i enjoyed this book better than the first. It made me realize what i didn't like about the first book and that was not enough time with the characters once they realized they were in love with each other. This book handles that better. maddy was a great character and i also really enjoyed Luca (Thank goodness his real name was not captain Morgan). I'd almost rate it 4 but the underlying mystery of who brown is and why he ruined and killed their father is still unsolved. Plus he keeps turning up alive which is kind of crazy (if he's alive in book 3, that's even more ridiculous). Anyway i'd rate it 3.5-3.75 stars. This is the second in Anne Stuart’s “Scandal at the House of Russell” trilogy. It’s the best of the three, IMO, even though I went into it with some concern I’d be stuck with a shipboard romance. Bleh. This is the story of the second Russell sister, Madeline. She’s the brunette beauty of the family and she’s decided to pick up older sister Bryonny’s investigation into the possible villains who killed their father and stole their entire world. Since Bryonny has married and run off with the first suspect, Maddy decides to check out the second, Captain Morgan (I know, I think of the pirate on the rum bottles, too!), formerly a privateer and one of her father’s favorite captains employed by the Russell Shipping company. The captain’s actual name is Luca and he was sold to a chimney sweep at a young age by his mother. He’s half “gadjo” and half rom, but he’s spent most of his life outside of the gypsy caravans. The best thing that ever happened to him, though, was being shanghaied onto a ship when he was still quite young and falling in love with the sea. Now he’s wealthy and attempting to create a respectable life for himself. So, Maddy gets herself hired as a maid-of-all-work in his small household in order to investigate. Of course things are not what they seem. For one, she was sure he was going to be a stodgy old salt, but no, he’s a half gypsy stunner who’s engaged to a cold-hearted, privileged, English rose who’s also the daughter of his solicitor. He’s also very attracted to Maddy who also finds him very hard to resist even though his lazy housekeeper and her drunk husband are working poor Madeline to the bone. This book had some very amusing moments and some very nice romance. Luca is very engaging. I could have used even more time with him even though I didn’t actually dislike Maddy. She didn’t do anything nearly as stupid as Bryonny did and in one scene she’s absolutely inspired. This could probably be read as a standalone, but the books in this trilogy are not expensive so there’s no harm in getting some more backstory from the first book in the series, “Never Kiss a Rake”.
Do You like book Never Trust A Pirate (2013)?
LOVED IT! You can't go wrong with Anne Stuart! I can't wait for the last book to come out.
—LJCabral
liked the pirate. liked the heroine. more conflict would have been nice.
—eawestbury
Fun, predictable.. Read in a fw hours. But I loved it(:
—oakie70
