CROSSED SWORDS
Torrid Tarot : Five of Swords
Ellora’s Cave buy
Historical (Pirate)
Recognitions & Accolades
2008 Erotic Romance Historical Nominee (Romantic Times magazine)
TOP PICK! RT Magazine, 2008
Arabella Prescott’s dreams of marriage were shattered when her fiancé was murdered by pirates. When she is kidnapped by the roguishly handsome Captain Fredrick Thorne, Arabella is determined to fight him with every inch of her being. She will not become the pirate’s lover — no matter her body’s unexpected desires.
Fredrick quickly discovers Arabella’s weakness — him. Her feisty spirit amuses and her sweet innocence inflames, and when she resists his seductive touch, he forces her to submit to his desires — awakening intense passions even he had not foreseen. But with her sensual defeat comes a price neither are prepared to pay.
At the news of her kidnapping, Arabella’s father, Governor Prescott, begins the hunt for Thorne’s ship, Neptune’s Sword, to save Arabella — and finally capture the most dangerous pirate upon the Caribbean. He will stop at nothing to see Thorne pay for his crimes at the end of the hangman’s rope.
Reader Advisory: Crossed Swords contains scenes of forced seduction.
REVIEWS:
“4 1/2 Stars, TOP PICK!…LaCroix has outdone herself. This swashbuckling tale will have you offering to swab the decks, if it will put you in the good graces of the wickedly handsome pirate captain! There’s plenty of action in and out of the captain’s quarters to keep you flying through the pages of this sizzling story.” ~ RTBookReviews
“4 1/2 Kisses…a magnificent book full of non-stop action and arousing sex…Marianne LaCroix has written a book that kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning to the end. The characters are very well written and believable…I loved this book and highly recommend it.” ~ TwoLipsReviews
“…a sexy hero and a feisty heroine, erotic sex and romance with comedic undertones, made this a winner and a definite re-read. Loved it.” ~ A Reader
EXCERPT
Arabella stood at the window looking down at the silk rope blowing in the breeze. Now she had to actually climb down.
Hesitating, she tried to get a good grip on the rope as she climbed onto the ledge.
Just then, the lock on the door slid open and Captain Thorne filled the doorway.
“Crazy wench,” he swore as he crossed the room and reached for her arm. “What’re you trying to do, kill yourself?”
“Let go of me!” she yelled as he hauled her back inside the cabin and up against his body.
“Don’t you realize there are sharks out there just waiting for a fine feast such as yourself?”
“Sharks? That’s absurd.” She struggled against his strong grip upon her upper arms. “There are no sharks here in Port Monmouth’s inlet.”
“Oh?” He turned her toward the open window and pointed down to the water. A dark shape broke the water—a dorsal fin. “That, my dear, is a shark.”
Arabella felt the blood drain from her face.
He turned her in his arms and her breath caught at the warmth of his body against hers. He was big and powerful…and he just saved her from making a foolish mistake that could have cost her life.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“Next time, I suggest you think out your plans completely.” His voice was gentle and understanding. It was a surprising tone, considering she had just been discovered attempting an escape.
“You know why I had to try.” It wasn’t a question.
“I know.” Then he added in a mocking voice. “I suggest you put the thought of escape out of your mind. There is nowhere to run out in the open sea.”
She renewed her resistance to his hold upon her body, against the intoxicating allure of his muscled chest rubbing along her sensitive nipples. Even through the rough fabric of his coat and her thin cotton nightshift, her skin was on fire for his touch.
What was happening to her? She shoved him away, disgusted at her own weakness. She loathed this man and all he stood for. Pirates stole her life by killing her betrothed.
“Perhaps the sharks would be better company after all,” she spat.
He leaned in close to her, a small smile curling his lips. “Don’t tempt me, or I will personally introduce you to the sharks.”
“Swine.”
He released the knot of silk from about the leg of the desk and tossed the rope out the window. “Just in case you had thoughts of climbing out again,” he quipped.
She stormed over to the bed and turned on him. “You can’t expect me to be happy about being a hostage.”
He faced her and chuckled. “On the contrary, I suspect you are going to be a pain in the ass.”
She gasped loudly. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner!”
He closed in on her. “You, Miss Prescott, are my prisoner. I suggest you come to terms with the situation.”
“And you, Captain Thorne, are nothing more than a low-down, lawless pirate.”
“I assure you, there are rules aboard my ship. And my rules are law upon the open sea.”
“Ha!”
“I warn you, Miss Prescott. Try my patience and you will find yourself getting that spanking I mentioned earlier.”
“You touch me, and I will make sure you find the sharp end of a sword through your black heart.”
