Refusing to stay home bored to tears while her brothers live an exciting life on the ever-changing sea, Belle Hawkins stows away on their pirate ship. Her brothers adamantly reject her pleas to become a member of the crew. No matter what Belle does to show her worth, they ignore or rebuke her. They just can't understand why she craves the excitement of the sea and does not want marriage or children. That changes, however, when they take on a navigator who shows interest in Belle.

Damian Westmore rejects his degenerate lifestyle after his beloved brother dies aboard a ship when it was attacked by pirates. Adam was the only good person in Damian's life. Their father saw to that. As the first born, Damian was removed from his mother as his father undertook his education. If Damian displeased his father, he found himself locked in the dungeon or worse, until slowly, he lost his soul. With nothing to lose, Damian searches for the pirates who killed his brother. Fate gives him a chance when he is hired to work on the very ship that took his brother's life.

But fate is cruel to Damian when Belle enters his life. A deep hunger for her interferes with his plans for vengeance. Belle falls for the man who one moment plies her with kisses, then pushes her away to berate her. She sees his misery and wishes to heal his pain.

Ms. Benedict delves into the horrors of childhood abuse and the aftereffects. This is an emotional read watching Damian struggle as he attempts to cleanse his soul by obtaining vengeance for his brother's death. Ms. Benedict provides Damian with a strong heroine equal to the task of healing his tortured soul.

Book Summary

A lord so sinful he is dubbed the "Duke of Rogues," Damian Westmore lives for pleasure—until the day his brother dies at the hands of pirates. Abandoning the libertine life to pursue revenge, Damian finds the criminals he seeks and joins their crew in disguise, waiting for the chance to strike the brigands down. But he never imagined there would be a woman on board—or that the stunning siren would inflame the very passions Damian swore to resist until his brother's death was avenged.

Beautiful, fiery Mirabelle Hawkins longs for the freedom of the high seas—so she stows away on her brother's pirate ship at the first opportunity. But she finds something more exciting than chase and plunder: a bold, handsome, secretive sailor whose touch makes her tremble with desire . . . but whose love is a cutlass that could destroy all she holds dear.