A Pirate's Possession [Mass Market Paperback]

Reviewed at Another Look Book Reviews

Simply put, I just didn't enjoy A Pirate's Possession. I found the book lacking interesting characters and just plain boring. If I didn't have such a compulsion to finish a book when I start it, I would have put it down.

A Pirate's Possession seems to be the 3rd book in a series. It does not actually indicate that information on Goodreads or Amazon but there are definitely carry over characters from the previous two books. I am wondering if I had read those first two books, would my perception be different?

In A Pirate's Possession while reading about Nate it felt like he was an already established character and I felt no connection with him. Obviously Nate was a pirate (as the book is called A Pirate's Possession) but there was really no pirating in this story. There was a treasure map, a ship and a search for that buried treasure. Nate was also known as an infamous pirate, Sam Steele. However that name means nothing if reading A Pirate's Possession. Again I believe that all goes back to this being the third book in a series. I think I was missing out on a lot of assumptions the author was making regarding Nate's character. Hence I really didn't know him nor was really given the desire to be curious about him.

That takes me to our female lead, Claire. I could not allow for Nate's personality absence to be made up for by having a great female protagonist because quite honestly, I couldn't stand Claire. I thought I was going to love her as she dressed in men's garments and was really used to looking after herself. What she turned out to be in my mind was a whiny, selfish, unforgiving drama queen and even though I didn't really know Nate, I felt he had to deserve better than Claire as his love interest.

My favourite stories are when the lead characters have a childhood history and I was very disappointed. With Nate and Claire being so supposedly in love and having such a close past relationship, they sure had big misunderstandings and little room for forgiveness. It just frustrated me.

I adore historical type of romances. I love the addition of items that are historically accurate and the overall feel of being whisked away back in time. Although the story was set in 1660, it could have been 1960. There was just nothing to place me in the year 1660. Yes there was a ship but nothing really to distinguish this ship from being a pirate ship vs a regular modern day sailing vessel. Simply the need to light a candle to see isn't enough for me.

To wrap up, I didn't like the characters, the lack of an actual pirate or historical type of story line, the bland romance and being a little bit lost with the introduction of characters near the end of the book (that held obvious importance from the previous two books). Serves me right I suppose for discovering that I was reading a book two stories into a series. If I had known that going in, I wouldn't have started it. Even so, most books of this nature should be able to be read as stand alones but it didn't work for me.

I loved reading this book. Pirates are a passion of mine. I think I might have been one in a previous life. So when I had the chance to read about a woman who disguises herself as a man so she can sail the seas looking for a half of a map that will lead her to the treasure her father left her for, I couldn't resist. I'm not disappointed either. As I've often said, the universe works in mysterious ways.

It was fitting that Claire and Nate reunite after years, just in time to find the treasure they both seek. Loose ends are tied up and answers are finally revealed. This book has a small portion that will bring tears to your eyes but the ending is a happy one. The sex scenes were great and the action was nonstop. Readers are sure to relate to Claire's stubbornness. She would have to be self-reliant and hard to survive living among men for all that time. And the reason she wants the treasure so bad is a good one.

I'm a die-hard romance and I was cheering for Claire and Nate throughout the book. I constantly yelled at them for being so stubborn and not just saying what they were thinking from the get go. Sometimes, it's better to reveal what happened in the past, even though it's ancient history. That's the only way to get on with the future. They battle the weather, nature, and other pirates who are after the same thing they are.

Claire Gentry has disguised herself as a pirate and a lad for many years in her quest. Years ago, her father was determined to find a hundred year old pirate treasure, so he left Claire at an orphanage vowing to return for her when he found the treasure. He never came home, but Claire remembered vividly the half of treasure map her father had. Now, she is determined to find the other half of the map, the treasure, and her father.

Nate Carter is a pirate who yearns to set his sails and live on land in a house he recently built. But first, he wants to find the treasure that Claire and he used to talk about when they were both at the orphanage. Winning the other half of the treasure map in a game of cards, he had no idea he had beat Claire, who was dressed as a filthy lad. But when someone is determined to get the map or the treasure at any cost, he allows Claire aboard his ship.

Claire and Nate loved one another when they were at the orphanage, but Nate left to make a living, promising Claire he would return for her. Claire, tired of waiting, marries another, not knowing that Nate had returned and left immediately, heartbroken Claire did not wait for him. Claire hardens her heart against the return of those feelings as the two of them work together to find the treasure, and her father before the pirate following them does.

Nate, even knowing Claire is married, cannot squash his feelings and love for Claire. The two of them may both want the treasure for their own reasons, but can they push them aside for a possible future?

A PIRATE'S POSSESSION is a high seas adventure filled with passion, intrigue, and buried treasure. Claire and Nate compliment one another perfectly, but they both have secrets and if revealed, could hurt any possible future together. Ms. Beattie writes a thrilling pirate romance that will set your senses afire!

*Posted Courtesy of Romance Junkies

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews  3.4 out of 5 stars