Amazing vocabulary

Linet de Montfort has a chip on her shoulder. She’s determined to wreak revenge on the Spanish pirate who has wronged her father, but she hasn’t reckoned on his terrible retaliation. Abducted by a dangerous pirate, Linet must rely on one man to save her.

Duncan de Ware is the self-employed defender of the commoner. When he witnesses the abduction of the golden-haired wool merchant by a notorious pirate, he appoints himself her savior. Thrown together in the chaos aboard the pirate ship, Duncan soon finds that Linet is more than just a damsel in distress. He is in grave danger of losing his heart to her, but can he break through her haughty superiority?

I’m a sucker for damsel in distress stories. They’re romantic and easy to escape into. This one has many of the requirements for a good romance. The heroine is arrogant and strong, although she often gets herself into difficult situations and sometimes makes silly decisions. Duncan is humble, heroic and handsome. There is danger, hot romance and a touch of emotion. And yet – I found it difficult to immerse myself in this novel. There was something distant about the characters that made them seem a little too contrived and predictable at times. Still, I enjoyed the story.

One of the things that really stood out was the vocabulary. Campbell makes use of some lovely archaic words – I even had to look up a few – and I love shiny new (or old!) words. I also enjoyed the references to Linet’s trade, the colors, scents and textures.

Overall, entertaining!