Annie Burrows – Captain Corcoran’s Hoyden Bride

A stand alone novel, published April 1, 2011.
Genre: historical romance
Cover: nice. Love the color. My cover is different, but it is still pretty.



GOVERNESS WANTED...
Miss Aimée Peters desperately craves respectability: after her father scandalously auctions off her virginity, she flees London to become a governess in remote Yorkshire. She's horrified to discover her new employer, the piratical Captain Corcoran, never sought a governess - he wants a bride!
TO BE CAPTAIN'S FIRST MATE!
Aimée's unadorned charm makes Captain Corcoran forget the true reason he married her. Then he discovers the fortune of coins stitched into Aimée's bodice - what secrets does his new wife hide behind her oh, so innocent façade?


This book was a gift from the author at the Love Letter Convention, thank you again Annie! She surely has made a new fan out of me, as I loved this story.
Aimée Peters has run away from their lodgings after her father gambled her away in a card game. Seeing an advertisement about a position of governess, she applied, with falsified recommendation papers. Thanks to her very unusual upbringing, she does know some strange people like forgers. She really wants to become respectable, and being a governess will give her that at least, or so she thinks.

But the situation she encounters in Yorkshire, is far different from what she expected. Her employer is not really looking for a governess, he needs a wife now he has suddenly gotten the title of Earl, and he has no intention of scouring the London balls to find one. Captain Corcoran has been at sea most of his life, working his way up to ship’s captain, until he god badly hurt fighting the French. And now, being an Earl, he won’t be allowed to go back to active duty. Now he has estates and tenants to look after. But he won’t forget his loyal crew, who are thrown away by the politicians as they are no longer needed.

Aimée doesn’t understand at first that he is offering marriage, and thinks he is offering for a mistress. And as she did refuse that position more often in her past, she is intend on fleeing in the night. But she doesn’t get very far, as her flight is noticed. As she hurt her ankle, there is no way she can leave that night to return to the posting inn, or even to London. But when the confusion is lifted, and she has time to think about the Captain’s proposal, she is relieved. After all, he is handsome and rich, and she so longs for security.

When her mother eloped with her father, her grandfather cut her off. Her parents took her all over Europe, from one city to the next, until their debts were too big to pay, and they needed to flee in the night. As a minor nobleman’s son, her father refused to work for a living, but he was not so good at cheating with cards either, that they did not catch him at it.

And so, a marriage of convenience is made between Aimée and Captain Corcoran, but it will not be in name only. And it seems to start of very well, until Septimus finds the fortune of money sown into her clothes. What is she hiding from him? Why doesn’t she confide in him? He can’t stay away from her at night, but he sure can ignore her by day, even when they move into the Earl’s main residence, and have to deal with the Dowager Duchess and her daughter on a daily basis. At first Aimée is content, being the sort of wife he thinks he wants, but then she wants more. And what will happen when she is confronted with her past?


I really enjoyed this book from the start. Aimée does not behave like it is expected from a staid governess or a gently raised girl; she was fun to read about. She is practical above all things, but she can also dream and is not afraid of much. The sailors who are Captain Corcoran’s servants are great secondary characters, and provide a nice background. And then of course the Captain himself. Who is portrayed very lively, and has been burned badly by his first wife. This makes him very untrusting of Aimée’s motives and jumping to the wrong conclusion very often. But Aimée takes it all in stride, and she holds her own against his accusations. I liked them together, both are not looking for love, but finding it nonetheless. Aimée has no idea how to run a household, but she is determined to learn. Unfortunately, the Dowager Duchess really hates her, and does her best to make her miserable.

I had fun reading this book, and I do recommend it if you like a lighter writing style and your historical romances outside the ballrooms of the ton. I am looking forward to reading more of Annie’s books.

8 stars.

© 2013 Reviews by Aurian

Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com