10 of the Best Pirate Romances

Gentle Rogue by Johanna Lindsey

This was one of my very first romances and I admit it still has a special place in my heart. It’s of its time but I still love it!

Heartsick and desperate to return home to America, Georgina Anderson boards the Maiden Anne disguised as a cabin boy, never dreaming she’ll be forced into intimate servitude at the whim of the ship’s irrepressible captain, James Mallory.

The black sheep of a proud and tempestuous family, the handsome ex-pirate once swore no woman alive could entice him into matrimony. But on the high seas his resolve will be weakened by an unrestrained passion and by the high-spirited beauty whose love of freedom and adventure rivals his own.

Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood

Another of my old school choices, The Crown’s Spies series swept me away during my early romance-reading days.

The Emerald flew across the seas, carrying the pirate Pagan – despised by the ton, whose riches he plundered, and beloved by the poor, whose plight was eased by his gifts.

The Marquess of Cainewood vows to hunt down the pirate wretch in revenge for his brother’s death. But when Jade, an enchanting vision of rippling red hair and eyes of jewel-green, appears at his door to beg desperately for his protection, the Marquess agrees to keep her safe from the villains who want her dead. Jade is infuriating, exasperating, and gorgeous; Caine is noble, strong-willed, and powerful. No woman has ever befuddled him so, nor so deeply aroused his desire. But as Jade answers his knowing caresses with an innocent, wild abandon, they are drawn into a web of treachery that will test the very heart of their love!

The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries

I make no secret of my adoration for Ms. Jeffries and her writing and this story is no different. I love the ending to this pirate tale as much as the story itself.

A shipload of women – theirs for the taking! Pirate captain Gideon Horn couldn’t be more delighted. His men are tired of wandering the high seas and want to settle down with wives on the uncharted island paradise they’ve discovered. And the women are bound to be grateful to be rescued from the life of drudgery awaiting them in New South Wales… Lord, he’s so clever!

Married? To pirates? Sara Willis couldn’t be more appalled. First she demands proper courting—at least a month. The darkly handsome pirate lord gives them two weeks. Then Sara insists the men vacate their huts for the women—Gideon demands her kisses in return. As the demands heat up, so do their passions—and soon Sara can’t remember just why she’s fighting the devilishly seductive captain so hard…

To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

Not a book I’ve read, yet, but Jade Parker is Lorraine Heath’s pseudonym when she writes for the young adult market and I love that there’s YA historical pirate romances out there!

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.

Only With Your Love by Lisa Kleypas

I was surprised that I had yet to read this book as I thought I’d demolished LK’s backlist years ago. But Lisa Kleypas + pirates = must be a winner!

The newlywed bride of a Creole aristocrat, Celia Vallerand prays for deliverance from the bloodthirsty brigands who abducted her from a New Orleans-bound schooner. Though she believes her beloved husband slain, and despairs for her own life, the shy French beauty fears above all the dashing privateer who pays a king’s ransom to claim her…and boldly risks capture to possess her.

The most notorious pirate of the open seas, he is called “the Griffin”—a rugged and powerful renegade who arouses within Celia desires as dangerous as they are irresistible. But the magnificent adventurer is a man trapped in a perilous deception—and he guards a shocking secret that could deny him the love of the gossamer-haired enchantress who stirs his manly passions and enslaves his heart.

The Pirate Next Door by Jennifer Ashley

The Pirate Next Door is the first in Ashley’s Regency Pirate series – all books from which could have made this list of piratical romps.

Mayfair, London, 1810: Alexandra Alastair, a respectable young English widow, wonders if she dare add the new viscount who’s moved in next door to her list of potential husbands.

In the middle of the night Alexandra hears shouting coming from the house next door, and the viscount’s life being threatened. She rushes over just in time to save Grayson from being hanged by his greatest enemy, his former best friend.

Thus is Alexandra pulled into the adventures of Grayson Finley, former pirate and terror of the seas. Grayson has made a bargain with the devil (in the form of the pirate hunter, James Ardmore), in order to ensure the safety of his daughter. He’ll do anything to keep her safe, but when Alexandra saves his life, he looks into her eyes the color of water and starts to drown…

A Pirate’s Pleasure by Heather Graham

Oh. My. God. I need this book cover on a t-shirt or bag or something. Isn’t it just like 80s pirate romances threw up on it? Wonderful!

She was his defiant captive.
With her flame gold-hair and azure eyes, Skye Kinsdale was a prize beyond compare. Betrothed to a lord she’d never met, she set sail for America sworn to reject him on sight until the infamous pirate Silver Hawk seized her ship and banished all other men from her life. Burning with rage and passion, she was determined to destroy the arrogant buccaneer, to be free at any cost…

He Was Her Keeper…And Her Slave
The black prince of the seas, he was feared by pirate and privateer alike. Silver Hawk vowed he would have the vixen, make her crave his savage embrace. She was his—by law of the sea. The man who commanded a Caribbean kingdom swore he would teach his wild temptress to love, to surrender to the lawless thrill of… A Pirates Pleasure.

Captured by Beverly Jenkins

Another delicious cover and old-school romance sees the third of Jenkins’ LeVeq brothers meet his match on the high seas.

Dominic LeVeq, the most notorious privateer ever to command the high seas, has just captured a coveted prize: a British frigate. On a dangerous mission against the Crown, Dominic should be thinking only of his ship’s safety. But the rebel captain is utterly entranced by Clare Sullivan, the stunning slave on board. Consumed by desire, desperate to have her, Dominic offers Clare her freedom in exchange for a forbidden night in his bed-a night he assures her will be most pleasurable indeed.

Clare believes that Dominic is nothing more than a seductive rogue used to getting what he wants. But she too feels a tantalizing passion between them, and so she submits to just one night of bliss. She’ll soon realize that Dominic has captured more than her body. He’s captured her heart . . . and she doesn’t want him to ever let go

Seduced by a Pirate by Eloisa James

This short novella is part of James’ Fairy Tale series and despite being a novella, still has all the swashbuckling goodness you need!

Sir Griffin Barry leapt out of the bedchamber window at age seventeen after a very disappointing wedding night, drank a bit too much at the pub and woke to find that he’d joined the crew of a pirate ship! Years later, he has become one of the most feared pirates on the high seas, piloting the Flying Poppy, a ship he named after the wife whom he fondly (if vaguely) remembers.

What happens when a pirate decides to come home to his wife — if she is his wife — given that the marriage was never consummated? And what happens when that pirate strolls through his front door and is met by… well, that’s a surprise!

Looking For A Hero by Patti Berg

I’m so pleased I managed to find a contemporary for my pirate romance list. And who could forget this enjoyable romp from Patti Berg? I loved her and wish she was still writing.

Pretty Kate Cameron was looking for a man to sweep her off her feet, but she never expected him to be wielding a cutlass and claiming to be the infamous Morgan “Black Heart” Farrell, a pirate captain who lived nearly three hundred years before. Danger may have followed him from the past, but he’s not about to leave while Kate needs him.