Title: The Pirate Bride
Author: Kathleen Y’Barbo
Series: Daughters of the Mayflower (Book 2)
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Maribel Cordoba is the daughter of a Spanish ship captain named Antonio Cordoba. When their ship is taken over by Captain Jean Beaumont and his men, Maribel (Red) instantly annoys the captain with her insubordination and chatter about pirating which she says she learned from the book The Notorious Seafaring Pyrates and Their Exploits by Captain Ulysses Jones. He informs her that he is a privateer not a pirate, and it’s different because he is working under the authority of the French king. Yet while the young girl irritates the captain, he also develops a soft spot for her. When tragedy strikes the ship and Maribel is thrown overboard, Captain Beaumont and his men search for her until they are attacked and the captain himself is injured and (thanks to a lie by one of his crewmen), is returned to his family.
A few of his men are able to rescue Maribel and she is sent to a convent orphanage to be raised. They vow not to inform their captain that she has survived in order to protect their lives due to a bounty out for the captain’s life. However eleven years later after she receives a surprising letter, Maribel is off to New Orleans to be reunited with family she believed to be lost. Shortly after she arrives she learns of devastating money issues with her family and she goes off in hopes to fix it herself. While attempting to see if she can do anything to help, she discovers Captain Beaumont (real name Jean-Luc Valmont). The dynamic they had before remains, except now Maribel is a grown woman and Jean-Luc finds himself desiring her. Can they solve her family’s money problems before it’s too late?
I’m a bit torn with how I feel about this book. I honestly feel if it were lengthened a bit some of the holes could be filled in more. I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of the book, but I felt that the second part was lacking. When Maribel and Jean-Luc are reunited it’s as if they are instantly engaged without any romantic pursuing or understanding of how their relationship exists as it does. The last time Jean-Luc saw Maribel she was only 12, so a different type of relationship should have formed between them instead of “wow you’re alive I missed you! We have a problem to fix, let’s do it, and oh by the way will you marry me?” I can honestly say the romance was clean but really only because there wasn’t any. I feel like more attention should have been given to them forming a bond instead of instantly deciding to wed. With exception to the romance piece however, I enjoyed the rest of the story.
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 second 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.
*At the time of this posting this book has not yet been released. The expected release date is currently April 1, 2018.
Rating: 
Age Appropriateness: The first part of the book contains some violence that takes place between the men of opposing ships. This includes a gunshot wound. Other than that the book is relatively clean especially for the time period it’s portraying. Despite being labeled a romance based on the title, I really didn’t see it as such even though the two characters get engaged in the end. Really I didn’t see too much that would prevent younger readers (11 or 12), but don’t know if the content would hold their interest. I’d say the intended audience is more mid-teens and up.
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