– Customer review on 28/05/2007

The great thing about most of MacAlister's contemporary books is that no matter how outrageous the plot gets you still find yourself believing that it could happen. Unfortunately not with this one. This book did not hold my interest at all. The plot was ridiculous and the lead characters weren't interesting enough to keep my attention.

There are some good scenes in this book, however overall it was a disappointment.

– Customer review on 10/01/2007

Once again Katie McAllister has attempted to put a reasonably realistic female persona into a novel. Amy's not boring, she's just busy with work. So when her daughter challenges her to have a little fun with the Pirate Virtual Reality game, Amy, reluctantly, takes up the challenge. When control is taken out of her hands and she's stuck inside the game with the seductive game designer in the guise of Black Corbin the pirate, Amy (as Earless Erika) is forced to battle pirates, instruct 'ladies of the night' in business growth and overheads, and get down and dirty with Corbin himself. But this isn't just a simple game. There's also a rather serious matter of murder...
On par with The Corset Diaries, I enjoyed the read but it's not one of Katie's best.

– Customer review on 12/07/2006

Amy is a single mother and financial analyst whose life is beyond boring, until she finds herself trapped in a virtual reality pirate game with the game’s developer, Corbin, a sneaky saboteur who keeps popping in and out, and a populace that really believes it is in pirate times—and these weren’t the best of times. Decorous Amy finds herself dressed as a trollope, then kidnapped by pirates led by Black Corbin, who makes her heart beat faster and the rest of her pulse in harmony. Amy, known now as Earless Erika, can’t understand why females can’t be pirate captains as well, and she ends up fighting for the rights of her friendly prostitutes, fighting for Captain Corbin, and even fighting against Black Corbin. In between fighting she and Corbin are, well, not fighting, if you get my drift.
This isn’t one of MacAlister’s best. The characters aren’t as enchanting, the dialogue not as snappy, and the ending a little weak. Having said that, it is still a delight, because even a not-the-best MacAlister book is still funny and sensual and charming.