The Privateer-The Privateer

The Privateer
Dawn MacTavish
Leisure, Jan 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780843959819

In 1812 following the shocking suicide death of her father an Earl, Lady Lark Eddington has no time to mourn as she is immediately incarcerated even before his corpse is cold in Marshalsea Debtor's Prison as she cannot pay back his debt. Lark has no way out until Earl Basil "King" Kingston, makes remittance. She assumes she will pay him back with her body as he must have paid for a mistress as no one else blinked when she was taken away; instead he stuns her further when he tells her he hired her as his mother's companion as he will marry soon and needs her out of the main house and living with her companion in the dower house.

King finds Lark fascinating and intelligent besides being beautiful. However, he has no time to look into why he is so attracted to her, as the Admiralty has recalled him to duty as a privateer. On his first mission of his second tour, King almost dies. His near death experience makes him open is eyes (at least his good one) to the fact that he loves Lark and plans to marry her. However he knows she is brilliant so concealing his involvement with smugglers and family secrets will prove tricky.

This engaging Regency romance is fast-paced due to the title character who goes from one adventure to another. In fact, Lark thinks he has a secret lover as he hides stuff from her and acts in a clandestine manner. Their relationship makes for a fine historical as she tries to uncover the truth while he tries to keep his escapes hidden from her. Fans will rejoice with this pairs’ action-packed romance.

Harriet Klausner