The Pirate Bride was such a great book. It is book two in the Daughters of the Mayflower series, but it could easily be read as a standalone. The characters are just delightful, the supporting characters are endearing as well. The book is so well written that it is hard to put down.

Maribel Cordova is a young girl who finds herself on a ship with her Spanish, father. He has told her that her mother and grandfather have died. While on the ship Maribel, who is full of sassy personality, befriends a young man who works on her father's ship. While they are on the ship, they are approached by the "Ghost Ship" that is captained by Jean Luc. A fight between Jean Luc and Maribel's father takes place. Maribel witnesses the death of her father. She and her friend find themselves aboard the "Ghost Ship" with Jean Luc as captain. Both Maribel and her friend earn a position on the ship. While on the ship, Maribel firmly grabs Jean Luc's heart. When their ship is attacked Maribel falls off of the ship and Jean Luc is gravely injured. He believes Maribel is dead.

Maribel is raised into womanhood in a convent by a wonderful group of nuns. She accepts a teaching position there but her sassy spirit is still firmly in place. She recalls her time on the ship fondly but has been told that that time never occurred and it is in her imagination. Jean Luc has also healed up. He has gone on with his life but his heart has not forgotten Maribel. When the two meet again years later in New Orleans, they find themselves working together to protect Maribel and to uncover family secrets. The love and affection they feel for one another rekindles and Maribel finds herself to be a pirate bride.

This book was not what I expected. Contrary to the title this book was really about a girl with a rosy view of pirates, sorry Captain, I mean privateers. Maribel is a fun child. She is spunky and well read and certainly a handful. A good portion of this book is her time at sea. At the very end she will find the Captain she knew as a child now that she is grown. The book was a fun quick read, especially the first part aboard the ship. The ending is a bit rushed and convoluted. With the information she finds there should have been more resolution with her family. Given that the book starts with a 12 year old child and a grown man it’s hard to follow the logic that they should find themselves romantically involved in the end. This book certainly did not write that in a way that made sense. Having her end up with her childhood friend would have made more sense. As she was told one should not confuse childhood feelings with that of an adult woman. This book also lacked in plot. Not much happens after the childhood adventures. It also really needed more dialogue between characters. I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The enjoyable storyline of intrigue, greed, and mystery that focuses on an honest, kind-hearted privateer, operating throughout the Caribbean. The author does an admirable job weaving history, government, and trade, with charity, wisdom, and kindness. Love, family, and respect round out the pirate's attributes making the ending somewhat unpredictable yet plausible.

I immensely enjoyed this book. It was so cool being able to see the heroine Maribel Cordoba both as a child and as a young adult. I easily grew to love her exuberance and excitement. Seeing life as an adventure was such a fun point of view and I had difficulty putting the book down. Jean-Luc Valmont was also easy to love. A stern Capitan, but also a gentle and caring man, what’s not to love? I was whisked away to another time and taken on a great adventure on the sea. Seeing faith through the characters eyes as they lived their lives was a great reminder that He is with His children always. This book was not what I expected, and I loved every minute of it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Romance. The characters were unique and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to them yet. I would love to see a sequel with the secondary characters (hint hint). I received a complementary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

I have yet to read the first book in this series but I must do so now. This book had all of the elements I enjoy. Romance, intrigue, suspense, pirates (who doesn’t love a pirate?)., and historical fiction. It was fun and fast paced and a great beach read.

This is a suspenseful and engrossing story. Jean Luc's is a fascinating character, he's cocky, amusing, caring and honorable. He's a lawyer who prefers to spend his life on the high seas. Maribel is bold, smart, saucy and stubborn. As a child Maribel ended up on Jean Luc's ship, where they developed a bond based on mutual respect and admiration. An accident and conspiracy separate them for years, but eventually they meet again, and the drama and intrigue heat up again. They have an unusual relationship from the beginning that is entertaining and captivating. The storyline captures your attention and the characters capture your heart.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

The Pirate Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower #2)
by Kathleen Y’Barbo

Release Date: April 1, 2018

My rating: 5 stars

SUMMARY: Adventure on the high seas, privateers, a feisty heiress, and lost treasure, oh my! What is not to love!? This second book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series can be read without reading the first. (But, if you’re into family trees, you’ll want to!) It is now one hundred years later, and 11-year-old Mayflower descendant Maribel Cordova loves reading, particularly books about pirates and adventures. Little does she know, she’s about to become a pirate—um, privateer—and have a great adventure! This book covers about ten years. I can’t say a whole lot about the story because I don’t want to give anything away.

MY THOUGHTS: Maribel is a spitfire you’ll fall in love with. I enjoyed this book even more than the first one, and I wasn’t expecting that. I laughed and I sighed...I might have even shed a tear or two. It kept me turning the pages to see how it all would end. It’s a story of redemption and second chances. This book is recommended to anyone who likes ocean adventures, pirates, or genealogy. I’m looking forward to book 3!


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At my request, I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. This review reflects my honest thoughts and opinions on the book, and I received no compensation for this review.

It's been a little while since I've stayed up all night and read a book. Spring break was last week for my kids and with lots of projects and activities planned as a family, I hardly even sat down to read at all. Not even audiobooks. Well Saturday evening after all the kids were in bed, I told my hubby that I was disappearing in a book. Ha! I had just finished a collection of novellas that I read so piecemeal that I just wanted to sit and devour a book. Now, I hadn't intended to read the whole thing in one sitting. Nope. Just wanted to read a few hours and then bed. Well, that was one good intention that went out the window when I was hooked from the very beginning of this book and kept saying, "just one more chapter because I have to know what happens next." I honestly did not want to set it down and wait. And, what's more, I didn't want the book to end.

Now, I will say that there were a couple things that I wanted more clarification for and something with her father didn't quite add up, or maybe I should say, it just needed a little more info/clarification. But other than a couple very minor things, this book was wonderful! Unputdownable! I enjoyed the first book well enough, but it didn't suck me in like this one did. The story line and setting, the characters and their personalities...just loved it! I actually want to go back it pick it up again right now.

I think I might need to add a few more pirate books into my reading list in the near future. I love them. Captain Jack Sparrow, eat your heart out because captain Jean-Luc is here to save the day!

Revenge, devious characters, pirate books, precocious children, loving parents and grandparent, ships galore, Havana, New Orleans, orphanage, Nuns, Islands, cannonballs, topmast, stars, friends, slaves, rag tag band of pirates (er um, excuse me privateers), French, Spanish, enemies, scheming thieves, money, beauty, time, adventure and love.

Mirabela Cordova is pulled away from everything she knows and loves when her father tells her that her mother and grandfather are dead and she must relocate with him. Thus she finds herself crossing the ocean, caught up in a pirate attack, losing her father and joining said pirate crew. Captain Jean-Luc, leader of said pirate crew doesn't know what to do with this redhead precocious child who has his crew bowing to her every whim and willing to mutiny for her sake.

Maribela was such a fun character. She begins the story at the age of 12 and is just a spitfire and a handful, but most importantly a good friend. She endears many hearts to her precocious ways and becomes in a way the heart of the ship. Many adventures abound until nefarious schemes are put into play and her life on the ship is turned topsy-turvy.

Jean-Luc has many secrets and will work very hard to keep them all hidden. For his safety, his family's safety, the safety of the crew, but most especially for young Maribela. When schemes come against him and he loses Maribela, his life balances on the edge of death and defeat. Years later everything he's believed and known will change by a chance encounter. But he must work quickly to uncover the plots that have been building for years if he is to have a chance to fix what was wrong.

I really enjoyed this one. Hence, me staying up all night...like ummmmmm, maybe I shouldn't tell you how late. *blushes* Ok, I stayed up until about 2:30. I just couldn't help myself. Well, actually, I read the book until 2:30 at which time I finished it. Then I laid in bed thinking over and over about it and wishing that there could be more. I wanted more, I had questions and I wanted answers. It ended in a way that worked but after growing to enjoy these characters, I wanted more. No, I didn't stomp my foot on the ground like a petulant child who didn't get their way. Although, I might have been tempted. Ha! Just kidding. I guess it's left to my imagination to decide what happens.

Something that I didn't realize when I picked up this second book (they can be read as stand alone novels-at least the first two that I have read-we'll see about the others when they come out), is that the characters are related. Maribela is the great-grandaughter of the couple from the first book. So that was a fun connection. There's just a very minor mention of them. I am excited to see if that familial connection continues on in the third book, The Captured Bride. I have the third one waiting for me as I received an ARC of it. Can't wait to read it!

Obviously I highly recommend this book for sure. A fun read that hooked me from the beginning. Some reviewers have said that they didn't get hooked until Maribela was finally in New Orleans, which is almost half way through the book. Nope, I was hooked right away. I loved her character. Innocent, naive and a spitfire that melted my heart. If you're looking at reading this series, or a couple of the books, I have to say read this one for sure! And probably the Captured Bride as well because Michelle Griep is a favorite author. This is my first full length novel by Kathleen Y'Barbo, although I think I might have read a novella by her (not positive though), but it won't be my last. I really enjoyed her writing style a lot. If you're a fan of hers then I think you'll be in for a treat with this one.

Content: Clean. Religious aspects throughout but it was not preachy. I really enjoyed how it was woven into the story and fit perfectly for the characters and time period. Mostly just talking about allowing God to judge and for us to not hold onto our anger, that he will take care of everything. Some battles, on land and sea but nothing overly graphic. There is some death. No sexual content.

I received a copy from the publisher, Barbour Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

My imagination and my heart were captured and swept out to sea on a Pirate (cough, clears throat, errr) Privateer ship! I enjoyed the action and the drama in the story. I was a greedy book dragon devouring every word! These fantastic characters will take captive of your heart.

In the beginning, I felt sad for Maribel, orphaned at a young age. Yet I cheered for her as she quickly rose above the devastation and we got to see her fiery personality and spunk. She is such an endearing character and one that will stay with you long after you finish the story.

Jean-Luc is a strong and dashing hero. Watch out ladies, he may just abscond with your heart!

This delightful, fast-paced story is sure to entertain and delight. I highly recommend you find a copy of this energetic 5-star adventure to enjoy for yourself as soon as you are able.

(I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

This is the second book in this series, however, the only thing really connecting the two is the family tree, so you could pick this one up and not be lost at all.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was so good. I was surprised how long we were with Maribel as a child and not an adult, pretty much half of the book was her very young. But I understood why the more I read. It really established the relationship between Jean and Maribel.

That being said, I couldn’t wait for them to meet again when she was an adult and it did not disappoint.

This was a quick read for me because it was so engaging.

I can’t wait to read the next book (all books are by different authors).


A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley.com. All opinions are my own.

Such a fabulous read!! It truly is an adventure story - orphans lost at sea, pirates, mistaken identities, smugglers! This is such a rich setting in the Caribbean and New Orleans, and the characters are well-developed over the course of the story. The story takes place over an 11-year time span, but the plot never lags. I loved that there's a touch of romance to the story, but it's not the focus.
Without spoiling the plot, I was sucked in completely through the cases of mistaken identity and "ships passing in the night", quite literally. My heart went right out to the characters just begging and hoping they would find one another.
I would also like to thank the author for characters of faith. The characters rely on God and their faith is a significant guiding force in their decisions. This is such a fantastic story. I'm really enjoying seeing that the books in this series are written by different authors, but with some common characters and themes. Each of them bring their own style to the characters, creating an intriguing series. Looking forward to reading more!

From the moment I started the story I was swept back in time in the early 1700s where we find pirates and privateering going on. I loved the swashbuckling scenes and felt myself on the ship as it swayed back and forth. What would you do if you found yourself on a ship that was being overtaken? I know I would be fighting for my life or maybe hiding so no one could find me.

Maribel is everything I wanted to be as a child. She is very brave and knows exactly what she wants. It doesn’t matter that girls are not allowed on ships. So what if everyone thinks girls are back luck . Maribel wants to sail the seas and be a pirate. Those sound like wonderful dreams but unfortunately things turn out differently for her. When the ship she is on is attacked, she finds herself suddenly in the brisk water trying to survive. Will the captain save her before she drifts off too far from the ship? Her last thoughts before everything becomes dark is where is Captain Jean-Luc and his men? Why are they allowing her to be lost at sea?

As the story moves forward we are reacquainted with Maribel who has lived at a convent for many years. She has snippets of her past surface and still remembers being on a ship. Jean-Luc is a distant memory but something is about to change in her life. I loved Jean-Luc and his bravery. He was a fierce person to be reckoned with. What will happen when he sees Maribel after all those years she was left behind swimming for her life? The adventure and history is epic as the story is filled with danger, secrets and a bit of romance. The author really had me on the edge of my seat as Maribel and Jean-Luc see each other after so many years. I know I would be little upset to see the person who left me in the deep sea and never looked back. Can Maribel and Jean-Luc work things out? What secrets have Jean-Luc been hiding all these years? I can't wait to read more books from this series. Don't miss the captivating historical facts the author includes at the end of the book.

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

The Pirate Bride is the second book in The Daughters of the Mayflower series. Each book in this series, which tells the story of Mary Chapman, William Lytton and some that number among their descendants, is written by a different author. This story recounts the adventures of Maribel Cardoba, Mary and William Lytton’s great granddaughter. Maribel’s mother left the Colonies and her family to marry Spaniard, Antonio Cordoba. She soon realized that Cordoba was not a man of integrity, but fortunately his father was because she needed his support once Antonio kidnapped their daughter only to lose her at sea. Maribel, always one to romanticize adventure was thrilled to end up as an unlikely crew member about a privateer’s ship until she was once again lost at sea.
Those of us who are avid readers will feel a kinship with Maribel whose favorite pastime is to get lost in a book in out of the way places. This book is one that will make one want to do just that. Maribel’s forthright nature makes her all the more endearing as does her ability to cheerfully adapt to her circumstances. Her refreshing honesty and spirit are not lost on the crew of the privateer’s ship or on its captain, resulting in relationships that stand the test of time and of hard times.
Y’Barbo did a wonderful job of developing her characters, and of whisking her readers into the various settings within this story. My only concern was that the ending felt a bit rushed, as if Y’Barbo had spent a great deal of time developing her plot and all of a sudden realized she was running out of pages. That said, I would still recommend this well-researched book to friends and family who love historical fiction and quirky characters. I thank NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for providing me with a copy of The Pirate Bride in exchange for an honest review. I received no monetary compensation.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was an exciting adventure that was hard to put down. I found Maribel to be a delightful character, and I loved reading her story. The reason that I did not give the book five stars was that I felt the end wrapped up a bit too quickly and easily. I wish a few parts had been fleshed out a bit more. Overall, this was a fun read, and I look forward to reading more in this series.

In the second book of the Daughters of the Mayflower series, readers are taken back to the sea. This time in the waters of the Caribbean with threats of pirates and privateers to travelers.

Eleven-year-old Maribel Cordoba is fearless when it comes to experiences on the water even though all of her knowledge has come from books. When she joins up with Captain Beaumont’s privateers, her favorite place on the ship is up high as the lookout. The precocious girl charms the crew and eventually wins over the captain.

Kathleen Y’Barbo’s The Pirate Bride is a bit different from many historical romance reads out there in the fact that the hero and heroine are separated for much of the book. The romance portion is minimal up until the last quarter of the book.

Don’t let that deter you from reading this one, though. Maribel is a girl you are immediately drawn to and as she becomes a young woman, that doesn’t change. The Captain’s air of mystery, as well as his uncertainty regarding one former member of his crew who was lost to him, will keep you reading these pages.

Y’Barbo’s portray of life on the high seas, on a Caribbean island home to children and the nuns who care for them and the fledgling city of New Orleans are descriptive and picturesque.

The Pirate Bride raises the bar set with The Mayflower Bride.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This is an exciting historical romance!

I adore Maribel! She is delightful and so fun to keep up with. As a bookworm myself I immediately connected with her love of reading.

Jean-Luc seems to be hiding something from the very beginning. It was quite entertaining to follow through the story and figure out what it was and all the twists to this wonderful character.

This book is packed with a lot of action and adventure. I wasn’t at all surprised by that though given the title. Then there were a few really great surprises that caught me completely off guard. It was fun learning what the difference was between pirates and privateers.

I absolutely loved this second installment in the series. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens the next time I look in on the Lytton family descendants.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Books, through NetGalley. I have chosen to write this review to express my personal opinion.

Sweet Christian Adventure… Maribel Cordoba is an independent resourceful 12 year girl, who is not afraid to speak her mind. Maribel loves to read and believes that she know everything there is to know about pirates. When the ship that she is traveling on is captured by privateers, she wants to join the crew. After some initial resistance, her job is to man the crow's nest looking for ships. The privateer ship is run by Captain Beaumont, who splits the loot fairly with the French Crown and the crew. Maribel is held in high affection by both the Captain and the crew. Due to misfortune, Maribel is separated from the ship and ends in an Orphanage. Eleven years later, Maribel has grown into a beautiful, unconventional and strong woman that can take care of herself. Her life reflects scenes from the adventure book that she loves to read. I loved Maribel and this book and plan on reading more of the series. This book was given to me by Barbour Books through Net Gallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

Do you like adventures sailing the high seas?  Especially ships captained by pirates, lonely island thrown in, then this book is for you. The Pirate Bride will capture your attention from the first page and will keep you turning them.  Our first glimpse in this exciting book is through the eyes of a precocious, wise-beyond-her-years  twelve year old. We also get to see a very young New Orleans and some of the wealthy elites of the era. Ships captured, slave trading and so much adventure in this thrilling novel and even romance to keep you reading.  I was gifted this book by the publisher and was happy to leave a review.

Wonderful, wonderful story! So exciting and interesting! So much so I kept looking at the progress of the book, expecting to be near the end as so much had happened and only being 25% or 50% done, then being very disappointed when suddenly it was finished! Then I still wanted more! I got so attached to the characters and I must say am disappointed with romance novels that they usually end when things finally work out. I always want to see more of the romance between them and how their life ends up... but that would be far too long of a book I guess. Read the book in less than 24hours! Great morals and depth of characters. Highly recommend :) Just realized I started out with book two in the series and can't wait to read the other two books!

Swashbuckling pirate adventures aplenty, endearing characters, plot twists, and faith. A keeper!

Maribel Cordoba loves to read... especially a certain book about pirates. When her much-absent father spirits her away on the sea, they are discovered by none other than the Ghost Ship. So the thrilling times begin.

I just loved this book about a forbidden love. Maribel is such a sweet tomboy, fiercely independent, and determined to prove she can hold her own.

Conflicting times cause confusion in roles, self-identity, and safety. With twists and turns like the rolling sea, I wasn’t ever sure exactly on which shore many of the characters would land...literally and figuratively.

Notes are reserved for the end of the book, thank you. Highly recommended imagination of history. I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. No positive review is required and all opinions expressed are solely my own responsibility.