Raeven Russell (named for her black hair) is the daughter of a British admiral, who she has sailed with since she was four. When her fiancé is killed in an encounter with Cutlass, Raeven vows to take the life of the man she believes to be a pirate. She finds Cutlass in a tavern in the seaport town of Brest in the far northwest of France where, dressed as a lad, she challenges him to a duel. Cutlass easily defeats her, it being apparent she has more bravado than skill with a sword (though she can throw a mean knife).
Raeven is ambivalent about killing Cutlass because what she really wants is to go to bed with him. (As one reviewer put it, “avenging her fiancé, but hot for her enemy”). Since she is not a virgin, her virtue is not an issue apparently, and she and Cutlass jump into bed with few preliminaries and little emotion--but lots of lust. At times she comes across as selfish and immature for 19, especially since she’s been raised around sailors who work hard for a living. (In those days, 19 was old for a woman.) One had to wonder how she could live on a British war ship as a child, especially when her country was at war. In any event, her father has little control over her and she seems to come and go as she pleases.
The story has lots of actions: fist fights, knife fights, sword fights, battles at sea and pirates and privateers in abundance as Raeven chases after Cutlass and Cutlass chases after another privateer. In the process, everyone gets wounded and some killed. And, of course, Sebastian realizes Raeven is the woman for him, and she solves the mystery of his lost family. It’s lighter pirate fare than the classics you might be thinking of but nevertheless entertaining.
The Sons of Revolution Series:
The Making of a Duchess (2010)
The Making of a Gentleman (2010)
The Rogue Prate’s Bride (2012)
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