Scandalous

Starred review from July 29, 2019
Complex characters make this historical romance a standout. The illustrious privateer Capt. Martín Bouchard has loved many women, but none has enticed or frustrated him more than the missionary Sarah Fisher, whom he saves, along with hundreds of others, from a slave ship. No matter how infuriating he gets, Sarah remains intrigued with the surly captain, and she quickly becomes admired by his crew for her strong and noble spirit. When they discover that the captain of the slave ship is Dutch royalty, they agree with port authorities to take him to England to meet his fate. Sarah and Martín keep winding up in compromising positions, unable to tame their desire for each other. Martín wants to keep Sarah at a distance to protect the secrets of his painful past and true identity, but that doesn’t stop the forgiving woman from getting under his skin and arousing emotions he’s never experienced. Blackmail makes its way into the ballroom, but Martín is a formidable adversary backed by powerful, loyal friends. Spencer’s brilliant and original tale of the high seas bursts with wonderfully real protagonists, plenty of action, and passionate romance. Agent: Jessica Alvarez, BookEnds Literary.

September 1, 2019
When the orphaned daughter of English missionaries is swept up in a slavers' raid on her African village, it puts her on a collision course with a formerly enslaved pirate captain who avails himself of every luxury but considers himself completely unworthy of her love. Sarah Fisher thought slavery was abominable before she landed in the cargo hold of a Dutch slave ship after refusing to abandon the African villagers she's known her whole life. When they're overtaken by a privateer, she prepares to fight him to let the captives go but discovers Capt. Martín Bouchard is an escaped slave himself and eager to set them free. Martín is asked by the British admiral in Freetown to bring Sarah back to England on his ship, and he's disconcerted to find himself wildly attracted to the brave, headstrong woman who threatened him at gunpoint to save her friends. Then Sarah discovers he's illiterate and is determined to teach him to read, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Martín that heightens their intimacy. The journey to England feels endless thanks to their volatile attraction, and Martín sabotages the relationship, certain he's not good enough for her. Arriving in England, Sarah learns her uncles are wealthy bankers who embrace her immediately and encourage her to settle into a good marriage. Sarah is only interested in Martín, who clearly wants nothing to do with her, but when a deadly secret from his past threatens, Sarah takes matters into her own hands, fighting for their future with the steely determination of a pirate under siege. Spencer continues her outstanding Outcasts series with two characters from completely different backgrounds who share similar values and a sizzling passion. Along the way she explores love, freedom, friendship, and what it means to be a person of worth, especially by living on one's own terms. Sexy, witty, and fiercely entertaining.

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Starred review from September 15, 2019
In hindsight, Captain Martin Bouchard should have locked up his pistols. That way, after he rescued missionary Sarah Fisher from the Blue Bird she might have been grateful enough not to shoot him. However, the real reason Sarah purloined Martin's pistols is because she intended to use them to force him to also save the slaves on the Blue Bird with whom Sarah was imprisoned. As it turns out, Martin is more than willing to do a bit of bargaining with Sarah, but there is something else he wants from her in exchange. In the third exemplary addition to her Outcasts series, following Dangerous and Barbarous (both in 2018), Spencer once again rewards readers with the bold originality of her story lines?here she deftly explores the impact of the early nineteenth-century slave trade?the fearless unconventionality of her characters (including a hero tortured by his past and a take-no-prisoners heroine determined to help him), and an abundance of potent, sensually combustible chemistry she cooks up between her protagonists. Spencer is a storyteller of impressive flair.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)