Review: Do Lord and Pirate's Daughters Mix?
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2014
The traumatic meeting of Emerald Sandford and Asher Wellingham, Duke of Carisbrook occurs five years before the story begins, when she's the 16-year-old member of her nobleman-turned-pirate father's crew and he's the 26-year-old captain of one of his merchant ships. Discovering she's female, Asher refuses to fight her, because, even when beseiged by pirates, a gentleman never harms a lady.  Emerald repays him by knocking him overboard and out of harm's way, not knowing this will make Asher the pirates' captive. It eventually loses him the use of his right hand and his brother his sight. Asher escapes and returns to wipe out the stronghold and kill her father and this is where the story begins. Emerald follows him to England. It isn't for revenge but to retrieve her father's walking stick he took because inside it is the map to a treasure she can use to pay off Beau Sandford's debts and free herself from the past.Using her father's family name and right to a title, Emerald becomes Lady Emma Seaton. Naturally Asher's suspicious of her and intrigued because of her obvious lies and uneasiness in high society. Of course they fall in love but this is more an in-depth study of the main characters attitudes than a mere will-they/won't-they love story. Asher is bound by duty and honor...and extreme guilt. His wife died while he was seeking his revenge, his brother was blinded during his rescue. He returns to his family home a widower, disabled in body, but more disabled in spirit, blaming himself for the tragedies occurring during his own travail. Emerald meanwhile sees herself as the cause. If she hadn't knocked him overboard, none of this would've happened.  Still pursuing her hunt for the walking stick, she believes the only way she can repay Asher for the misery she  has caused is to become his mistress and give him back  the love he lost and remove his grief over his brother's condition.It's an interesting story and an entertaining one, sensuous in spots, but staying away from the ballrooms and usual locales for such tales with most of the action taking place at Asher's estate. Flashbacks give reasons for everything that happens instead of playing them out in detail. Though this is the only James' novel I've read, I got the feeling there may be more on this family because of various hints given. If so, I'd like to read them,too.Harlequin Historical #888This novel was a gift to the reviewer and no remuneration was involved in the writing of this review.