There's something irresistible about a sea captain. I was in my mid-twenties when Frederick Wentworth came into my life, and ever since the figure of a ship-bound man has struck me as supremely romantic. I picture a love-lorn, broad-shouldered, melancholic figure, gazing out across the blue, blue water, hoping for a glimpse of the lady he's left behind.

These books don't come around all the time, and when there is a sailor on board he's usually long since retired and looking to settle on land. But there's such potential for romantic drama on the water, right? Well here we are, on a New Release Tuesday, and there's not one but two - two! - tales of lonely men, the woman who has bewitched them, and the ocean that tosses them together - and apart.

Elizabeth Essex's Almost a Scandal is so full of lyrical descriptions that  the character of Sally Kent seems to voice the writer's own yearnings; Sally's love of the sea-life saturates every page. She spent her younger years on her father's ships, and wished fervently for the chance to follow in her brothers' footprints and join the family business. Sally's chance never comes; women of her era are meant for the drawing room not the deck. But one of Sally's brother's is hell-bent on abandoning his first assignment on a ship, and Sally recognizes an opportunity to follow her dream. She assumes his identity and takes his place on board the ship Audacious. The name is more than an allusion to Sally's gamble. Sailoring is life and death work.

Just ask First Lieutenant David Colyear. He's seasoned and salty from his years at sea, yet his voice melts Sally's inner resolve. Col is dangerous to her plans; he's friends with her brothers and was once the object of Sally's adolescent fantasies. It doesn't take long for him to realize Sally's secret - but she's the best sailor on the ship. And to reveal her would threaten Col's own agenda. Yet, throw a commanding man and a troublesome woman together on a turbulent water, and just guess what happens!

Jennifer Haymore's  Pleasures of a Tempted Lady  is an altogether different sort of saga. Whereas the ocean brings Col and Sally together, the water of Haymore's third Donovan Sisters novel separates and nearly destroys a pair of lovers. One of the first images from Haymore's Confessions of an Improper Bride  is that of poor Meg Donovan being swept overboard just as she's en route to a reunion with her beloved fiance Captain William Langley;  Bride was Meg's twin's story, but Will's broken heart permeated every word of that book.

Thankfully, Meg didn't die. She was captured by a heartless pirate - not the romantic kind! - and imprisoned on his ship as a companion to his beleaguered wife and child. Years pass, and Meg finds herself having to protect the child at all cost. She is in need of rescue - and who finds her but her long-lost love, Will. The ocean has a chance to right its wrong, and watching Will recover his heart and his love is about as romantic as it gets!

So if you're like me and hopelessly in love with the idea of sailors and the ladies they love, there are two great reads out there for you. But don't worry: if this isn't your cup of tea, there's sure to be something to wet your whistle. Peruse our list of titles available today and enjoy!

And until next week, happy reading!