A Pirate's Wife for Me (Governess Brides, #11) (2024)

"I won't be used again."
"Maybe not. Maybe I can't make you adore me again, maybe I can't make you love me again---"
Oh, why did he have to use the word love?"
"But you're right about one thing." He leaned his arm against wall by her head. His lips barely moved as he spoke, but his eyes gleamed with a blatant assurance. "I want you in my bed all the time. I'm not going to force you. I don't have to. our flesh almost sizzles when we stand close, and one night soon you'll come to me and offer yourself."

This is number #11 in the Governess Brides series and as I haven't read any of the others, I felt like I was walking in on a play in its 11th act. The origins of why the hero and heroine are doing what they are are told but the how of the heroine being a spy was very glossed over. The mention of a governess school (hence the series title, I'm guessing) that seems to train women to be spies was mentioned along with a Mr. Throckmorton who is the mastermind behind it all.

There was a dearth of pirate action, the pirate-ness was left the secondary characters, hero's ship crew, and I missed any high seas adventure. Heroine felt more real than the hero, his backstory was doled out slowly to keep some mystery alive. They feel in love when they were teenagers, so my favorite part, building of relationship was pretty absent. There were flashbacks to their first meeting, a scene where they take notice of each other, and their one night together, which I appreciated but emotional depth between the two was lacking.

The writing style, tone, story, and characters' personalities reminded me a lot of books published in the '90s and early '00s; stubborn "I can ride and fight like a man" heroine and slightly annoying "I know you want me" hero. If you're looking for a throw back, here you go.

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Summary
Caitlin MacLean, has graduated from the Distinguished Academy of Governesses, and has quite the full spectrum of knowledge. From cleaning and managing servants to picking locks and deceiving dictators. Cait is not a woman to be messed with. She has recently taken up a position as a British Spy. Her new mission to join forces with the infamous pirate Taran, and help him overthrow an evil dictator who is known for betrayal and being a traitor. When Cait sees Taran she isn't fully prepared for the memories he brings with him. Once they fell in love when they were young, and were devoted to each other.

I want you when you're yelling at Graeme for not letting you play cricket. I want you when you've been carrying wood for cook and you have smudges all over your face and wood chips in your hair. I want you when you're returning from a crofter's cottage, alight with the miracle of helping deliver a wee babe. You're tall and you're beautiful and you're kind. I want to absorb you in my soul.

Nine Years. Nine years is a long time. I thought I'd forgotten you, Cate, when I saw you walk across the tavern tonight, I knew I was only fooling myself. I could never forget you

What was most intriguing about this story was the way that they go about deceiving this dictator, working together, the fights and arguments and the bedtime sexiness that at times was smoking hot, more than I would expect from Dodd, but not overly much, just enough to level out the playing field between these two.

I'll worship your body and you'll worship mine. I'll taste you and you'll taste me

One kiss from you, my unknowing princess, and I am no longer a brigand without country or family. You make me a man on the brink of the most glorious adventure of my life--an hour spent in your arms.

Rules Of Surrender (1)

Rules Of Engagement (2)

Rules of Attraction (3)

In My Wildest Dreams (4)

Lost In Your Arms (5)

My Favorite Bride (6)

My Fair Temptress (7)

In Bed With The Dyke (8)

Taken by the Prince (9)

A Pirate's Wife For Me (10)

"A Pirate's Wife for Me" is the story of Caitlin and Taran.

In this concluding series read, we see lost estranged lovers reuniting in a mission to reclaim thrones and avenge loved ones.

The book was HOT. The hero and heroine are both passionate and strong, and their chemistry is sizzling. He's a prince masquerading as a pirate, she's a lock picker who is also a spy. Both have different agendas but have to work together to fulfill their respective goals.

Then why isn't it a 5 star read?

Because a lot of it annoyed me.

So the hero and heroine marry, and the hero leaves the heroine to reclaim his kingdom. She is ruined, and spends rest of her life rebelling against propriety. He gets kidnapped for a while, but the rest of the time sleeps around with the heroine's doppelgangers. When they meet again, the heroine is infuriated but the hero literally just feels horny- no apologies or grovel. He just wants her.
Furthermore, isn't the hero supposed to be engaged to OW as per his mother? Why is that plot loophole introduced and ignored?

Lastly, despite knowing what a cad he's been to her in the past, he continues hiding the truth from her throughout the book.

So yeah, it did not leave me happy.

Unsafe
3/5

I want to do a little happy dance. That was a great ending. The story was long complicated and fun with a very satisfying ending which is rare.

Caitlin MacLean sedang menjalankan misi sekaligus utk membalas dendam atas kematian abang tercintanya. Tapi Caitlin tidak menyangka bhw dirinya akan bertemu dgn Taran Tamson, yg ternyata adalah kapten kapal yg ditumpanginya.

Cate sebal, benci sekaligus masih cinta dgn Taran, cinta pertamanya sejak masih remaja. Dgn Taran-lah Cate menyerahkan kesuciannya dan ternyata mereka juga sudah menikah diam-diam 9 thn yg lalu. Kali ini Cate tidak mau Taran mengacaukan hidupnya lagi. Tapi Taran bersikeras bhw penyamaran Cate di Cenorina hrs didampingi dirinya yg lebih mengenal seluk-beluk kerajaan kecil tsb.

Di sinilah hubungan Cate dan Taran kembali berkembang. Taran sukses menghibur saya dgn penyamarannya sbg suami Cate seorang veteran perang yg sudah buta. Cate yg berperan sbg kepala rumah tangga baru di istana kerajaan tsb tidak menyadari kenapa Taran ngotot dan suka menghilang sesuka hatinya. Dan baru terungkap di klimaks cerita bhw Taran adalah si putra mahkota yg hilang.

Relationship Cate dan Taran ini sungguh kocak dan koplak sejak awal novel. Sama-sama bertubuh tinggi, Cate tidak sudi berperan spt para gadis umumnya. Cate tipikal gadis yg tidak segan-segan menggunakan senjata apapun yg tersedia utk menghajar Taran setiap kali Taran meraba-raba tubuhnya. Untuk itu makanya Taran juga kadang harus menggunakan teknik yg lebih licik lagi utk menguasai gadis buas ini. Playful banter mereka lumayan bikin senyum-senyum. Tapi saya bingung juga kenapa gadis secerdas Cate tidak menyadari bhw sebenarnya Taran itu putra mahkota.

Saya memang belum tuntas membaca semua seri "Governess Bride" ini. Malah kebanyakan lompat-lompatan membacanya alias gak urut. Tapi seri ini sangat memuaskan bagi saya. Karena banyak situasi kondisi & chemistry yg unik para karakter utamanya.

4 stars - slightly spoilerish

I loved most of this book. A few things bothered me but by the end I was very glad I read it.

Cate was definitely the shining star of this book. She is tough, smart, loyal a day times incredibly funny. Some of her inner dialogue had me laughing so hard I was in tears.

Taran was not quite the knight in shining armor I had hoped he would be. I agree with another reviewer who said he was a jerk to Cate when they were younger and the fact that he wasn't faithful really bothered me. I don't care that all the women he was with looked like her - he cheated and that will never be justified to me. I also don't understand how he just waked away from her for 9 years (ok the five years he was basically a prisoner - I will give him a pass for. But the next FOUR - ah NO) without a word. Was he ever going to come back for her? I'm not sure I believe he was. I was also not a fan of the forced seduction love scene. I really wish that could have been edited to be less rape-like. It was really a turn off for me.

I did like how well they worked together and I loved the end. I also loved the pirate crew. And the reunion at the end had me tearing up a bit.

I have really enjoyed most of this series and and looking forward to more. I would recommend this book with the above mentioned reservations.

I did really like this book with a few caveats. I didn't love love the "hero". He was kind of a jerk when they were younger, and then was with a number of women since. I don't think the fact that they looked like Cate was enough of a reason to okay the activity. It also seemed like he wouldn't have bothered finding her if she didn't show up. I also thought the first time they did "re-connect" was borderline rape. Maybe she didn't really want him to stop, but... no. I do think I will re-read this, though, and the author is one of my favorites, hence the 4 star.

Fantastic read! Excellent addition to the Governess brides series, after another of my favorites in that series "Lost in Your Arms". I adore historical romance, this is an fun adventure, with a lovely pirate hero and plucky, yes really, heroine. Lots of swashbuckling adventure. Loved that the heroine was just as strong as the hero. She even gets to beat up a bad guy! Or two!!

Another hit by Christina Dodd. An engaging story, with suspense, action, and hot steamy love scenes. A prince looking for revenge and fighting to get his country back. A heartbroken lady with a thirst to avenge her brother's death. Together they will fight common enemies, learn to trust each other, and find true love.

Aku menyukai buku ini. Christina Dodd adalah salah satu penulis roman yang terbaik dan memutuskan akan mengoleksi buku Christina Dodd lainnya.
Caitlin Maclean gadis pintar, tangguh dan lucu. Caitlin Maclean memiliki tinggi 182cm dan keahlian pencungkil kunci diutus oleh Throckmorton menjadi mata2 untuk menyelesaikan misi di Cenorina. Disaat menginjak di pub Poole, dia terkejut berjumpa Taran karena selama 9 tahun Caitlin berusaha menghindari Taran karena Taran pernah menghancurkan hatinya, tanpa berpikir Caitlin menghantam perut Taran dengan murka. Walopun meringis Taran sendiri sangat senang bisa bertemu Caitlin, wanita yang dicintainya. Taran tahu wanita itu juga masih mencintainya, hingga Taran mengurung Caitlin di kamar yang dipesan oleh Caitlin, berbincang2 dengannya. Taran bahkan berusaha bercumbu Caitlin dengan kata2 rayuan dan Caitlin yang mmg merindukan tubuh Taran, menikmati cumbuannya.
Taran bisa dibilang pria brengsek dan tidak setia namun dalam lubuk hatinya, mencintai Caitlin sejak umur 17 tahun. Sejak meninggalkan Caitlin waktu muda dia telah ditahan oleh Maddox mantan gurunya yang telah mengkhianatinya, bahkan dibuang dari negaranya. Sekarang dia sudah menjadi perompak dan ingin membalas dendam demi negaranya, Cenorina. Caitlin dan Taran pun bekerja sama untuk menyelesaikan urusan di Cenorina. Sebenarnya aku sangat menyukai mereka bekerja sama dan di akhir ini ada kejutan reuni yang mengejutkan.
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Baiklah …..aku bnr2 menikmati sebagian buku seri dan ingin membaca semua buku seri ini.

I always enjoy a book by Christina Dodd. She writes smart, funny characters and her female heroines are never shrinking violets. I liked that Caitlin and Taran had a long history you slowly discover throughout the book instead of the instant love of many romance novels. The cast of supporting characters are also interesting and I hope at least one, Jeannette, gets her own story soon. I liked her immediately.

I cut my reading teeth on historical romances. My absolute favorite was the late Kathleen Woodiwiss. This book reminded me a little of her books.
Cate has been raised to be a Scottish lady. How did she end up a pickpocket spy? Taran is pirate bent on revenge. How do they succeed I their quest and fight the storm brewing to bring them together. I enjoyed this book.

I'm biased, because Christina Dodd is a friend. That being said, I loved her books long before I knew her. This one is a new fave. It's punchy and fun, just like the title. If you're in the mood for a riot of a pirate romance, one you will enjoy without taking too seriously, this is your kind of book.

I enjoyed this adventurous tale. It's kind of a throwback to "old school" romance, a bit predictable, but so much fun! There were a couple of grammatical and continuity errors, but they weren't bad enough to drive me crazy or distract me from the story.

Mixed feelings.
It was ok, but not like I had come to expect of a miss Dodd-romance. The tension between the h/h wasn't that great, I didn't like the flashbacks and the ending was just plain silly.
I rounded up from 2,5.

Oh how I do so love a great pirate adventure, but this was so much more. Cait and Taran had known each other for years. He was her first everything. There were so many twist and turns.

Not my favorite but ok.

I had a hard time liking the two main characters they didn't to mesh well I did love the secondary characters. I love Ms. Dodd's books and will always read.

Loved It!

Twists, turns, and outrageous plot devices, all made delightful fully probable and tied up with a bright happily ever after bow. Dodd never disappoints.

fast paced action adventure read. liked the strong heroine but her physically violent tendencies were at odds with her hesitancy to kill, even when seemed to be best choice.

Cute story, very easy summer read. Strong female character and macho man love interest. I highly recommend it.

A good, easy and fun read.

Akhirnya kebaca juga novel terakhir dari serial governess brides. Jika tidak sama prequelnya maka ini adalah seri ke sepuluh. Sebenarnya, gak ada yang baru dari Christina Dodd di buku ini, malah kayak baca Julie Garwood rasa2nya. Intinya sih menceritakan petualangan Taran Tamson sama Caitlin Maclean (yeah dia Scottish rambut merah dan mata hijau seperti heroine di sejuta novel lain), mereka ini punya masa lalu dimana setelah berhasil merayu Caitlin, si Taran langsung kabur meninggalkan dia dengan reputasi yang hancur. Sembilan tahun kemudian mereka ketemu lagi, si cewek baru mau jalanin tugas pertama sebagai mata2 di Cenorina dan si Taran juga kerja sama bos yang sama. Eh gak taunya emang si Taran ini putra mahkota Cenorina yang terbuang, maka bekerja sama lah mereka dalam misi menumbangkan tiran di Cenorina.
Komen saya : banyak adegan lucu dan interaksi yang hidup di novel ini walau banyak juga sih adegan bertengkarnya. Ceritanya terlalu lambat di awal tapi pas di ending malah jadi cepat kayak balapan. Author bisa merangkai banyak adegan aksi yang ringkas tapi keseruannya tetap nyata. Pas butuh kuda, eh kuda muncul, butuh senjata, eh ada tongkat perapian, butuh rekan sekutu, sudah tersedia satu pasukan rakyat siap tempur. Alhasil mix nya kayak adventure of Sinbad, dengan bumbu rahasia Dodd, gak kerasa habis juga dibaca dan jelas sangat menghibur. Rekomen buat yang suka romance ala warrior2 gitu.

More of a 3.5 star rating from me, but whatever. Taran royally ticked me off with his attitude, behavior and cheating. Cait quite honestly needed to make him grovel sooooo much more than she did before giving in and letting him back into her bed. I don't care that he was gone nine years. He literally could have come back for her after 5 years—when he won his freedom from the pirates—and hell, I would have accepted him kidnapping her and keeping her on his Pirate ship while he did what he felt he needed to do to get his country back. Instead he spends 4 more years sailing about the world, supposedly longing/lusting for his wife and screwing whor*s who are her doppelganger. Nope, nope, nope. I almost wish Cait had taken a lover during those years too, then I wouldn't be as upset, but of course she didn't. That is one of my pet peeves. Second chance romances, no matter the time period they're set in, 95% of the time let the guy be a man slu*t while the woman's hoo-haa locks up tight, opening only for her true love and his magical dick-key. When the man and woman are married during their separation, the man's behavior pisses me off even more than if they'd broken up.

I have been waiting quite a while to get this book, and it was so worth it!!

Caitlin MacLeod fell in love with Taren Tamson when they were younger and he came to train with her brother Kiernan, who was the Laird. She lost her virginity to him, and then he left. 9 years later, after she had trained at The Distinguished Academy of Governesses as well in the not nice parts of Edinburgh where she learned to pick locks and steal, they meet again on a job for Throckmorton, the head spy for England. He needs her skills, she needs the experience of the job, but she's still very angry with him, and he has gone from a spoiled, angry youth to a cold hard pirate. She keeps finding out things about him that he never told her, and he can't keep his hands off her, no matter how much she tries to push him away. His secrets are big, and when she finally puts it all together, the action gets absolutely crazy! I loved it!!

I love Kiernan and Enid's story in Lost in Your Arms, that's why I was looking forward to Caitlin's story, Kiernan's sister, in hope that Kiernan and Enid would make an appearance. Well, they did but unfortunately very brief that didn't satisfy me.

As for the story itself, it was a typical prince lost his kingdom and plotted to regain it. What I like was Caitlin's part in this plot was bigger than usual. She took an active part and did more works than Taran, the prince. It was fresh but made Taran quite useless. LOL.

The romance was not great, the villain was weak, but overall it made quite an enjoyable read

Holy crap! Just too too too much! They're married in secret, but he left her and was abducted by pirates and his mother is a prisoner but wait no it's a governess in disguise and she's a spy and on and on. The romance is sort of not even a quarter of the story. There's some romantic tension but mostly she just puts up a fight and then doesn't. IDK about any of these books in the series because they are all a bit rapey... I mean she is solidly fighting him and says no and he doesn't stop but because her nipples are hard then it's ok?! So...

Honestly? This book just took way too long to get to the point. I don’t mind a bit of espionage and disguise, but let’s face it: spy work is boring 99% of the time because it requires listening and snooping and that’s only so exciting to read about.

Which is why I hoped there’d be romance to distract. There wasn’t, really. (Not to mention, the first spicy scene was borderline rape.)

It took them a third of the book just to GET to the island.

It was just a really hard book to read through and the parts that COULD have be great, were largely glossed over.

A great addition to a wonderful series. It had a little bit different feel than the other books in the series, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
I had wanted to read all of the Governess Brides books ever since I read My Favorite Bride. And now I have. I will definitely return to reread the favorites.

Un pirat - prinţ regent sub acoperire care incearca sa isi salveze ţara, fiica la un moşier scoţian care este un spion sub acoperire. Împreuna casatoriti dar se intâlnesc dupa 9 ani si sunt implicati in aceeasi misiune. Totul ia o intorsatura, dar ambii incearca sa fie cat mai atenti in misiunea ce o au de dus până la capăt si de invins pe dusman.

Interesting characters with a back story that addresses the main tale. I found the heroine and hero a bit too similar and stubborn. I enjoyed the pirate theme but felt that most of the pirates were a bit tame. Still I enjoyed the story although I did find it a bit predictable. Not one of her best but also still a compelling tale.