Monday, February 10, 2020

Rona Sharon’s MY WICKED PIRATE: Bring on the Italian Pirates!


Every now and then I find a romance that is hard to rate. Like this one. It was Sharon’s first novel and there is much to commend it: It is rich in detail and history with wonderful scenes featuring pirates, treachery and intrigue, all set in the early 18th century in the Caribbean, North Africa, Italy, France, and England. Unlike one reviewer, I do not believe this story has the master touch of the romances of Kathleen Woodiwiss and Judith McNaught. There were places where the action and the romance lagged a bit and the Italian history got a bit thick. But I did like it and I think the ending was wonderful.

Lady Alaina, the granddaughter of the Duke of Dellamore, decides to travel to Jamaica to visit her fiancé Lucas Hunter, Viscount Silverlake, who she hasn’t seen in three years. On the way, her French ship is attacked by pirates and Alaina is captured by the notorious Italian pirate "Eros." The handsome well-spoken pirate tells her he will set her free as she is only a means to an end. When Lucas rescues her, Alanis understands what Eros meant for Lucas is holding Eros’ sister. Alanis observes that Lucas is in love with Eros’ sister so Alanis breaks her engagement and takes off with Eros, hoping to see the world. Eros agrees, wanting her out of the way so his sister can marry Lucas.

Positives: clever plot; well-told story (though it is slower in the first half and the romance lags in places); a drool-worthy pirate hero; interesting, well-researched historical setting (lots of  history in this one), and varied geography.

Negatives: (1) The constant use of Italian phrases was a distraction. Most were translated but not all, and their interjection broke my train of thought. (2) The heroine came across as a snippy bitch early in the story when Eros was being nice to her and trying to provide for her needs. I suppose it was a device to create tension but there are other ways to do it without making the heroine look unsympathetic. (3) Modern phrases that don’t fit the 18th century (“sounds like a plan” and “put a lid on it” were among several). (4) some questionable plot elements (i.e., the idea that Eros’ cousin would torture him to find the medallion before searching Eros’ home—where it was—or using Alanis to get to him).

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