Captured

From the back cover: A daring love... Devon Blake's quick wits and good luck helped her survive on the streets of Liverpool. But in America, she finds herself in serious trouble. Accused of spying, she seems destined for the gallows. And it is handsome, dynamic Captain Cole McRae who must lead her to prison. Treachery destroyed Cole's ship and most of his crew. Now he's determined to see that the beautiful, dark-haired spitfire responsible hangs for her heinous crime--and Devon's wild attempts at escape only fire his fury. But Cole and Devon's daring race through enemy territory ignites a passion stronger than vengeance, and a desire that demands surrender--as captor and captive alike discover there is no breaking the bonds of love's rapturous embrace. And my review: Once I'd read Victoria Lynne's Chasing Rainbows, I eagerly sought out her backlist. I enjoyed With this Kiss, but was disappointed by What Wild Moonlight, so I wasn't sure what to expect from CAPTURED. But I'm glad to say, this book provided a very enjoyable historical romance. While I love history, I always prefer for it to take a backseat to the romance. And that's just what happened here. The historical backdrop never overpowered the love story, and never read like a textbook. The author did a great job of weaving the historical detail into the background of the novel. The plot was fast paced and interesting (with some great plot twists!) but never stole too much time away from the romance. That's just the kind of balance that I like. I also loved the characters. The heroine was wonderfully spirited and fiesty without ever being shrewish. Too many authors make the mistake of making the heroine witchy, and try to pass it off as "spirit". Not the case here. I loved the heroine. She was strong and brave, yet still feminine. I could see why the hero fell in love with her in spite of himself. The hero was wonderful, too. While strong, he wasn't a jerk. Even when he believed that the heroine was guilty of treason, he never mistreated her. He had such a strong sense of honor that I really admired. Captor/captive romances skate along a very thin line for me. I do enjoy them, but only if there is no forced physical interaction. (In other words, no rape.) That never happened here. The hero never forced his attentions on the heroine. When they kissed (and more), it was because they both wanted it to happen. I really enjoyed that the sexual attraction between the hero and heroine took a backseat to their growing affection and respect for one another. While they were physically attracted to each other, there was more than that between them. It was never a lust-fest, or a "I hate you, but my body parts want you so bad" situation. Nor did they just hop into bed at the first opportunity. When that first kiss finally came, I wanted it to happen as badly as the characters did. I recommend this book. In fact, with the exception of WHAT WILD MOONLIGHT, I recommend all of Victoria Lynne's n

Captured by Victoria Lynn was my first book by Ms. Lynne and afterwards, I glommed her other works. The War Between the States is the backdrop of the story, not the focus. Devon comes to America and unfortunately, is convicted of treason. After she tries to escape, Cole is sent to escort her. They fall into one adventure after another. The story is filled with intrigue and action and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I highly recommend it.