Wind Raven (Agents of the Crown 3) by Regan Walker-Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

Wind Raven
Agents of the Crown #3
by Regan Walker
Release Date: March 2014

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release March 2014

Ordered by the Prince Regent into the Caribbean, English sea captain and former privateer Jean Nicholas Powell has no time for women onboard the Wind Raven, especially not Tara McConnell. The impudent American forced herself aboard, and so she’ll get more than she bargained for: Instead of a direct sail to Baltimore, she’ll join their quest to investigate a rampaging pirate, the infamous Roberto Cofresi. But the hoyden thinks she can crew with his men, and though he bans her from the rigging, Nick is captivated watching her lithe, luscious movements on deck. Facing high seas, storms, cutthroats and the endless unknown, he must protect his ship, his passenger, his crew. But on this voyage, with this woman, there is a greater danger: to his heart.

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Wind Raven begins in the West Indies, where Captain Powell has gone into a tavern to meet up with an associate and to have a drink. He overhears a conversation by some rambunctious Americans about a woman serving as a crewmember aboard their ship! “What kind of woman would crew with men?”. Be careful of your thoughts Captain………….be very careful.

Tara McConnell has spent the last year in London with her aunt, who is a member of the ton. Tara’s father had sent her to live with her aunt and to become a lady. And, even though her Season was a success, Tara longed for home. She also longed to see her father and her brothers again. Even though she was grateful for her aunt’s guidance through her first Season, she just could not see herself marrying an Englishman. She’d lost one of her brothers in the war with Britain and she was convinced that they were all a selfish lot and she almost felt traitorous even attempting to enjoy their company. But, when word reaches them that her father has fallen ill, it becomes a race against time to get Tara home to Baltimore.

Her aunt insists that there is only one ship that she would feel safe sending Tara home on: The Wind Raven, captained by Nick Powell. Seems Tara’s aunt was a friend of Nick’s mother and she knew that Tara would be well taken care of. Unfortunately, neither Tara nor her aunt knew that Nick had an assignment to take care of for the Prince Regent. Not only were they not sailing directly to Baltimore, they were to see if they could ferret any information on a pirate, one Roberto Confresi, via the Caribbean. When Tara makes it to the ship and requests passage and presents her aunt’s missive, Nick knows that there is no way that he can say no, just as he knows that he can’t tell Tara of their mission for the Prince Regent. But, really, how much trouble can one woman with a full crew be? Well, if that one woman is Tara McConnell, be careful what you ask for…………………

Regan Walker has once again written a story that grabbed me from the beginning and did not let go. You will absolutely fall in love with Tara McConnell. She is fearless, loyal and, oh yeah, an awesome crew member! And, once she and Nick are drawn to each other, the chemistry is off the charts. He is my absolute favorite hero that Regan has written to date. And, that is saying A LOT. I’ve said of her stories before that she beautifully entwines fiction with history, but I don’t think until now that I’ve given her enough credit for her world building. You can absolutely hear the roar of the ocean waves and smell the sea as you read this book. Her descriptions are spot on without being over the top. That, in my humble opinion, is another characteristic of a great author. This book will have you on the edge of your seat at times, and tearing up at others. Wind Raven is ultimately a story about letting go of one’s past to see just how bright your future can be. And letting go of the preconceived constraints might not be so bad either……………..

Wind Raven is a wonderfully written story with a lot of action, a smidge of mystery and a whole lot of romance. This is, without a doubt, my favorite in this series. And, I have to confess that I’ve been a bit of a schooner fanatic for most of my life. I’ve actually sailed on one several times and words can’t express what an adventure it is. So, for Wind Raven to be set on a beautiful schooner? I was so on board……………….(pun intended!). Once again, if you’re a fan of Regency Romance, Regan Walker is the one for you. Well done, Regan Walker, very very well done!!

Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Vickie M

History as a Character:
Research & Writing Historical Romance
By Regan Walker

For me, research and writing historical romance must include real history, as it’s a character in each of my books. What do I mean by that? Well, the historical setting is not just “background.” Rather, I am constantly weaving in historical events, attitudes and real historical figures into my romances. I don’t just refer to the food and dress either, though those can certainly require much research at times, but also what was actually going on in the time period that was of great import and who was involved.

Typically, I begin with an idea, a scene or a character. For my novel, Wind Raven, it was the sea captain, Jean Nicholas Powell, an arrogant Englishman who gave up on love (and virgins in particular) some years ago. Now he loves only his ship, his crew and his life at sea. For this man, I needed a worthy heroine, a woman he would come to respect who would defy convention and give him a major run for his money.

Enter the American patriot, Tara McConnell from the shipbuilding family of privateers who made the Boston Clipper ships that helped America run the British blockades in the War of 1812. Tara, who grew up on her father’s ships, disdains the English even though the war has been over for a few years. Yet she was forced by her father to spend a year in London with her aunt, a dowager baroness, and to have a Season. I had a real, historic model for Tara in Anne Chamberlyne, a scholar’s daughter and member of the gentry who, declining offers of marriage in 1690, at the age of twenty-three, donned a man’s clothing and joined her brother’s ship to fight the French off Beachy Head. Tara was just such a woman.

Once Tara becomes a passenger on Nick’s ship, the sparks start to fly. She wants to act a member of his crew and he wants her far from the action. It was important to me that I get all the ship scenes correct and use all the right terminology, particularly since both Tara and Nick well understood the workings of a schooner. I read my 4-inch thick Sailor’s Word Book and studied drawings of schooners of the period until I was seeing them in my dreams. I also took a ride on a schooner of the period to get a feel for the movement of the ship—and in doing so, found a friend and my consultant in the person of the ship’s gunner. We became fast friends and exchanged dozens of emails on technical subjects.

The research that went into this book took over a year and included not just schooners and the War of 1812, but what was happening on Bermuda (where Nick makes a stop), how a schooner would weather a major storm at sea, and, most importantly, the life of the real pirate Roberto Cofresi. A tall, blond giant of a man from Puerto Rico, Cofresi preyed on all merchant ships not flying the flag of Royal Spain. And he had reason to do so, as you’ll see in my story.

I didn’t start out as a writer of romance, oh no. Although I loved to write stories as a child, by the time I got to college, more serious pursuits were encouraged. So, naturally, I became a lawyer. Who needs adverbs as a lawyer? But after years of serving clients in private practice and several stints in high levels of government, I decided it was time for a change. My work had given me a love of international travel (I’ve been to over 40 countries…) and a feel for the demands of the “Crown” on its subjects. Hence, my first novels are all about a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his subjects as his private talent pool.

I promise my novels will always sweep you away to another time and another place. I want you to experience adventure as well as love.

I live in San Diego with my wonderful Golden Retriever “Link.” I have one son who is a young entrepreneur and, though he looks like a Highlander of old, he would never read a romance novel. So like a man, no?

Regan is offering an ebook copy of RACING WITH THE WIND (Agents of the Crown #1) or an ebook copy of THE TWELFTH NIGHT WAGER -winner’s choice.

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6. The giveaway runs from April 16  to April 20, 2014