Set in 1812, this is the
story of Devlin O’Neill, a daring sea captain in the British Royal Navy, who is
Irish by birth and loyalty. He cares nothing for England, only for Ireland and
taking revenge on the Earl of Eastleigh,
the English soldier who brutally murdered
his father when Devlin was only 10. Devlin becomes a success for the wealth it
brings and the opportunity for revenge.
Devlin has risen to become a
well-educated, successful officer, recently knighted. He frequently flies in
the face of his orders, but the British need him for the coming war with
America so they put up with his antics. Acting more the pirate than the
officer, Devlin is ready for the final blow to Eastleigh, bankrupting him by requiring
a ransom for his American niece.
American Virginia Hughes was born and
raised on Sweet Briar, a tobacco plantation in Virginia. With her parents gone,
she has one goal: to pay off her father’s debts and rebuild her beloved Sweet
Briar. She sails to England, hoping to convince her uncle, the Earl of
Eastleigh, to lend her the funds. On the way, Devlin abducts her.
For most of the book, Devlin is a man
who has steeled himself against all emotion to accomplish his daring sea
adventures and his revenge. Cold, uncaring and willing to use anyone he must to
meet his ends (for 6 years, he takes the Earl of Eastleigh’s wife as his
mistress, caring nothing for her). And, for most of the book, it’s a tug of war
between Devlin, who shamelessly uses Virginia as well as others, and his
captive.
At the end of it, Devlin finally
realizes he has fallen in love with Virginia and wants a family, but it was a
fairly abrupt turnaround. And Virginia just kept hanging in there through all
his abuse (except for brief periods of sanity). It reminded me of Stormfire but lacked Monson’s fine touch, the angst of that story and a courageous heroine. Still, it was not dull and
held my attention.
It’s
a part of the 13-book deWarenne Dynasty but
you can read it as a stand alone. If you like bold, arrogant Irish heroes, you
just might love it.
Buy on Amazon
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