Wit and Sin

My review cross-posted from Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/new-reviews/seduced-by-a-pirate-by-eloisa-james

After fourteen years at sea as a pirate and privateer, Sir Griffin Barry is finally returning home. At least, that’s his plan. As Griffin hasn’t seen his wife since he was seventeen and leapt out of their bedroom window on their disastrous wedding night, he isn’t exactly sure his wife will let him through the front door, never mind welcome him into her bed. But Griffin isn’t a nervous seventeen-year-old anymore — he’s a pirate. And he’s determined to win the heart of the bride he left behind.

What he doesn’t expect is that his wife has a few surprises in store for him herself…

Forget the high seas — the real adventure is on land in Seduced by a Pirate. Griffin and Phoebe are truly delightful protagonists. Griffin may not have been the perfect husband at the beginning of the story — he ran away to get drunk after a wedding night embarrassment, got press-ganged onto a pirate ship, then sailed the seas for fourteen years before returning home — but he’s considerably more grown up than he was before. I love the mature Griffin, who’s caring, honest with himself and others… And yes, devilishly sexy. Phoebe, in turn, is a warm, intelligent heroine who’s made her own life in Griffin’s absence but doesn’t turn her reformed-pirate husband away when he graces her doorstep. Griffin and Phoebe are two people who may not have been right for one another when they wed, but having matured they’re a perfect fit. I loved watching them fall for each other; Ms. James made their romance so entertaining I devoured Seduced by a Pirate in one sitting.

Seduced by a Pirate can be read as a standalone, but it is a companion story to The Ugly Duchess, which featured Griffin’s cousin and fellow privateer James as the hero. Having enjoyed The Ugly Duchess, I went into reading Seduced by a Pirate with high expectations. Ms. James not only met those expectations, she surpassed them. There’s genuine warmth and humor in Seduced by a Pirate that utterly charms me every time I think about the story. My only wish is that the story had been a bit longer, and only because I adored Griffin and Phoebe so much that I couldn’t bear for Seduced by a Pirate to end. I’ve been seduced by Griffin and Phoebe’s romance and I cannot wait to read it again!