Sharon Cullen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Notorious Lady Anne is a 2013 Kensington publication written by Sharon Cullen. Nicholas Addison is the proud and noble member of the Royal Navy until an attack leaves him nearly crippled. After a long recovery period , Nicholas is hired by the Blackwell Fleet to find out who is sabotaging their shipments. Nicholas is just happy to be working again. But, he is caught of guard when he is told he has a passenger on board and it turns out to be Emmaline Sutherland. show more Nicholas thinks all women aren't as smart or capable as men , so when his ship is attacked by pirates, he's stunned to discover his passenger is the one and only Lady Anne, the legendary female pirate. Lady Anne has a mission and no-one is going to get in her way. Although she is holding Nicholas prisoner, the two of them can't keep their eyes or hands off each other. As Nicholas learns more about Emmaline' s past, he understands why she decided to become a pirate, but in his heart he knows her actions are wrong and the right thing to do, the thing he was hired to do , is to report her . But, if he does she could hang for her crimes, and Nicholas just can't bear the thought. Emmaline would have loved to have been given the choice of a different life, but it wasn't to be. The life she chose gives her independence and control of her own property. She is consumed with bitterness and hatred for the father that abandoned her . Revenge motivates her every move. Can Nicholas persuade Emmaline to give up her pirate life or will he be forced to turn her in? I love pirate themed historical romances. It's been awhile since I read one and I hope this book will spark a new interest in this type of book. This one was especially interesting because the pirate was a woman. Lady Anne opens Nicholas eyes to the grim opportunities women have if they are poor or unmarried. She forces him to see women in a different way. Nicholas also learns that honor and nobility can come in different forms . Nicholas teaches Emmaline that not all men are like her father . Through danger and intrigue and high sea adventure, the two fall in love and ...... live HEA This is one of the best recent historical romances I've read this year. Overall an A. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this ARC. show less

An uncorrected proof ebook from the publishers via www.netgalley.com.

Nicholas Addison, celebrated captain of the Blackwell Shipping Fleet, has agreed to take Mrs. Emmaline Sutherland aboard the Pride and ferry the raven-haired beauty across the Atlantic on what he imagines will be a routine trip. But when the ship is attacked by pirates, the seemingly innocent passenger is revealed to be none other than the infamous marauder Lady Anne, whose name strikes fear in the hearts of sailors show more everywhere

Lady Anne/Emmaline is looking to destroy the father who abandoned her and her mother years before to set up a new life in the colonies. Previously the only man who has shown her anything of a father figure is John Sutherland who was a pirate and taught her everything she knows.

Nicholas is the brother of an earl, captain in the British Navy who has been sent to investigate the pirates raiding the Blackwell Ships crossing the Atlantic and beyond.

The two characters are attracted to each other from the start (Nicholas seems to be going about with a semi permanent hard on, bless him) and there are two apparent competitors for Emmaline's hand: Phin (who is her best friend and Quartermaster) and Peter Lansing, son of the Barbados Governor, who has taken a fancy to Emmaline and doesn't take "no" for an answer.

Most of the story takes place on land so there are only a few scenes on ships, mainly at the beginning.

Emmaline has been on her own for so long and in charge of her own life (with a long running hatred of her father) that she finds it difficult to trust Nicholas and that's where much of the tension lies. Some focus is put on Nicolas, and how his relationship to a pirate could ruin his career. At the end of the day, it comes down to Emmaline's confusion, lack of confidence, and unwillingness to give up piracy (she hates being told what to do, especially by men).

Considering the amount of time spent both on ship and in Barbados, I would have liked to have a little more description of either/both. Apart from the ball, noone seems to eat, and it would have been great to hear what the sailors and gentry would have eaten, even if it was made up.

This does have explicit pre-marital sex scenes in it (before the last chapter) so if you dont like this type of romance story, then this isnt for you.

On the whole an enjoyable book show less

Courtly intrigue. Serving at the Queen's pleasure!

When I started this book I thought Ho Hum! another Elizabethan spy novel, albeit by Sharon Cullen. But no! This had it all! Treachery on all sides with intrigue and treason emerging from the French, Spanish, English and Scottish courts.
Aimee de Verris was sent to Scotland by her aunt Catherine de Medici to spy on Queen Mary. The carrot was that Aimee would be allowed to return to France and take up with her true love. Aimee is effectively show more banished to a place where she's never warm and for a task she has absolutely no trading for.
Simon Marcheford was sent by Queen Elizabeth to spy on Mary and her court. He wanted to retire to his lands with his sister and live peacefully. But when a monarch such as Elizabeth makes a request there is only one answer. Yes!
Out of nowhere Simon and Aimee are ordered by Queen Mary to marry. This story of how the two connect, if nothing else, shows how in these times, all are at the mercy of ruling monarchs.
When Mary's advisor is murdered right before their eyes, Aimee and Simon find themselves running from the powerful perpetrators, and later running from Mary's wrath against all present at that fateful hour. Their only hope is Elizabeth, but how welcoming will she be?
A fast paced, absorbing and very enjoyable read.

A NetGalley ARC show less

Despite the Half-a-Face Man Boob Cover and cheesy blurb I purchased this book on the recommendation of a friend. I'm glad I did. I enjoyed every single page of this romantic adventure. I laughed, giggled and once or twice might have snorted in an unladylike manner. [Please, don’t tell my mother!]

I was with Claire Hartford, Lady Chesterman, the whole way, rooting for her to rise up and claim her life, to see the changes she was demanding of herself and the world. Because it was true, not show more her vicious husband’s death or that platitude time could set her free. Claire had to take her freedom with both hands using what courage she could fan to life. She was as afraid that it was too late as she was that there was nothing left of her courage and well, zest for life. Every step forward, she felt jerked to a stop and wondered if she'd finally gone too far, would the hope die too.

Nathan Ferguson, Lord Blythe, understood the need to gamble on a better life, and was the perfect traveling companion, precisely because he did irritate, frustrate but never did he underestimate - at least not after the second time she eluded him. He made mistakes, wasn't perfect and yet, he never discarded his kindness or compassion. Nathan was not only ready for answers about his past but he was more than ready to get on with his future. He’d restored the family fortune, repaired the family domain and accepted the price he paid was of his choosing. Meeting Claire when he did, in transition from old life to new, his heart wasn’t as guarded and so she slipped in well, not gently, but she arrived before he realized self-defense was probably pointless.

Without conscious intention, he assisted Claire in focusing on just what she wanted for herself at the end of her adventure and as is often the case, did the same regarding his own future. They were both courageous despite the odds and combined, they were a formidable couple.

The plot was believable because these characters made it so. I could see a woman tired of cowering under the tyranny of her late husband and all the admiration he carried, spurred on by family emphasis on perfection throwing all caution to the wind. That she felt if not now, when was made clear without resorting to endless internal monologue, just enough mantra and "I can do this," was provided to catch the spirit, in my opinion. Ms. Cullen obviously knows breaking free is not one giant leap but many, oh so darn many, baby steps, over and over. I appreciated the glimpses of that instead of a *magik wand of lurv* that cures all doubts and repairs all hurts.

The writing was well handled, from both view points. Sentence fragments were used well - just as a person tends to think - but not overdone so they became annoying. Observing each other first warily, then grudgingly and finally with genuine admiration, they allow awareness of themselves to lead them to an awakening of the other. It was delightful to hear them work through their doubts, independently and together.

Dialog was amusing and felt real even when one or the other drew back. From the beginning they both respected the other’s boundaries during the verbal sparring and I truly, truly enjoyed that about this book! Secondary characters were there but not overwhelming, even if they felt that way to Claire. The mystery was a nice twist and the conclusion somewhat surprising but not distracting.

Their intimacy was not rushed, was realistic for time and situation, and in a rare twist of trope, grounded them both in a better reality. Uncertainty exists even after the UST is resolved, but this couple [omigosh] discussed their feelings, considered more than the moment, and didn’t toss the gift of connection out the window with the morning after wash water. Even so, they were forced to struggle a bit to reach the conclusion I was certain they would.

I keep skipping around synopsis and description because this is a book I totally do *not* want to give even one spoiler for. READ the sample pages, you’ll not be disappointed with the rest of the book. Oh, and best of all, there is No Epilog!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you Ms. Cullen; I can endure Man Boob cover in exchange for the lovely sigh at the end and those precious post-book moments where *my* imagination carries on in a blissful haze.

You can read more of my reviews (& discover how my serenity is challenged by Man Boob Covers) at PageTraveler blogspot dot com. show less