Book Review: The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall

About the Book:

Captain Reena Charlisse Hyde always gets what she wants. She wanted to be the best female pirate on the Caribbean and she is. She wants to find the mythical Fountain of Youth and she knows the location of the map. And now after searching across the Caribbean for the man she intends to marry, she has found him. There are only two problems. He doesn't want to be found, and he's on board a Royal Navy frigate—the last place a pirate should venture.

Frederick Carlton thought he was finally safe from the woman who held his heart. But her attempt to rescue him labels him a deserter from the Royal Navy. He’s turned his life over to God and plans on being a preacher, but every moment he spends with Reena drives him deeper into a past he longs to forget.

Mutinies, deserted islands, treasure maps, battles, traitors, and villains send the couple sailing on a tsunami of adventure throughout the Caribbean in search of the Fountain of Youth. Frederick longs to escape the lure of the woman he loves. Reena longs for Frederick to love her again. But in the end, they will both have to choose between eternal youth or the lives of everyone they love.


My Thoughts:

The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall is the sixth installment in the Legacy of the King’s Pirates series. I haven’t read any others in the series and The Reckless was fine as a stand-alone. I believe this novel is self-published and there were some text formatting errors in the print version. These errors were infrequent and did not hinder my enjoyment of the novel.

From the start, this novel captured my attention, thanks in part to Reena and her antics. She fascinated me with her determination to find the fountain of youth and her steadfast resolve to make Freddy love her. True to her stubborn character, her journey to God is long and hard. Watching her learn and grow was a pleasure.

Aside from Reena’s character development, The Reckless boasts plenty of action, romance, and spiritual themes. There’s never a dull moment aboard The Reckless. Just when Reena, Freddy, and her crew escape one bad situation, they find themselves in another. The romance between Freddy and Reena is steady and steamy. While it is a clean romance -- no erotica -- there’s heavy sexual tension between the two of them due to their past history. Spiritual warfare and the desire for physical beauty are two themes that weave throughout the novel. Freddy’s ability to see spiritual beings and experience prophetic dreams added a spiritual component to the novel that is uncommon in mainstream Christian fiction.

I recommend The Reckless by Marylu Tyndall to readers who enjoy historical romance with a twist of fantasy. Having read this novel, I now intend to ask for several others in the series as Christmas gifts. Five stars!

New Book Acquisitions!

Do you ever use a holiday or birthday to acquire more books? I do. 

I make it super-easy for my husband. I order the books I want and once they arrive, I give them to him to put in a bag... to present to me on my birthday... or Valentine's day.... or our anniversary. You get the idea.

So, tonight I am sharing the books that I received for Mother's Day:

This is quite a diverse gathering. A contemporary fiction (To Get to You), a historical romance (Never Forget), and two that I'm not quite sure how to classify, historical fantasy, perhaps? (The Reckless and Fawkes)

Fawkes by Nadine Brandes is completely out of my normal genre. But the Bookstagram community has convinced me that this is an amazing book, so I'm giving it a try!

I was a bit surprised when I realized three of the four were independently published. I usually don't gravitate toward self-published books.

So, lots of reading in my future. And that makes me happy. :)

What about you? Did you receive any books for Mother's Day?

The Liberty Bride by Marylu Tyndall

About the book:

Emeline Baratt has been caring for others ever since she could walk. First her younger brothers and then, after she learned doctoring from her physician uncle in Maryland, everyone else in need, including her great aunt in England. But America and England are at war, and with her aunt's death, Emeline finds herself trapped behind enemy lines with no means of support – a terrifying prospect. Traveling home from England on one of her father's privateers seems no less frightening.

When the HMS Marauder overtakes the American ship, First Lieutenant Owen Masters is shocked to find a beautiful woman aboard and even more shocked when she announces her loyalty to England and begins tending the wounded – both British and American – with equal care. If she is a traitor to her country, Owen wants nothing to do with her.

Hiding her true allegiances on a ship where her nursing skills are desperately needed is fairly easy – until Emeline starts to have feelings for the first lieutenant who becomes her protector. However, when the captain sends her and Owen on land to spy for the British, they both are forced to choose between love for each other or love for country.

My thoughts:

The Liberty Bride is the sixth installment in The Daughters of the Mayflower series, but it is completely fine to read as a stand-alone. I was immediately interested as I started reading, but after a few chapters, I was seriously hooked. (The kind of hooked where I would sneak away into my bedroom and read a chapter when my children were occupied with something else.) The plot never dragged thanks to the constant danger, emotional conflicts, and romantic tension between Emeline and Owen.

Beyond the adventure, suspense, and romantic moments, a beautiful theme of spiritual liberty arched throughout the story. Emeline deeply struggles with being a proper lady in order to please her father and earn God's favor. She vacillates between different perspectives, sometimes very quickly, as she tries to conform to the constraints of society and religion. Ultimately, Emeline and Owen learn that a personal relationship with Jesus is more important than rules doled out by fallible humans. 

The Liberty Bride is the first full-length novel I've read by Marylu Tyndall and it made me want to read more of her work. It's also my favorite of the four books that I've read from The Daughters of the Mayflower series. I recommend to readers looking for a tale of adventure, faith, and romance.

Learn more about the Daughters of the Mayflower series which includes The Mayflower Bride, The Pirate Bride, The Captured Bride, The Patriot Bride and The Cumberland Bride in addition to The Liberty Bride.

My review for The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep can be found here.

My review for The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear can be found here.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.