I had the greatest honour to be invited to join The Never Trust a Pirate, Blog Tour I hope you all will stick around as I have all kinds of good stuff including an Exclusive Excerpt of this fabulous book, an Exclusive Q&A with Valerie and my review. So sit back and enjoy my part of this great Tour..
Publication Date: May 2 2017
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN-10: 1250121698
ISBN-13: 978-1250121691
Genre: Historical Romance
Length: Novel
The rules of engagement were never so scandalous. . .
A rumored pirate and the scurrilous black sheep of his well-to- do family, Cade Cavendish relishes his world of rebellion, deception, and seduction. Nothing and no one can hold him to be the duty-bound, honorable man he is expected to be. But when an unexpected run-in at his twin brother’s estate with a ravishing, raven-haired maid leads her to believe he’s actually a viscount, Cade’s renegade life is thrown wildly off-kilter. And even though a case of mistaken identity can be quickly set to rights, matters of the heart are quite different…
Miss Danielle LaCrosse is startled to learn that the handsome gentleman who radiates sin and has the devil in his eyes is not her employer the Viscount, but rather his infamous brother. A former heiress, orphaned and left penniless, Danielle has more than a few secrets of her own. Cade may be skilled at coaxing even the most hidden desires out of Danielle but can he earn her trust—and win her heart—as they embark on an adventure to confront a dangerous enemy from both of their pasts . . . and uncover the identity of the so-called Black Fox along the way?
Never Trust a Pirate is book 7 of the Regency-set Playful Brides series, you can find it at all of the following online outlets Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Books a Million / Indibound / Powell’s
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Exclusive Excerpt
CHAPTER ONE
London Harbor, July 1817
Only three steps. Only three steps separated him from the map. It was there, laying on the rickety wooden table in the captain’s stateroom aboard a ship aptly named Le Secret Francais. The only sound in the cramped space was his own breathing. Sweat beaded on his brow. He’d come this far. Braved the murky, cold water, swam out to the ship moored at the London docks. Climbed aboard silent as a wraith, dressed all in black. Wrung out his clothing to keep it from dripping so there wouldn’t be a trail. Managed to steal into the captain’s quarters as the man slept, and now, now only three steps remained between him and the priceless map.
One water droplet fell to the wooden plank floor like a hammer against steel. The sound of his breath echoed to a crescendo. The blood pounding in his head became a distracting whirring noise.
One step forward. The ball of his foot ground onto the plank. Stealth and silence. Always. The calling cards of the best thief in London.
The captain stirred slightly in his bunk and began to snore.
He froze. One leather-clad foot arrested on the wooden plank. A pistol rested on two nails directly above the captain’s bunk. If the man awoke, he might shoot first at any noise. The captain well knew the value of the treasure he carried.
He counted to ten. Once. Twice. He had long since mastered the art of keeping footing on a ship. He waited until his heartbeats became steady again before taking the next step. A slight creak in the wood floor. A hint of movement from the captain. Another endless wait. Impatience was a roiling knot inside his belly.
Out of the shadows now, he stood only one step away from the table bolted to the floor. The moon shone through the window above the captain’s bed, shedding light on the man’s balding head. The map lay spread out, anchored by pins in the four corners. He would have to remove those pins. Ripping the paper would be too noisy.
Another interminable wait as the captain turned away from him in his sleep. His snores subsided.
He glanced over at the bunk. The pistol shone in the moonlight. One hard swallow. He never carried a pistol. Too loud. Pistols brought the crew, the wharf police, and anyone else interested in such activity. The only weapon he carried was a knife, tucked in the back of his breeches. A weapon of stealth.
Another count to ten before taking the final step. There was no time for an in-depth study of the map now, but a quick glance revealed the destination. The island of St. Helena, off the western coast of Africa, circled in bold scrawl. The map of the route planned for Bonaparte’s next escape. That bastard in the bed had been planning it.
All ten fingers itched to snatch the paper and run, but he forced himself to take a deep, silent breath. Carefully, he dislodged the first pin at the top right corner. It popped out easily. The top of the map rolled toward the center, making a slight flapping sound. Breath held, he glanced toward the captain again. No movement.
He stuck the pin back into the table to keep it from rolling, then his hand darted to the next pin at the bottom right corner. It also popped out easily. He quickly stuck it back into the wood. With two sides free, he carefully rolled the map toward the center. Reaching up to the top, he grasped the third pin. No movement. It was lodged deeply into the wood. Must pull harder. With one black-gloved hand, he clasped the pin between a thumb and two fingers, pulling upward with as much strength as he dared. His own breath in his ear was the only sound … that and the water lapping at the sides of the ship.
The pin finally gave way. He pressed a hand to the top of the map, to keep the freed top left corner from curling and making a noise. His chest and torso flattened against the map and the table, he pressed the third pin back into the wood.
Click. An unmistakable sound. One he had heard too often before. Another hard swallow. Damn it. He’d been so preoccupied with keeping quiet, he hadn’t realized the captain’s snores had subsided.
Half-splayed across the table, he contemplated his options. The door was ten paces to the left, the open window five paces to the right. Would he fit through the window? It’d be a hell of a time to learn the answer was no.
“Step away from zee map, if you don’t want a bullet through your back.” The captain’s voice was harsh and angry.
He slowly rose from his position hunched over the map, arms braced upright at right angles near his head to show the captain he had no weapon. “Ye wouldn’t shoot an unarmed man, now would ye, Cap’n?”
“I’d shoot a thief without thinking twice,” the captain replied with a sneer, nearly spitting the word thief.
He glanced down at the map. Studying it in case he was forced to leave without it. He had been in worse situations, more times than he could count. He considered the knife in the back of his breeches hidden beneath his shirt. It would be simple, easy and quick to snake it out and whip it into the bastard’s throat. But a voice in his head reminded him … justice must be served in proper course.
“Turn around,” the captain ordered. “Slowly.”
“Why?” he asked, trying to garner some precious time.
“Because I want to see zee face of zee man who would steal my secrets.”
He began his turn. Slowly. So slowly and so quietly that he could have sworn he heard a drop of sweat from his forehead hit the wooden plank of the floor. He finally stood facing the older man.
“Êtes-vous le Renard Noir?” the captain asked.
“Pourquoi veux tu savoir?”
Visible in the light of the moon, the captain narrowed his eyes. “Ah, perfect French? Why do I find zat difficult to believe from an obvious Englishman?”
“Obvious?”
“Who else would want zis map?”
His fingers ached to choke the bastard. He might not be able to kill him, but he could wound the scoundrel. Nothing wrong with a wound. He whipped his hand behind his back, grabbed the knife, and hurled it at the captain. It hit the arm that held the pistol. The captain howled. The pistol fired. Smoke filled the cabin with its acrid stench. He ripped the map and fourth pin from the table and ran to the door.
Steps sounded on the planks above the captain’s cabin. In the pitch black belowdecks, he forced himself to wait in the shadows under the stairs until the first group of rescuers filed down the steps into the captain’s cabin. He flattened the map’s scroll and folded it into a six-inch square.
“He’s escaped, you idiots! Find him before he jumps from the ship!” the captain yelled in French.
The group dutifully filed back up to spread across the decks. The captain came running out, clutching his injured arm, blood seeping between his fingers, crimson dripping down his nightshirt. He made his way up the stairs and ran off across the deck.
Springing from the shadows, he raced back into the empty cabin. He flew over to the window, said a brief prayer to fit through the tight space, hoisted up to the ledge, and pushed his upper body through. He ripped off his black tricorn, stuck the folded map to his head, and pulled down the hat as firmly as possible.
A rope swung outside the captain’s window two feet to the right. Thank God for small favors. He lunged at it and grabbed it. Noiselessly, he lowered himself down the rope, bracing both feet against the hull to rappel toward the water. Lowering quietly, he winked back at the figurehead of a saucy French woman carved beneath the captain’s cabin. As soon as he made it into the water, he let go of the rope and swam like a mackerel fleeing a shark toward the shore, careful to keep his head out of the foul-smelling drink. He counted on the black of night and the murky Thames to hide him from the searchers on the ship.
As he covered the distance between the French ship and the shore, he could hear the Frenchmen yelling and running about. He dared a glance back. Every lantern on the ship appeared to have been lit and the crew was scurrying about like a bevy of ants on an infiltrated hill.
He swam to the darkest spot on the far end of the docks, around the bend from sight of the French ship, and pulled himself ashore beneath a creaky dock using only his forearms. Exhausted, he rolled onto his back and lay breathing heavily in the pitch-black night. One hand went up to clap the top of his tricorn and a wide smile spread across his face.
He’d done it. He’d escaped from a French ship with the map detailing the planned route to rescue Napoleon from St. Helena. Of course he had. He was the Black Fox.
Copyright © 2017 by Valerie Bowman and reprinted with the permission of St. Martin’s Paperbacks.
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My Review
I haven’t read any of this series and even though this is book seven, that took nothing away from it. I read it like a stand alone, but yet very quickly I easily picked up the theme of the series and who everyone was. This is a thoroughly enjoyable and an intoxicating swashbuckling, romance. There are thrills and perils at every turn and that is just the fiery relationship between Cade and Danielle.
After years away and thought dead, Cade Cavendish makes a surprise return to London, with no explanation where he has been for ten years and why he has suddenly come back, which makes his twin brother and spy Rafe very suspicious. Rafe knows his black sheep of a brother is hiding something, he knows that Cade is up to something and he wants to know what! But it’s not only him that is suspicious of the brutally handsome rogue, Danielle Lacrosse isn’t just a lady’s maid, she is actually a spy too. She works for the elusive and secretive spy master, Grimaldi, who is also suspicious of Cade so he plants Danielle into the Cavendish house to find out his secrets.
The problem with that though is the minute she sets her eyes on Cade she knows that this mission isn’t going to be as easy as she expected, with one charming smile and a bit of kindness Cade Cavendish could blow her a whole world apart. She has just as many secrets – maybe even more, then the brothers and soon it becomes apparent to her that she very may well be in danger. Not just from the spies in the shadows but in danger of loosing her heart and revealing her well protected secrets. It all comes to ahead as Danielle is suddenly pulled from her assignment at the Cavendish’s but it’s what she is faces on her new undercover assignment that blows her out of the water. She comes face to face with something she never would have expected.
Cade! They are thrown together on a ship heading to Spain, and in those precious few days together they learn far more than they would have ever expected.
She opened her eyes, surprised to feel them wet with unshed tears. He stood up straight and held out his arms.
“Do you have time for a dance?” That caught her entirely off guard as well. Did she have time for a dance? Almost as if it had read her mind, a clock somewhere within the house began to house began to chime the midnight hour. She and Cade stood stock-still , staring at each other, his hands in the air, reaching for her in silent invitation for a dance.
Once the chimes finished, she whispered, “There is no music.”
“Of course there is.” He dropped his arms and entered the room, shutting the door behind him. In three long strides, he’d crossed to the window and slid it open. The musicians played at the back of the ballroom near the French doors leading out to the patio. A lovely melody floated up through the summer air to filter prettily into Danielle’s fourth-floor bedchamber. It was a waltz.
Cade turned back to face her, his arms outstretched again. Danielle nearly choked on the lump in her throat this time.
“You don’t have to do this.” Along with the music , the breeze carried the scent of night-blooming jasmine. That, combined with the melody and the darkness of the room with only a single candle flickering on the bedside table, made the entire scene quite … romantique.
“Don’t have to do what?” Cade’s tone was unreadable. She glanced down at her slippers.
“Dance with a maid?” She hated how vulnerable her voice sounded. How small. How … lonely. He glanced over both shoulders.
“I don’t see a maid here.”
“No?” Her reply was faint.
“I see only a beautiful woman with whom I desperately want to dance….”
I really like Danielle she acts like a strong, independent woman, she has had to deal with a lot through her life she and been forced to grow up far too quickly then she should have and that has made her so self-reliant, but she craves love and kindness something she has never been shown. Her father was a Frenchman and died too soon and her English aristocratic mother is seriously ill, Danielle never had the extravagant Tonish balls and come out like all women of her station would, and that has implemented in how she carries herself now.
You can really relate in someway or another to Danielle, she is an extraordinary woman, beautiful as well as deadly, she knows her own mind she is brave, spunky and she is super smart. Immersed in a dark and dangerous world of espionage, she has to use all of her cunning to stay alive, she is a an unusual woman for the times, never happier then when she is walking around dressed like a boy in breaches. She is a skilful and very clever spy.
But the thing that I think Bowman has got so right with Danielle is how she has been holding her own in what is predominantly a mans world and proves herself again and again and again just what a woman can do. I’m all for strong woman and she isn’t afraid to confront danger and she does all of this for a good selfless reason.
To make her seriously ill mother live the last of her days in peace and comfort.
Cade is a real rogue! A proper cad or has he thinks of himself the black sheep of the family, but under all that charismatic cheekiness there is a really good man, a lovable rogue. He has so many secrets and so many alter ego’s, is he a spy? Is he a traitor? Is he a pirate? Or is he the elusive black fox? He is a man of many faces he even turns up at his brothers front door under an alias this is a man that has got many feathers in his hat. Plus atop of all that he is a sinfully sexy, scandalous rogue who can make the most solid woman go weak at the knees.
Cade also does the one thing that no one has ever done with Danielle, he sees her! He sees past the strong mask and he sees what is deep down inside which is something that Danielle desperately needs that in her life. She wants to be noticed for the woman that she is and not just the spy or cabin boy or servant and Cade does just that. There is a beautiful moment where they both finally realise just how much they mean to one an other, where Danielle and Cade do a secret moonlit waltz together just before she has to leave. That is beautiful!
What a stroke of genius it was, putting these two together. They are both highly volatile, extremely skilled at what they do and they are both hiding secrets and both highly adapt at being creative with the truth. Cade and Danielle both yearn for what others have, they want love and friendship and more than that they want someone to trust. Something that neither of them have been able to do. They are just perfect for each other.
Bowman is a highly skilful writer who knows her craft like the back of her hand. She is a remarkable author at setting the scene and building up to a climatic finish, the first scene in particular does a great job at grabbing you and keeping you gripped throughout the whole book. The more you read the further you get absorbed into the dark and murky world or secrets and spies, this is a terrific adventure which is so much more than your average Historical Romance. It’s fast thrilling and exciting.
This is a stonking good story which is marvellously engrossing and for me is a huge success. It is stylish and sophisticated, a real winner. I love it! It’s classy and sassy with an outstanding mix of romance and adventure.
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Bowman grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s number seven) and a huge supply of historical romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her mini-schnauzer, Huckleberry. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS. She is the author of the Secret Brides series, starting with Secrets of a Wedding Night, Secrets of a Runaway Bride, and Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage.
Website / Facebook: @ValerieBowmanAuthor
Twitter : @ValerieGBowman / Pinterest / GoodReads
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Exclusive Q&A with Valerie Bowman
What is your favorite scene in Never Trust a Pirate?
I truly do love the whole book but I think everything that happens after they get on the ship is especially fun. The book is sort of pre-ship and post-ship.
What’s your favorite underappreciated romance novel?
One of my favorite romances ever is Dark Future by KC Klein. It’s a futuristic scifi romance, which is not normally something I gravitate toward (I like to read historical romance!) but I picked up KC’s book and couldn’t put it down. It’s fantastic. She also has me reading contemporary cowboy stories.
Are you methodical in your writing, certain hours of the day, certain rituals you may perform before you sit down? Or are you one of those writers who binge write when the mood is upon you?
I’m a binge writer, but it’s not about the mood striking so much as it’s about having more time to write on the weekend because I’m not at my day job.
Are there particular tropes you are fond of using?
My favorite trope is probably reunited lovers or old friends who fall in love. I love the brother’s best friend trope, too. I’ve used all of those and am currently writing a story where a married couple (who haven’t seen each other in ten years) are forced to work together again. Of course hijinx (and romance) will ensue!
What lead you to writing historical romances?
My love of reading them. I read them a lot as a teenager. They made me so happy.
How would you describe Never Trust a Pirate using only three words?
Racy Regency Romp. That’s how I describe all of my books, actually.
What is your advice for other writers?
Write! It’s simple. I see a lot of would-be writers taking classes and reading books about writing but the best thing to do is just write, write, write. Worry about the mechanics later. You do need to study craft and learn the business but you’ve got nothing to improve if you’re not actually writing.
Do you, or your publisher decide on your beautiful covers? If your publisher, do you have any input?
My publisher makes the covers for the books and I love them. They send them to me for input but it’s usually quite minimal. They are gorgeous! I’m very lucky.
Why this setting and why pirates?
I unabashedly love pirates! I love to read stories about them and when I was a kid I wanted to be one. Of course I get horribly seasick and am about the least adventurous person you’d ever meet. Swashbuckling would stress me out. I guess that’s why I have to write about it instead.
What do you do to relax, after a day of writing? And how, do you set your writing day in order to achieve your goal of a certain number of pages?
My favorite way to relax is to take a nap. I should have been born in a country that embraces the concept of siesta. That’s where I belong. Ha! I don’t count pages so much as I count words. So if I have to get twenty thousand words (about ¼ of a novel) written in a weekend, I would need to write about 6,600 Friday night, 13,000 on Saturday, and 6,600 on Sunday. I have a day job so weekends are very important to me as far as hitting my word count goals.
Approximately, how long does it take you to write a full length novel? How many books can you write in a year?
It takes me about two months to actually write the novel (working mostly nights and weekends around my full-time job) but it takes months to plot and think about the novel which is why I only write two novels per year.
Which Hollywood stars would you like to see as the main characters in NEVER TRUST A PIRATE?
I actually have a Pinterest board set up with my idea of who all the main characters in the Playful Brides series look like. For Cade Cavendish and Danielle LaCrosse it’s Chris Pine and Zooey Deschanel. You can find the board at: https://www.pinterest.com/valeriegbowman/playfulbrides/.
Do you write fulltime?
No and I actually have a theory that if I did write full-time I would get much less writing done. I think having to be so disciplined about my writing time forces me to focus. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Twitter or Facebook?
Both!
Favorite TV show?
Off all time? Gilmore Girls. As for what’s on today, I love Homicide Hunter: Lt Joe Kenda. I’m a sucker for true crime.
Who is your ultimate Book Boyfriend?
My book boyfriend is Jason Fielding from Judith McNaught’s Once and Always. Talk about the perfect tortured hero!
What are you reading right now or what’s on your TBR?
I’m currently reading Kerrigan Byrne’s, The Duke, and I can’t wait to dive into Anna Bennett’s, I Dared the Duke!
Which 2017 Movie you’re most looking forward to?
I just saw a trailer for Dunkirk and I got goosebumps! I can’t wait. I love WWII-era history almost as much as the Regency.
Give us the “elevator pitch” for your new book.
I caller Trust a Pirate: The Scarlet Pimpernel meets Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Regency England.
Series or stand alone? If series do you already have a set number of books that you plan to write?
Series. When I began to write the Playful Brides series, I planned three books. I’m happy to say it’s going to be eleven altogether, plus a novella. Plans change!
If you could change anything in your past, what would it be and why? And how do you think it has affected your writing?
I would love to go back to my twenty-two year old self and tell her to start writing romance novels right away. Alas, I have no time machine. Frankly, I don’t think my twenty-two year old self had the confidence or the patience to do it. I think life unfolds the way it’s meant to in due time.
What literary pilgrimages have you gone on?
I’ve been to Bath and seen the Jane Austen museum there. Does that count?
What are your future project(s)?
Right now, I’m editing book 8 in the Playful Brides series. It’s called The Right Kind of Rogue and comes out on Halloween. I’m also writing book 9 of the Playful Brides series. And I’m always plotting future books in my head. In this case I’ve already got a lot of ideas for how I’m going to end the series with book #11 (Delilah and Thomas’s book) in Spring 2019.
For novices who haven’t read a novel of yours what is it that they will find unique in your work?
I hope they will find a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is filled with humor and heart. Above all, I just want my stories to entertain. I’m not here to give anyone a history lesson. I just want readers to smile and sigh.
Do you find that you base any of your characters on people in your life? Have you gotten any inspiration for scenes in your novel from things that have happened to you in real life?
The entire Playful Brides series was conceived based on my friend’s terrible boyfriend. She wouldn’t break up with him and I kept telling her to let me call him and break up with him for her (I was kidding, sorta). On a drive home from dinner with her one night, after she’d filled my ear yet again with a bunch of stories of the awful things he’d done (forgot her birthday, asked her to pay his cell phone bill), I started thinking how funny it would be if there was a service that you could call to break-up with your boyfriend for you. The opposite of Cyrano de Bergerac. I decided that would be great story and immediately began to think about how I could set it in the Regency. That was the idea for The Unexpected Duchess, the first story in the series.
Are there any books or authors that have really influenced you and made you want to write? What about those authors inspired or influenced you?
Lisa Kleypas was a huge influence on me. I was snowed in at an airport in 2007 and picked up Scandal in Spring. Many hours later (I couldn’t put the book down) I considered giving romance writing a try. She is a brilliant writer and a lovely person both inside and out.
Have you read anything lately that you loved?
Julie Anne Long’s The Legend of Lyon Redmond was sheer perfection if you ask me.
Do you usually work off of an outline while writing or do you tend to just start writing and see where the story takes you?
I don’t have an outline per se, but I sketch out a few sentences for each chapter in my Word .doc so I know where the story is going. I’ve been working lately on making my stories more character driven so I may change this up a bit.
What other books or movies or music influenced this novel?
As with all of the stories in my Playful Brides series, Never Trust a Pirate was inspired by a play. In this case it’s The Scarlet Pimpernel. I loved the concept of a character with dual identities.
What advice do you have for pair wanting to get into the writing field?
you want to write romance, join Romance Writers of America (RWA.org). Hands down it was the best thing I did to learn how to write a romance novel. Leslie Wainger’s book, Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies, is also fantastic.
*The copy for my review was an ARC copy from the publisher At Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review. The excerpt and Q&A are exclusive to this blog tour and was given to me in good faith from the publisher in agreement it would be used only in this blog tour.
