The Stolen HeartBook 2, The Starbuck SagaJacinta CareyNantucket, 1838Almira Hussey is a desperate young woman. Her father’s ship has been reported lost at sea, her mother is seriously ill, she has two younger sisters to take care of and her brother had just shipped out on a whaler she soon discovers is a hell ship.When her mother dies, Almira is determined to secure a better life for them all. A three-year stint at sea on a whaler will give her the money she needs to apprentice her sisters to a decent trade and support herself. With any luck, she might even be able to rescue her brother, and find news of her father's fate.Almira disguises herself as a man and throws herself upon the mercy of famous whaler captain Jared Starbuck, said to have the Devil’s own luck turning a profit. He agrees to sign on the puny lad as a cabin boy and pay the apprenticeship articles for her sisters as an advance on her wages. It seems a dream come true for Almira, especially when she begins to fall in love with her handsome captain...Working side by side at sea, Jared soon begins to wonder if there is more to ‘Al’ than meets the eye. Uncovering her disguise at last, there is no resisting the magnetic attraction between them.Jared doesn't believe the whaling life is the right one for the woman he loves but the sensual connection between them is as inexorable as the thundering tides. Yet with great love comes the potential for great loss. Jared and Almira must risk all to navigate the most perilous waters of the Atlantic and Pacific if she is ever to save her family.The notorious pirate Xavier Delgado sets his sights on stealing Jared's ship and its fortune in cargo. Almira risks everything for love in a winner-takes-all battle with Delgado to save them all from disaster and win the love of the man who has stolen her heart and makes her body sing with pleasure....AN EXCERPT FROM THE STOLEN HEART:"You’ve done nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about, Captain. You’re forgetting, I'm not your usual society damsel. I grew up on a ship. There is nothing that has disturbed my peace of mind on this trip, believe me. You and Cook have been most solicitous of my well-being, and I could never think ill of you,” she said with a warm smile.“I just wish he hadn’t encouraged you to go on the grog and tobacco,” he said with a grimace.She giggled. “It was to put the Mate off the scent. I wasn't truly partaking. But now that he’s gone….”“You will cease and desist immediately, and if I catch you swearing a blue streak again, I shall wash your mouth out with soap,” he said almost primly.She grinned up at him. “On second thoughts, I might have something better for you to do with your mouth.” He leaned over and kissed her, tentatively at first, but more warmly as she responded in kind. His warm hard hands flowed over her shoulders and neck, causing her to shiver with desire. Her nipples hardened, and she was glad she had drawn up her knees to her chest so that he could not see her ardent response to his ministrations in the tub.But as his hands became more and more slippery, he stroked down her sides, lightly pressing against her breasts. She held her breath as the most incredible sensations coursed through her, and then his hand moved down further, toward her abdomen and hips, before moving back up again. She felt like a cat being stroked and petted, and she was most certainly more than ready to purr.“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment. “I shouldn’t have dared.”“I wanted you to,” she whispered, feeling as though she were floating on the brink of the most tempestuous storm….Also by Jacinta CareyThe Starbuck Saga (Nantucket, Whaling Ships, 1830s-1840s)Journey of the Heart, Book 1 of The Starbuck SagaThe Stolen Heart, Book 2 of The Starbuck SagaVoyage of the Heart, Book 3 of The Starbuck SagaThe Wildest Heart (Wyoming, 1866)