Of Noble Birth

by Brenda Novak

[Angie]

Of Noble Birth was a fun and exciting read! Captain Nathaniel Kent is the unacknowledged son of a duke, since he was born with only one arm. Raised by his father's ex-housekeeper, he grew into a life of piracy. But he only targets his father's ships! Then one night, one of Nathaniel's men is kidnapped by his father, so he sets out to kidnap his half-sister for ransom. Well, he winds up with Alexandra, who looks like his sister, but is really just a seamstress who was trying to hide from her abusive step-father. Oops.

I love tales of mistaken identity and Of Noble Birth was a great one! Alexandra had been fixing a dress for the duke's daughter, when her father whom she's running from arrives. She dons the dress and slips past him, only to get taken aboard a pirate ship! She tries to explain who she is, but Nathaniel thinks she's just trying to escape. But then...there's feelings! Nathaniel is attracted to his sister who's maybe not his sister! He doesn't know! He's so conflicted, especially when Alexandra starts saying she is his sister (for her own protection, of course)! This was all too funny! Obviously the truth has to come out soon enough when the duke doesn't pay up for his precious "daughter."

While Of Noble Birth has a fast paced, action packed, and engaging plot (there's a lot more to come after the initial kidnapping), I wish there had been more romance! I loved the beginning with Nathaniel struggling with his attraction to his sister, who's not really his sister, but after that the romance aspect kind of fades. Alexandra and Nathaniel spend a lot of the book apart because of reasons, but they're always pining for the other. I wanted more kissing! They do get their happily ever after as is the norm for Historical Romance, but I wish it had been explored more earlier on.

I really enjoyed Of Noble Birth. It was nice to see different kinds of characters in the lead roles: a one armed pirate and a lowly seamstress. The plot was really well developed, although there were a few jumpy transitions that had me momentarily confused. All in all, it was a great read, though don't expect much in the way of quivering thighs and heaving bosoms.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.