"The second book in the exciting trilogy"

Marcus Drake is an Englishman by birth, a pirate by necessity. After being injured and left for dead in a sea battle in Tortuga, he is captured by the hated Spanish and condemned to die. The ship carrying him to his death is caught in a mighty sea squall, washing most of the crew overboard. The remaining crew asks him to sail the ship to safety, when they realize he is their only hope.

Liandra Espinosa is the sister of El Condor, the man Marcus holds responsible for his capture. She has no desire to beg this horrid pirate to save them, but knows she has no other choice. She offers him his freedom in exchange for his help. But she cannot under any circumstances let him know her brother, Gabriel, is El Condor, for fear of what Marcus would do to her if he found out.

Marcus grudgingly agrees to help, if she frees the other prisoners onboard who are pirates, like him, and know how to sail a ship. Liandra has no choice so she does as he asks. Suddenly she becomes the captive, when she tries to prevent him from getting to the supplies he so desperately needs. For there are valuable documents stored there, which would reveal who she really is.

From the moment she places herself in front of a cannon to protect her niece, cousin, and a few orphans she is transporting to the mission, Puerto Bello, she wins Marcus' respect...and his desire. As the two struggle to save the ship, sparks fly and passion erupts. Then Liandra's brother overtakes their ship, finding Marcus and Liandra in a compromising position. Gabriel wants blood, for reasons of his own, but she refuses to allow it. She insists Marcus must have his freedom, for she gave her word.

Gabriel forces Marcus to marry Liandra, knowing Marcus is a dead man anyhow. Carlos, Liandra and Gabriel's uncle, who is after Marcus for his own greedy reasons, discovers them and he will never allow Marcus to live. Now they are on the run from Carlos, continuing the adventures. Will they survive to find love?

This story is full of excitement that never ends. The reader's attention is caught from the very first page, and never let go. This book is not a light read. It is full of intricate plots and subplot, all of which are intertwined, to complete the entire saga, which started in MY LORD PIRATE (released in January 2001) and concludes in HEART OF THE CONDOR (to be released in July 2002).

If one wants a complex tale of adventure on the high seas, and passionate characters full of life, this is the book of choice. Ms. Renken endears her characters to the readers, so they hope the story never ends. This reviewer thoroughly enjoyed this foray into the life of a pirate, who finds salvation in the most unlikely of places. One will be eagerly awaiting the conclusion to this outstanding trilogy.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, 2001. All rights reserved.

Reviewed by Kelley Hartsell
Posted September 28, 2001