The Rogue's Prize (Nelson's Tea, #3) (Crimson Romance)

by Katherine Bone

[Cocktails and Books]

This is the second book in The Nelson’s Tea series. I did read the first book, and I enjoyed it. This book is easily read on its own.

Captain Henry Guffald meets his match in Lady Adele Seaton. Both have something to prove and will stop at nothing to accomplish their goal. Lady Adele masterfully takes control of Captain Guffald’s ship. That happens fairly early in the story and it goes downhill from there. The characters are unrealistic and poorly developed. Lady Adele “the pirate” turns into a spoiled brat. She throws tantrums and has to be locked in her room by her father. I just kept thinking “how old is she supposed to be”. It just killed the whole image of her character being independent and fearless. I think the author just went too far in an attempt to show that Adele was feisty and had a temper. I liked Henry’s character in the previous book. I felt sorry for him, and I had high hopes for him in this book. His character seemed bitter and never seemed to find happiness in this book. I never felt vested in any of the characters, and I never bought into them being a coupe. There was no real chemistry between the two of them.

The storyline has a few bright spots but ends up being bogged down with details and very little action. I felt like there were details that left you hanging. The author never really clarified that Adele and Henry were after the same goal. So there was no point where they came together and decided to work together to free Adele’s brother. It just all sort of happened at the end of the book and then the story was basically over.

It was a struggle to stay engaged in the story, and I hope the next book is better.


Reviewed by Michelle for Cocktails and Books