A sea captain rescues an aristocratic beauty from Barbary pirates in a Regency romance that "sizzles with passion" by the New York Times bestselling author ( Publishers Weekly ). Dismissed from the Royal Navy for a rebellious act of heroism, Gabriel Hawkins is now the captain of his own ship. Having earned his living on the high seas as a blockade runner, he is now employed to rescue Lady Aurora Lawrence, who is being held captive on the Barbary coast. The pirate Malek Reis demands a small fortune in ransom, but he's dealt with Captain Hawkins before—and knows to expect the unexpected. Lady Aurora is truly shocked when the handsome, steely captain refuses to pay the ransom, and instead agrees to take her and her captor on an even more dangerous mission. But soon Gabriel and Aurora face another kind of danger—an attraction that burns hot within the confines of his ship. Now, even as they endure the perils of the sea, they wonder if their love can survive a return to England, where the distance between a disgraced captain and an earl's daughter is wider than the ocean.