Pirates & Privateers: Kelley Armstrong's Books

Adventure is Miranda Hastings’s middle name. Unfortunately, she lives in a time when nineteenth-century women are supposed to be prim and proper, not crave dangerous undertakings, which is why her novels are published under a man’s name. She has long desired one particular experience – to pass through the secret time stitch in Thorne Manor, an estate near the Yorkshire fishing village of Hood’s Bay. Her intent is to travel into the future; instead, she finds herself in 1790, where she confronts a man whose ghost has long haunted her visions.

Nicholas “Nico” Dupuis never intended to become a legend. Circumstances just aligned to make him one. He left his Caribbean home to study medicine in France, but the British Royal Navy stopped his ship and pressed him into service. He escaped and joined a band of privateers/smugglers. He was ashore tending sick villagers during an epidemic when his captain and crew were seized, charged with piracy, found guilty, and hanged. With a warrant out for Nico’s arrest, the townspeople keep him safe despite the danger to themselves. In return, Nico abets the smuggling that helps them survive from the nefarious local lord. Nico’s efforts become legendary, earning him the alias Robin Hood of the Bay.

Ever since Nico first appeared to her, Miranda has witnessed his death over and over. Clues tell her that she has arrived on the exact day of his imminent demise, but he neither believes her nor wants her assistance. Tricked into thinking otherwise, she changes into male attire only to discover that he has locked her in the room and gone to his secret rendezvous. It seems the only way to prove that he is walking into an ambush is to escape and prevent it herself. She just never considers what that good deed might cost – her life and her heart.

This treasure trove of betrayal, corruption, secrets, prejudice, malice, and murder is the third entry in Armstrong’s A Stitch in Time series. It is rife with double entendres and unexpected twists. Ghosts add a bit of spice to the mix. Several tense and poignant scenes take place aboard a ship that soon becomes a dangerous shipwreck. Readers will delight in this romantic adventure that is reminiscent of swashbuckling tales of yore.

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