Her Master and Commander

By Karen Hawkins

Just ask Reeves!

Dying without legitimate issue, the late Earl of Rochester sent his butler extraordinaire, Reeves, to find his wild, illegitimate children and "civilize" them. Reeves must seek out the first of the earl's arrogant sons, Captain Tristan Llevanth, a one-time pirate, and teach him to be a gentleman.

A will of steel...

Tristan Llevanth gave up his free-wheeling life as a pirate to fight at Admiral Nelson's side. Wounded, Tristan will never again sail the seas he loves. Life has no more challenges. Or so he thinks, until Reeves brings a certain outspoken lady into the captain's uncultured househol...

An iron-clad spirit...

Reeves believes Tristan needs a spark to relight the fires of his soul. And who better than lovely Prudence Thistlewaite, the bane of the captain's existence? Prudence wants nothing to do with her wickedly handsome, ill-tempered neighbor. Still, she cannot refuse the outlandish sum Reeves offers to smooth Tristan's rough edges.

Can Prudence tame the rakish captain? Or will Tristan gain what he most wishes, to become...

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 13, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061762635

Karen Hawkins

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Karen Hawkins writes novels that have been praised as touching, witty, charming, and heartwarming. A native Southerner who grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee where storytelling is a way of life, Karen recently moved to frosty New England with her beloved husband and multiple foster dogs. The Dove Pond series is a nod to the thousands of books that opened doors for her to more adventures, places, and discoveries than she ever imagined possible. To find out more about Karen, check in with her at Facebook.com/AuthorKarenHawkins, on Instagram @KarenHawkinsAuthor, and on her website KarenHawkins.com.  

Reviews for Her Master and Commander

[addictofromance · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tristan Llevanth loved the sea and being aboard his ship, but when he is injured fighting side by side with Admiral Nelson, he has to give up what he loves, and his men come with him. Tristan settles in a house in the countryside that overlooks the ocean. And despite the peace he desires, he never manages to hold onto it. A neighbor widow, Prudence Thistlewaite, is definitely the bane of his existence and they tend to get on each other's nerves. Then Reeves (his late father's butler) tells him that he is the new earl, he needs to learn all the pompous rituals that come with the title and the money, which he desperately needs for his men. So Reeves has Prudence endeavor to teach Tristan, which is a sore trial in and of itself. And the more time they are alone together, passions ignite between the two of them, with the future uncertain if they could end up together in the end.As much as I love this author, this is probably my least favorite book of Karen Hawkins. It took me a while to get into the story, and had to force myself to keep reading until I got into the story, which thankfully I did, but it seemed to take a while. There were certain aspects of the story that I really fell in love with though. The characters I found intriguing and utterly fascinating, and all of them had me at the very beginning. The plot was very mystery packed and filled with surprises, that will delight you. However I just found at the beginning the interaction between Prudence and Tristan, leaves much to be desired, however once the story really got going, then it started to even out, and I started to enjoy the story. But overall it was a good romance and was glad to finally read Tristan's story.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Um. Not sure about this one. Well-written (aside from a couple of chapters where everyone, including the crusty sea-captain, constantly used the adjective "horrid"), interesting characters, the first of a series (I love family series). However, the basic premise is highly implausible, to the point where I kept stopping to say "But they wouldn't have done it that way!", which kind of throws me out of the story. The characters' actions were also rather implausible at times - she may be a widow, but that doesn't excuse her from everything. I don't know. I liked many parts of it, but in the end I'm unsatisfied. I may read the next one (because Christian is an interesting idiot - why in God's name would he attack the coach? Just stupid), but I don't think I'll reread this one. Oh, and the climactic scene with the trustees isn't shown at all - it's reported after the fact and very skimpily. It might have made the book longer, or shown "the trustees" as actual people...I don't know why she left it out. That's part of why I found it unsatisfying overall.

[bkluvr4evr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

really enjoyed this book. I of 2 (Just Ask Reeves). I just can't resist when a bad boy turns good for love and the good girls are just a little bad too.

[bhryk0 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tristan Llevanth’s life changed when he was 10 years old, his mother was taken to prison on a false charge of treason, he was separated from his twin brother Christian and he was impressed for a life at sea.The Duke of Rochester has not been able to father legitimate children and now that he is dying he needs to find his illegitimate twin sons so that he has someone to inherit his title. He concocts a plan to legitimise them and sets his butler extraordinaire, Reeves, the task of finding them and notifying them of their inheritance but it comes at a price – he must make gentlemen of them.We meet Tristan again when he is 35 - he has been a pirate and is now a wounded war hero who can no longer sail because of his injury. He has settled on a property in Devon with men who had been part of his crew, just waiting for life to pass him by.Unfortunately his bothersome neighbor, the delectable widow Prudence Thistlewaite has other ideas. When Reeves meets her he hires her to teach Tristan the manners of a gentleman, it is a hard task, especially as passion takes over on more than one occasion.He eventually is reunited with his brother who lives life alternatively as a gentleman farmer and a highwayman. I have already read Christian’s story and this ties them together nicely. It was a good read.

[dukefn99 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is set in rural Englandin the early 1800s. Tristian is an injured sailor (and hero) and has retired to the countryside. Prudence is a widow who has recently moved to the countryside with her mother to set up a school for young ladies. Soon after the story begins, Tristian finds out that he has inherited the title of earl, but to receive the money that goes with the title, he has to pass a 'test' proving that he is a gentleman and worthy of the title. Prudence is hired to help him learn to be a gentleman. During the course of their lessons, Tristian and Prudence find friendship and love. This was a fun book. I came to care about the characters and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to them. The secondary characters were a hoot (a couple laugh out loud moments). I'm looking forward to picking up the next book (it's about Tristian's brother).