Enjoyable.

I loved the glimpses into past, and lived the info that this was a fictional account of the author’s own ancestors.

Opening line:
"I fear we've overstayed our welcome."
First off: That cover! It's gorgeous!
Second: The writing! Gorgeous!
Third: Ms. Todd is a beautiful writer with a beautiful talent of the written word.

I LOVE that Ms. Todd was able to write this story about her fourth-great-grandparents, John and Papapaunauapu (or Maile for short). The story takes the reader on a historic journey with James Cook, John Harbottle and the royal Hawaiian family.
Maile is in love and soon to be married but ships on the horizon mar that dream as white men descend on her village. Misunderstandings and language barriers lead to distrust and fighting. People are killed, love is lost and there looks like no happiness will ever find Maile again.
But happiness does find her in an unusual way.

Thanks to netgalley for the early read.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of the novel. I enjoyed this historical regarding the sandwich islands and native people's there. This story read a bit like the movie , Moana, down to the mention of Mauis fishhook but was not Moana. I appreciated that this was a clean romance and the slow build and need for hearts to heal in this book. I love the proper romance books and will Glady read and recommend them to others. This one is no exception.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Maile is the daughter of a powerful chief on a Hawaiian island in 1779. They have just had visitors to the island. Captain James Cooke and two of his ships have just left the area and Maile is so happy for the sailors to be gone. Maile sees the white sails again on the horizon and realizes that Captain Cooke and his men are back.

This historical book takes the reader on a journey through love, loss and second chances.
The author showed a great talent for letting the reader feel immersed in the culture, the time period, and the chemistry of the characters.