Heart of the Storm — Jane Thornley

Lady Emma Aston is not about to take kidnapping, the theft of her dowry, the murder of her bethrothed, and the piracy of her father's ship laying down. Or, at least not yet. First, she must forge a deal with the beleaguered pirate, Lord Jack Winston, and then outwit the British navy while she's at it. If there's treasure to be found along Nova Scotia's ragged shores, she'll help find that, too, but only on her own terms. This woman plans to claim the biggest prize of all...It's the mid-1700's and the Mariner Griffin is crossing the Atlantic with the merchant owner's daughter and her fiance onboard. But all is not what it seems. Not until Lady Emma discovers her fiancé 's poisoned body does she realize the scope of the plot hatched against her. Typical of ladies of the day, she has grown up without realizing how women are but pawns in the games of men. Only, here's one woman who intends to turn the tables on them all.Lord Jack Winston, the destitute youngest son of a deceased earl, is a desperate man, desperate enough to consider piracy to regain all that he has lost and more. He expects the British navy will chase him; he knows he'll to be forever running from the hangman's noose; he's prepared for all manner of obstacles and trickery, but never once does he prepare himself for the likes of Emma Aston--the quarry who refuses to be victim. It will take a true partnership to best the forces against them but together they are in for the ride of their lives.Lively, steamy, intriguing and simply inforgettable!I LOVE this book--call it romance, all it adventurous, call it mysterious as in what's going to happen next...it kept me reading every step of the way. I stopped only when I absolutely HAd to do something else.