The Pirate Lord

As an avid historical romance fan, I’ve been aware of Sabrina Jeffries for quite some time and had heard good things about her, so I’ve been eager to try out her work. I finally got around to it and The Pirate Lord ended up being my first choice. It’s a fun, witty, pirate-y romance about Sara, who is the stepdaughter of an earl and a passionate reformer. As such, she goes undercover on a ship that’s transporting convict women to Australia, hoping to document the deplorable conditions these women face, both on the ship and upon arriving in New South Wales, so that she and her Ladies Committee can perhaps enact reform. About two weeks into their journey, the ship is accosted by pirates led by none other than Captain Gideon Horn show more aka The Pirate Lord. He and his men have decided to retire from the pirate life and have found a lovely deserted island where he wants to build a utopia, and the only thing they lack to make it perfect are wives. He figures a ship full of convict women would be happy to be “rescued” from their fate, but he didn’t count on a stubborn bluestocking who plagues him with her demands. Gradually they come to a compromise on rules and length of time for courting. Although Gideon demands that Sara also choose a husband once their allotted time is up, she still hopes for eventual rescue, but she didn’t expect to be seduced and actually fall for The Pirate Lord himself. For his part, Gideon has no desire to tie himself to an exasperating woman like Sara, but at the same time, she stirs his protective and possessive instincts and he can’t bear the thought of anyone else touching her. But when Sara’s expected rescue party finally shows up, it could spell the end of their budding romance.

Sara’s biological father died in debtor’s prison when she was quite young and she doesn’t really remember him. As a result of losing her husband in such a way, Sara’s mother became a tireless advocate for prison reform, which placed her in the path of a kind earl who admired her progressive ideals. The two eventually married and Sara was raised by him, but with both parents now gone, she’s taken up her mother’s mantle of a reformer. Her latest project is trying to document the abuses of convict women, many of whom are being transported to Australia. Although Sara’s stepbrother, Jordan, the new Earl of Blackmore, is adamantly against her traveling on the convict ship, Sara is equally determined to go and eventually gets her way. During the journey, she stubbornly advocates for the women’s rights and against the lustful intentions of some of the ship’s crew members. When Gideon kidnaps all the women and takes them to his island to become wives for his men, she continues to stand up for their rights even though he sometimes frightens her. But as she gets to know him better, she realizes that although he may be stubborn, he’s not an unreasonable or cruel man. In fact—blast it all!—she finds herself attracted to the handsome pirate and succumbing to his seductiveness. But knowing that Jordan had sent a man undercover to look out for her, she hopes that he’ll eventually be able to mount a rescue. However, by the time the rescue party arrives, Sara no longer wants to leave. I loved Sara from the opening pages where she stands up to her brother in her quest to accompany the convict women and how she never gives up her fight for the women’s rights, no matter who she has to convince. She fearlessly goes toe-to-toe with Gideon when he captures them and eventually reasons with him. Even though she can be quite stubborn when it comes to her causes, she also has a gentler side that recognizes the hurt in Gideon’s past and wants to comfort him when things don’t entirely go as planned.

Gideon’s mother left when he was very small and he grew up with an abusive father who drank himself to death by the time Gideon’s was twelve. Orphaned and alone, he fended for himself until a sea captain took pity on him and hired him as a cabin boy. Eventually he earned enough money to buy his own ship and became a privateer for America, but when that work dried up after the war was over, he turned to piracy. He harbors a burning hatred for English aristocracy, and over the years, he’s taken great pleasure in humiliating them and plundering their ships. However, Gideon is keenly aware of the dangers faced by pirates and how their lives are usually shorter than the average man, so after spending twenty years at sea, he’s finally ready to settle down. He and his men by chance found an uninhabited tropical island where he wants to build a utopia free from the influence of cruel governmental policies. The only thing missing are women to be their wives and the convict ship seems like the perfect answer to their dilemma until Sara plagues him with her demands for the women’s rights and starts to make him see that his vision won’t be much of a utopia when half their members are only there by force. Although Sara annoys him at times, his body also burns for her and soon he truly begins to care for her and can’t abide the thought of not making her his. But when her brother arrives and she disappears without even saying goodbye, he believes his worst fears are coming true. Gideon can be a pretty stubborn alpha male, but luckily he never pushed my buttons. He proves to be fairly reasonable and can be persuaded to a different way of thinking. I sympathized with his past and his reasons for loathing the English aristocracy, but his love for Sara overcomes his hatred. He shows a kinder, gentler side when dealing with her without ever losing his pirate-y edginess.

Overall, The Pirate Lord was a very enjoyable story. I liked the feminist theme and how the author demonstrated that women in that era didn’t have a lot of choices and that they often had to forge their own path. In the beginning, Jordan eventually capitulates to Sara accompanying the convict women, but later in the story, he behaves in a pretty autocratic manner toward her, keeping her from the man she loves. Many of the convict woman are being transported for ridiculously petty “crimes” such as stealing bread for their hungry children or for defending themselves against powerful, lecherous employers. Then there’s Gideon who thinks he’s giving them freedom and a choice, but he, too, is essentially dictating until Sara makes him see reason. I love how everything comes together so that they all get truly happy endings of their own choosing. I also loved that the book doesn’t take itself too seriously. At times, it can be dramatic and has some tension, but at the same time, it’s lighthearted and fun. Gideon and Sara may be opposites in many ways, but they gradually come together and prove to be perfect for one another and I also loved the twist that gives Gideon resolution for his past hurts. I also enjoyed the secondary romances for a few of the supporting characters. The entire story as a whole was a pleasure to read. It may have been my first book by Sabrina Jeffries, but it definitely won’t be my last. The author teases Jordan’s story during the epilogue. His book, The Forbidden Lord, is next in the Lord Trilogy, and I look forward to continuing the series to see what kind of woman it takes to bring him to heel. show less

A convict ship of women set for New South Wales is kidnapped by pirates who want to… marry them and live happily on their own private island? What? And then there’s Sara, the bluestocking reformer, and Gideon, the Pirate Lord himself, fighting it out for the rights of the women to choose their own futures. Honestly, this was actually pretty enjoyable. Humorous at times, serious at others, oodles of sexual tension, and just the right amount of emotional angst to bring it all home.

Reviewed for queuemyreview.com; reprint

Ahoy there! Sorry…I just finished “The Pirate Lord” re-release of the 1998 novel by Sabrina Jeffries and I’m having a bit of a problem coming back to this reality. There’s just something about a man with a bandanna and an earring…and maybe a parrot…ooh, and a sword…a really, really, BIG sword! Ahem, excuse me. It’s that whole reality thing again. So anyway, hot pirates ahead (check out the new cover, mmmmmm, delicious). And lots of humor and witty dialogue too. (From Ms. Jeffries, not me.)

Lady Sara is a reformer, and an impassioned one at that. When she sets sail on a women’s prison ship bound for New South Wales she only intends to teach the women and keep notes regarding their show more treatment. When the ship is captured by pirates intent on making the women brides, Sara all but forces the pirate captain to take her as well. She battles his dominance while he battles her sense of independence…and they both battle the strong sexual desires each brings out in the other.

Captain Gideon is a handsome, sexy, and very successful American pirate who hates British peers! He and his crew are ready to retire to their own island and all they need are brides, and here’s a whole ship full of women captives. How very fortunate…until Lady Sara takes charge of the women and begins filling their heads with demands. First they need proper courting, then proper clothes, then proper homes, then…does she not get the whole improper ‘pirate’ thing?

I was surprised by just how hot this 1998 release was! Ms Jeffries certainly pushed the boundaries then; must be why I read it the first time back then! But there’s also much more to enjoy about this book…I already mentioned the snappy dialogue earlier and the fact that there were so many characters, yet each was so vivid there wasn’t a problem keeping up with them is another sign of a well-written story. There are secondary and tertiary romances going on (well, it’s a ship of women and pirates!) as well as a bit of a mystery regarding Gideon’s heritage. This book really does a bit of everything for everyone!

Anyway, if you’re looking for a read with some swashbuckling humor and bawdy hot sex, you really can’t go wrong with this reprint of “The Pirate Lord” by Sabrina Jeffries. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to head back to the other reality where I’m captured/rescued by a dashing, hot pirate looking for the woman of his dreams. Oh, and yes, he has a really, really, really BIG sword! show less

I loved The Pirate Lord so much. I've gotten into a bit of a Pirate/Deserted Island Binge and was not disappointed with my choice of adding this to my haul. The characters were wonderful, the descriptions were vivid, and the story line was consistently interesting. Sara Willis is a reformer in a time when a woman who committed even the pettiest of crimes was shipped off to the new colony in Australia virtually as a prostitute. She is also the step-sister of the Earl of Blackmore. Sara arranges to be on one of the ships that is taking a group of women prisoners to New South Wales so she can report on the terrible conditions and abuse of the women. (She is pulling a Nellie Bly) The terrifying Pirate Lord Captain Gideon Horn and his men show more are settling down and are on the hunt for wives when the women's ship pulls in the port where they are. Gideon sees the women as an easy solution to the wives problem seeing as there is a ship full of them for the taking. Sara and Gideon are all sparks and passion even as they fight each other along the way. Never a dull moment and a read you won't want to miss! show less

The Pirate Lord and his merry band of fellow pirates have grown weary of their thieving ways and seek to retire from the business of pirating. They want to set up a utopian community on the island they've dubbed Atlantis, and to this purpose they need women to marry and populate this paradise. Such an improbable premise leads to the capture of a ship carrying convict women to New South Wales. Miss Sara Willis, a woman with a passion for reform, has stowed away on the convict ship in an effort to help improve the conditions of the other women - she plans to take notes on their treatment and then report back to her Women's Committee. So much for the plot. All this set up was rather boring for me, but once Sara is kidnapped by Gideon Horn, show more the Pirate Lord, and she's carted off to Atlantis with the rest of the convict women, things start to get a little more interesting. There's chemistry between the two, even if Gideon isn't really much of a pirate - he's more of your run of the mill regency hero only he has the dubious distinction of sporting a gold hoop earring and going without his shirt more often than not. Sara is allowed to screech, scold, and make demands to her heart's content, while he comes off as being merely befuddled by all the henpecking. Sara has appointed herself protector of the convict women and does her darnest to see that they aren't forced into marriage with the pirates - even though these pirates are a remarkably well behaved bunch. But still, Sara and Gideon are cute together. They're just very cookie cutter characters, and nothing in their story really snagged my interest. A very average book. show less

Living the life of a pirate takes a toll, Captain Gideon Horn known as the Pirate Lord, finally decided to settle down and live his life on an isolated Island. The crew agreed, all they needed was women to make their life complete. Stopping an English women convict transport would be just what they needed. Rescuing the convict women didn't go as planned because of the reformer, do-gooder Sara Willis. She was on board as the teacher of these women, trying to prepare them for going to the prison Island of New South Wales, but in reality, she was the step-sister to a great Lord. Sara was just the type of person to make Gideon's resentment of the English upper class boil over and drive him crazy.

Set in 1818, this is a basic Historical show more Romance. Very enjoyable, the characters could have had a little more depth. The only one that captured me was Gideon. Mostly it was predictable, the ending was a little bit of a cliche and wrapped up so fast. The build up was great, but the conclusion seemed rushed then the epiloge skipped some conversations that could have been great. This is the 1st in a trilogy, I enjoyed this one enough that I will look for the next one (The Forbidden Lord) and the third (The Dangerous Lord). show less

Sara Willis is a step-daughter to a duke and a reformer dedicated to right the wrongs heaped upon the poverty stricken masses of London. Determined to illuminate the atrocities visited upon the convict women being sent to Australia Sara goes undercover as a teacher on the Chastity bound for the colony of New South Wales. What she didn't count on is being abducted by the notorious Pirate Lord and brought to an island paradise for forced marriage.

I've found that I am partial to nautical tales for whatever reason and for that alone I think I would have found this book enjoyable. I also liked the description of an island, sounds like a perfect vacation spot to me! The plot of American pirates determinedly robbing the Lords of England until show more deciding to settle down was interesting as well. Overall this is a nicely put together, well told story that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to lovers of historical romances. show less