Series:
Crown's Spies (Book 3)
England, 1816. A child bride, Lady Sara Winchester had
grown into a winsome beauty, joyfully anticipating the day when her husband,
Lord Nathanial Clayton, Marquess of St. James, would return to claim her at
last. Charmingly innocent, she dismissed the ancient feud that divided her and
Nathan's families... and she was totally unaware of his past exploits as the
notorious pirate, Pagan. The man who now stood before her was perplexing,
arrogant and powerfully handsome... a warrior-gentleman whose gentle touch
aroused her to the wildest, deepest pleasures of love...
Nathan had never bared his soul to any woman, but he was
soon beguiled and exasperated by Sara's sweet, defiant ways. Aboard his ship,
The Seahawk, she was brave, imperious and determined to win his heart
completely... yet upon their return to England, her love would be sorely tested
as a most desperate conspiracy sundered them from one another. Now as their
future trembled in the balance, they would discover the true destiny of their
passion... for all time!
It has been thirty years since I last read this book, but
it was just as much fun as I remembered. The story opens with a unique twist - King
George III facilitates a marriage between two feuding families to end the
conflict. The prize is a fortune in cash and a piece of disputed land when the
marriage is consummated, and an heir is born. The groom is Nathan, Marquess of
St. James, and the bride is Lady Sara Winchester. The twist - Nathan is
fourteen and Sara is four. Obviously, consummation will have to wait.
Fourteen years later, Nathan is ready to bite the bullet
and claim his bride. He's not enthusiastic about it but needs the cash to help
establish the shipping company he and his friend Colin formed. There's a fun
scene between him and Colin as they discuss Nathan's plan to retrieve his
bride. Meanwhile, Sara is impatiently waiting for Nathan to come for her. Her
life with her family has been miserable, and now she needs help to rescue her
aunt. Letters to Nathan have gone unanswered, so she takes matters into her own
hands.
Sara is something of a ditz. She is typical of the young
ladies of the period - overprotected, undereducated, and utterly naïve about
the real world. The opening scene of her planned rescue shows her oblivious to
the danger around her. I laughed out loud as I watched her actions, completely
understanding Nathan's disbelief as he followed her. This is just the
beginning. I liked Nathan's protectiveness as he followed her, rescued her, and
got her aboard his ship. The shipboard scenes with Sara were frequently
hilarious as she tried to win over the crew, whom she called her staff, with
often disastrous results.
Watching this pair's relationship develop had me laughing
out loud throughout the book. Nathan, a man of his time, is arrogant, certain
of his place in the world, and convinced that he knows best. He has no
intention of falling in love, as women are not to be trusted. Sara, on the
other hand, is bluntly honest in expressing her thoughts and feelings. She
tells Nathan she is everything he could possibly want in a wife. She lets him
know when she is angry or disappointed in him. She also tells him that she
loves him and gets frustrated when he doesn't reciprocate. I enjoyed watching
Sara wriggle her way into his heart with him all the way. His 'aha' moment was
great, and I loved watching him try to fix his mistakes. His method of doing so
was a fantastic ending to the book.
There is also tension because of the underhanded actions
of Sara's father and uncle. Nathan's protectiveness toward Sara was needed to
counteract their actions. Things became complicated when a lie ran up against
Nathan's distrust of women, which caused him to make a stupid mistake. Sara's
love for Nathan never faltered, though she questioned her belief about his
feelings for her. There's a terrific scene where her Nathan-instilled
confidence enabled her to come out on top of a confrontation with her uncle. I
laughed out loud at the men's reactions. The resolution of that problem was excellent.
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