Philippa (Pippin), Lady Gossett, watches her son make history by becoming the youngest Navy Captain in the British fleet. Sitting aboard ship, the memories flood back. She remembers a charismatic pirate who captured her heart and the daring young woman in the red dress who plotted his escape two times from death. Pippin has suppressed the adventurous and courageous side of her character to become the conservative and well-respected Lady Gossett. For her pirate's freedom, Pippin accepted Lord Gossett's proposal. He taught Pippin that the heart's capacity for love is endless and she loved him until his death. A fleeting glance at the crowd on the deck jolts her back to reality when she sees her long-lost pirate.

Captain Thomas Dashwell, former heroic American pirate, resides in a drunken stupor aboard his son's ship. He wallows in self-pity for Pippin's betrayal 20 years ago and his lack of courage. The fear of losing Pippin prevented him from revealing his mistakes and flaws. Dash's own private hell is the lies and pain swirling constantly in his head. Nate, Dash's son, resorts to kidnapping the lady in red to save his father. Coming on deck looking for a bottle, Dash comes face-to-face with his dream and nightmare.

Their reunion is bittersweet. Flashbacks of their past, the passion, dreams and broken promises, envelope them, leaving them with the choice to either forgive or hold onto bitterness. Dash can rediscover himself and Pippin can reclaim Circe.

Ms. Boyle has crafted two love stories, past and present, which intertwine for a richly textured romantic tale. She portrays Pippin, who kept her heart open for a rewarding life, in contrast with Dash's closed bitter life. Yet second chances deserve happy endings and watching history unfold makes a marvelous read.

Book Summary

Lady Philippa Knolles has loved Captain Thomas "Dash" Dashwell since he first stole a kiss from her on a smuggler's beach near Hastings. Now after what seems like a lifetime of waiting, Pippin is offered a chance to renew her scandalous affair with Dash. But the man from that first heady kiss and the man she rediscovers all these years later are hardly the same. Tucked away in the back of her closet is a red dress, the one she wore long ago to win his heart . . . . Could it have enough memories left inside it to rekindle a passion she's never forgotten?