View source for The Captain's Girl by Nicola Pryce

{{infobox1
|title=The Captain's Girl
|sort=Captain's Girl
|author=Nicola Pryce
|reviewer= Louise Jones
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary= A young woman is engaged to a man she cannot love and seeks help from her neighbours, but the truth she uncovers threatens the safety of those closest to her.
|rating=4
|buy=yes
|borrow=yes
|pages=464
|publisher=Corvus
|date=July 2017
|isbn=9781782398851
|website=http://www.nicolapryce.co.uk
|cover=Pryce_Captain
|aznuk=1782398856
|aznus=1782398856
}}

Last year, Bookbag reviewed, and thoroughly enjoyed, [[Pengelly's Daughter by Nicola Pryce|Pengelly's Daughter]], a swashbuckling historical romance set in picturesque Cornwall. Now we have the pleasure of reading the much-anticipated sequel. This time, the story focuses on a neighbour of the Polcarrow family, Miss Celia Cavendish, who has been engaged to a cruel man that she does not love. One fateful night, she runs away to the Polcarrow house to beg them for help, and the pivotal events of that night have far-reaching consequences for all involved.

Celia is a lovely heroine and it is easy to warm to her. She has a caring heart and loves her sister deeply. Sadly, her parents are greedy and cruel and think nothing of putting their daughter's happiness at stake in order to elevate themselves in society. When Celia tries to break free from their grip, she uncovers terrible, murderous secrets which put her own life at risk. Would a father be willing to kill his daughter in order to buy her silence?

Like the previous book, ''The Captain's Girl'' is extremely well researched, with a high level of detail that makes the reader feel part of the story. The little details are so authentic and we learn a lot about life at sea, the smuggling trade and the turbulent politics at the end of the 18th century.

I was, however, disappointed that the story was not a direct sequel to the original. I loved the character of Rosehannon Pengelly and it was a shame that her role was so minor in this book, as I felt she had a lot more stories to tell. I was puzzled as to why the author chose to focus on their neighbour's daughter instead. Although the story is an original one, and Celia is a very different protagonist to Rosehannon, many of the themes of the first book have been repeated here: The heroine betrothed to an unsuitable man, heroine saving the hero's life, the ambiguity of whether the hero is really good or bad and the heroine being put into various precarious situations requiring rescue. There were times that this book felt like a rehash of the first one and unfortunately, at 464 pages, it also felt too long.

There are some interesting plot twists and plenty of action and peril to keep readers on their toes. The locations are well-written and the characters have depth. Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

Although this can be read as a standalone novel, we recommend [[Pengelly's Daughter by Nicola Pryce]] to help set the scene. Bookbag loved it and gave it 5 stars.  You might also enjoy [[Death's Bright Angel (Matthew Quinton’s Journals 6) by J D Davies]] and [[The Grove of Eagles: A novel of Elizabethan England by Winston Graham]].

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