Rating 5 out of 5
Charity is involved in an accident that kills her husband and she runs in fear. She has spent their marriage enduring horrid abuse and is relieved to be free of him. However, his brother is determined to find her and make her pay for the death of his brother. Charity escapes on a ship and after docking in port realizes her brother in law is after her. She jumps over the side and treated to an unwanted rescued by the handsome, reformed pirate Elias Dutton. He immediately feels responsible for her safety and they set out on an adventure where he must rescue her more than once. Feelings develop along the way, but will the skeletons in Charity's closet keep them from each other?
So once upon a time I read a MaryLu book that I didn't like. It was LONG and I felt like I was constantly waiting for something exciting to happen. Ok, well there was a lot of fighting between ships and things, but basically nothing between the hero and heroine. By the end I was so frustrated I almost didn't read her books anymore. However, I found one on sale and liked it. Then I found another and really liked it. This one was even better, and it is the first five star book I've read in a long time. This book was so much fun to read. I'm kind of a sucker for a damsel and distress and a strong hero with a jaded past. While Charity was in big trouble and needed almost constant rescuing, I did not find her character to be weak or faint. Elias was a little bit bigger than life, but I'm not reading fiction for real life that's for sure! While I have never had too much of an interest in pirates, this whole series (The Charles Towne Belles) is definitely making me see the romanticism of the Caribbean's blue waters, handsome pirates with cutlasses and an exciting life at sea.
