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attytheresa's review
5.0
Terrific adventure. Part 4 of 4 part Adventurers Quartet involving blood diamond mine, Africa in Regency England, and a seafaring aristocratic family. Must read full series in order as truly interconnect with story arc moving from one to the next, the adventure growing from one to the next as well.
staceylynn42's review against another edition
3.0
ugh. Hidden Baby trope. I really dislike Hidden Baby trope, even if it turns out to be entirely negligible in the plot, you still Hid a Baby and mixed it with Second Chance Romance.
Leaving aside the hidden child and ridiculous reason for same, this was the best book of the set. Royd, the oldest of the brothers had been hand fasted 8 years ago to Isobel but 'reasons' intervened and no one thought to keep one informed about the other (really? no said "hey, saw your old girlfriend recently with a baby" because I don't care what the reasons were, that news would be spread far & wide)
They set off together to rescue the prisoners from book 3. The romance with these 2 worked for me much better than the others. The mining plot was resolved, there was a sword fight, it was all looking set to end well.
But we were still 40% away from the ending. *sigh* Naturally the whole of the ton (or every Laurens' character ever, same difference) has to show up and help solve it.
I love seeing some old characters popping up occasionally in a series as much as the next person. But this is not 'some' 'popping up occasionally'. This is nearly all of them, having significant speaking parts, popping up in all the serieses. Do the Cynsters have some contractual obligation to appear in every series? Devil must have negotiated a hell of a deal on that because 20+ novels on he is still a regularly recurring character.
Leaving aside the hidden child and ridiculous reason for same, this was the best book of the set. Royd, the oldest of the brothers had been hand fasted 8 years ago to Isobel but 'reasons' intervened and no one thought to keep one informed about the other (really? no said "hey, saw your old girlfriend recently with a baby" because I don't care what the reasons were, that news would be spread far & wide)
They set off together to rescue the prisoners from book 3. The romance with these 2 worked for me much better than the others. The mining plot was resolved, there was a sword fight, it was all looking set to end well.
But we were still 40% away from the ending. *sigh* Naturally the whole of the ton (or every Laurens' character ever, same difference) has to show up and help solve it.
I love seeing some old characters popping up occasionally in a series as much as the next person. But this is not 'some' 'popping up occasionally'. This is nearly all of them, having significant speaking parts, popping up in all the serieses. Do the Cynsters have some contractual obligation to appear in every series? Devil must have negotiated a hell of a deal on that because 20+ novels on he is still a regularly recurring character.
ssejig's review
3.0
Eight years ago Roy's Frobisher, the oldest of the children in this series, handfasted with Isobel Carmichael. They spent three blissful weeks together then he told her he had to sail away for a month or two. She had no problem with that, her family also works with ships, but she was upset that he disappeared for over a year and no one would tell her were he was and, of course, he didn't write. When he came to find her, she slammed the door in his face.
Now she's asking him for help getting to Africa. Well, he's going there anyway so, what the hell? It will give him a chance to win her back. And it's pretty easy to do, even with the reveal (REALLY early on in the book) that he's a secret baby daddy.
And that was a major complaint for me in this book. At over 500 pages, you'd think there'd be more romance. But it's more of a "oh, we had a big misunderstanding and it was partially my fault? Okay, lets be adults and figure it out." Major props for that, BTW, no Big Misunderstandings. But, oh dear god, there were still 300 pages. I get that this was wrapping up the series, but there was major shoehorning going on to fit in the rest of the couples from this series, the Black Cobra series, and even the Cynsters.
Now she's asking him for help getting to Africa. Well, he's going there anyway so, what the hell? It will give him a chance to win her back. And it's pretty easy to do, even with the reveal (REALLY early on in the book) that he's a secret baby daddy.
And that was a major complaint for me in this book. At over 500 pages, you'd think there'd be more romance. But it's more of a "oh, we had a big misunderstanding and it was partially my fault? Okay, lets be adults and figure it out." Major props for that, BTW, no Big Misunderstandings. But, oh dear god, there were still 300 pages. I get that this was wrapping up the series, but there was major shoehorning going on to fit in the rest of the couples from this series, the Black Cobra series, and even the Cynsters.
tammywallenstrong's review
5.0
Ok, THIS final installment of the series makes up fortieth it'd book! THIS one was perfect! Well developed characters...well developed relationship....
I would love to see this as a movie!
I would love to see this as a movie!
stacey42's review
3.0
ugh. Hidden Baby trope. I really dislike Hidden Baby trope, even if it turns out to be entirely negligible in the plot, you still Hid a Baby and mixed it with Second Chance Romance.
Leaving aside the hidden child and ridiculous reason for same, this was the best book of the set. Royd, the oldest of the brothers had been hand fasted 8 years ago to Isobel but 'reasons' intervened and no one thought to keep one informed about the other (really? no said "hey, saw your old girlfriend recently with a baby" because I don't care what the reasons were, that news would be spread far & wide)
They set off together to rescue the prisoners from book 3. The romance with these 2 worked for me much better than the others. The mining plot was resolved, there was a sword fight, it was all looking set to end well.
But we were still 40% away from the ending. *sigh* Naturally the whole of the ton (or every Laurens' character ever, same difference) has to show up and help solve it.
I love seeing some old characters popping up occasionally in a series as much as the next person. But this is not 'some' 'popping up occasionally'. This is nearly all of them, having significant speaking parts, popping up in all the serieses. Do the Cynsters have some contractual obligation to appear in every series? Devil must have negotiated a hell of a deal on that because 20+ novels on he is still a regularly recurring character.
Leaving aside the hidden child and ridiculous reason for same, this was the best book of the set. Royd, the oldest of the brothers had been hand fasted 8 years ago to Isobel but 'reasons' intervened and no one thought to keep one informed about the other (really? no said "hey, saw your old girlfriend recently with a baby" because I don't care what the reasons were, that news would be spread far & wide)
They set off together to rescue the prisoners from book 3. The romance with these 2 worked for me much better than the others. The mining plot was resolved, there was a sword fight, it was all looking set to end well.
But we were still 40% away from the ending. *sigh* Naturally the whole of the ton (or every Laurens' character ever, same difference) has to show up and help solve it.
I love seeing some old characters popping up occasionally in a series as much as the next person. But this is not 'some' 'popping up occasionally'. This is nearly all of them, having significant speaking parts, popping up in all the serieses. Do the Cynsters have some contractual obligation to appear in every series? Devil must have negotiated a hell of a deal on that because 20+ novels on he is still a regularly recurring character.
blackngoldgirlsbookspot's review
4.0
Lord of the Privateers is an adventure saga set on the dangerous high seas as well as fine English parlors. The tempestuous romance between Isobel Carmichael and Royd Frobisher is as changeable as the tide and as powerful. After a failed hand-fast marriage when they were younger, both Isobel and Royd are determined that their future will not include more heartbreak.
This book is certainly an adventure. From the prologue to the very last line, Isobel and Royd's somewhat unconventional tale is quite a ride! I'll admit, I was somewhat unsure of how I would like the book just because there are so many characters to keep track of! When there's a list of characters at the front of a book, I mentally prepare myself for the task of keeping each character straight in my head. Thankfully, the Isobel and Royd remain front and center, and the secondary characters weren't too much of a distraction! Having read the previous books in the series, I was a little more prepared for this story!
If you love passionate romance or shipboard stories, give this, the last story in the Adventurers Quartet, a read. This isn't your typical regency romance! It's my favorite of the series by far!
*I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*
This book is certainly an adventure. From the prologue to the very last line, Isobel and Royd's somewhat unconventional tale is quite a ride! I'll admit, I was somewhat unsure of how I would like the book just because there are so many characters to keep track of! When there's a list of characters at the front of a book, I mentally prepare myself for the task of keeping each character straight in my head. Thankfully, the Isobel and Royd remain front and center, and the secondary characters weren't too much of a distraction! Having read the previous books in the series, I was a little more prepared for this story!
If you love passionate romance or shipboard stories, give this, the last story in the Adventurers Quartet, a read. This isn't your typical regency romance! It's my favorite of the series by far!
*I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*
beckymmoe's review
4.0
A fitting wrap up to the quartet!
Books 1-3 ([book:The Lady's Command|25361433], [book:A Buccaneer at Heart|27191346], and [book:The Daredevil Snared|27277174]) have been building up to this point, where the enslaved men, women, and children at the diamond mine would be saved (or not), the slavers stopped (or not) and the mysterious backers revealed and punished (or not). Oh, yes, and when the final and eldest Frobisher brother, Royd, would find his HEA...or not.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing all the brothers and their significant others work together for a common goal--the chemistry between them all is fantastic. I'd been anxiously awaiting the rescue of the captives at the diamond mine camp for months--though I loved getting to know Royd and Isobel (and a surprise someone else), I was practically bouncing on the edge of my seat, just waiting for them to get to Africa already.
Finally they do, and the rescue is of course very exciting and action-packed. But the book's not over yet--the backers need to be identified and brought to heel, and Royd and Isobel need to resolve their relationship issues, once and for all, a relationship that's literally been years in the making. So there's a whole lot going on in this book: so many threads of the series to tie up, as well as those of all of the relationships--Royd and Isobel but also all of his brothers' as well--making this a pretty hefty book. At just over 500 pages, it did feel like it possibly could have been tightened up a bit--all of the Black Cobra and Cynster characters did start to feel a bit like name-dropping after a while--but really, with everything going on here you know it's not going to be able to get done in a short book, so be prepared to settle in for a good, long read when you pick this one up.
I definitely wouldn't recommend starting with this one--everything here builds on the books that have gone before, and though they do bring Isobel up to speed (she gets involved because Kate in book 3 is her cousin) it's still a lot to take in all at once. Ms. Laurens does do a good job of catching characters up without belaboring the point for the rest of us, though, which is much appreciated.
We leave all of the Frobisher brothers here in a good spot--happy weddings and babies galore on the horizon!--and there's a teaser thrown in at the end for a future book for Catrina (Kit) Frobisher as well that will have me keeping an interested eye out.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Books 1-3 ([book:The Lady's Command|25361433], [book:A Buccaneer at Heart|27191346], and [book:The Daredevil Snared|27277174]) have been building up to this point, where the enslaved men, women, and children at the diamond mine would be saved (or not), the slavers stopped (or not) and the mysterious backers revealed and punished (or not). Oh, yes, and when the final and eldest Frobisher brother, Royd, would find his HEA...or not.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing all the brothers and their significant others work together for a common goal--the chemistry between them all is fantastic. I'd been anxiously awaiting the rescue of the captives at the diamond mine camp for months--though I loved getting to know Royd and Isobel (and a surprise someone else), I was practically bouncing on the edge of my seat, just waiting for them to get to Africa already.
Finally they do, and the rescue is of course very exciting and action-packed. But the book's not over yet--the backers need to be identified and brought to heel, and Royd and Isobel need to resolve their relationship issues, once and for all, a relationship that's literally been years in the making. So there's a whole lot going on in this book: so many threads of the series to tie up, as well as those of all of the relationships--Royd and Isobel but also all of his brothers' as well--making this a pretty hefty book. At just over 500 pages, it did feel like it possibly could have been tightened up a bit--all of the Black Cobra and Cynster characters did start to feel a bit like name-dropping after a while--but really, with everything going on here you know it's not going to be able to get done in a short book, so be prepared to settle in for a good, long read when you pick this one up.
I definitely wouldn't recommend starting with this one--everything here builds on the books that have gone before, and though they do bring Isobel up to speed (she gets involved because Kate in book 3 is her cousin) it's still a lot to take in all at once. Ms. Laurens does do a good job of catching characters up without belaboring the point for the rest of us, though, which is much appreciated.
We leave all of the Frobisher brothers here in a good spot--happy weddings and babies galore on the horizon!--and there's a teaser thrown in at the end for a future book for Catrina (Kit) Frobisher as well that will have me keeping an interested eye out.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
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