Wasn't for me. The premise seemed hard to believe and the characters didn't intrigue me. I kept getting confused about characters and the timeline of events before eventually giving up. One thing it seemed to have going for it was it didn't seem to be following my expectations.

The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y'Barbo is second in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. It appears the tie-in to the historical novels of the series is that the characters in each book are from the same family tree and the books are standalone stories written by different authors. And this author writes a great pirate story set in the Caribbean Sea and Louisiana during the early 1700s! There is action, intrigue, and romance enough to keep the pages turning quickly. Not wanting to put the book down, I pretty much read the book in one day. Maribel and Jean-Luc meet when she is just a preteen girl, feisty with a bit of an attitude and enamored with pirate stories. And oh, the adventures they go on, both together and separately. When they meet again years later, the sparks still fly. These two main characters and others as well have depth and reality, and their emotions, strengths, and foibles resonate well with readers. The historical background of The Pirate Bride is a great story in and of itself and seeing it through these fictional characters is fantastic. Y'Barbo does a good job of bringing this era to life with scenes that I felt as if I was right there in the midst of the action. I loved this story and am looking forward to the rest of the books in this series. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review. The opinions are my own.

Like her great-grandmother who journeyed to America aboard the Mayflower, twelve-year-old Maribel Cordoba leaves her Spanish home to travel with her father to Havana. This is the most time she has spent in his company, for he rarely had time for her until he announces that her beloved mother and grandfather are dead. But even at sea he often ignores her. Her only solace is her friend, cabin boy and lookout William Spencer, and her cherished book that recounts the exploits of real pirates like Anne Bonny and Blackbeard.

Maribel loves to climb aloft to read or to join William in searching for other vessels. When sails are sighted, he thinks it might be the Ghost Ship whose captain and crew materialize out of thin air to attack Spanish vessels. They take no prisoners, leave no witnesses. Then they vanish. Still, Maribel hopes to finally meet a pirate. William vows to join the Frenchmen, if they’ll let him. Although she scoffs at the idea that the strange ship is a ghost, she decides to join too.

Captain Jean Beaumont takes pride in the legends surrounding him and his men, even if they’re not all true. At twenty-five he holds a privateering license from King Louis XV and even though they attack France’s enemy, Jean never takes his share from the captured prizes. On this particular voyage, he seeks a particular Spanish vessel – the one that carries Cuba’s new Consul General, Antonio Cordoba. The last time their paths crossed twenty years ago, Jean barely survived after Cordoba ordered the captured ship sunk with all hands and passengers on board.

Falling debris knocks Mirabel unconscious during the battle between the two enemy vessels. When Jean boards, he ignores the colorful lump on the deck. He seeks only one outcome – vengeance for the deaths of his mother and baby brother. But his second in command, Isaac Bennett, attempts to dissuade Jean because revenge belongs to the Lord. With Jean’s attention momentarily averted, Cordoba fires a hidden pistol and the bullet strikes Israel. Enraged, Jean attacks his nemesis and the two men fall overboard. Cordoba sinks into the depths of the ocean.

Only after Jean returns to his ship does he discover that his crew has brought aboard the wounded Mirabel. Children, especially females, are forbidden, but he has never harmed an innocent and doesn’t intend to do so now. He would ransom her, but since she claims her family is dead, he’s left with the question of what to do with her. Mirabel, of course, has the perfect solution. She knows all about pirates, so she should join his crew. Following orders, however, is not her strong suit, which lands her in the brig after kicking Jean. He soon discovers that this brazen girl has wormed her way into the stalwart hearts of ne and his men and, before long, is one of the crew – a temporary inconvenience only.

Contrary to what her father told Mirabel, her mother and grandfather still live. When her grandfather discovers his granddaughter is gone, he vows to find her no matter how long or how much money it requires. On learning that his son is dead and that French privateers have taken Mirabel, he wields the full power of his influence within French circles to have Louis XV declare Jean Beaumont and his men pirates.

Still at sea, Jean remains ignorant that he is now considered an outlaw and that French and Spanish warships hunt the Ghost Ship. They attack another vessel and during this engagement, Mirabel is swept into the sea. Only later is it discovered that she is missing. After an exhausting day of searching for her, Jean retires to his cabin while Israel and his longboat continue the hunt. He eventually finds an unconscious Mirabel, but can’t return to the ship because it’s under attack. The warship is the victor, and they imprison the pirates and take the Ghost Ship with them to New Orleans. With nowhere else to go, Israel sails to an island so the nuns there can nurse and raise Mirabel. In the years that follow, Mother Superior tells her that she only dreams about pirates, but Mirabel knows they are really memories. One day she hopes to reunite with the handsome pirate captain and her pirate friends.

The Pirate Bride is the latest installment in the Daughters of the Mayflower series and takes place in two parts. The first recounts Mirabel’s sea adventures, while the second half takes place eleven years later after she grows up and reunites with her family. Part one, which sets the stage for the romance and underlying mysteries that unfold in part two, interweaves adventure with humor and heartache, and includes several unexpected twists. The characters capture our hearts, much like Mirabel manages to do with the privateers, and transport us back to 1724. The subsequent half of the story provides an intriguing study of how someone raised on an isolated island reenters a world governed by strict rules, proper etiquette, and specific social orders. There are times when the reader feels almost as left out as Maribel did when she left Spain. Her reunion with her family isn’t fully explored. We never get a sense that she’s really in danger and the mysteries are too easily solved. Employing the slave trade and its ties to piracy as a means of bringing Jean and Maribel together again is historically accurate and a refreshing theme from usual romances of this type, but the subplots of the second half are told more than shown, which prevents readers from becoming fully involved. As an inspirational romance, The Pirate Bride is a pleasing tale into which the religious aspect is subtly knitted. The author’s note provides a good summary of the political relations between France and Spain during this time period, which helps explain how a privateer could be deemed a pirate even if he never violates the law.

What I loved: I loved the high seas adventure aspect of this book. I grew up loving books like Treasure Island, Three Musketeers and the such, so there were parts of this book that threw me back to my childhood and I relished the danger and adventure. 

Favorite Character: Israel, the African man rescued from a slave trade vessel. He was a strong Christian figure and full of wisdom. He cared for both Jean and Maribel to a high degree and his loyalty was like no other. 

Further Thoughts: While this book is a romance it doesn't really have a ton of romance in the traditional sense. Half of the book occurs when Maribel is twelve and the rest when she is an adult. Their shared history made the spark happen very quickly, but it still didn't feel fully romantic.

Who would like this:  Anyone who loves adventure with a touch of romance. 

Rating and Why: I gave this a four-star rating because while I did really enjoy the story, it was not really a mystery like the blurb tends to make you think and the romance aspect was cute but not fully developed as they entered the adult stage. 

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher/author. I was in no way required to leave a review, and the above review is my sole, honest opinions.

3.5 Stars

Overall, this is a fun, quick adventure-type read involving high-sea voyages and history. I liked that Maribel was an avid reader of classic books—a child and then later—woman after my own heart. She’s feisty, independent, and a bit of a tomboy; and kind of reminds me of myself. Jean-Luc is not your typical swashbuckling privateer, as you will learn more about while reading this book. He is a man of secrets and mystery and a heart of gold! These two have a history together that the author weaves past with present seamlessly. While I didn’t necessarily connect closely with the story, it was still a much enjoyable way to pass my days. I liked being swept away to a different time & place in history and getting to know characters who were the authors imagination brought to life!

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

Writing a review is one of my favourite parts of a book experience. I'm a very touchy/feely/involved (whatever you wish to name it!) reader and take my book very seriously. And when I write a long and detailed review of a book, it means the book has really touched me/or I felt it/or I was very much involved and invested in the characters and their story. The same has happened with The Pirate Bride. Well, at least it started that way.

I got a copy of the book through NetGalley (a precious resource!) and my chief reason of requesting the book was its cover and then the description. Being a lover of the seas, sea adventures and pirate romance books I had found the concept very interesting and intriguing.
That said, first and foremost let me warn you. The blurb and the book do not match! Yes, what I read in the blurb and what the book offered were both very different. Please correct me if I'm wrong or I misread/misunderstood something.

Honestly, I started with no expectations at all because this is my first read by the author. But when I started reading it for real, it had caught me. My attention was arrested and I wanted to know what lay ahead eagerly. It has been ages since I read a book at one go, and TPB made me do that. So, my hopes started increasing as the pages turned, but I was sadly disappointed. The book is divided into two parts kind of like the flashback and the present. In the first the heroine is a child and the hero a man of twenty five. That felt a little odd. And to my annoyance that is more than 45% of the book. And then, they are lost to one another for eleven years. It was very touching. Then they meet by chance. After that what happens is what really caused my disappointment. There is a lot of abruptness in their growth and everything then seems sudden. I mean they have adored each other unconsciously for nearly half their lives. But their relationship eleven years ago was in a different phase and then down the line in a totally different one. Abrupt development of romantic feelings was a bit odd. I was expecting a slow development of mutual love, awareness of that feeling of beginning to fall in love or just realising it that they've been in love unknowingly. But here it feels like they are falling in live because they were expected to fall in live by the reader. So here it is they've fallen in love!! So in short, the development of a romance is lacking.
The first part seems to be written in leisure, but the second makes one feel the author was in a rush to put the ideas on paper. There's a lot of jumping from one point to another. And you have to wait and then try to figure out what is happening. Many contradictory sentences. Will not call them loose ends but more like hastily cut ends/un-mended ends. I will not go into the details here for fear of giving away crucial spoilers but the 5 stars I was expecting to give the book tumbled down to three because of that.  One reason maybe that this was a copy without the final edits, so I just hope that has been taken care of.
I was very dissatisfied towards the end. Well not with the end per se, but how it was put, that is. The book and the story had tremendous potential, but I feel a good concept got wasted.

I liked the protagonists- Jean-Luc and Maribel. The hero more in the beginning and the heroine in the later half. That's not to say that I didn't like them through the rest of the book, but I found them more appealing to my reader senses at these times. I loved the beginning of their acquaintance and then their mutual care. Their relationship in the beginning is more touching than in the later half. I liked the set-up they were present in.

The actual plot and premise are interesting. Rather than calling it a ‘Romance' I would call it a ‘Family Drama/Saga’. The secondary characters are memorable ones too like Israel and Rao.

Thinking of the future, will I read other books by the author? Yes. Because I really thought the story had a lot of potential and I can expect more from her. Will I recommend this/any other book by the author? Also a Yes. Yes because the author's use of a deep plot was interesting to me. There is a lot to the story and her writing from what I can gauge and I would definitely give another of her works a try because I really do not want to misjudge a good author, whose love's labour I may just discard lightly.

The Pirate Bride, by Reader’s Choice Award recipient, and winner of the 2014 Inspirational Romance of the Year, Kathleen Y’Barbo, is the second in a series titled “Daughters of the Mayflower”. Interestingly, each book in the series is by a different author.

This is the story of a precocious twelve-year-old girl, Maribel Cordoba, who is kidnapped from her home in Spain by her father, then rescued by a French privateer who leaves her with nuns at a Jamaican orphanage, where she becomes a teacher. Her father, the criminal Antonio Cordoba, tells her that her mother and grandfather are dead.

Cordoba’s ship is overtaken by the French attorney, Jean-Luc Valmont, posing as a privateer using the name Jean Beaumont. In the ensuing fight, Maribel and a young man she has befriended are rescued by Captain Beaumont.

Jean-Luc has secrets -- honorable secrets -- that could get him in a lot of trouble in 1700s America. Knowing a life at sea, especially with his risky activities, is not the proper place for a young lady to grow up, Jean-Luc leaves Maribel at an orphanage in Jamaica. Eleven years later, her grandfather finds her, and has her delivered to his and her mother’s new home in New Orleans.

Jean-Luc returns to New Orleans to address some of his family’s business and financial issues. He quickly runs into Maribel. Of course, they soon realize they are in love.

Set mostly in 1700s Jamaica and New Orleans, the story deals with some of the issues of the day. For example, Jean-Luc’s second-in-command is Israel Bennett, an African man he had previously “captured” then paid to work on his ship, treated as an equal, and trusted with his life.

Jean-Luc, Maribel, and Israel are Christians, who pray daily, and depend on God to protect them. When politics becomes a problem, Jean-Luc decides to return to his law practice, he says, “…maybe it was just God’s way of letting me know that it was time to stop and follow Him instead of trying to do things my way….”

This beautiful, Christian fiction story of romance, family love and dynamics, and history is one lovers of romance novels will not want to miss. The Pirate Bride is due out April 1, 2018.

What Makes This Book Reviewer Grumpy?

While the story is delightful, there are a few things that need correcting, such as:
• incomplete sentences;
• using “try and…” rather than “try to…”;
• beginning sentences with conjunctions.

Could not get into this one, I am sure people who love historical fiction will enjoy it, not my cup of tea.

This is the second book I have read in this series, and I enjoyed both of them! This story mostly takes place on the high seas, and involves a lot of twists and turns in the plot Through no fault of her own, Maribel Cordoba ends up on a ship when she is still a teen-ager. That is the first time she meets the Captain, Jean-Luc Valmont. Through a series of events, she ends up in a convent and is raised by the nuns. Years later (when she is all grown up) she meets her Captain again and the romance begins. I enjoyed this book and plan to read more in this series!.

I love reading about stories about the Mayflower.. this book was interesting.

What a fun “pirate” book—set in 1725 New Orleans. I found the dialog humorous and was constantly rooting for Maribel and Jean-Luc to “find” each other. When to book ends, you’ll still be wishing for more.

Not my usual type of read but this was fast and fun. Purists should know that Maribel presents as a much more modern woman than one of her era but that was ok with me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

A dauntless redhead, pirates, a fearless captain, high seas and a mystery.  "The Pirate Bride" by Kathleen Y'Barbo has all the elements to captivate readers. It's the second book in "The Daughters of the Mayflower" series featuring the great-granddaughter of Mary Elizabeth Chapman, whom we met in the first book, "The Mayflower Bride" by Kimberley Woodhouse.

Maribel Cordoba, the daughter of a Spanish ship captain, is captured and taken aboard a French ship.  She knows all about being a privateer, but has two things against her.  She is a girl and she is only twelve, nearly thirteen.  She and her

fellow captive, thirteen year old William Spencer, both make good cases as to why they are needed onboard, but French Captain Jean-Luc doesn't agree. Bantering continues throughout this book and I found the dialogues as charming as the story itself.

There is so much to like about "The Pirate Bride".  The characters are diverse with interesting personalities and the relationships among them are unexpected. The storyline is exciting and moves quickly, making it a book I couldn't put down. There were twists and turns that intensified the mystery, and the settings (some, of which, are the ships) are describe in such a way that I could easily imagine the swaying and the breeze. This is a very clean book with faith content relevant to the story and without being preachy.

There were a few scenes that I wished had lasted longer only because I enjoyed  how the characters interacted. They seemed like my friends and I wanted to see what  choices they made and how it would affect their lives.

I would easily recommend this book to ages thirteen and older and would especially recommend it to those who enjoy high sea adventures.

Note:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Personal Rating: 4.52              Star Rating: 

Title: "The Pirate Bride"
Author: Kathleen Y'Barbo
Publisher: Barbour Publishing
Published: April 1, 2018
Series: "The Daughters of the Mayflower"

I really wanted to like this book. I adore M.L. Tyndall's Christian pirate and seafaring adventures. Unfortunately this book just felt bland to me. I had a hard time with the age difference between the main characters, it just felt weird to me. For the majority of the book the main character was a child, and her know-it-all attitude got on my nerves, it did not come across as wit or spunk to me. I could not care for her. The love interest seamed incredibly rushed and left me asking "why". Soooooo that being said I love the settings and history that was included in the story. I was disappointed.
So I am giving this book a three star rating because it was okay, but not for me.

Book Review

“The Pirate Bride” is the second novel to release in a new, multi-author series – The Daughters of the Mayflower – being published by Barbour Publishing. Release date is April 1, 2018. For me, the main female character, Maribel Cordoba, is a mixture of the plucky, inquisitive Anne from Anne of Green Gables and the more determined, [and let’s face it, pirate-fixated] Elizabeth Swan from Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean series. I happen to love both of those story-lines, so Maribel was rather a fun character.

This book is very clean, and is not at all preachy. For these reasons I believe both a Young Adult reader and the average Christian fiction reader would enjoy it. I also believe it is aimed at a female reader more than at a male reader. Though there is some high-seas drama involving cannon ball fire etc. the motivation to follow the story through until the end is primarily via the point of view of the female lead. And … as the title’s inclusion of the word ‘bride’ gives away – it is a bit of a romance. Not that there isn’t any adventure too …

I’m rating this one 4 out of 5 anchors.

Cover Review

The trend of the closely cropped main character filling the cover space has grown on me. I used to be a little bothered by it to be completely honest. After much examination I think it’s tied closely to the fact that I’m of a certain age … and cutting off people’s heads in photos was a big no-no when cameras still required the use of film. [And my ten-year-old just wandered into the room and asked me why they were showing the lady’s back? ha ha] But it’s 2018 … and now that this trend has been around a few years to grow on me I find this style to be artistically expressive.

I am free to picture the rest of the character on the cover – much the same as I do the other characters when I’m reading the novel itself. The beautiful blue color of her dress against the elegant white lace, and white text is both eye-catching and effective. I would be drawn to this novel if I spotted it on the shelf or saw it for sale in my favorite online store. The only negative I still harbor is that without the text I would have no idea it involved pirates. I feel like there is room in the skyline for at least the faintest hint of a ship’s mast on the horizon? It could be extremely subtle, but right now … on first glance, I only know it’s a historical due to the style of the dress.

I’m rating this cover 4.5 anchors out of 5.

Please note: I received this title from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo had a very good plot. Unfortunately there was not a lot of development. There was very little transition to various points in the story. I was left wanting so much more. I really did like the storyline but it could have been so much better. Thank you Net Galley for this advance copy.

I liked The Pirate Bride much better than I liked the first book in this series, The Mayflower Bride. Maybe it's because I'm less familiar with this time period/region; maybe it's because there was more action.
The blurb for The Pirate Bride is a bit misleading. There is a lot that happens before the events described take place. The first half of the novel tells the story of Maribel, a twelve year-old Spanish girl who is traveling with her father when their ship is boarded by French privateers. The second half occurs eleven years later in New Orleans.
The pace, although not at all slow in the first half, really sped up in the second half. Towards the end, it felt a bit rushed.
I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

The dialog is overwrought, there is too much telling instead of showing and the opening three chapters had me confused and repeatedly flipping back to try to see where I'd missed information.

The Lytton family saga continues with the great-granddaughter of the original couple to come over on the Mayflower. I found The Pirate Bride more enjoyable that the first book in the series, The Mayflower Bride. In the Pirate Bride we meet Maribel Cordoba & Capitan Jean Beaumont. Who are thrown together and separated by acts beyond their control. Each of them deal with their own life and death situations and a sacrifice is made to save Jean. They are thrown into dangerous and complicated situations that you as the reader believe are settled but surprises arise in their lives as family secrets come to light and the people who are thought dead but are not including Maribel and Jean. Secrets are kept to protect both Maribel and Jean and their families only to be revealed when the circumstances bring them back together. Between the alleged death of Maribel's family and her reunion with her Capitan enough time has elapsed for her to grow into a young woman. In the meantime Jean has loved and lost and continued with his life under his real name. Maribel is reunited with her family which brings her into Jean-Luc's life once again. Both are stunned that the other lives and begin to work together to bring an old enemy to justice even though he has a family connection. A misunderstanding threatens the happiness of Maribel and Jean. Kathleen Y'Barbo weaves a story of intrigue, love and separation and reunions, and all in God's intended time line.

Enjoyed this clean, historic adventure! This is history and fiction very well done. It's about a love that began on the high sea, she was a child, he was a grown man. As fate would have it they were separated for 11 years, met again and she no longer a child. Pirates, Privateers, New Orleans, the French and the Spanish. Loved it all, and the fact that God was a part of it made it even better. A must read and keeper!