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In
THE CAPTAIN OF ALL PLEASURES, Kresley Cole hits the romance
world a-running. Wielding
a sultry story on the high seas, Cole’s debut is a definite
winner.
When
Nicole Lassiter inadvertently discovers her father’s arch
enemy in a local tavern, something about the dark and mysterious
Captain Derek Sutherland sets Nicole’s heart racing.
Someone has been sabotaging shipping lines, and with the
Great Circle Race nearly upon them, Jason Lassiter knows it’s
only a matter of time before his line is next.
Determined to win, Lassiter tries to find out who is
behind it, especially since he doesn’t believe it to be
Sutherland.
When
Nicole accidentally stumbles upon would be saboteurs aboard her
father’s ship, the Bella Nicola, she struggles and
flees for her life, only to be rescued by none other than Derek
Sutherland. Recognizing
her as the woman from the tavern and believing her to be a
prostitute, Derek immediately takes her to his own ship, the Southern
Cross, intent on fulfilling his desires.
The seemingly cold and emotionless Derek wages a war
against himself when he discovers her not to be a prostitute,
but the virgin daughter of his enemy, Jason Lassiter.
When
a fight between Lassiter and Derek lands Lassiter in jail, not
even Derek’s influence as an earl can set Lassiter free.
Derek wants to beat Lassiter on his own, not win by
default. It’s
only when Nicole assumes her father’s place at the wheel does
the race really begin. The
Southern Cross’ water is poisoned and Derek thinks
Nicole did it, as he’d seen her below with the water
containers. He curses himself for a fool and races to catch up to her
faster ship. As
they sail toward the South African tip, a severe storm sinks the
Bella Nicola and Derek rescues Nicole and her crew.
Nicole believes Derek sank her ship.
Already at odds, the two become more so when Derek
confines her to his cabin.
The two spar at each other during the day, but at night,
Nicole and Derek’s passion for each other reaches the burning
point.
Their
love for each other becomes intense, so much so that when Derek
is forced to leave Nicole, it nearly breaks him.
Nicole, determined to fulfill her grandmother’s request
that she wed, sets out to forget Derek.
Will Derek’s betrayal sink their love, or will they set
sail for a future together?
I
could not put this book down.
Totally immersed in the sailing aspect of it, I was
surprised because I normally do not enjoy these type of romances
that are set on a ship. However, Ms. Cole does such a wonderful job of getting the
reader to care about the main characters, by the time they get
on the ship, you want to set upon the seas with them.
Nicole is a vibrantly strong heroine, with spunk and
sass. Cole doesn’t let you feel sorry for Nicole because between
taking up for herself, slugging Derek and painting his cabin
(one of my favorites), she is a perfect match for the aloof and
cold Captain. Derek
warms up nicely, over the course of the book, and you can see
his transformation is due to Nicole.
I really enjoyed their sparring, which made for some
excellent love scenes. The
first love scene was daring, but I devoured it like a hot fudge
cake sundae. Cole
knows how to heat up a book!
With THE CAPTAIN OF ALL PLEASURES sure to bring Kresley
Cole’s name to the forefront of romance lovers everywhere, I
can hardly wait for the sequel, THE PRICE OF PLEASURE, coming
out in July 2004about Derek’s brother, Grant.
This lady cannot write fast enough to suit me.
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