Never Trust a Pirate by Valerie Bowman

Never Trust a Pirate (Playful Brides, #7)

by Valerie Bowman

Valerie Bowman continues her Playful Brides series with Never Trust a Pirate: a delightful twist on The Scarlet Pimpernel. Mr. Cade Cavendish is a ne'er do well, a rumoured pirate, and a man with too many false identities to count. In fact, Cade's a spy for the English government, and he's recently returned to London to hunt for a master of disguise involved in a plot to bring back the exiled Napoleon. Miss Danielle LaCrosse fled France after the wars, determined to begin a new life in England. Her position as a lady's maid is the perfect start...until she's tempted to join her employer's devilishly handsome brother and Danielle suddenly finds herself in grave danger, trying to uncover the identity of the elusive Black Fox. As Cade and Danielle are foiled at every turn, they realise that no one is who they claim to be. Can love survive when the truth could mean their death?

Reviewed by Lindsey Gray on

5 of 5 stars

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Cade Cavendish left home as a boy and made his way in the world with hard work, albeit mostly on the wrong side of the law. Since he reunited with his twin brother, a newly minted Viscount, he’s been working toward only one goal. Find the man who ordered his brother tortured and an Earl killed.

Danielle LeCrosse wants to take care of her dying mother in a small cottage by the sea after finding the man who killed her father. She’s worked unofficially for years as a young spy for England. Her latest assignment places her as a ladies maid to the new Countess, Cade’s sister-in-law, Daphne. The reason behind the mission? Spy on Cade Cavendish.

The pair are taken with each other upon their very first strange meeting. Both have suspicious natures when it comes to life, but affairs of the heart have them falling hopelessly in love just like the other lovers of the Playful Brides series.

This was actually the first book of Bowman’s that I’ve read. I was so intrigued with her writing and the world of characters she developed, I have now read the rest of the series. That’s six additional novels and a novella. Each book was charming and delightful in it’s own way. I loved this novel for many reasons, one large one being it made me love pirates! I’d never been truly enamored with the idea of men pillaging at sea, but Cade’s story tugged hard at my strong heartstrings. I can’t even imagine the process Bowman has gone through to create so many different characters, with complex backstories and adventures waiting to be had. Now that I’ve read the other novels, I realize there were clues peppered in about Cade from his very first appearance in the series. I loved the ultimate twist Bowman throws that caught me completely of guard.

Never Trust a Pirate is an adventure in romance and intrigue on land and by sea. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend reading the rest of the series for all historical romance lovers. There are more characters that have yet to find their true love, so I hope Bowman has a few more playful brides to write about in this fantastic series!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 March, 2017: Finished reading
  • 26 March, 2017: Reviewed