The Privateer by Danielle Thorne
Book Title : The Privateer
Author : Danielle Thorne
Publisher : Awe-Struck E-Books
Genre : Historical
Publication Date : April 17 2009
ISBN : 978-1-58479-723-0
Pages : 177
Series : N/A
Category : Sweet
Type : E-book
Reviewer : Pam S
4 Wings
Julius Bertrand was once a pirate having been thrown into the life from early childhood. Working his way up from cabin boy to captain throughout his adventures in the Caribbean, he managed to overtake a Spanish vessel and posed as a privateer gathering goods and information. The Bahamas’ governor, a British ally, began offering pardons to the pirates who surrendered as an option instead of death. Bertrand shared invaluable information regarding the Spanish with the government, gained his pardon, and eventually met up with then Lieutenant Shane Adair. They procured a contract to continue hunting down pillagers and monitoring the activity of the Spanish guardcostas, and thus began his illustrious career as a privateer for the British Crown.
Now Captain Julius Bertrand and Royal Navy Captain Adair are following up on rumours of something afoot in the Caribbean. A pirate who sells for no certain flag and changes ships upon attack with an unknown goal has surfaced. Together they now search the islands for the illusive rogue who is called Moreaux by some.
Although Julius Bertrand has now made a fair contribution to society, there is a bounty circulating for his head and if the ambiguous marauder is the same Moreaux from his past the man will stop at nothing to take his revenge on Bertrand.
Katherine “Kate” O’ Connell was raised by her father, Doctor O’Connell who is retired from serving the Royal Navy. Kate has travelled all over the world with her father from an early age. They have left their colony of Boston and now reside in San Madrid upon her father’s acceptance of the position of resident physician.
Kate meets Bertrand for the first time at a formal dinner, where it is shown early on that she has strong political beliefs that go against what most of society believe and is not shy about voicing them. She is not interested in marriage, and prefers her independent status after having been thwarted by love in her past. However her eyes are drawn to the mysterious dinner guest.
Bertrand is just as intrigued by Kate is she is by him, and this only increases as they become more acquainted. Neither attempt to pursue the other though due to social expectations and personal convictions. As other admirers of each come into the picture the plot thickens.
The Privateer had me wrenched with emotion. I was forever wondering what was going to happen next. Though in the beginning the plot was a bit unclear to me, Danielle Thorne does a good job of pulling everything together as the story unfolds.
I had mixed emotions about the hero of the story and many of her other characters as well. I spent one half of my time in admiration of them and the other wanting to strangle them for their actions. She portrays them well and holds true to the beliefs of society of that time.
It was a nicely done historical piece, capturing the era well, and reminding me of one of Jane Austin’s novels mixed with a bit of the high seas. Full of suspense and a blend of romance. The Privateer is a note-worthy read one should not pass up. Be warned, there is a bit of violence and some graphic details within, but it is a story of pirates and privateers after all.
