at my library (she's a local author). Since I like pirates and romance and it looked like a quick read, I figured it couldn't hurt, so I checked it out. I really enjoyed it! The romance was sweet, the dialogue well written and believable. It is a short novel, only about 160 pages, and I finished it in just a few hours. Overall a delightful little jaunt, and I'll be sure to check out the rest of her novels as well. :)

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun playful story. It's light and it makes the reader smile. This story reminded me of Woodiwiss books with a strong minded heroine who is not willing to accept the 19th century vision of a woman and a wife.

[Punk]

Recommended by the Smart Bitches.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an amusing n fun read.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the role switch in terms of plot and I enjoyed it, but it didn't immerse me into the world or the characters themselves. I definitely don't regret reading it, but I wouldn't read it again.