Review: Best of the series so far!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 28, 2014
I've been reading Regan Walker's Agents of the Crown series since the beginning and while each one has a special place in my heart (and Kindle), I have to say that Wind Raven is my official favorite!Jean Nicholas Powell is more than just a competent captain. As a former privateer, he's used to dangerous situations but nothing prepares him for the danger that American Tara McConnell brings when she demands passage from London to Baltimore on his ship, the Wind Raven.Tara is used to sailing on a ship with just men which is only one of the reasons she couldn't find her place among London's elite. Now she's desperate to get home to her father and she won't take "no" for an answer.Nicholas and Tara are just an electric storm waiting to happen. He's used to the proper, quiet and refined ladies of London and she's used to being treated as an equal on a ship. From the very beginning I loved the way these two characters clashed and even though at times Nicholas made me grind my teeth with the way he saw women,  Tara made up for it by doing her best to barrel over his dictates. I love a woman who challenges her "place" in a story and Tara did just that. She's confident about her knowledge and who she is as a person. She isn't perfect but that's part of her appeal. I'm usually pretty hard on female characters simply because I expect a lot from them. I want them to be strong but imperfect, unique but not obnoxious about it. Tara was a great balance of tough girl sailor and vulnerable lady. I really liked her.In a Regan Walker novel a reader can expect one big thing: Attention to detail. Wind Raven has an abundance of details. From descriptions of the locations in the story to the individual details of each characters' personality, there's enough to give readers a full picture of just what is happening in the book. However, Walker does it without getting too wordy and boring readers.Aside from Nicholas and Tara, it's obvious that Walker paid attention to the supporting cast of Wind Raven. None of the secondary characters faded into the background. Whether they had half a paragraph or a few pages worth of scenes, it was clear that they were lovingly created by the author.One of the best things about Wind Raven though, is the appearance of the villainous Roberto Cofresi. Not only is he a dangerous pirate but he serves as a motivator for Nicholas and pushes the love story between Nicholas and Tara forward at a faster rate. He was unpredictable and of course, he was very detailed in description.I love a good high seas romance, there's just so much potential for adventure when it's a historical one too and author Regan Walker definitely took advantage of the setting to create a wonderfully engaging, exciting story with an interesting cast of characters.Final Verdict: Wind Raven is hands down, my favorite of Regan Walker's books so far. The characters and story were well developed and interesting, and the setting is just the thing the Agents of the Crown series needed to keep things fresh.