I enjoyed The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y'Barbo, but it wasn't my favorite by this author. It starts out when Maribel is 12 years old and taken from her family, captured by a privateer and later rescued and taken to an orphanage. Years later she is found by her family and discoveries are made. She has to decide who she can trust. Her family or Jean Luc? High seas adventure and romance. Looking forward to the next book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series.

I received this book from NetGalley with no expectations for a positive review. All expressed opinions are my own.

Fans of Mary Lu Tyndall's pirate series may enjoy Y'Barbo's latest tale of Maribel, a young child who happens to be captured by the infamous privateer, Jean-Luc Valmont. In a quest for vengeance against Maribel's father, Jean-Luc finds himself saddled with an orphan—or so he thinks. When Maribel falls overboard during a French ship's attack, and Jean-Luc is badly injured, their paths part, only to converge years later. 

Jean-Luc is nursed back to health and finds a new start with his family. Maribel, delivered to the convent by Jean-Luc's crew members, grows to be older and wiser. Her time in the convent does little to diminish the memory of the young captain and his crew.

The romance? Maribel's attraction to Jean-Luc is impeded by several external factors. Sorry, no spoilers. This is one romance where they spend a great deal of time apart, only to come together in the end.

Jean-Luc, now a respectable man, has no desire for his pirating ways to be known to the world, but neither can he turn down the request to help the one woman he feared he let down. Jean-Luc is alternately charming and gruff, having lost a wife and child by the time he reconnects with the heroine. Maribel is plucky, holding onto her faith as a source of light when all seems lost. 

The novel has a little swashbuckle to it and an interesting beginning. Yet for me, it wasn't a quick read. I tend to struggle with plots where the couple doesn't romantically connect until the end. Yet, there's no way around this since Jean-Luc meets Maribel when she is a child.  Family conflict drives this story perhaps more than actual pirating. That said, the history of the French and Spanish was interesting enough to keep me turning pages. Three stars out of Five for the Pirate Bride.

I was provided a copy of the novel by NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

This story stole me away! And I loved every minute of it. The book is quick moving, kept me guessing, and had twists and turns I hadn't expected. I loved that the romance elements were kept to the end, but I do wish it had been a little more involved and in-depth. That being said, I enjoyed the sweetness of it and the eye-opening experience of a young girl turned woman!

The story is very well written and the title fits the story perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait for the next book in the Mayflower Bride series!

I really liked this book! It was an adventurous story that had twists and turns that I had not expected. I liked the characters and would have liked to spend more time with them.

The Pirate Bride is the exciting second installment from the Brides of the Mayflower series. I am enjoying this series and The Pirate Bride did not disappoint. I was hooked right from the start and absolutely loved Maribel. She is a strong and admirable woman. Kathleen Y’Barbo does a fabulous job with the historical details, making a reader feel as though they are part of the story.
I cannot wait to read the next one from the Brides of the Mayflower series. I give The Pirate Bride 5 plus stars and highly recommend it.
I received this book from the publisher, but was not required to write a review. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

This book was difficult for me to get into. I stopped at about 25%. I thought this would be a historical fiction with some romance but wasn't.

It is 1725. A young 11-year old girl travels with her father to his new posting in the Spanish colonies. She is completely fascinated by her book full of pirate stories. So when their ship is attacked by a French privateer she sees it as a big adventure. Privateers by the way were privately outfitted ships that where officially allowed to attack the country a country was at war with. That enabled a king to enlarge his power at sea without having to pay a dime. No he would get a share of the spoils.

Maribel wants to join the crew and turn privateer. Lucky for her the men are nice people who would not lift a finger towards a nice looking girl. No raping or hitting. She ends up with quite a crush for the dashing captain.

This part of the story is endearing and funny. You can imagine how a teenager would see a big adventure but the moments the canons blast death and destruction almost pees herself.

That and also the fact that it is a clean story without sexscenes makes it a story also readable for the younger readers.

The first like 70 percent of the story I liked very much. However when Maribel grows up the writer adds elements to the story I did not like that much. The plot was too artificial and too fast paced there.

For instance when someone drowns near an ship in an empty see and the captain sees that person drown: blub...blub,... sinks under the waves, that guy would not end up getting a ride from a magic submarine on the bottom of the ocean. And even when he would swim to the other side of the ship by diving under it then he would not have a change to survive by swimming in an empty sea.

She also give the captain a kind of saintly heroism.

The title also gives away the end of the story.

So the first half would be a real 5 star but the last part brings it down to 3.

Take to the high sea and jump into a perilous adventure that travels through the Caribbean and New Orleans. This book was a wonderful page turner. I loved everything about this book. It was well written, engaging, exciting story line with twists and turns and wonderful lovable characters. If you want to read a book that is filled with rich history, delights you with romance, and anchors you with currents of faith. This is a must read. My only complaint for this book is that the conflict that ran throughout the book was resolved in a few paragraphs and the love that developed between the main characters happened quickly and then the story ended.

My only disappointment in this book, I could not read it in one night and had to put it down. It was so enjoyable with lots of adventure, excitement, suspense and great characters. The love demonstrated in this novel was much more than a romantic love between the two main characters. Without giving the story away, there is a deep friendship between two orphans Maribel Cordoba 11 and William Spencer 12 years old. Captain Jean -Luc of the Pirateer ship Vanganza , his first Mate Mr. Bennett, Rao and Piper from the crew, who are more like brothers. Then add the precocious 11 year old Maribel. She wraps each and every one of them around her little finger. St. Mary of the Island Orphanage is where you will find the loving Mother Superior and other compassionate nuns. Besides this love and friendship, the story is full of faith and family. Kathleen Y'Barbo tells such a wonderful story, I can't wait to read the other books to this series. I love when an author gives you added details regarding what details are actual, in case you want to research the topic further. I highly recommend this book. One of the best I've read in awhile. I thank Net Galleys and Barbour Publishing for a copy of this book. I freely give my honest opinion in this review and thank them for this opportunity.

I really enjoyed "The Pirate's Bride"! It's an adventrous Christian fiction tale of a young girl who is captured by privateers. However! I did not feel like the book was sufficiently wrapped up, so for that I gave it a four. I would've liked a solid epilogue, but hopefully we'll get a sequel of some sort.

This is the second book of the Daughter of the Mayflower series. After reading The Mayflower Bride (the first in the series), I told myself I wasn’t gonna read another cause it was too religious for me. What can I say? Even though I wasn’t fond of the religious part of the book the writing & story line greatly intrigued me. I thought I will give the series & writer one more chance to keep my interest. I am so glad I did.

This book was another “can’t put down” book. The story, the emotions, the ups & downs, just to mention a few, was wonderful. The religious issues I had (though I am Christian, I do not always want to read “religious” books). The very odd life the characters had while reading it, it was wonderful. I would definitely recommend this book.

So much love for The Pirate Bride. Before reading this one I'd just finished another seafaring/pirate related story that was a major let down- but reading The Pirate Bride was so refreshing and delightful.
However, I found the title was fairly misleading, as was the excerpt. The first half of the book takes place when Maribel is 12 and Jean-Luc 24 ish. She manages to end up on his ship and works as one of his crewmembers, then the second half of the book takes place when he's 35 and she's 23.
There is no mention of anyone marrying anyone until the last twenty or so pages of the book, and the back cover synopsis honestly was nothing like the plot of the book. It was incredibly obtuse, even I don't know how whoever wrote that, read the story and got what was put on the back cover, out of the book.

Even still, those two things aside- I loved The Pirate Bride. Jean-Luc- yes. Amazing privateer. His relationship with Maribel at both ages was just so sweet. Maribel- what a bright little thing who talked a whole lot, but truly so sweet and pure.

The only thing keeping this book from being a five star one for me is simply that it didn't feel long enough! Because half of the book was essentially backstory, the second half felt woefully short, and alas!- all the interactions I was waiting for, once they both became adults (or rather, once Maribel became an adult), was just cut so short! They were such a fantastic couple and I felt they had a lot of promise, but it was totally cut short by half the book being dedicated to the backstory.
Don't get me wrong- I LOVED the backstory. Most times I don't, but it added to their respective characters and made me love the plot and people in it, even more- but I wanted their adult lives delved into a little deeper. Sigh. I guess not, but here's to hoping.

Apart from the aforementioned things- this book was just a delightful read. Truly. High seas. Privateers (not pirates, you know ;), bounties, sea battles, ships and rigging and sailors and revenge- it was just a truly captivating time. I finished it in less than a day and I quite simply, loved it.
Now I'm going to go look into reading some of Kathleen's other books, as she is a new (to me) author, and I cannot wait to get my hands on some of her other books!

The Pirate Bride is book two in the Daughters of the Mayflower series by Barbour Publishing. Each book in the series is written by a different author and is released every other month throughout 2018. I was excited to read this after reading and enjoying book one, The Mayflower Bride.

I enjoyed the main character, Maribel Cordoba. She is a feisty red-headed girl, full of fun and mischief. She seems mature beyond her years and has a tender heart for everyone. I also thought the book has well written settings and descriptions.

I was slightly disappointed in The Pirate Bride. It was not as good as the first in the series. I thought the plot moved too slowly. I did not connect with the characters after they aged in the book. A young Maribel and Jean-Luc were much more developed and exciting than their older counterparts. I felt the book made a big deal about small things that didn't matter.

Overall, the book was okay. I will continue to read the series as it is released.

After enjoying the first in this series, I was disappointed with this installment. Many portions went slowly while others felt rushed. The ending in partiular felt very anti-climactic and unsatisfying; the build up of a full novel all resolved in a few pages. I also felt a little "yanked around" while the 11 years passed. The few glimpses we got into the time passage were abrupt but dramatic. I just couldn't appreciate the quick turns and fast-forwards in the book. All the same, the writing style is great and the characters are original. Didn't foresee the plot twisting the way it did, though the ending was predictable. So much wish I could've loved it more.

An enjoyable read full of adventure! A descendant from the Lytton family tree from book one of the series, Maribel Cordoba finds herself having quite an adventure as a twelve year old when out at sea with her estranged father. The story fast forwards to eleven years later on as she begins a new life in New Orleans, in 1724.

I enjoyed the character of Maribel, with her insatiable curiosity, friendly nature and intelligent bantering with the shipmates, especially Captain Jean. It was a fun story to read, and had me guessing how she would adjust to life later on as an adult. The twists and turns with the many characters popping in and out of her life, made it move along quickly. The ending felt a bit rushed and condensed, with the romance part a bit awkward, but it was a satisfying read overall.

Recommend to fans of sea going tales, Christian historicals and clean romances. Reads fine as a standalone.

This book was such an enjoyable read. It followed Maribel Cordoba (Red) the young daughter of a Spanish ship captain and Jean-Luc a French ship captain. After taking over the ship of Maribel and her father, Jean-Luc forms a special place in his heart for Red, though he does not realize it for years later. Maribel is a reader of pirate books, knowing all ships, the duties of all aboard, and cannot help but irritate the French captain. After years of searching for the rebellious Red who has grown up in a convent on a Caribbean island, Maribel finds her family, and Jean-Luc finally finds her by pure chance.

I liked this book for its story on the ocean, the life of a privateer, and of course the love it brought to Maribel and Jean-Luc. I have to admit it did take me a good bit to get into, but once Maribel made her way to New Orleans, the story really picked up and I enjoyed where it was going. I would recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed the Mayflower Bride. This is a great series and I cannot wait to read the next.

I received this from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This book is fast paced and engaging and entertaining. A fun way to spend a few hours.

I have to say I expected a little more from this book and was a bit disappointed overall. (some spoilers below) I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, including the piracy era, and this book fell remarkably short of the others I've read.

The book begins with one of the main characters, Maribel, a young girl of 12/13 as she is taken aboard the ship of a privateer after her father is killed. The captain, a man about 12 years her senior, doesn't want her on board, but she later sneaks back on his ship. She endears herself to those around her, and later when the ship is attacked, she is rescued and sent to live on a quiet island. (44% of the book focuses on her time at this age).

Somehow she can't quite remember everything that happened when she was on the ship and recovers living with nuns. Meanwhile, the captain of the ship is also injured, believes her dead, and in his months of recovery is unclear on all that has happened.

Fast forward about ten years and the two are reacquainted and all the memories are back. Maribel is now a woman of 23 and living in New Orleans and trying to fit back into society with family that has been searching for her for years.

The remainder of the book focuses on her discovery of family secrets, along with her relationship with Jean-Luc, the captain she knew from years ago and his secrets.

Personally, the relationship between the two seemed rather rushed and just creepy in a way. Considering her age when they first met and the age difference, the sudden falling in love was just rather unbelievable. For years she has dreamed of this man (I understand a young girl having a crush on an older man), but the other side of that is a little bit discomforting to me. Had the author allowed them to spend more time getting to know each other and develop a real relationship, it might not have seemed so rushed and off kilter.


This book was given to me via NetGalley for review from the publisher. All thoughts/opinions are my own.

This book was a fun-filled mystery! It was a bit longer than expected, but with all this snow and ice, there's plenty of time for reading! Actually, it was perfect because I felt as though I was swept away on a privateer ship to the warm Caribbean. The characters were believable and easy to relate to, with a sweet girl, a fearsome captain, and a brave hero. One thing I like about this book is that it's part of a multi-generational series. We met the great-grandmother back in the Pilgrim Bride (is that the right title? Maybe it's the Mayflower Bride...), and will follow the family through American history. Looking forward to the next installment!

<I> The Pirate's Bride </I> is an easy afternoon escape. I quickly read this book in one setting and enjoyed the story of a girl who was captured by privateers. It took a couple turns I did not see, but wrapped up very quickly.
This was a interesting look at early New Orleans and piracy/priveteering, but I wish we got a little more history and background about New Orleans.