Today I'm bringing you the just-released second installment in Ms. Lin's Men of Fortune series, Falling For the Pirate. Keep reading to get a glimpse of this delightful read, as well as my impressions of it.....
London, 1812
After the deaths of his parents and a dark, troubled childhood, Captain Nate Bowen vowed he would have his revenge. But he never expected to have the tool of his revenge dropped so neatly into his lap. Juliana Hargate is not only the daughter of his enemy, but is destitute, very much alone—and exquisitely desirable.
And now that Nate has saved her life, she’s at his complete mercy...
Captive. All Juliana wanted was to clear her father’s name. Instead, she’s been struck with amnesia—unable to recall even her name—and imprisoned by a tall, imposing, and entirely unscrupulous pirate.A pirate whose eyes seem to look past her skirts and many petticoats, and whose touch sends delicious ripples of desire through her. With every passing day, she finds herself tempted to give him the very thing he’s determined to take...
EXCERPT:
It was warm in the room. Too warm. The blankets were suffocating, and someone had built a strong fire. She could smell the coal.
Coal. There was something about coal, but she couldn’t remember what. Her head felt foggy, as if filled with water, her thoughts adrift in the murky dark. There was something important she had to remember. Floating just beyond her grasp.
Cuts and bruises all over her body made themselves known as she came awake, as if they awoke too, one by one. Her palms burned, as though she’d fallen and scraped them. Her ankle throbbed—possibly she’d twisted it. Her side ached. What had happened to her?
If she held herself very still, the pain dulled to a muffled roar, just quiet enough that she could focus on other things.
Such as where she was.
And who she was.
Her eyes felt glued shut. She opened them by force of will and stared at a plain drapery striped with light and dark blue. Pretty; serviceable. She was almost sure she’d never seen it before. Almost, because she couldn’t remember what she had seen before. She could only feel certain she hadn’t.
The furniture looked heavy. Good quality. Not ornate.
That detail seemed meaningful to her. Not ornate. As if she had once lived somewhere that was ornate—with fancy tapestries and delicately carved furnishings. Somewhere much colder than here.
A faint memory of freezing water and sinewy shadows came to her, tickling her memory.Sinking, drowning. But nothing moved beneath her now, and her throat felt utterly dry. If she’d been in the water at some point, she was most definitely on land now.
She looked around, letting her gaze sweep the cozy room before landing on a large wooden chair. More to the point, the man sleeping in the chair.
His legs were spread wide—bracing himself, even in sleep. His shoulders were well above the back of the chair, his head leaning against the wall behind. He seemed too large for the furniture, like a grown man sitting on a child’s rocker in a nursery. Only, this chair was quite average-sized.
She had a sense of familiarity, of having seen him before. Which was strange, because she didn’t feel like the sort of woman acquainted with pirates.
And this man was most definitely a pirate.
He wore no jacket. She felt faintly scandalized, except he was also alone in the room with her. He was alone in the room with her, which was far worse than being in shirtsleeves. And if that weren’t shocking enough, the ties at his collar hung loose, baring a portion of his chest.Tanned. Sprinkled with dark hair. And wholly inappropriate for her to see.
She looked away—and right into his eyes. He was awake now. He’d been watching her examine him.
“Who are you?” Her voice came out low and rough. What had she been doing last night to make her voice so raw?
And had she been doing it with him?
The pirate stretched slowly, wincing as his body straightened into order. She had the sense he was rolling himself back up, as if he were a tree he had to trim just to stand upright.
“You asked me the same question last night,” he remarked.
His voice vibrated with sarcasm. He didn’t sound happy to greet her this morning. And, in fact, her sense of familiarity was completely misplaced if she’d asked for his name just last night.
“What did you answer?” she asked.
A glimmer of humor shone from his eyes before they went black again. Black like his hair.Black like the sea. He smiled, and the smile was black, too—with irony and annoyance. “I didn’t,” he said. “I’m not in the habit of explaining myself to thieves.”
Coal. There was something about coal, but she couldn’t remember what. Her head felt foggy, as if filled with water, her thoughts adrift in the murky dark. There was something important she had to remember. Floating just beyond her grasp.
Cuts and bruises all over her body made themselves known as she came awake, as if they awoke too, one by one. Her palms burned, as though she’d fallen and scraped them. Her ankle throbbed—possibly she’d twisted it. Her side ached. What had happened to her?
If she held herself very still, the pain dulled to a muffled roar, just quiet enough that she could focus on other things.
Such as where she was.
And who she was.
Her eyes felt glued shut. She opened them by force of will and stared at a plain drapery striped with light and dark blue. Pretty; serviceable. She was almost sure she’d never seen it before. Almost, because she couldn’t remember what she had seen before. She could only feel certain she hadn’t.
The furniture looked heavy. Good quality. Not ornate.
That detail seemed meaningful to her. Not ornate. As if she had once lived somewhere that was ornate—with fancy tapestries and delicately carved furnishings. Somewhere much colder than here.
A faint memory of freezing water and sinewy shadows came to her, tickling her memory.Sinking, drowning. But nothing moved beneath her now, and her throat felt utterly dry. If she’d been in the water at some point, she was most definitely on land now.
She looked around, letting her gaze sweep the cozy room before landing on a large wooden chair. More to the point, the man sleeping in the chair.
His legs were spread wide—bracing himself, even in sleep. His shoulders were well above the back of the chair, his head leaning against the wall behind. He seemed too large for the furniture, like a grown man sitting on a child’s rocker in a nursery. Only, this chair was quite average-sized.
She had a sense of familiarity, of having seen him before. Which was strange, because she didn’t feel like the sort of woman acquainted with pirates.
And this man was most definitely a pirate.
He wore no jacket. She felt faintly scandalized, except he was also alone in the room with her. He was alone in the room with her, which was far worse than being in shirtsleeves. And if that weren’t shocking enough, the ties at his collar hung loose, baring a portion of his chest.Tanned. Sprinkled with dark hair. And wholly inappropriate for her to see.
She looked away—and right into his eyes. He was awake now. He’d been watching her examine him.
“Who are you?” Her voice came out low and rough. What had she been doing last night to make her voice so raw?
And had she been doing it with him?
The pirate stretched slowly, wincing as his body straightened into order. She had the sense he was rolling himself back up, as if he were a tree he had to trim just to stand upright.
“You asked me the same question last night,” he remarked.
His voice vibrated with sarcasm. He didn’t sound happy to greet her this morning. And, in fact, her sense of familiarity was completely misplaced if she’d asked for his name just last night.
“What did you answer?” she asked.
A glimmer of humor shone from his eyes before they went black again. Black like his hair.Black like the sea. He smiled, and the smile was black, too—with irony and annoyance. “I didn’t,” he said. “I’m not in the habit of explaining myself to thieves.”
BUY LINKS: AMAZON | BN
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
Before this book the majority of the books I'd read of Ms. Lin's were contemporary in nature. Her latest historical read was entertaining with a memorably drool-worthy hero full of conflict and a heroine who left ME conflicted. Juliana Hargate's life has been turned upside down as everything she knows has been taken away from her. To make things right, and to clear her father's name, she sets off in disguise to find evidence but her plan goes drastically awry when she runs into the man bent on revenge against her family. From that moment on life changes dramatically as a case of amnesia has her forgetting who she is and her purpose, and he is enthralled by her against his better judgement and his hardened heart. Theirs is an unexpected relationship in a story that starts out strong but soon starts to drag but ultimately reaches a satisfying HEA.
Juliana is used to the finer things in life, but when that's all taken away she's willing to do whatever it takes to get her life back. She's a bit pristine but from the very start I was surprised by her strong will and determination. She's willing to sink to the very bottom if that means she can get back on top. Her Julia persona thinks the worst of herself though and her actions reflect a lower class which was surprisingly fun and carefree. This made for some very sensual delights and entertaining banter before she got her memory back. As Juliana though I found her to be more uptight and less fun.
Nate came from the lower class and is also willing to do what it takes to stay on top. He's a bit rough around the edges but throughout the story his heart slowly thaws in his dealings with the orphaned boys. He was conflicted in his feelings for Julia, desperate to make her talk about her midnight visit, but he was also protective. I loved seeing that side of him, as he put aside his vengeance for her love, and it made him very endearing even as he tried to remain domineering.
This story started out strong with a premise that was both familiar yet sweet and entertaining. The heroine was intriguing, especially after amnesia struck her, and didn't always do the expected. The hero was sexy and sweet though he fought it every step of the way. Though the latter half of the story dragged I still enjoyed the hero, as well as the other men he works with, and who I look forward to seeing more of. I once again enjoyed Ms. Lin's work and highly recommend her, particularly her contemporary books, to all lovers of romance!
My rating for this is a B-
*I received this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
***THE FIRST INSTALLMENT IN THE SERIES: Letters At Christmas
Amber Lin writes erotic romance with damaged souls and deep emotion.
Her debut novel, Giving It Up, received The Romance Review’s Top Pick, Night Owl Top Pick, and 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. RT Book Reviews gave it 4.5 stars, calling it “truly extraordinary.” She has been published by Loose Id, Carina Press, and Entangled.
Amber married her high school sweetheart, birthed a kid who’s smarter than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good.
Her debut novel, Giving It Up, received The Romance Review’s Top Pick, Night Owl Top Pick, and 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. RT Book Reviews gave it 4.5 stars, calling it “truly extraordinary.” She has been published by Loose Id, Carina Press, and Entangled.
Amber married her high school sweetheart, birthed a kid who’s smarter than she is, and spends her nights writing down her dirty thoughts. In other words, life is good.
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WEBSITE: http://www.authoramberlin.
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Amber-
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