Once A Scoundrel (Rogues Redeemed)
1814. Lady Aurora Octavia Lawrence, aka Roaring Rory, a dismayingly independent adventurer, is captured by Barbary pirates, with the promise of a lifetime as a harem slave unless her parents ransom her, and her cousin Constance, at the cost of fifty thousand pounds.
Disgraced and disowned former British Navy officer, Gabriel Hawkins, has made a name for himself as a captain willing to do things that are less than legal. His captured ship Zephyr has brought him wealth and standing as a capable, yet dangerous man. A British spymaster offers Gabriel the mission to rescue Rory; on seeing her portrait, he knows he cannot abandon her. Arriving in Algiers, Gabriel realizes the pirate holding Rory, is the man who held Gabriel as a slave.
With a plot that is tense and comedic by turns, Putney’s backstory of the Barbary pirates is given a fresh look here. Her deft touch had me believe the love-at-first-sight subplot. In all, Once a Scoundrel is a rousing tale of courage bringing success to both the good guys and the not-so-good-guys-who-were-forced-to-be-bad-guys-for-a-reason. Fun.
