A PIRATE’S POSSESSION by Michelle Beattie

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date Published: December 7th, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-425-23820-2
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Publisher


Claire Gentry is on the run from her abusive husband and disguised as a man, she wagers everything she has to locate a treasure her father couldn’t find. She never anticipates seeing the one man who stole her heart years before, Nate Carter. Nate is the legendary pirate, Sam Steele, and he is determined to have his revenge on Claire for betraying their love. Now both have to put aside their past feelings as the race for the treasure has someone determined to have it all, regardless of who gets in the way. Can Nate and Claire see that the treasure they are searching for is right in front of their eyes?

A PIRATE’S POSSESSION is the third book centered on the pirates in the Caribbean. It’s a fun adventure with a hunky pirate hero and a heroine who is determined to change her life, by finding the treasure her father has been searching for. The writing is tight; the storyline moves at a nice even pace and the characters are quite enjoyable. There was only one thing I had an issue with. I didn’t read the second book, ROMANCING THE PIRATE, and felt like I’d missed a little bit as there were numerous mentions of that storyline in this latest installment so I was a little confused at times. The relationship between Nate and Claire had me glued to the pages. At times you could feel the hate and love warring within the pages. These two lead characters had me rooting for them to get together and finally settle their differences. The sparks fly from the opening card game and had me wishing I was the fly on the wall for that scene.

Meet Clair Gentry, a woman hell bent on finding the other half of a treasure map and making a new life for herself. Disguised as a man, she enters a card game where the map is part of the winning pot and she finds herself face to face with the one man she’d loved years before, Nate Carter.

Nate hates Claire or so he thinks. He wants revenge against the one woman who owns his heart, for the pain of her betrayal. Things are not as they seem and Nate will have to work with Claire to solve the mystery of the treasure map, while finding that the other side of hate is love. These two characters are perfect for one another. Sparks fly the moment we meet them and it doesn’t let up until the end. With a great cast of secondary characters, the reader is treated to a wonderful story that leaves you breathless.

Ms. Beattie delivers a charming tale set on the high seas, of a time gone by in the lush Caribbean. The scenery was so exotic; I was wishing to jump on a ship to see this wonderful world. With the right blend of exotic locale, multidimensional characters and a fast paced storyline to keep the reader on the edge of their seats, Ms. Beattie delivers a story that will charm you till the very end. I am looking forward to reading more from this wonderful author and hope I don’t have too long to wait. If you enjoy a hunky pirate hero, a feisty heroine and a love that is determined to win the day then run to grab A PIRATE’S POSSESSION.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

A PIRATE’S POSSESSION by Michelle Beattie

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: December 7, 2010
ISBN: 978-0425238202
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by Publisher


Nate has pretty much kept his past in the past. Its painful memories and sense of loss are tucked away where no one can reach them. Not even his best friend, Vincent, has any idea about the tall, good looking man’s history. One person has a snippet of who he was not so long ago, but even she doesn’t begin to know the full story.

Claire Gentry has been on a quest for a missing piece of a map that will lead her to the greatest pirate treasure of all time. She too has a past best left behind. With a history of those she loves most leaving her, she is determined to find the treasure, believing it will make all right in her world. When Claire finds a lead to the illusive map she bets all she has on winning the parchment in a poker game. She not only loses, but she loses to Nate. At first Nate doesn’t recognize the girl from his past; after all, she is hiding in the guise of a boy. But when he realizes who is on his ship and what she is after, what the couple thought they left behind comes rushing to the fore.

But Claire and Nate aren’t the only ones on the trail of this amazing treasure, a treasure that has been sought for over a hundred years with nary a trace. Those other seekers don’t care who they have to trample on to gain their goal, or who they have to kill.

After reading ROMANCING THE PIRATE, book 2 of Michelle Beattie’s pirate series, I couldn’t wait to dig into book 3, A PIRATE’S POSSESSION. At the end of ROMANCING THE PIRATE I expressed the hope that Vincent and Nate would appear in another story. I was delighted to see Nate’s name on the pages shortly into the story and Vincent’s appearance made it feel like a reunion between myself and two marvelous characters.

Sadly, the witty banter between the two was missing in A PIRATE’S POSSESSION as was any connection I felt to the characters. Claire arrives on the scene, ready to bid on the map, but there is no explanation of how she, or Nate, knew it was up for bid. They fell in love as teens but I didn’t feel a spark between the adult characters.

What turned me off almost completely in the book was what I felt to be the gratuitous death of one of the characters. Of course it created considerable drama for the other characters, but had he lived through a terrible illness they would still have bonded and the door would have been opened for at least one more story in this series, if not two with Nate’s brother in the hero’s role.

There were gaps in the story; the characters did things without seeming to have any reason to. That said, if there is a fourth book I will read it if for no other reason than to catch up with the characters we met in the first two books.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

ROMANCING THE PIRATE by Michelle Beattie

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: September 1, 2009
ISBN 9780425230855
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewer: Gina
Received from Library


A blow on the head has hidden Alicia Davidson’s memory for the past six years. All she can remember are her parents, Jacob and Anna and how much they loved her. At Jacob’s funeral she sees a dark haired man who neither approaches her nor truly pays his respects, yet something about him stays in his mind. Despite her parents’ attempts to the contrary, Alicia was determined, and did learn, her father’s blacksmith trade. With his passing she sees no reason not to continue the business, despite a dear friend, Charles’ admonition to the contrary along with her Aunt’s stubborn intent to rule Alicia’s life. In a moment of intense grief Alicia finally brings herself to enter her parents’ former room and go through her father’s trunk. Inside she finds two letters, one to a mysterious Blake Merritt and another addressed to her. In the letter to Alicia, Jacob reveals the truth of Alicia’s origins and gives her directions on what she should do to find out about her true parentage.

Blake Merritt proudly calls himself a privateer, not a pirate. He is offended when compared to the pirates that raid the Caribbean and wreck havoc wherever they go. When Alicia turns up, more or less, on his doorstep by stowing away on his ship, he is at first incensed. Slowly but surely, Alicia wends her way into his heart and before long Blake cannot imagine a future without her.

But both have secrets, secrets that could tear apart their relationship before it can truly blossom.

What a difference between Michelle Beattie’s first book, WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES and ROMANCING THE PIRATE. In ROMANCING THE PIRATE the rich and lush textures of the Caribbean come to life. When Ms. Beattie describes Blake’s ship and the feeling of it being underway I could feel the ocean breezes and the clean, crisp air. Likewise when the couple lands on St. Kitts I had a strong feeling of what it would be like to walk those very streets.

I adored the secondary characters, Vincent and Nate and found myself chuckling at their banter. Somewhere along the way I think those two deserve their own story, perhaps as a historical romance comedy.

Normally I find it hard to believe a couple can fall in love in a day or so but the attraction between Alicia and Blake is well done. The author gave Alicia a marvelous personality and I enjoyed how her strength was both internal as well as external. Blake’s own pain was palpable and Alicia’s care for him wonderfully done.

I recommend reading WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES if for no other reason than to meet some of the secondary characters that appear in ROMANCING THE PIRATE. ROMANCING THE PIRATE is a super read that is not to be missed.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

WHAT A PIRATE WANTS by Michelle Beattie

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: December 2008
ISBN: 978-042522493-9
Historical Romance
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by gift


A pirate attack on her family sends seventeen year old Samantha Fine along with several of her father’s crew, over the side of their boat and into the sea. They find their way to an island and what appears to be help. However, they end up slaves and one night, the man they thought saved them, rapes Samantha. Before Mr. Grant can attack her a second time she clubs him over the head, grabs her friends and a few other slaves and together they escape. They not only escape, they commandeer one of Grant’s boats and take to the seas, pirates themselves. Under the guise of Sam Steele, Samantha prowls the seas, taking only what she and her crew needs while she plans her revenge on one Dervish, the man who started it all. Some five years later her plan is firmly made but she is missing one thing—someone who actually knows what Dervish looks like.

Rather than hang, Luke Bradley accepts Sam’s assistance to escape his fate and her terms to help her take her revenge on Dervish. A pirate himself, he takes what he wishes and leaves the rest behind. Yet there is something about Sam that calls to a part of him he’d long thought dead. Together they embark on Sam’s quest for Dervish and to right the long ago wrongs he set in motion.

WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES by Michelle Beattie was an easy weekend read. The warmth of the Caribbean was definitely appealing on a chilly fall day, even if it was only in a book. The thought of a tropical drink wasn’t far from my mind.

The book, however, was almost formulaic. I didn’t feel any connection between the characters or with them myself. I could take or leave Luke and Samantha was a disappointment. Ms. Beattie starts off with a great concept of using one villain’s ship to take her revenge on another. It was one of those multi-layered paybacks you can find in one of Alexander Dumas’ marvelous tales. But unlike Dumas’ heroes, at the very end, Sam backs down. Her rational makes sense; it was just a letdown for me. As to my feeling of a formula, a mere few days after meeting Luke, Sam knows she is in love with him We know this because she tells us, not because there is any great passion or warmth between the two. It came across as if they were in love because it’s a romance and they’re supposed to be. When Luke’s own secrets come out Sam is either angry or broken-hearted. Again, we know this because she has told us, not because the characters evoke any emotion.

If you are looking for a quick and easy read without having to think much, just to read for the sheer enjoyment of reading, WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES is a good choice.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES Book 1 in series by Michelle Beattie

Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Date published: December 2, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-425-22493-9
Historical Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Reviewed by Dawn



A woman who lost everything and vows revenge against the man responsible; a man determined to help her at all costs and in the process gain her heart……..Samantha Fine lost everything she held dear on one fateful day and since then has vowed to gain revenge and make the brigand Dervish pay for his crimes. As she masquerades as Sam Steele, a fearsome pirate, she finds herself on the path with a man who will either be her salvation or her ruin, for Pirate Luke Bradley has discovered Sam’s secret and he will stop at nothing in order to make her his for all time.

WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES was an interesting story for me to read since I haven’t read a historical in awhile. It was full of action and adventure on the high seas, revenge, mystery and a great cast of characters to enjoy. Ms. Beattie delivers all that and more in her debut of her new series that centers on the lush, blue seas of the Caribbean and the pirates who sail the waters. With some tight writing, fast paced storyline and a multidimensional cast of characters, Ms. Beattie delivers a high sea adventure for the reader to enjoy.

WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES is the first book of a series that centers on the waters of the Caribbean and the pirates who sail through them. I enjoyed this different approach and it gave the tired Pirate plot a bit of pizzazz especially as Sam is a female acting as a man. I enjoyed also how Samantha was a strong female heroine who didn’t need Luke or any man to rescue her from harms way. She would be in the center of it, drawing her sword and guns, blazing a trail through; that made me really enjoy this character. Add in hunky pirate Luke Bradley and you have the makings of a rumble that just got interesting. If you enjoy a different type of pirate story to read on a sultry summer night, then grab WHAT A PIRATE DESIRES. It has everything you could desire and more. I know I am looking forward to reading more from this author and hope the next in the series is not long in the wait.