I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had read an excerpt of it and couldn't wait to get my hands on the rest of it!
The character development was great and the romance was delicious. 
I'd also been looking for more work by this Author and I was not disappointed.

This is a fantastic read. The twists and turns of the novel are entirely captivating and I adore books about pirates. The characters are flushed out really well. This is a second book in a series, but it can stand-alone. The writing style is intriguing, and I read through the story within hours. My only compliant is that the formatting for the novel was horrible on my kindle and very distracting. I hope this is fixed before it is published.

This was a beautifully told story of life on the high seas. Jean-Luc Valmont was a privateer under the French flag who had watched his family be murdered by a Spanish pirate. He vowed to make the man pay for his actions and he searched for him for years. When he finally found him, he was traveling with his daughter and while Jean-Luc was able to exact his revenge on his enemy, it left his young daughter, Maribel, an orphan, or so it was thought.

Maribel was determined to learn the life of a privateer and she began to "work" on the ship. Under a sneak attack, she was through from the ship and finally made her way to an island where she was raised by nuns. During the attack, Jean-Luc was gravely injured and was taken to his family to heal with hopes and prayers that he would survive.

I won't give away any more of the story, but suffice it to say, that I enjoyed the book very much and will read others in the series. I was given an arc copy of this book and I enthusiastically provide an review.

I absolutely adored the child Maribel, who served as the foundation for the grown-up Maribel. I really wish that as readers, we had been afforded a little more time to get to know her! But the love story of Jean-Luc & Maribel, from set sail to safe harbor, was destined from the beginning. The history of the time & places was rich and fascinating. This series just keeps getting better!

This was an amazing read, there was such great detail of all the history going on at the time. I read it in one night, I couldn't put it down. I was drawn to the pages like bees to honey, needing to know what was going to happen next. The character were all very interesting, and they provided different plot twist that I didn't see coming. 

Although the ending was a bit sudden, overall the book was still fantastic. Jean, is such a great character and a very good man! I loved the way he takes care of his crew. And Maribel, is a high spirited young girl who loves reading. She especially loves reading about pirates. Both these character lives weave together in this beautiful tale of adventure, Pirates, and a forbidden love.  I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y'Barbo is book 2 in the Daughters of the Mayflower series.  Although this book is part of a series, it is definitely a standalone novel.  This book tells the story of a young girl who finds herself on a pirate ship for various reasons.  The book spends a good amount of time on the character's youth, but I would not say that this book is for adolescents. The first half does move a bit slowly, but if you keep reading, it is well worth it because you won't be able to put the book down.  I read this book on an airplane and was nearly done when we were landing.  I did not want to put it away!  Overall, this is a phenomenal book and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves maritime adventures, coming of age stories, and love stories. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher.  These opinions are entirely my own.

Maribel Cordoba has been kidnapped by her nefarious father, captured by a privateer, lost at sea during a ship battle, and stranded at a convent on a secluded island. Will she be reunited with her mother and grandfather and will she ever see the handsome privateer captain again as he builds his alternate life as a respectable lawyer in New Orleans?

This book had an interesting premise, but the pacing and structure of the way the story unfolded was confusing and poorly done. There was too much backstory info dumps instead of weaving in of information. Also, the denouement and sudden attitude changes of the heroine were strange and unfulfilling.

Maribel Cordova is an intelligent young woman, she loves to read about pirates, but never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that her father's ship would be attacked by pirates. Maribel never knew much about her father, but when he comes to her demanding that she go with her, telling her that her mother is dead, she sees no choice but to go with him. 



Jean-Luc Valmont is a privateer, pirating under the letters of mark from France. He has worked hard to bury his past, but the beautiful daughter of a pirate threatens to undo everything, and upend his plans for revenge. 



Maribel is a charming young woman, with a thirst for adventure. She charms Jean-Luc's crew, playing games with them, and listening to their stories. She wants adventure like the ones that she read about in her books,  Maribel loves to climb up into the crows nest, and has a good eye for scouting for ships. 



Jean-Luc is very educated and skilled, and he even teaches her another language. He doesn't want to like the beautiful and adventurous red-head, but the more he gets to know her, the more he questions if he can carry out his plans and walk away from her forever. 



This a fun action-packed read, the story takes place over the course of a couple decades. I really liked Maribel and her spunky, ready for anything spirit. It was fun seeing her grow up, and how the story came together. A highly enjoyable read from beginning to end!



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

I had a difficult time getting through this book, as the writing style is rather immature and the plot uninteresting.

Second in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, this short (288 page) novel ticks all the boxes of  and still manages to surprise a bit.  As twelve-year-old Maribel Cordoba, great-granddaughter of Mary Chapman and William Lytton from The Mayflower Bride, has her first encounter with brash privateer Captain Jean Beaumont, she and her friend William are both enthralled with the idea of joining a "pirate" crew.  But all of their paths diverge, and all three are older, a bit wiser, but never having forgotten their adventure together.  

There are trials, dangers, disguises, and a mystery or three along the way to love between a now grown Maribel, who retains just enough of her childhood impishness to be relatable and adorable as a heroine, and the complex pirate/privateer who she has almost been convinced was merely a dream.

A thoroughly enjoyable tale, bringing to mind some of the pirate romances from the 80's in the best of ways, while being wholly it's own tale of adventure and romance on and off the high seas as Maribel and her pirate Captain find that not all, and not everyone, is what they seem to be.  

Recommended for lovers of Historical Romance with a faith element and those who like a shorter novel at 251 pages, but still a bit of a romp.  Though reading the novels in order is part of the fun of a family tree series, it is not necessary and The Pirate Bride could easily stand alone.

This review refers to an e-galley copy read courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow, this book was one of the best I have ever read. I loved the title, the setting and the characters. It kept me engaged. It would be a great summer read!

This is the second book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series that is written by different authors.  This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Y’Barbo.  The Pirate Bride is a historical novel that occurs during 1700’s.  Maribel Cordova is stolen away by her father as a young girl.  Then, she is taken by a privateer.   Many years later she meets the privateer in New Orleans.  This novel has suspense at different times as well as the historical aspect.  This series is an interesting series in that the main female characters are strong women and come down through a common family line.  I am continuing to read the other books in this series.  The historical information in the book is fascinating as well as the story of the main characters.  I highly recommend not only this book, but the series as well.  Readers, you will not be disappointed in the writings of Ms. Y’Barbo or the storyline!  
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher.  This is my honest opinion.  Even though I received this copy free, this is my own opinion.

An enjoyable read..  not my normal choice but I read a lot of differing stories.  Well written and easy to keep the characters straight.  It's always a good ending when she gets her man!

This was a very entertaining book. It is the second in the Mayflower series by different authors but can definitely stand alone. I enjoyed the read and consider it a 3 star fun read for your summer stack.

I gave only 3 stars because I found though the storyline was very enthralling, the last quarter of the book was disappointing and the resolution was too quick and questionable. The Captain fell in love with the heroine too quickly when reunited; otherwise, you have to believe he fell in love first with a 12 year old child. I believe that there could have been affection develop and then when they met again they might fall in love but not at the speed the ending was written. I'm sorry to say because I have read good books by this author.

I received this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. I fell in love with Kathleen Y'Barbo's writing. This is the first book I ever read by her and I will definitely be reading all her other novels. The character development and the plot that was created was action packed as well as swoon worthy. I could not put this book down. I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen the Maribel. 

The characters relationships throughout the novel were extremely sweet and made the story even better than it already was. Maribel's spunk and stubbornness made me laugh out loud in some parts or say to myself, "I so see myself in her". I loved that this novel was not focused on the love interest. It was focused on the story of how they lost each other and found each other which I thought was beautifully executed. 

As someone who is in love with historical fiction, pirates, and a woman who fights for what she believes in, this novel had it all for me. I could not recommend it enough

This is the second book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, following a line of descendants from the original couple in book 1. The heroine in this book is the great-granddaughter of the original couple but this story can be read as a stand-alone. I really enjoyed the first part of the book when Maribel is a young, precocious, pre-teen interested in pirates and climbing trees. Although Jean-Luc is over a decade older, their banter was quite funny. The storyline was filled with danger, action, and humor and I couldn't read it fast enough. Then the time shifts ahead 11 years or so and the story felt differently. Maribel was still enjoyable and fun to read but some things felt off. Her mother seemed more concerned about propriety rather than rejoicing at seeing her daughter after such a long time. There was a mystery concerning a financial situation that was kind of confusing and the book description didn't really match what actually happened. The romance for the older Maribel and Jean-Luc happened rather quickly but I guess it's because they knew each other. They were such likable characters, I would have liked to see them spend more time together as an older couple. There was light spiritual content mostly about prayer. Overall, I did enjoy the first part of the book and I found the heroine to be quite entertaining.
* I received this book free of charge from NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

I really enjoyed this book. It is not "great literature" in that the story is rather predictable, but that is typical for Romantic Historical Novels. So, I give this book high marks because it has a very interesting story line that is loosely based upon some historical characters. 

I loved the story of the pirates, oops, privateers, and the historic references to the love/hate relationship between the Spanish and the French which continues into colonial America.

It was a very enjoyable, quick read. I recommend it.

On the whole, I like this series very much.  The titles are all standalone and make for great recommendations to patrons who read a certain period of history.  Of course, it is a great series to read through from beginning to the ultimate end as the historical research to this point has been outstanding

This is the second book in the "Daughters of the Mayflower" series by Barbour Books.  It was written by Kathleen Y'Barbo.

I truly loved it. Immediately after reading it, I put the first book on hold at my local library! If you enjoy a bit of romance with a lot of adventure this book is for you. Most romances are so predictable, but this one had several twists I wasn't expecting.  She adds just enough of the gospel to share the love of Christ, while allowing some characters to remain skeptical. I enjoyed the characters as well as the story line, and since I was unfamiliar with Miss Y'Barbo's work, I was a bit hesitant when it was offered as a book to review. But I'm glad I did!!!

#ThePirateBride #NetGalley

I love this series, it is well written and I find the historical facts fascinating. It a look back in time but not laden with boring dry facts. A fun adventure that makes you want to know what happens next.