Barbour Books (August 1, 2009)
I’ve known of MaryLu and her stories but didn’t expect to be hooked on yet another author when I first ventured into Pirate waters with her tales. Now keep in mind that she is not the only writer who encroached on the secrets of Pirate code and seafaring legends. Regardless of the waves in this territory however, her books always find me thirsting for yet another tale of bucaneers, privateers, and the women who are left in the wake of their adventures. Not all authors can claim their victories in the choreography of sea battles and sword fights which determine the worthiest ship and crew. MaryLu’s words dance off the page into reader’s imaginations as deftly as the authorities and raiders of this bygone era duck and swerve to preserve their existence yet another day against their opponents thrusts and parries of sword or the occasional shot of lead.
If you have read any of MaryLu’s pirate legends you already know this is a book you mustn’t miss. If you haven’t already met the Westcott women of Charles Towne be sure to hurry up and join the ranks of feisty women who dare to speak their minds as well as act to protest the atrocities they see perpetrated by both the society and the underworld of their worlds. Check out my review of the Red Siren if you require a quick refresher on Faith’s Story, then go ahead and wander into the waters of Hope’s story in this second Charles Towne Belles installment. She has ventured to reclaim the sense of belonging that her sisters would never let go. Their father is a British Admiral stationed in the colonies of North America, rarely home and his fondest dream is to see his motherless girls wed and cared for regardless of the character of their husbands. Wealth and position are the only concerns he requires for a suitable mate. Having seen their eldest sister wed and left behind to endure a loveless and unpleasant spouse causes each of the younger girls to choose their own protest of arranged marriages for themselves. Faith completely ignores societal views of women and attempts to save herself and her sisters with her own methods in The Red Siren. Hope on the other hand feels like a misfit in her own home so campaigns for the first man who will offer her a place to belong. unfortunately for her, that man is not only married but only wishes to dabble in the forbidden waters of mistresses and women of the night which everyone pretends not to see. In her naievete, Hope decides to stow away when her ticket to escape her father’s home joins one of his ships on it’s journey to procure him yet more wealth. The adventure she expects is nothing like the trip and debasement she faces when she is discovered. The wealthy merchant noble she trusts and follows shows his true colors when his captain pawns her off to pad his own wallet unbeknownst to his employer. Will another captain with pure motives and a hesitant heart make his move to rescue the “damsel in distress” at the risk of his own livelihood or leave her to the merciless abandonment about to befall her at the hands of someone whose only desire is another bag of coins for his personal accounts? (ISBN#9781602601574, 320pp, $10.97)
Codicil:
Visit MaryLu’s website and Blog. Click the bookcover for more information or to purchase your own copy. Thanks to Barbour for a review copy.
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