Stephanie Laurens - The Brazen Bride

This is the third book in the Black Cobra quartet, and I loved it. Although I must admit I grow very weary of all the seductions in her books, so I skipped a lot of lovescenes. Which saved me over an hour or reading time I guess.



Four officers of the Crown, aided by Bastion Club member and Cynster alike, fight to bring down a dangerous enemy – and to win the loves of their lives …

Logan Monteith’s mission got off to a shaky start. Wounded in battle, he jumped from his ship rather than risk losing evidence that would bring down a traitor. But as he recuperates in a tiny village, his luck takes a roundabout turn as his fascination with his rescuer, the beautiful Linnet Trevission, grows.

Linnet’s strength and wisdom have made her a respected leader at home. That’s why she knows she’ll be invaluable to Logan – if only he’ll let her in. Linnet has no doubt that Logan is the man for her. Her only battle now is convincing him that the connection that they feel is real and everlasting and that her offer to help can safe him … before it’s too late.


Okay, whoever wrote this blurb on the back of the book itself, did not read the book! First, Logan didn’t jump overboard, he fell overboard when the storm shipwrecked his ship while he was fighting two assassins. Second, Linnet things the relationship is temporary, when Logan gets his memory back he will go back to his own life. How can two such strong people, both born leaders, live and love together for a prolonged time? She has no thought about marriage at all!

Logan ends up on the island of Guernsey, in the care of Linnet Trevission. She has the habit of taking in strays, orphans, animals and shipwrecked alike. She takes care of the orphans of the men who die at sea, working for her or living on the island. She also has lots of animals to care for, mainly donkeys as they are the most important means of transport on the island.
So when Logan awakes, he finds himself without a memory, other than his name and some random things. His mission, his history, his life for the past 20 years, is completely forgotten. His wounds are being taken care of, but his memory takes longer to heal. Bit by bit though, he finds himself again. In the mean time, he helps Linnet with her chores about the estate. But Linette wants to be repaid for her help by other favours – she wants to learn the passions of the flesh, as no other man has ever roused her desire like Logan does, though she is no demure virgin. She is 26, and the leader of her household, and as Logan learns later, owns a large shipping firm, and is captain of her own ship. She is even the best captain around, and that says a lot. Her crew follows her orders without hesitating, trusting her implicitly to keep them and the ship safe.
She has seen action in the war, knows how to fight with her ship, and with her cutlass, and how to kill if necessary.

But when Logan finally remembers everything he has to get to Plymouth as soon as possible, and then on to the Duke of Wolverton, aka Dalziel the spymaster. So Linnet decides to take him there on her own ship. Logan now has to tell her of the danger she is in, of the hate of the Black Cobra Cult whenever they are thwarted. She fights of three attacking ships without a single wounded men or scratch on her own ship. Logan very arbitrally decides to take her with him to keep her safe. And after some thinking Linnet finally agrees to go with him on his journey, to see his mission through. He needs her at his side to keep him safe, even now he has two friends Dalziel send to guide him.

A long journey through England awaits them, with numerous attacks by the cult, but they all survive and reach their destination, though the scroll holder gets taken by the enemy. A second head of the Cobra is murdered, leaving only one leader alive. But they still don’t know his name or where to find him.

And then the romance part. That is as usual very steamy, lots of love scenes and seductions. Logan decides he wants Linnet for his wife, but he has to convince her first that he will come back to her when his mission is over. After al, he is a gentleman and he would not have bedded her had he anything different in mind than marriage! He understands Linnet is like Queen Elizabeth, the head of her estate and a great captain, and he has no desire to change her into a proper lady. And in the face of danger, Linnet finally recognizes her feelings for Logan, and how important they are. And she longs for children for herself, even though she has her wards to look after, it is not enough.

I am very eagerly awaiting the fourth novel in this great series, as I want to know how this will end.