I have truly enjoyed The Daughters of the Mayflower series. While I was mildly disappointed with The Pirate Bride after really enjoying The Mayflower Bride, this third book, The Captured Bride, redeemed the series. Full of adventure and intrigue, this installment by Michelle Griep was fast paced and a joy to read. I literally did not put it down from start to finish, and it’s not a short book!
The characters were engaging and lovable, while the plot twisted and turned in a beautifully crafted adventure tale. There was not a single character that I disliked reading, except, of course, those I loved to hate. The heroes and heroines were intensely endearing and the villains were just the right amount of villainous. The encroaching darkness was described enough to make the reader ache for the characters, without being overly graphic or hyper emotional. The characters raced through, each on their own journey yet holding hands with the others. And, of course, fought through to the other side with no little amount of loss and difficulty.
I am thrilled I got the chance to read this one, and am once again anxiously anticipating to the next installment.
The Captured Bride is available now for pre-order, and will be released officially on June 1st, 2018.
Thanks so much to Barbour Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy in order to supply my honest opinion.

A good mix of different garment types with a mostly more traditional design. Beautiful pictures and clear instructions.

Mercy Lytton is a young woman with a keen eyesight that makes her the perfect unexpected scout to be chosen for a mission to bring a wagon of hidden gold to the British during the French and Indian War. In order to avoid suspicion she is to pose as the daughter of her friend (and fellow scout) Matthew, along with a young man Rufus to play the part of nephew, and a man named Elias who has been labeled a traitor, will play the part of her husband. Their hope is that by posing as a travelling family, they can travel by day in the wide open without drawing any unwanted attention to themselves. With danger lurking along their travels, are they able to make it safely to their destination?

I would be lying if I said I love this book, but I don’t fault the author as much as my lack of knowledge of the French and Indian War. I remember studying it in school and know the basics of it but it’s not a common event for me to read about. I just found myself feeling like I was missing something as I was reading, and I’m not sure what that was. I will say the romance was much more believable in this book compared to the previous one in this series, but the story-line just didn’t hold me as much as I hoped it would. There was a lot of native language spoken in the book and although the beginning had a page of translations, it didn’t help me when I was reading an e-book and couldn’t switch easily back-and-forth to translate. I was able to read through without losing too much of what they were saying, but unfortunately I also sped through those sections knowing I wouldn’t be able to get much out of them. About 3/4 of the way through I started to enjoy the book more and found myself more interested in what was going on, but I wish I felt that way through more of the book.

Please note: As I shared previously for this series since I don’t believe I have come across this before, I feel it is important to note that each of the books in this series (Daughters of the Mayflower), is written by a different author. So while this is third book in the series, it’s the first by this author. Although new to me, I think it can be a good experience to see how multiple authors are able to work together and have their creative differences come together to form a single series.

*I received a complimentary advanced copy for an honest review from NetGalley and the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are mine only.

The Captured Bride is great book! Once I started it, I stayed up half the night in order to finish it! I love the characters, the setting, and the plot; all elements of a good story.

The Captured Bride is about Mercy Lytton, a half white, half Mohawk Indian working as a scout with her much older best friend Matthew. One day she is chosen for a secret mission to transport gold to a fort not too far away. She is to be accompanied by Matthew, posing as her father and Elias Dubois, a convicted French spy posing as her husband. At first, Mercy can't stand Elias but their mutual attraction is undeniable. The adventures they face on their trip to deliver the gold is a definite page turner.

I loved this book and recommend anyone to read it.