When the Audacious defeats the Spanish ship he is on, Job is rescued by crewman Garrett Dubh. Press-ganged onto a merchant ship and then captured by the Spanish, he’s been passed around and had to do whatever was necessary to stay alive. We go back in time with this installment in the series, and it’s interesting to see more of our favorite characters from the first two books but from before they were couples. Overall, this was a fast, fun read and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. It also feels historically-accurate and respectful of the times. For murderous pirates - it was kinda sweet! It is incredibly steamy, but that doesn't overwhelm the budding romance between Garrett and Job.

For such a short story, it creates strong characters, a vibrant world of pirates and ports. He's convinced himself that any affection Job shows him is merely gratitude for saving his life. Garrett is drawn to the handsome young man, but knowing his history, he knows that it would be wrong to take advantage of him. When pirates attack his ship, he takes the opportunity to kill one of his Spanish abusers before he is swept up by the crew of the Audacious, and has to learn how to interact with honourable men. Between them both, he suffered years of abuse, used so much by sailors that he thought that was all everyone would want from him. He was pressed into service on his first ship, little better than a slave then captured by the Spanish. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Garrett stops his shipmate from killing the boy, and he can't deny the attraction between them. When Job's ship is attacked by pirates, he sees an end to the years of abuse, even if that end is death.

A Pirate's Promise by Jules Radcliffe