Of Noble Birth

The story is good but it goes on and on in some places. A good editor would have helped it.

An enjoyable but non-taxing romance between a seamstress running away from her abusive step-father, and a pirate captain who is seeking revenge against his rather evil father. In a case of mistaken identity, Alexandra is kidnapped by Nathaniel and whisked away to the high seas. While the story was entertaining, I did feel that it went on a bit long (which is odd for me as generally the longer the story is, the better value for money I feel I'm getting). Both main characters seemed to stumble from one disaster to the next in rapid succession before their happily ever after; I was left wondering where on earth they got the energy to continue! Alison Larkin is a brilliant narrator, and has gone on my list of narrators to look out for.

The subplot teasing out Nathaniel's relationship with his birth family and their motivations was well done. There were unexpected twists and characters introduced in that story line, and I could never be certain if the villains were going to remain villains or if they would perform some act of redemption. That kept me listening. Plus, most of the action (battles at sea, knife fights, etc.) was tied to these characters and their relationships.But the love story between Nathaniel the Pirate and Alexandra the Seamstress....it was just so-so and ho-hum for me. I did not feel the Great Burning Passion that one expects from a romance novel. There seemed to be a lot of S/He-Is-So-Sexy-But-How-Can-I-Be-Attracted-To-This-Person-When-Nothing-Can-Ever-Come-Of-It! Angst which was made all the more aggravating by dialogue and plot devices (Alexandra gets to be a damsel in distress in a rather needless plot detour.) that were just awkward and contrived. Also, it is difficult to find that Great Burning Passion in a story that never has the characters getting carried away by their Great Burning Passion. In other words, these two never have sex. There is a bit of fooling around, but ultimately heads must rule over hearts (and other body parts) according to Brenda Novak. That's not what I'm really looking for in a romance novel. I want escapism, not moralism. More on that below!

Actually, this is the second book I tried by Brenda Novak. The first one was The Bastard. I don't think I will be buying anything else by this author. It appears to be very important to Ms. Novak that her heroine remains a virgin until her wedding night. The main characters in both Of Noble Birth and The Bastard did not have a sexual relationship. This is odd, considering they are romance novels about the attraction, lust, and passion (and eventually love) between grown men and women. When I'm reading a romance novel, I want the characters to get carried away by their passion for each other, not capitulate to a patriarchal society's demands for an intact hymen on the wedding night. There is enough shaming of women for being sexual IRL as it is; I don't want it as the subtext of the romance novels I read.

Yes. Alison Larkin gave a fine performance.

I bought this book on sale, sacrificing a fancy latte in the budget. It would not have been worth it if I had used a credit or paid full price.

No, with a plot like that NOPE. Every time I listen I get angry and irritated. First time in all my readings and listenings I wanted to kill the heroine. Alexandra is the most annoying, aggravating, stupid and irritating female heroine I've ever read about. Impossible this book was reviewed before publishing. How could someone write a book with a 23-chapter of beating, fighting, bad luck for the main characters, etc... Every read you think it will get better, it got worse. I had to stop listening because every time I listen I got upset. It was chapter and chapter of irritation. I can't finish this book so therefore will avoid this author. Grrrrr......

Take out some of the agony, pain and stop making the characters look stupid and foolish.

She could have done a better job. Don't think so!

No did not love this book and did not see any redeeming qualities.

This book has me super UPSET!