eARC Review: The Rogue Pirate's Bride by Shana Galen

THE ROGUE PIRATE'S BRIDE by Shana Galen
FORMAT: eBook via Netgalley
GENRE: Historical
MASS MARKET PAPERBACK: 384 pages
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks (February 7,2012)
ISBN: 9781402265557

Revenge should be sweet, but it may cost him everything...

The Marquis de Valère escaped certain death in the French Revolution and is now an infamous privateer. Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who has landed herself in a mess of trouble...

Forgiveness is unthinkable, but it may be her only hope...
British Admiral's daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé's death. But then the fiery beauty crosses swords directly with Bastien, and now she's not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways...

With her father and a set of ruthless killers hot on their trail, amidst swashbuckling adventure and constant danger, suddenly Bastien and Raeven's steamy entanglement seems to be the only thing they care about. (source)

Where To Find Shana:  Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blogger
Where To Buy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt | Book Page

Go and Buy it NOW!!!

Other Books in Series (click on covers for excerpts):

REVIEW:

Danger, intrigue, betrayal, revenge, swashbuckling action and an unconventional love story between a pirate (okayyy, privateer if you want to get technical) and the daughter of a British admiral set against a Bruckheimer-esque background. You can almost hear faint strains of The Pirates of the Caribbean theme interspersed with the clangs of swordplay as the action and adventure escalates on the high seas. Shana Galen's got this formula down to a science.

There's nothing sexier than a man in shiny black boots, tight breeches, an open shirt exposing the hard planes of his chest, wielding a cutlass and grinning sexily as he parries the thrust of your sword, all the while glaring at him with hatred and revenge in your eyes. Oh, yes. That's the way Captain Cutlass meets Raeven Russell, the one woman who Fate has placed in his path to bring him to his knees and then some.

Captain Cutlass has been on the high seas pirating since the tender age of eleven after his family's chateau was burned down during the peasant uprising in France. He thinks his family is dead and the one man who he considered a father figure was killed by another pirate. Bent on revenge, Cutlass is chasing Jourdain all over the map. He won't rest until Jourdain is dead and this might be chaffing his crew a little. Their days of privateering and gaining profit has dwindled since Cutlass's need for revenge. 

Raeven Russell's former fiance was killed during a skirmish with Captain Cutlass's crew. She blames him for Timothy's death. With her trusted friend Percy, Tim's best friend, in tow, she goes looking for Cutlass. Finding him in a tavern, she challenges him to a sword fight. I was waiting for her to Princess Bride it: "Hello. My name is Raeven Rusell. You killed my fiance, prepare to die." *giggle* Sadly, it was not meant to be probably due to copyright law and such. Of course, Cutlass has to be gorgeous, darn him! And cue in the crescendo of the fighting  music. 

Cutlass is surprised to find the "boy" fighting him turns out to be a girl outfitted in curve hugging breeches and breast hiding shirt. He makes her his cabin girl, planning on teaching her a lesson. Well, Raeven, having grown up on a ship and working alongside men, knows a thing or two about picking locks. She gets away and while doing so, notices all the crates with ammunition getting loaded on the ship. Returning to her father, who has a few choice words for her and Percy, she begs him to go after Cutlass. He was selling weapons to the Spanish and French who could be stockpiling for war. Her father brushes it off since it's not part of his orders.

Six months later, Raeven can't forget the kiss she shared with the insufferable Captain Cutlass and the feelings it evokes in her. She sees Cutlass again, only this time, she's wearing a dress. Some of Jourdain's men try to kill him during a celebration held my the pasha. Raeven still wants revenge for Tim's death. The men chase Cutlass and Raeven through the streets in the dead of night. Being the kick ass heroine she is, she saves him. 

Under cabin arrest, Raeven--the clever girl that she is, picks the lock and coerces Percy into boarding Cutlass's ship in the dead of night. This time, she will not be able to escape. Cutlass is bent on following Jourdain's ship and doesn't give a hoot if he's charged with kidnapping a British admiral's daughter. Time is precious when hunting the pirate and he has no time or the extra crew to send her back aboard her father's ship.

Sultry kisses and touches are exchanged, the sense of adventure is rampant, the truth of Timothy's death is revealed, and someone aboard the ship has betrayed them all. Now, Raeven and Bastien (The Dread Pirate Cutlass) must figure out not only their feelings for each other but who the traitor is that could get them all killed. 

FAVORITE QUOTE: "He'd decided that if his cabin girl regained that blade, he was going to have to seriously consider marrying her." (***quote subject to change in finished copy***)

OVERALL: A stunning, swashbuckling conclusion to the Sons of the Revolution series chock full of witty repartee between the main characters, smoldering attraction, Kindle gripping action (both on the high seas and in the berth *bow chicka wow wow*) and 'whoa! I did not see that coming' moments on the high seas. Shana Galen has once again made me lose an afternoon (in a totally awesome way) with a heart racing, adrenaline pumping, laughter inducing, 'did I just moan out loud?, super sexy read. Hello theme to Pirates of the Caribbean, you and I are forever friends. Out of all the Harcourt men, Bastien's my most favoritest (yes, it's not a word but, for the sake of this review, it is now). Danger! Betrayal! Intrigue! And hot smexing! In Galen fashion, the reader is thrown into the midst of the action from page one. I look forward to what she has next in store for readers.

***requested off Netgalley***

Review: The Making of a Duchess by Shana Galen

THE MAKING OF A DUCHESS by Shana Galen
FORMAT: Paperback
GENRE: Historical Romance
MASS MARKET PAPERBACK: 368 pages
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Casablanca (June 1,2010)

A very dangerous attraction...Julien Harcourt, duc de Valère, is more than willing to marry the lovely young lady his mother has chosen. Little does he know, she's been sent to prove him a spy and a traitor...

And an even more dangerous secret...Sarah Smith's mission is to find out whether the duc's trips to the Continent are as innocent as he claims, but the way he looks at her is far from innocent...

Their risky game of cat and mouse propels them from the ballrooms of London to the prisons of Paris, and into a fragile love that may not survive their deceptions... (source: back cover)

WHERE TO FIND SHANA: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blogger
WHERE TO BUY: Amazon | Kindle | B&N  | Nook | Book Depository
BOOK EXTRAS: Read an Excerpt

I loved it.

OTHER BOOKS IN SERIES: click on covers to learn more/read excerpts

June 2010

Once a Rogue- 2/2012

REVIEW:

The first book in The Sons of the Revolution series and it's definitely a keeper. Ms. Galen has a way with throwing the reader into the midst of the action from the very first page. As Julien and his mother tried to get away from the burning barn, I could almost smell the smoke, hear the angry voices of the peasants and feel Julien's adrenaline and fear spike. Oh, the smoke might've just been from my candle but hey, it set the mood. While reading, I may have jumped a few times due to the thumping noises made by my neighbors as I was reading a suspenseful scene.


My heart went out to Julien as he lost his father, his home and his family, except for his mother, at such a young age. He never for once, believed his brothers were dead and has never stopped looking for them; his mother has given up hope. The search for his brothers has been brought to the attention of the Foreign Office. 


Enter the lovely, orphaned governess Sarah Smith. She's never had a real family, she was left on the steps of the Academy. She takes a position as governess to one, Lord Northrop. He coerces her into acting a spy. She becomes Serafina Artois, the daughter of family friends. Sarah is instructed by Northrop to find evidence that Julien is selling national secrets. She is not allowed to return to her post as governess until she does so. 


As Sarah gets closer to the truth, she must join forces with Julien to help find his brother while trying not to get killed. Julien isn't a fan of Serafina, unlike his mother. She's refused his marriage proposal twice even though their families wanted them engaged. His friend Rigby even brings up that Serafina doesn't speak much Italian even though her family's been living in Italy. There's just so much about Serafina that intrigues Julien but after finding her several times poking around his study, he gets suspicious. 


After finding out that Sarah isn't really Serafina, Julien tries to keep his distance but well, he's a man, she's pretty and he won't be able to stay away for long. While trying to get out of the country to find Armand, his brother, Julien must keep Sarah safe. Their journey to France not only brings them closer, but they both soon realize that station didn't matter if they were meant to be together. After all, his mother wants him to be happy and Sarah makes him happy. 


FAVORITE QUOTE: "She was still a mystery to him. She had refused his marriage proposal, and yet she truly did not seem interested in other men. She was pleasant but formal in her brief conversations with him, and yet at times he caught her peering at him with undisguised interest. Perhaps he might understand better what she wanted if she could show him with her fan. But as she didn't carry a fan, he decided to ignore her."

OVERALL: I went backwards reading this series. I started off with The Making of a Gentleman so there was a spoiler or two. No matter, this book had me wanting to know how Sarah and Julien overcame their differences and problems to a happily ever after. Once again, Ms. Galen has captured my attention from the first page to the last with heart pounding action, adrenaline inducing danger, gasp worthy plot twists, and book gripping and spine breaking worthy seduction. I am looking forward to the last book in the series.


***book won from Rants-n-Scribbles blog hop giveaway***

Review: The Making of a Gentleman by Shana Galen

The Making of a Gentleman by Shana Galen
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Paperback
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 1, 2010)
Stripped of his humanity...Armand, Comte de Valere, has spent twelve long years forgotten in a French prison. Now he's barely a man, until his beautiful tutor vows to help him come alive again.
Prey to a terrible fate...Felicity Bennett finds safety only in Armand's embrace, but the evil man pursuing her has joined forces with Armand's enemies...The cling to each other as a lifeline, until a long-buried secret emerges, threatening to annihilate their growing passion... (source:back cover)

Where to Find Shana: Author Site | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Blogger
Where to Buy: Amazon | Kindle | B&N/Nook | Book Depository
Book Extras: Read an Excerpt

I loved it.

Other Books In Series:

Available for purchase

Coming February 2012

Review:

Well, after winning 3 copies of this book, I finally gave in and read it. (I had forgotten about the giveaways and was surprised when the packages arrived.) Anywho, this is the second book in The Sons of Revolution series. It's in typical Shana Galen fashion: adrenaline pumping danger, a handsome hero, a headstrong heroine, an air of mystery, a touch of intrigue and toe curling smexing. A must read.

Top Reasons to Read This Book:
Silent, brooding, sexy, virgin hero with a dangerous past? Check. Pianoforte playing, marriage contract breaking, fall for her charge governess heroine? Check. Overprotective older brother? Check. Man claiming to be the husband of the heroine? Check. Bad guys who want the treasure that only the hero knows where it's at? Check and check.

Armand Harcourt had been locked away in a French prison, forgotten until his brother Julien (hero of The Making of A Duchess) breaks him out and brings him home to England. Armand shies away from touch because it is too painful and refuses to speak because it could cause trouble. He's determined to stay mute to keep his family safe from those who might find out that he alone, is the keeper of a 12 year old secret. His family wants to help him learn to become a functioning member of society and decide to hire a governess to teach him.

Enter Felicity Bennett, bent on repaying back the man her father sold her into marriage to. She takes up the position of governess and to her surprise, she would not be teaching a child but a grown man who somewhat frightens yet intrigues her with his behavior. She is determined to earn the money but the man shows up and demands the payment soon or the family will find out she is betrothed. Felicity has a penchant for playing the pianoforte and can play a tune, only hearing it a time or two. Her music soothes the beast in Armand.

Felicity sees two strange men digging in the gardens and this ushers in the heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, knuckle clutching events into motion. Armand soon realizes that those men are after him and the only way he can keep his family and Felicity safe is by staying up all night guarding their home. His family and Felicity want him to come clean with the secret and at first he denies any knowledge of the treasure.

All the while, Armand begins to talk, a word here, a phrase there. Felicity begins to see Armand as more than a pupil. His touch, his gaze, his presence does something to her. She know she must not lose sight of why she's there: the money to pay back Charles, the man her father sold her to. But with Armand, everything seems right with the world even if two treasure hungry men and one slimy wannabe dandy are after them.

Oh, and virgin hero alert!

Favorite Quote: "His eyes blazed  icy blue fire, his hands fisted at his side, and his barefooted stance was at once defiant and eager. Felicity forced herself to play, though she would rather have run from the comte's glare."

Overall: This book was sweet, sensual and tinged with danger. A fun, fast paced, heart pounding read. I will have to go back and read The Making of a Duchess since snippets of Julien and Sarah in this book have made me curious of their love story. Ms. Galen has a way with words. She makes the hero and heroine likeable and the villians boo-worthy. After reading this, I realized it's my first virgin hero book. What a difference in the storytelling when it comes to The Sexiness.

***I won 3 copies of this book from giveaways***