A Pirate at Pembroke

Austen enthusiasts seeking sweet romance will be well pleased with Thornton’s Regency-era novel, which brims with proper manners and subtle courtship. Sophie Crestwood is content to live at home with her gossipy father, bookworm mother, and precocious younger brother, who dreams of nothing more than joining the Royal Navy. Though Sophie assumes her pretty face will help her find a husband, she’s in no rush to marry or even meet the new owner of the adjacent manor, bachelor and rumored pirate Captain Murdock, who moves in with much mystery and no fanfare. During a summer house party, Sophie is nudged along by a family friend with a penchant for matchmaking. Captain Murdock is a guest as well, providing Sophie an opportunity to better learn his character while they navigate card games, performances, and dancing. Thornton takes the time to draw Murdock as a hero rather than a rascally sea dog, rewarding the reader with a gentle, entertaining love story. (BookLife)