Customer Reviews

The Pirate Lord (Lord Trilogy, Book 1)

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Pirate Lord Gideon Horn and his crew have decided they are done with pirating and have found a remote island to set up as their own island paradise. One thing is lacking in their almost perfect plan and that is women. When Gideon, the hero of this tale, is informed of a ship full of women convicts headed for New South Wales, he decides their troubles are over and sets out to capture the prison ship and thus provide wives for his crew and himself.

Sara Willis is an eternal do-gooder. Much to the objection of her earl brother, she embarks on the convict ship as a teacher to the women and hopefully as an inspiration to take charge of their lives and thereby, improve the quality of their lives.

This is a delightful read! What a hero! I think that the heroine is a little too stuffy at times but that is her nature. In the beginning, I could not easily envision these two romantically involved. Gideon must force Sara to acknowledge their mutual attraction. She certainly would have not done so on her own.

One of my favorite scenes is toward the beginning of the book when Gideon captures the ship of women. Sara loudly stands up to him and reveals that her brother is an earl - attempting to scare Gideon away. However, it is a well-known fact that The Pirate Lord hates English aristocracy and has targeted them in his pirate raids. The crew of the prison ship recognizes that Gideon is the Pirate Lord; however, Sara has no clue she is stirring such a cauldron. As Sara loudly threatens Gideon, you hear the thoughts of the ship's crew as they shrink inside - dreading her arguments - and the Pirate Lord's anticipated angry reaction. Gideon's reaction to Sara's threats kept me laughing for quite a while.

Gideon tries to ignore his initial attraction to Sara. After all, she is a member of the hated English aristocracy, and a real bluestocking to boot. But once Gideon acknowledges his attraction, he will not give up until he has her. Gideon is actually rather forceful in his taking of Sara and her virginity. It would be a stretch to call it consensual sex but that is what the author wants us to think and the leads both consider it consensual after the fact. The interaction between the leads was great. They really enjoyed smarting off to each other because they did not like a lot about each other in the beginning. But their disagreements were often very funny. This was a very entertaining book.

The sensual portions of this book are a solid 4.0 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines). The book does not rely heavily on the sensual scenes. The story is so good that these scenes just add spice to an already great book.

The relationship between the leads is endearing. The secondary characters are enjoyable as well. Towards the end, we have the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING that seems to be a requirement of romance writing. I put the book down when I saw the misunderstanding coming. I didn't want to read about this couple experiencing betrayal and hurt after they had finally solidified their relationship and were very happy with each other. But - all will be okay. Fortunately Jeffries does not drag on the misunderstanding a page too long.

The story continues to develop, despite the unwelcome set of new problems, and the couple continues to believe in each other. This book, even with its silly sounding title, is an excellent one. It is the first book of a series. The second book in this series is The Forbidden Lord and the story of Sara's brother, the earl. The third book in the series is The Dangerous Lord.

The Pirate Lord most definitely belongs on the keeper shelf and will be a very fun one to read again and then again.

I read Jeffries' lord trilogy books pretty much in reverse order- The Dangerous Lord and then The Forbidden Lord. When I tried to order the Pirate Lord, I discovered that it was out of print! I had to search for this book on an auction site. Well, it was definitely worth my time and money because this book was the best of the series.

Gideon, the hero, is a pirate who makes his living robbing British noblemen. Sara, the heroine, is a reformer. She is on a ship with women who are being shipped to America for committing petty crimes in England. She is their teacher. Gideon attacks their ship. His men want to get married. Him included. He commands the women on the ship to pick husbands from his ship. He is falling in love with Sara but does not know what to do because he has never been in love and does not know how to get her to pick him for a husband. His character shows a great deal of vulnerability. You see the story from his point of view too- not just hers as so many books tend to do. Both characters are very strong and I enjoyed the chemistry between them very much. Just loved Gideon - what a hero!

Gideon is the most feared pirate in Christendom. His hatred for the English is legendary and serves as the driving force behind his pirate raids. Lately, however, he and his men have been quite listless. After all, how much gold and jewels can a pirate need? Deciding it's time to retire to their own unchartered island of paradise, all Gideon and his men need are wives. Unfortunately they find that the mere mention of the pirate lord's name causes daddies to lock up their daughters. Not even the ladybirds are interested. When the pirates hear of the ladies convict ship set for New South Wales, there seems to be only one answer.

Lady Sara is on board the convict ship as a tutor. She is unlike anyone Gideon has ever met before. Altough part of the British Peerage, she is a reformer and will fight for the rights of the women on the ship. She adamantly opposes the idea of her women being taken away to start new lives not of their own choosing. She works hard to make Gideon see they wouldn't make good wives-such as teaching the women the Greek play Lysistrata, where the women refuse sexual favors until their men stop warring!

Of course Sara and Gideon come together explosively and everything works out in the end. How they get there is an original treat of a storyline.

When reading this book I suggest you sit down with a glass of wine (or even a bottle) in preparation for all the cheese this tale has to offer. While the plot showed potential and the promise of some good banter and wit, it does nothing but disappoint.
The story begins with an infuriatingly prudish heroine that is kidnapped by the conveniently cleaver, dangerous, charming, all knowing, all powerful, all everything-you-can-think-of "Pirate Lord" Gideon Horn. Miss Sara Willis, prude, prig, and all out holier-than-thou English reformer is so annoying you can't help but wish she would either shut up or be walked off the plank. Captain Horn, or Captain Corn as I prefer to call him, just happens to know everything there is to know about everything that possibly comes up...he accurately guesses everything Sara plans, feels, tries and even thinks. Never a doubt, never a mistake, never a guess to be made for he knows all...and he's nauseatingly corny to boot.
Furthermore, the dialog is so atrocious you can't help but cringe after every other phrase uttered by the characters. While every five paragraphs might have a commendable sentence or two, most of it seems to have been written by a sixth grader. Despite the drudgery of making it through each paragraph, I continued to read hoping the book would at some point redeem itself, but all for not. Chapter 14 rendered me so desperately bored I had no choice but to escape the mind numbing assault on my brain. Not that romance novels are supposed to be master works of literature...but at least make it fun, interesting, or even just plain readable. I recommend looking else where for a good story. All in all, this book left MUCH to be desired.

Sara was a reformist with her eye on exposing the travesty of the English Penal system. She set sail under the guise of a teacher on a female convict ship bound for New Wales Australia. While en route they are set upon by pirates who inform the convict ladies that they are being freed...with a catch. The ladies must choose amongst pirates a husband. Sara is immediately taken with the Pirate Lord Gideon and the familiar fighting ensues. It all leads up to a few steamy encounters...a few more fights...and the eventual marriage. On the basis of the romance alone I would give it 5 stars...On the descriptive and supporting stories...I would give it a 1 star. I needed more from this book. They were beginning a new life on an essentially deserted island. They must have had some difficulties adjusting. Was it hot? Was there more than just one little poisonous snake? Did they even hear the roiling waves as the crashed against the beach they were living on? Were they even living on the beach? What happened to the stuffy petticoats? Did Sara begin to tan? Did anyone notice the tan when she went back to England? What about the other convict ladies and children how were they getting on with their pirate prospects? Too many missed opportunities to make the story more real in my mind. It could have been a one of the best stories but I needed more.

I am disappointed that the book didn't meet the good reviews I read about before I bought the book. I've read most of S.Jeffries' books, but this one I find it truly lacking in a lot of areas. Nothing in Sara's character compelled me to like her, even in the end. She was annoying and irritating. Even Gideon said that a few times in the book! She's a little self absorbed with what she wants, she thinks for the women rather than let them have their say in what they want. As Queenie would call her, "high and mighty" she never saw it through the perspective of a convicted women, because she mostly was treated way better than the convicted women did, so what does she have to complain about? I would have been more compelled by her character if she actually went through what the convicted women went through in sleeping in the floor rather than in a private bed to herself. She didn't have much to complain about in choosing a husband since the men left her alone. Gideon does most of the compromises, yet she never thanked or appreciated his change of plans. I was not convinced that she loved him as much as he loves her, all she did was take and he did all the giving! All she made me feel was sorry for her because she couldn't accept the passionate side of her, and blamed it on Gideon for corrupting her to have .... She thought it was a mistake after their first night together, and felt guilty for having it, yet ten min later she goes at it with him. Just shows how much she loves to complain in the book! This book wouldn't be so bad if Sara stopped complaining at a certain point, accept changes, and adapt to those changes for the women and herself. For a reformer, she isn't much of one, since she never made any changes to herself, yet expects other to do it for her. I don't see her changing as a character should, she remains the same spoiled person she was in the beginning. I would suggest you read S. Jeffries other books,and pass this one.

This was an enjoyable read. Sara Willis is a strong-willed, determined woman who has no immediate plans to marry, if at all. Gideon, known as the Pirate Lord, is looking for a wife for him and his men. During his quest for wives, Gideon stumbles across Sara and a group of convict women bound for the penal colonies of Australia. Sara's going along on the trip to make sure that the women's rights are protected. Upon learning of the women, Gideon, thinking they'd be perfect matches for him and his men, decides he's going to make them an offer they can't refuse.

From their first meeting, things don't go well between Sara and Gideon. Sara despises pirates and therefore, Gideon; and Gideon despises titled English people, and therefore Sara. What follows is a battle of wits between Sara and Gideon. Sara, ever the activist, feels that she's obligated to protect the women's rights, even if that means possibly facing danger as she defies the Pirate Lord. Gideon, on the other hand, struggles between his dislike of English nobility and his growing attraction to Sara. They have a number of skirmishes some of which end in Sara's favor and others in a draw. Gideon just can't seem to win a battle against her.

The romance between these two characters is nice and believable, but it builds up a little slow. There were times when I wished things would speed up and get the romance going a little faster than what it was. Don't get me wrong, there were very good romantic (or shall I say sexy) interludes sprinkled throughout the book, but for me they served more as teasers of what was to come, than of the real thing. Depending on your perspective that might not be a bad thing. Despite that, there was always something going on, be it a battle of wits, bickering among the women, or some form of external danger. This made for a pretty interesting read. In fact, I thought the premise for the story was pretty good. The dialog was good, as were the descriptions. And in the end, you're surprised with a twist that ties up all loose ends perfectly. In sum, this was a pretty good book. If you don't mind a slow-burning romance, than you'll likely enjoy this book.

I love Sabrina Jeffries and thought the Forbidden Lord was one of the best books ever -- really expected to like this one too. But even Jordan was totally annoying in Pirate Lord. Sara was way too high and mighty to actually find warm and captivating and I have no idea why Gideon claimed to be so taken with her from the very beginning?? Gideon was the most boring pirate ever and nothing like the rogues and rakes that usually epitomize true pirates. The plot dragged for much of the book - I actually picked up and began another book while reading this - which I never ever do. The book did get better more than 2/3 of the way through which allowed me to finish. And I would have to say that the twist of the plot at the end was a rater saving for me and I did find myself loving the end and totally tearing up!! I see that most have rated this book very high - although the few that rated it lower seem to share my opinion of it being a very slow moving dry book!

Pirate Lord didn't live up to it's reviews. This does not read like a pirate story that follows the alpha male pirate kidnaping thing - rather, a lighter than light (boderline boring), bring her to a remote island thing. We'll eat banannas and live happily ever after. Cute, and thanks to the scene where he baths himself (hold me back) this wasn't completely flat. The couple had sexy vibes they didn't do enough with. I don't think I'll be hunting down the others in the series.

Okay, how many times can I possibly say "EXCELLENT".. What a truly enjoyable read this tale was.. Gideon Horn, pirate captain, is the perfect foil for Sara. Their story set in the 1800's , is so well paced, and fulfilling..(and Gideon sounds downright Gorgeous). There is sadness, and joy, in just the right amounts.. and I must say I could not put this book down.. Another MRB..(Must Read Book).. and a definite recommend!!!