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 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
or the angst of that story or a courageous heroine. Still, it 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.
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