Hearts Run Wild

Despite a rather uninspired title, Thacker's latest (Hearts Run Wild) offers an exciting and innovative plot that captures the reader's fancy early on. Thacker skillfully entangles a notorious ex-pirate, Captain Nicholas Brogan, with Samantha Delafield, a high-born lady turned thief. Finding themselves in jail for previous misdeeds, the two are shackled together to prevent escape while being transported to London for hanging. Their escape is inevitable, but linked by two feet of chain, and each having a personal agenda, the battle of wills begins. Thacker's descriptive phrasing and analysis of characters and events make the fast-paced story come alive-as do the many steamy love scenes. (Apr.)