Revenge should be sweet, but it may cost him everything...

The Marquis de Valère escaped certain death in the French Revolution and is now an infamous privateer. Out to avenge the death of his mentor, Bastien discovers himself astonishingly out of his depth when confronted with a beautiful, daring young woman who is out for his blood...

Forgiveness is unthinkable, but it may be her only hope...

British Admiral’s daughter Raeven Russell believes Bastien responsible for her fiancé’s death. But once the fiery beauty crosses swords with Bastien, she’s not so sure she really wants him to change his wicked ways...

Get a sneak peek of The Rogue Pirate’s Bride by Shana Galen (available February 7, 2012).

More about the excerpt: Bastien, otherwise known as Captain Cutlass, is a pirate bent on exacting revenge against the Barbary Corsair Jourdain, and has inadvertently kidnapped Raeven Russell, the daughter of a British Admiral. In this scene, Bastien and Raeven encounter a stealth attack from Jourdain’s ship La Sirena:

And then he heard it.

The faint tinkling of a bell.

It could have been his imagination. But he knew it wasn’t. He knew looking at the way Raeven Russell leaned forward, listening with her whole body, that bell was as real as the oak rail under his hands.

“What do you see…” He squinted at the yardman on the mizzenmast. It was Jolivette. “What do you see, Jolivette?”

“Fog and clouds, sir. Nothing more. Nothing—wait!”

But Bastien had seen the orange and red burst from the fog bank as well. “All hands down! Down!” He dove for the deck, taking Raeven with him. He wrapped his arms around her, cushioning her fall, and then rolling to position his body over hers. His wounded shoulder howled with pain, and his vision grayed for a moment.

Under him, Raeven let out a soft “oof,” and then the world around them exploded. He kept his arms around her, and they flew across the poop deck, landing hard against the rail together. Wood splinters showered them, a loose piece of canvas slapped him in the face, and he felt the Shadow lurch. More pain to his shoulder, but he bit down and pushed through it. He lurched to his feet.

“Aux postes de combat!” Bastien ordered then turned to Mr. Jackson, his carpenter, who was scrambling toward him. “Damage report, Mr. Ridley.”

“Right away, Captain.”

“Mr. Khan.” He turned to his sailing master, who was at the helm. The man’s cheek was bleeding, and he looked somewhat dazed.

“Yes, Captain!”

“Turn this ship starboard. We’re going to hit them full on.”

He could hear the shouts of “topmen aloft,” “hard to starboard!” and Mr. Castro’s order for his gunners to “be ready now, boys!” All around him men scrambled to do what they knew best—sail and fight.

And Raeven Russell was right beside him. “I see a brig, thirty-two guns. Is that La Sirena?”

He turned and looked off the stern. Merde. It was La Sirena, and she was gaining on them.

“He must have hidden in the fogbank,” Raeven was saying. “And when we passed him, turned to port and fired.”

He’d already pieced together what had happened, but he didn’t object to hearing her opinion, especially as it mirrored his own.

“He couldn’t see, so it was a blind shot, but I’d say, he didn’t do half bad.” She leaned over the rail, watching as one of his men climbed down a rope to inspect the rudder. “He’s coming up on our starboard side. He’ll fire as soon as he’s broadside.”

Mr. Jackson was beside him a moment later. “Not much damage on deck, Captain. Masts are fine. A few sails torn…”

“Mr. Jackson!” came the voice of the mate hanging over the stern. Bastien and his carpenter ran to peer over the rail. “The rudder is damaged, sirs!”

Bastien turned to look at Khan. “How is the steering?”

The man shook his head. “I haven’t much, Captain.”

And indeed the ship was not answering. It hadn’t turned to starboard, and La Sirena was gaining on them. Another five minutes and she’d be alongside. “Damn it!” It was up to his gun crews now. He raced down the short ladderway to the main deck, giving the order, “Prepare to repel boarders!” as he went.

The gun crews were at the ready, as he knew they’d be. His master gunner, Felipe Castro, was an experienced sailor and a veteran of the Spanish navy. “We don’t have much steering,” he told Castro. “It’s up to you and your men to do as much damage as you can. If not, we might all be making a visit to the slave auctions at Gibraltar.”

It was a very real threat for if the crew of La Sirena boarded them, Jourdain would kill Bastien, but he’d take the men and sell them as slaves. For a fleeting instant, Bastien wondered what would happen to Raeven, and then he shouted, “Stand fast. She’s not close enough. Now! On the up-roll…”

The ship rose, and he could see through the gun ports La Sirena coming beside them. He could see Jourdain’s men, faces blank, eyes hard, ready at their cannons.

“Fire!”

Copyright © 2012  by Shana Galen

Want more? Don’t miss Shana’s guest post Pirates: The Ultimate Bad Boys!

Shana Galen is the author of numerous fast-paced adventurous Regency historical romances, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold worldwide, including Japan, Brazil, Russia, Spain,Turkey, and the Netherlands, and have been featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She’s a wife, a mother, and an expert multi-tasker. She loves to hear from readers:  see what she’s up to daily on Facebook and Twitter.