The Rogue Pirate's Bride by Shana Galen

Revenge is the name of the game for Raeven Russell.  The daughter of a British admiral, almost her whole life has been at sea and she loves it but when the pirate Captain Cutless kills her fiance, she is out avenge his death.  Raeven has heard tales of this 'privateer,' as he refers to himself, and feels like it is her job to teach the scoundrel a lesson.  So she stuffs her long black hair into a cap, drags her friend with her to a bar where Cutless will be and challenges him to a duel, which she is confident she will win as she is very hand with a sword.  The tables are quickly turned though as Cutless brushes her off as a mere boy, which just infuriates Raeven even more but the final straw is when her removes her cap.  Oh yes, then the sparks start to fly!

Sebastian Harcourt, marquis de Valere, aka Captain Cutless, is a bit surprised with the hatred rolling off of Raeven towards him.  But he can understand seeking out revenge all to well as he is also on a quest to avenge his mentors death.  The added addition of the feisty Raeven is just a surprising bonus...until he finds out who her father is.  He watches Raeven disappear thinking he will never see her again.  Naturally, fate has other ideas and watching all the zings between this couple was a delight!

Sigh, what an excellent pirate, high-seas adventure this book is!  There are battles between ships that will have you flipping the pages and casualties that will make you cry.  There is a sense that you are there on the ship as well, you can almost feel the ship rocking but not enough that it overpowers the romance end of the story.  And what a hot romance it is!  There is a mutual attraction right away but as Raeven believes Bastian is a murderer, her feelings are all jumbled up.  Bastian's feelings are not as clear cut either.  He believes his entire family is dead and he is alone, save for an old servant.  But as his attraction for Raeven grows, so does love and respect...especially after she proves her abilities with a cannon :)

Overall, another winner from Shana Galen!  This is book three in this series and can truly be read as a standalone.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Bastian's family at the end but it is a wonderful conclusion to a truly fabulous series.  This book is sure to have something for everyone--romance, danger, revenge, betrayal, deceit, and an attraction so sexy and smart it will make you laugh and sigh over and over.  I truly believe Ms Galen has a very bright future ahead of her and I can not wait to see what else she delivers!  5 stars

Favorite LOL quote

"There's nothing complicated about our relationship.  I hate you and want you dead."

eARC provided by Sourcebooks via netgalley.com and quote subject to change in final book

The Sons of the Revolution series