Catherine and the Pirate

I have loved many of the books in the Avon True Romance list of books, but this is my favorite one on the list. I love this book for many reasons including: 1. The heroine isn't the stereotypical damsel in distress, and Catherine is a character most people can relate to. 2. The kidnap of her brother causes the readers to keep the pages turning. 3. The plot to save her brother is fantastically well thought out, and made me read the book in one day! 4. The person Catherine turns to for help is Derrick, a handsom captain with some intersting skeletons in his closet. (*Not to be taken literally!) 5. The inevitable romance between Catherine and Derrick cannot be because of her high social stature, and Derrick's family history causes their love to be a complete scandal!

i really enjoyed this book. it all started when Catherine Markham's brother Royce had been captured by the British. She knows no one who can help her except Captain Derrick St. John, captain of one her family's shipping business roads. So she goes to see him dressed as a boy. He soon realizes its her and he agrees to help her. On the voyage, they start to realize they care about each other when Derrick unexpectedly kisses her when the pirates attack! Soon after, they get to Savannah and Derrick has to clear his father's name from becoming a traitor to the America's. To find out if Catherine gets her brother back or if Derrick and Catherine fall in love, read the book.

When Catherine Markham finds a randsom note that tells she must pay 50 gold pieces to get her brother, Royce, back and her uncle refuses to send money, she goes to Derrick St. John for help.Derrick immediately says yes to finding Royce, his best friend because Royce was the only one to allow Derrick to be a sea captain with his well-known past. However, he is reluctant to take Catherine along.Catherine makes friends with the crew, helps a cabin boy named Lucas recover after their ship is attacked by a pirate ship headed up by DeGardineau, the man Derrick has sworn to find so he can clear his father's brand as a traitor. They get all the way to Savannah, but when they reach the Red Rooster Inn where Royce was supposedly being help early, DeGardineau's men capture them and take the gold. Now, they must find a way to get more gold for the kidnappers and try to avenge Derrick's father all before the deadline meets. Although they are close to death many times and are always disagreeing about one thing or the other, Catherine and Derrick still find time to fall in love.

Karen Hawkins has written a truely wonderful book. Derrick and Catherine are wonderful and the romantic tension between the two kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through the book. I have been recommending this to all my friends. Great job Karen, I can't wait until the next one.

When seventeen-year-old Catherine Markham's parents died four years ago, it was her brother Royce who kept her going. Although Royce was twelve years older than Catherine, he became more than just her brother, he became her best friend. When Catherine learns that Royce has been lost at sea in the American Revolution, she is devastated -- until a ransom note arrives, stating that Royce is still alive and demanding money for his safe return. Determined to get from Boston to Savannah to deliver the ransom herself, Catherine convinces Royce's best friend, Derrick St. John, to take her on his ship. Just twenty-one years old, Derrick already has a past as a pirate, a past he was able to abandon with Royce's help. But he still lives with the memories of what he has done, and the knowledge that it was partly his fault his late father was falsely accused of treason. On the journey to Savannah, Catherine and Derrick fall in love, but hide their feelings from each other -- he because of his past, she because she despairs of ever becoming more than his best friend's little sister. I highly recommend this new Avon True Romance. Like the rest of the books in the series, it's a wonderful historical romance for teens. I also really loved the setting, as the colonial period has always been one of my favorites.