Customer Reviews

The Pirate Next Door

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jennifer Ashley really impressed me with her debut novel Perils of the Heart last November, and continues to do so with her second novel The Pirate Next Door. I am sure the eye-catching novel cover will cause many to pick it up, but the story inside is what is the prize. It is a slightly whimsical romance that finds windowed Lady Alexandra Alastair pondering the list of candidates for hubby number two. She is rather bored with the stodgy ton's offerings, when in pops Grayson Finley and his twelve year old daughter, the new Viscount oh so conveniently next door!

12 years ago, he caused quite a stir by vanishing, and ever since spent that time with the scurvy crew of cutthroats and buccaneers. Now he has returned, with an adorable daughter in tow, to claim his inheritance. But the pirate life has not quite ended, as it follows him to the fancy Mayfair section of Britain threating his very life.

Alexandra is not a wimp, a proper lady yes, but not lacking in spine. She falls for Grayson and his daughter, and is determined to fight for her Viscount.

It's stylish, fun and with just enough dash and mystery to keep the readers more than intrigued.

This is not a book for serious historical romance lovers, but if you do like your romances on the lighter side, then you will likely enjoy THE PIRATE NEXT DOOR. Author Jennifer Ashley is right on top of things, for a good romance novel needs action and conflict; forbidden love and longing; and Ms. Ashley brings it on.

Every romance needs a wonderful, feisty heroine and Jennifer Ashley gives her reader Alexandra Alastair. Alexandra Alastair is a very demure English lady; yet, under all "that proper" is an adventuresome spirit. Mrs. Alastair is a widow who vows this time she will not repeat the same indignity suffered during her first marriage. No, this time she will pick a husband with excellent qualities - namely faithfulness. She will pick out a man who will be a faithful husband and an excellent father - for Alexandra Alastair wants a child. Once upon a time, she carried a baby and the aching, painful memories still linger. So this time, Alexandra will follow an outlined "husband" list carefully. . . follow it . . . carefully . . . until . . . the very interesting Grayson Finley moves in next door.

As a lad, Grayson Finley, the Viscount Stoke, disappeared from England. Now, he is back, unmarried with a twelve-year-old daughter! He is gloriously handsome sporting a devil-may-care attitude. Scandalously, he does not dress like the other gentlemen on Alexandra's "husband" list! Luridly, he runs around town in a loose greatcoat, worn casually over a simple shirt and tight breeches. Why even his leather boots are disgraceful - they ride high - high on his robust thighs. His sun-bronzed skin speaks of lands far removed from England, and this only enhances the rampant rumors - the Viscount Stoke is an unsafe pirate! Nevertheless, he is interesting and Alexandra Alastair is shockingly interested!

To be sure, THE PIRATE NEXT DOOR is not a book taken too seriously. It is an amusing story about a very proper English lady, re-examining and experiencing her sexual fantasies. Ashley's sprinkling of purple prose highlights the fun and creates a delightful campy read. Although THE PIRATE NEXT DOOR is not one of the "best books ever," it is however a "really good book." The story's flaw . . . the so-called "monkey wrench" thrown in at the end. This "surprise" plot twist was not necessary. Ashley's playful story has enough conflict with Grayson's nemesis, James Ardmore and his motley crew of pirates. Nothing more was required . . .
Grade: B+

MaryGrace Meloche.

"The Pirate Next Door" was a fairly enjoyable read. I do not see myself adding it to my list of "keepers" but I would recommend it to others looking for a fun story.

One gripe that I had was the many characters that ran back and forth in this story - I found myself flipping through the pages trying to keep up with who was who. Once I got a fairly good idea of who was after who and who sided with who and why this person had a gripe with that person...the story proved to be rather amusing.

I would very much like to read the story involving Captain James Ardmore. In fact, he was my favorite character in the whole book and seemed to be (in my opinion) more pirate than pirate hunter.

All in all, an enjoyable read with MANY interesting characters. *grin

I like my romances with a touch of humor and plenty of action, and this book delivers. I found the characters to be endearing. Like most romantic heroes, Stoke has tragedy in his past, making him a tortured soul. But instead of being gloomy and dark, he manages to embrace life. He's a big, lusty, swash-buckling pirate. He loves deeply, and is willing to make sacrifices for those he loves, and even his enemies are his friends on some level. Great character.

Next door neighbor Alexandra is constrained by the dictates of society, up until it all becomes too inconvenient, then she follows her heart and fights for her man.

These two have great chemistry. The plot twists and adventures make this book a lot of fun to read. Highly recommended

In 1810 London, Lady Alexandra Alastair wonders about life's ironies. Next door in Mayfair lives Grayson Finley and his twelve year old daughter. Grayson vanished years ago, apparently became a pirate, and now returns to England as a Viscount. Adding to her confusion about the handsome hunk is observing some rough seafaring individuals threatening to hang him if he revealed anything to the Admiralty. In fact after the thugs leave, she rescues him as they did in deed hang him high. Alexandra's reward is a kiss.

As Alexandra becomes better acquainted with her new neighbor, she falls in love. She wants to keep both Finleys safe. When Grayson returns her ardent feelings, his enemy James Ardmore has a new pawn to use to destroy him.

Though this regency may seen strange at first with the hero being a pirate turned aristocrat, fans of the sub-genre will highly value the tale. Alexandra is an intrepid character not afraid to go tot to toe with the deadly Ardmore when it comes to protecting hers. Grayson is more of an enigma that fans will want to solve. Though the villain seems out of his element, THE PIRATE NEXT DOOR is an action-packed pleasant "high seas" London adventure novel.

Harriet Klausner

I have read a lot of romance books, and this one ranks right up there as one of my all time favorites. Not only were the characters likeable and well-written, the actual story had me intrigued all the way until the end of the book. This is one pirate I would love to meet - dangerous, yet a loving father and devoted lover! And it was definitely satisfying to have a heroine who was smart, adventurous and fiercely protective of her man! I recommend that you buy this book immediately!

I don't think I have ever run across an author quite like Jennifer Ashley. If I have, the name isn't coming to mind right now. She has the ability to make each of her series feel totally different from the others. Now, this can be a definite detriment if you love the way she wrote a certain series and go looking to her backlist hoping for other books in the same style... But if you like your authors to keep trying new things and surprising you, it will be a good thing.

This book was a very surprising mix of lighthearted and darkness. It was fun and campy and sexy, but then a certain someone would turn around and do something crazy! Woah! I was certainly surprised!

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I giggled so much over Alexandra's list. I loved whenever it was brought up because Grayson always got a little silly and territorial over it. I liked that Alexandra was willing to play, but was still serious about her future. She was sensible and didn't forgo asking a question just because the answer may not be something she liked. I loved that she flat out asked him why he wanted to be the highest rated on the list. She didn't just ignore it and then stew and whine over it later. How refreshing!

The characters were all so hilarious, and the high jinks they got up to had me laughing out loud. I loved watching Alexandra torture Grayson's crew! It was such a nice way to get revenge. I loved poor Mr. Henderson. He kept doing these things that made you really want to dislike him, but I couldn't. He was just too nice about the whole thing. There was one part where someone runs into a fight stark naked armed with a cutlass. It was in the middle of a soiree! Ladies were fainting left and right as he danced around butt naked. It cracked me up.

The only thing that was lacking for me was the beginning part of Alexandra and Grayson's relationship. I just felt like we skipped over the "getting to know you" part. I liked the relationship, but it felt a bit thin. A little more foundation would have been nice. I also found the surprise reveal with a certain character out of the blue. It seemed extremely convenient that all the bad blood would be that character's fault. I still think Grayson was in the wrong in the beginning. He should apologize!

Now, on to the villain. This guy was a trip! I couldn't tell if he was insane or not. Or if his people liked him or not. Was he a bad guy? Was this all some elaborate plot where he was just torturing them? He reminded me a bit of Jack Sparrow. That guy had hidden motives everywhere and you couldn't tell if he really liked anyone he hung out with, with the way he seemed to throw them under the bus... That was Ardmore all over. He was the part that seemed so surprising in such a light book. That man did some bad things! He wasn't just full of hot air and bluster, he would jack you up if you crossed him!

I'm really interested in seeing Ardmore in the next book. How exactly will the author redeem him? I can't wait to find out!

Widow Alexandra Alastair, having survived a loveless marriage, is looking for a sensible husband based on a The Rules-type list. The problem is, Grayson Finley kisses her senseless the first time she rescues him from James Ardmore, who hates him desperately and has imposed a postponed death sentence in exchange for giving Maggie, Grayson's daughter by Sara, the woman Grayson and James both loved, safe passage from the islands. In addition, James has kidnapped the exiled French king, whom Grayson is trying to find for the British Admiralty, in exchange for the pardon of his pirate crimes.

Passions and longings of the heart drive this sensual, seaworthy romp. Forget about the bodice-ripping. The main action is the conflict between heads and hearts in this marriage comedy that, as so many romances do, models itself well on Jane Austen. Ashley displays sense and sensibility in portraying her characters' motivations and feelings, and the characters themselves have emotional depth. Grayson has compassion and understanding for James Ardmore's hatred; Alexandra recognizes that her rashness led to her first unhappy marriage, but that an American Bandstand-type list for judging a mate is hardly a better approach. The steamy sex scenes are just the topper. Yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

If I can't read a Book set in Scotland my second choice of book to read is a pirate book! Ms. Ashley's book was whimsical, fun, and a good read!

What happens when a lady of breeding finds her new next door neighbor is a pirate? Does she turn a stiff upper lip to the goings on and continue with her predictable life, or does she jump in with both feet and by doing so turns her life upside down and sideways? Yes, you guessed it Alexandrea is not a water and milk miss and is done living her boring life! She is contemplating her suitor list (she is a widow and the first time down the aisle was less then spectaculare, she was married to rake and he was not discreet to say the least!) when she overhears a commontion next door. Going against her better judgement she races over with her footman, and cook in tow and rescues the dashing and handsome new Viscount Stokes. What's the first thing he does after being rescued by Ms. Alastair? If you said thank you you would be wrong, he kisses her senseless, and then introduces her to his 12 year old daughter...then he askes his new neighbor to sleep without any cloths just for him.

Grayson Finley is without a doubt a pirate from the top of his blonde head to the tip of his black thigh high boots. He must give up his pirating days now because he is a father, and he has made a deal with the devil (Bad guy American pirate huneter Ardmore) and a deal with the British Government to help the exiled King of France. What he does not have time for is his lovely nextdoor neighbor and the feeling he gets just remembering her untried kiss! Problem is Alexandra does not know how to stay out of trouble and somehow always manages to end up in the thick of things surrounding his problem!

This was a fun and easy read. This book was filled with engaging characters both primary and secondary, and plenty of twist and turns. Humor, and chemistry spiced up the pages so you won't be bored! I think the Ms. Ashely is an author we should continue to watch.

Jennifer Ashley words and plot flow. She makes reading easy and fun; I read nearly the whole book at one sitting. The only reason I put the book down unfinished was to cook dinner for a very hungry husband. Ms. Ashley has a way with words; I've read her short stories in various publications as well as her premier novel. Ms. Ashley has a real future as a writer, and I am glad I participated in this stellar event.