Voted best romantic adventure in 2009 by RT Book Reviews, Alexandra Benedict's The Infamous Rogue rocked me to the core with the level of intimacy in her writing. I rarely read new authors; I know that’s limiting myself, but I was rewarded for taking the chance. Benedict really delivers in the emotional impact department.

The daughter of a nefarious pirate, Sophia Dawson is just a lady trying to gain acceptance into the British ton. After her lover rejects her, she pays a well-meaning chaperone to introduce her into society and help her land a baron. Captain James Hawkins is the notorious Black Hawk, who has pirated the black seas for years. Fighting the despair of losing his mistress in Jamaica after she ran out on him, he decides to attend a house party in hopes of forgetting the memory of her forever.

Sophia ran out on James seven years ago because he turned down her unorthodox marriage proposal. James never knew why she left - only came back from sea one day to find her gone. Vowing revenge if he ever sets eyes on Sophia again, James never imagined that revenge could turn bittersweet. By chance, Sophia and James run into each other. Sparks fly instantly fly, but they deny their feelings. Trying to resist temptation, Sophia doggedly tries to get The Baron to propose to her before James can set off another inferno inside her body and her heart. It’s too late; with but one glance into those stormy brown eyes, one touch of his full lips across her cheek, Sophia and James are both caught up in trying to deny their strong connection.

Over the course of the story, James and his brother pirates learn that someone is impersonating his crew and sinking innocent merchant ships at sea. Trying to stop them, James lands in Newgate prison, and only Sophia can save him. Add a yellow boa constrictor named Sophia to the mix, and this story is a delight to read. I was so caught up in Sophia and James's love-hate relationship that I missed my bedtime completely and stayed up into the early morning hours to finish.