Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angieville, and it focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.
Title: To Catch a Pirate
Author: Jade Parker
Published: 2007 by Point
Obtained: Purchased
When Annalisa Townsend’s ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father’s treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold. When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother. He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace. “A fair trade, m’lady,” he tells her afterward, before disappearing.
A year later, with a forged letter of marque, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father’s treasure from him. But now she’s in danger of him stealing something far more vulnerable this time: her heart.
Once upon a time while surfing around Amazon, I found this book. The synopsis caught my eye and when I read the first few pages, I was hooked. Unfortunately, my library did not own it, so I had to request they purchase it (which they did. I’m so proud of them). Then later, I ended up buying it myself.
Anyways, this book is a little treasure (pun intended). With only 230 pages, the storyline does lack some depth, but what is there is good enough.
Annalisa Townsend was sailing on a merchant ship with her father, when they got robbed by pirates. One young pirate, named James Sterling, finds Annalisa hiding in the hold. He doesn’t steal from her or report her location. Instead he kisses her. Appalled, Annalisa later decides to track down this man to get back her father’s treasure (and to have the upper hand with him). Suffice it to say, the journey is more complicated than anticipated, and Annalisa and James start to fall in love throughout the whole adventure
I love the simplicity and adorableness of this story. James and Annalisa are desperate to hate each other and do not relish working together, but eventually they begin to see how to communicate properly to each other and how they are useful to each other. James is overly cocky and Annalisa is overly determined and it takes quite a while for them to see each other clearly.
Since purchasing this book, I have read it multiple times. Because it’s so short, it is easy to pick up and read in a few hours. If you like pirate-themed adventures and cute love stories, then you will love To Catch a Pirate.
Content Warning: Kissing, possibly some mild language.
