Hearts Run Wild

From the inside front cover: Passion runs deep... An impossible situation drives Samantha Delafield to commit a desperate act and forces the orphaned beauty to flee her world of privilege. But her fate takes a shocking turn when she is arrested for petty thievery and shackled to a dangerous criminal. Hearts run wild... Nicholas Brogan is a man tormented by his past as England's most notorious pirate. Now a blackmailer's threats have drawn him out of seclusion--and into the hands of the British magistrates. Manacles bind him to a beautiful young hellion who enflames Nicholas with passions he has struggled to suppress--tempting him to care, to want, to escape together, for their destinies are linked by chains far stronger than the iron that holds them captive...and only love can set their imprisoned hearts free. And my review: Shelly Thacker is an auto-buy author for me. (I only wish she hadn't stopped writing!) Every book I've read by her has been a winner (with the exception of MIDNIGHT RAIDER). As always, the historical detail is well done without being "textbook" or taking over the story. The intrigue / suspense / mystery storyline is interesting, but the main focus of the story is on the growing relationship between the hero and heroine. And that's just where it should be in a romance novel. Also, despite a rather scandalous back cover picture, this is not a lust-soaked book. Yes, the characters are physically attracted to one another, but it's not the sole thing drawing them together. Shelly Thacker is one of the best authors for strong character development, and her talent once again shows in this novel. Nicholas is much more than your cliched tortured hero, and Samantha is much more than the standard "lady of quality forced into crime by circumstance". By the end of the book, I really felt like I knew who these people were, and I was cheering for them. Many authors would have used the concept of the hero and heroine being shackled together as an excuse to have the hero force himself on the heroine, but the author never uses that disgusting theme. Though not as pure as driven snow, deep down, Nicholas is an honorable man. And Samantha is a strong woman, not the kind of weak, wailing female you find so often in historical romance. My only complaint with this story is that the declaration of their feelings is a long time in coming. I just didn't feel their emotions as deeply as I have in some of this author's other novels. Maybe I just expected too much, since this author has written some other outstanding works. Even so, I still recommend this book, as it is a very good read. I also recommend other books by this author, including the outstanding His Forbidden Touch, A Stranger's Kiss (An Avon Romantic Treasure), or the very enjoyable Into the Sunset. All are great reads. The only book that I've read by this author that I don't recommend is MIDNIGHT RAIDER. Still, every author is entitled to one book that doesn't measure up, and thi