The Pirate Lord (Lord Trilogy, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Sabrina Jeffries (Author), Deborah Martin (Author) "idea what brought me racing from the country without taking time to sleep or groom myself properly?""..." (more)
Key Phrases: convict women, convict ship, new papa, Miss Willis, Captain Horn, Lady Dryden (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The Pirate Lord begins with a young crusading reformer, Miss Sara Willis, determined to experience first hand the substandard conditions and situations female convicts must face as they are transported to penal colonies in Australia. After several weeks at sea, the ill-fated ship Chastity is overtaken by the dreaded ship Satyr, vessel of the notorious Pirate Lord Gideon Horn. Gideon and his men are seeking to create their own utopia on an uncharted island and retire from the pirating business for good. All they need to make their island paradise complete is the presence of women, who will become wives to the pirate and his crew. Sara is just as stubborn as Gideon when an idea pops into her mind, and she sees that Gideon is more or less wanting to make her fellow females submit to the desires of his men, no matter that they would be legally wed. As the two leaders of the two factions butt heads on how a peaceful solution to their situation can be reached, they fall in love. Only one problem in their tropical Eden exists, Sara's stepbrother is searching for her and could possibly be the serpent that destroys the fragile paradise Gideon is seeking to build. I very much enjoyed this tale and the sparring that occurs between the two lead characters of this book. There was a wonderful dialogue and parallel love stories amid other secondary characters as well. I thought Ms. Jeffries kept all the love stories well balanced, without causing the reader undue confusion. Though the plot is somewhat predictable, if the reader sits back and just lets the marvelously developed personalities of the characters take over, the reader will not be disappointed in this book. Ms. Jeffries has a rich sense of humor, which is readily apparent in her writing and provides welcome entertainment for a few hours. Thankfully, the reader can expect more from this very talented author. Ms. Jeffries is planning a trilogy, the second of which will be the story of Jordan Willis, Sara's step-brother, in The Forbidden Lord to be released in the spring of 1999. Sabrina Jeffries spins a wondrous tale of high spirited individuals, set in fabulous locales, and creates sparkling dialogue which carries the reader away! The Pirate Lord is a rich story led by its powerfully charismatic hero and heroine who have the warmth and wit of characters Hepburn and Tracy used to play! Gloria Lower -- Copyright © 1998 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times

Product Description

A Splendid Opportunity

A shipload of women--theirs for the taking! Pirate captain Gideon Horn couldn't be more delighted. His men are tired of wandering the high seas and want to settle down with wives on the uncharted island paradise they've discovered. And the women are bound to be grateful to be rescued from the life of drudgery awaiting them in New South Wales . . . Lord, he's so clever!

A Splendid Passion

Married? To pirates? Sara Willis couldn't be more appalled. First she demands proper courting--at least a month. The darkly handsome pirate lord gives them two weeks. Then Sara insists the men vacate their huts for the women--Gideon demands her kisses in return. As the demands heat up, so do their passions--and soon Sara can't remember just why she's fighting the devilishly seductive captain so hard. . .

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038079747X
• ISBN-13: 978-0380797479
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,064 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Lord Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Pirate Lord is scrumptious and fascinating, May 24, 2003

By	"readinganddreaming" (Green Country, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

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.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I had to find this book at an auction.., July 6, 2000

By A Customer

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!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Expected something more from such an original plot., June 24, 2005

By	Nicole Wagner (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.