The Pirate and I: A Novella

Giving some backstory to our two characters, Charlie and Esme, even as I’ve read others in this series, the story is easy to follow as it truly is all about the couple. Charlie is a bookmaker (read bookbinder) which is just about the coolest thing ever after you combine it with the current profession of Pirate. After having disappeared from Esme’s (and societies life two years back, he’s returned! And then there is Esme: strong, stubborn and a bit of a scandal as she speaks her mind and has an adventurer’s spirit that spurs her to risk anything to help those she loves. And she did love Charlie, even as she never let him know. But now, she’s working with perfume and following her own dreams, in Scotland for a conference: and there he is. Things haven’t been good for Charlie in the past years: he’s not a pirate by choice, and is running from the police. Ultimately he wants to leave the danger and lawlessness behind, but he’ll need help, particularly Esme’s help, to make the change. Oh the solidity of a friendship and that attraction were clearly evident in this book! The two are so well suited: her daring and his innate honor and desire to protect her combined to make this a romantic and sweetly reaffirming story, complete with plenty of ‘swoony’ moments as the romantic nature of Charlie is revealed. A solid story with plenty of moments between Esme and Charlie that sparkle with great dialogue and plenty of determination to change their lives for the better, together. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated fort this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Esme Astell had saved all her money from her work in a perfumer shop in London to go to Edinburgh for a perfumers’ meeting. Her dream is to go to Paris and learn how to be a perfumer: she has the nose. But Esme never thought she would see Charlie Brittle again, after twenty one months. Dependable Charlie of Brittle and Sons Printers, whom she had loved in silence, had vanished into thin air. Charlie needs Esme in a professional capacity: he needs her nose! After enlightening us on printing in her previous novella, Katharine Ashe takes us into the world of perfume. Ms. Ashe paints a layered atmosphere imbued with scents, the scenery’s colours muted in the Scottish rain. Charlie has filled out in the time he was away, and Esme is even more mesmerised than before his absence, but now an aura of danger surrounds him: Charlie had become a pirate. The author’s sharp descriptions made me see Esme’s world through her eyes, as well as experience her inner thoughts and feelings. A song, a dance, a few kisses, and Ms. Ashe had me completely lost in this exquisite love story. The author’s sumptuous and wonderfully evocative prose shines, and the dialogues are simply dazzling. THE PIRATE AND I is a perfect example of slow burn brilliantly executed: the sex scenes are especially sensuous and lovely, and I loved that Charlie was a real gentleman. There are also exceptional secondary characters, such as the delightful Monsieur Cadence and young Rory, and a brief appearance of the Devil’s Duke. Katharine Ashe’s writing has never been more gorgeous, and the ending was exactly what I wished for and didn’t think I would get. THE PIRATE AND I is yet another exquisite book by Katharine Ashe who, hard to believe, gets better all the time. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.