A Pirate's Promise

by Gabriela Lawson

Reviewed at The Romance Reviews

A PIRATE'S PROMISE is a story of misunderstandings and missteps leading to love on the open seas. Though a lady, Elizabeth has trouble holding her tongue and biding by society's rules. When she meets Lord Eddington at a ball she fears he will expose her true nature and ruin her reputation. Which she absolutely cannot allow.

Despite her older sister's vehement protests, Elizabeth Cameron is about to make her come out in society. Elizabeth's first ball does not go at all according to her plans, so she seeks solace in the garden. There she comes face to face with a handsome man who immediately goads her into showing her less ladylike side. After Elizabeth insults and lies to this gentleman, she discovers that he is the new heir, Lord Anton Eddington.

As the second son of a Duke, Anton Eddington did not have to spend much time troubling himself with polite society. It is not until Anton's older brother dies that he realizes he will have to abandon his happy life as a ship captain to prepare for his new responsibilities. At the insistence of his father, Anton is a reluctant guest at a society ball where he is surprised to meet a beautiful and feisty young woman who haunts his thoughts after they have parted ways.

Elizabeth realizes she must find a way to apologize, in private, to Anton and beg him not to ruin her reputation by sharing her rude behavior with others. However, when Elizabeth discovers Anton has his own secret, she decides that blackmail may work better than apologies. Her blackmail attempt goes horribly awry and Elizabeth finds herself stuck on a ship with the handsome, charming, and infuriating Lord Eddington.

This was a great book. I enjoy historical romances where the characters act outside of society's standards—strong-willed women who are not willing to act as the quiet, doting society wife, and aristocratic men who want their lives to be more than family duty and responsibility. The passion and heartbreak was woven together perfectly with much lighthearted fun throughout this story. The storyline is classic—the development of a relationship while removed from once familiar and usual setting. While things seem to be going well with the relationship, the reality of the "real world" looms over them when they do eventually return home. The author does a great job with character development, showing the growing connection between Elizabeth and Anton. The cast of supporting characters were fun and added to the honest personalities of the two main characters.

My only complaint about this book was the rushed feeling I got at the end. There was a time jump of a few months with minimal bits of information given about each character in that time. While I understood the logic of the time jump in relation to the story, I feel cheated out of some emotional moments that must have occurred for these characters during that time.

Still, this was a great read well worth the time spent.