A Novel with Thoughts and Ponderings

CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD

Author: Katharine Ashe ISBN: 9780061965647 4/2011 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: Regency

Captured by a Rogue Lord by Katharine Ashe
She would marry no man . . .

Serena Carlyle dreams of a happily ever after. Firmly upon the shelf at twenty-five, instead she's determined to find the perfect match for her beautiful younger sister. What better prospect than their neighbor, the wealthy, rakishly handsome Earl of Savege? Now Serena can beg his help in halting a local band of smugglers. Then, one night, stealing away from yet another disappointing ball, Serena finds herself trapped alone with a stranger . . .

Until he captured her—body and soul

His kiss was irresistible, his caress unforgettable, and he hides a devastating secret. A Robin Hood upon the sea, Alex Savege is the brazen pirate Redstone, seizing the yachts of spoiled noblemen to settle an old debt. Serena needs a hero, but her heart is in the gravest danger—for it is soon to be captured by a man as skilled at seduction as he is at plunder.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

My first clue to the quality of writing and editing of this book should have been the blurb on the back of it. The second sentence—“Firmly on the shelf at twenty-five, instead she’s determined to find the perfect match for her beautiful younger sister. “—has the word ‘INSTEAD,’ which frankly should not be there. It makes no sense. Take the word out, and now we have a comprehensible sentence. This sentence—“Now Serena can beg his help in halting a local band of smugglers.”—left me confused and scratching my head as well. Why 'NOW'? Take that sentence out, and the blurb makes much more sense.

With pirates, secret identities, and romance in the mix, this should have been an interesting and fun read. Not so. I could see the potential, but the one-dimensional characters, almost cartoonish dialogue and lack of chemistry among all the characters, failed to keep me involved.  Every one of those characters could have used more development. I didn't feel ‘connected’ to anything or anyone. Everything in this book fell short of the mark.

I wish this story was thought through better. It was rushed, and it suffered. Not even the sex scenes, which were void of chemistry, could have saved this book. The author jumps around so often that I became dizzy at one point. I was surprised that this was not better edited.

The disjointed and uninspiring dialogue, a hero and heroine with zero chemistry, and a bland plot had me skimming through this story. If I hadn't committed myself to reviewing CAPTURED BY A ROGUE LORD, I would not have bothered at all. It would have gone into DNF pile.

Melanie Friedman

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