#Review: THE LADY'S PIRATE by C.K. MacKenzie

 

 3.5 of 5 stars

Adelaida Machado was doing everything in her power to keep her family and staff safe from the invading French. Her beautiful Portuguese villa had been taken over, and the soldiers had stolen everything of value, even their finest wooden beds. Every day Ali must do everything the French commander orders for fear of retaliation.

As she ran along the beach one night, screaming her frustration into the violent storm, she stumbled across a man—a man who would change her life forever.

Grayson Conrad thought he was invincible. He would sneak through enemy lines and bring much-needed supplies to the village in exchange for information about the French troop movement. So much for that plan! He was caught in a fierce storm and barely made it to the beach battered and bruised. When Adi saves him and hides him from the soldiers, they have no idea their lives will never be the same.

While this story was well written, depicting the cruelty and vicious nature of war and enemy occupation, I found much of it tedious. I started skipping pages so I could get back to Adi and Grayson and their budding romance. I liked how their interactions at first were more about suspicion than anything else. That was very well done. Grayson was in bad shape and needed time to heal, and each day that Adi brought him what little food she could spare without alerting the soldiers, their trust in each other grew, and that trust slowly turned into more.

There is intrigue, betrayal, and a desperate escape plan for the villagers that make the final chapters fly by. Throughout the book, however, two threads were repeatedly discussed, but in the end, neither was mentioned again. It seems a lot of mystery is built around these two items for nothing to come of it. That was disappointing. I thought there would be something important revealed, vital to Grayson's mission.

Readers who enjoy learning about the different countries Napoleon tried to conquer will certainly get a better understanding of how horrific and brutal enemy occupation can be. 

I voluntarily read the advanced read copy provided by N.N. Light Book Heaven, and all opinions are my own.