Pirates in Romance; Swash Buckling at Its Best

Pirates are sexy. Women are fascinated by them, and men want to be them. They are dangerous, daring and have their own code of honor. They are the sea faring bad boys that captivate many romance readers. They offer readers adventure, mystery and romance. We want to save them and hope that they can somehow save us. If you want to get on board come along and check out these high seas adventures with pirates and the people that cannot help but love them.

Lady Pirate by Lynsay Sands is a twist on the typical pirate story. In this story, as you might have guessed by the title, it is the heroine that plays the role as pirate. Valoree pretends to be her murdered brother to sail the seven seas and is known at Captain Red. She is about to inherit a castle, by only if she marries a nobleman and becomes pregnant. While she would be more than happy to return to the sea and ignore the inheritance her crew votes and takes action. The pirate crew helps her search for her perfect mate, chaos and laughter ensues. The crew is rooting for one Lord Thurborne, but Valoree is looking for someone less willful so she can walk all over him. This is a funny historical romance.

The Care and Feeding of Pirates by Jennifer Ashley is a tale about Honoria Ardmore. She is currently a proper lady, but that was not always the case. Four years ago she wed the pirate Christopher Raine in secret before he was scheduled to be hanged. Now Honoria's life is back on track. She is engaged to another man, but Christopher walks back into her life and wants his wife. They strike a deal and she agrees to accompany him on a journey. If she is not crawling back by the end of the voyage Christopher will agree to a divorce. However, he is bound and determined to get what he wants, and he wants Honoria. Sparks fly in this adventure, which is the third entry in Ashley's Pirate series. Each book does stand well on its own, though you may want to read the rest after this taste.

Blow Me Down by Katie MacAlister blends a few subgenres. It is both contemporary and pirate romance. Amy is a single mother that works too much. Her daughter convinces her to try a virtual reality game called Buckling Swashes, and Amy soon finds herself obsessed with the game and the character of Black Corbin. She discovers that Black Corbin is the game creator, playing the game like her, and both are trapped in the virtual world because of a plot by a disgruntled employee. They must work together to save themselves and find a way out of the game. This is a fun read that will be appreciated by many different kinds of readers.

A Pirate of Her Own by Kinley MacGregor is about Captain Morgan Drake, a reformed pirate being followed by writer Serenity James. She is set on unearthing his past. But, Drake is determined to stop her so he kidnaps her and takes her aboard his ship, The Sea Wolf. They are both tenacious and strong willed, but become overwhelmed by mutual attraction. This is the second novel in the Sea Wolves series. MacGregor's writing style and voice might seem familiar, as she writes popular paranormal books under the name Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Looking for a Hero by Patti Berg is a time traveling romance about an eighteenth-century pirate in the twenty-first century battling for his heart. Mogan Farrell, better known as Blackheart, is tossed off his ship during a duel with his nemesis Thomas Low. Somehow during the fall he is transported to St. Augustine and meets the widow Kate Cameron. Kate is captivated with the pirate who charms her daughter Casey, and he is enthralled with the pair. Kate wants real love and more children, but Morgan is set on revenge. Morgan gets his chance when Thomas Low is transported to St. Augustine as well. The likeable characters make this a great read for pirate and time travel fans.

Pirates by Linda Lael Miller is another pirate novel with some time travel. Phoebe Turlow is recently divorced and needs a break from her dead end job. Somehow once in the Caribbean she takes the wrong elevator and ends up in 1780. To make matters worse she does not simply land on the beach, but in the home of the infamous pirate Duncan Rourke. When they meet Rourke believes that Phoebe must be a spy, but his servant sees things a little differently. The couple slips through time in both directions, but will they both end up where they belong?

Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey follows former pirate Sir James Malory. He is from a well-known family in 1818. Georgie Anderson travels from Connecticut to London to find her missing fiance, whom she has not seen in six years and is heartbroken. After finding out that he is now married with children, she just wants to return home.

Georgie disguises herself as a cabin boy to travel on the Maiden Anne. That is where she recognizes James from a fight she had witnessed several years earlier. James recognizes Georgie as well but instead of calling her out on the disguise orders his "cabin boy" to help him in a variety of very private functions. Eventually they need to get past the games and deceptions and admit how they feel. This is a must read for fans of Lindsey and those looking for a good, spicy read.