Customer Reviews

The Reliance (Legacy of the King's Pirates, Book 2) (Truly Yours Romance Club #7)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

MaryLu Tyndall has done it - written a sequel which is, if possible, even better than the original (The Redemption)! We follow Merrick and Charlisse, now married, as they encounter the depths of sorrow. And then, when their lives hit bottom, we watch them grow and change as their faith and personal strength begins to win out over circumstances and those who would harm them. I love these characters and, like me, I know you won't be able to put this book down. It's a must-read!

Years after their rocky start, Charlisse and Captain Merrick are blissfully married, but when an old rival sets his sights to hurt them both, everything they value is questioned.

Chaos ensues when Merrick thinks Charlisse has been killed. His old numbing ways beckon him to return to oblivion. Meanwhile, Charlisse is trapped in the possession of her worst enemy.

The Reliance is a story of crises of faith. How does one respond when all is lost? Is there a point when there is no hope left? When great misunderstanding transpires, can love and trust sustain them?

Book Two of The Legacy of the King's Pirates Series is even more gripping than the first. Full of captured ladies and scoundrels as well as good-hearted men gone wrong, there is something in this book for everyone. Whether you seek romance, adventure or the turning of hearts,you'll find it here. Besides, who doesn't need a vacation to the Caribbean?

Armchair Interviews says: A Caribbean pirate adventure with something for everyone.

I have read books one and two in the Legacy of the King's Pirates series and half of the third. I can't put them down. I really wasn't sure if I would like the series or not, but they are awesome. I would highly recommend these books to both Christian Fiction lovers and pirate lovers.

Christian piracy sails on. Tyndall's second installment to her LEGACY OF THE KING'S PIRATES trilogy, The Reliance, is another swashbuckling page turner. Chapter one of this "historical romance" opens with our hero and heroine lounging on a beach in Porto Bello, Panama--where we'd all love to lounge. Three paragraphs later, still on page one, musket and cannon fire shatter all romance. Our sunbathing lovers are interrupted by pirates sacking the town. That's how fast Tyndall moves. Not fast enough?

Captain Morgan sacks San Lorenzo. Merrick and Charlisse fight their way out of town on Don Deigo's stallion, pistol and musket fire snap close behind. On the road out of town, they find a church full of abandoned orphans. How to save them from advancing pirates? Merrick leaves Charlisse to hide the children in the church, and goes in search of a wagon. As Merrick rides away from the church, the building, where he's just left his wife, explodes. As does his soul. That's page twenty-three, the end of chapter two. Not fast enough?

By page twenty-six we discover that Charlisse is alive, but kidnapped by Captain Kent Carlton, leftover bad-guy from book one, The Redemption. Merrick searches the rubble, then sinks into despair's depths.

If you're wanting a romance novel about dating and what to wear, this ain't it. Well, Charlisse does cross-dress a couple of times, in order to visit a pirate port, and captain her husband's vessel. Yes, chick-lit readers, Charlisse captains the Redemption. She even gives the order to fire a broadside at her rum-swilling soon-to-be-ex-husband's new flagship, the Satisfaction.

In the course of middle chapter soul-wringing, we're tortured by main characters' ships that pass in the night, their honest motivations and terrible pain.

The Reliance has many plot subtleties, but peel these onion layers for yourself, and enjoy. This Tyndall woman can write. If you're able, start with The Redemption, in order to meet living characters in living color.

M.L. Tyndall has done it again--captivated me--the woman who no longer reads historical romance novels--with an epic, seafaring, adventurous, historical romance!

Not only has she succeeded in writing a sequel that is even better (if possible) than the first in the series (a rarity in my experience) this time she threw a lady pirate into the mix.

That was a delightful surprise.

Tyndall has a way of pulling off the improbable in her stories. In The Reliance, I believe she managed to pull off the impossible.

If you haven't read book 1, The Redemption, with its Christian pirate (yes she did!), I recommend that you run--not walk--to your nearest bookstore and get it. But don't leave without picking up a copy of The Reliance as well while you're there.

MaryLu, I just took a peek at your preview of book 3, The Restitution. Don't you dare neglect to send me a review copy! I am positively chomping at the bits to read it. Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence

Lady Charlisse Merrick Hyde's life is shattered when she is captured by the vindictive pirate Captain Kent Carlton who stages her death deceiving her devoted husband and reformed pirate, Captain Edmund Merrick in this sequel to The Redemption.

In his grief, Merrick spirals back to his old ways, aligning himself with the evil and twisted French pirate Collier, convincing himself he is avenging Charlisse's death and turning his back on God. Imprisoned on Kent's ship, Charlisse is confined with Lady Isabel, who has also been captured by Kent and so begins her own struggle to hold to the truth that God has not deserted her.

I can't help but revert to wonderful cliches and claim Mary Lu Tyndall's new release another swashbuckling tale of adventure, villainy and romance on the high seas! Merrick and Charlisse's separate journeys through grief, rage and desperation are fascinating as their different choices impact their faith and destinies. Kent and Collier are well drawn evil pirates bent on revenge and selfish gain yet MaryLu is able to draw a distinction between them as Collier's madness drives him to barbaric behaviour while Kent struggles to ignore his niggling conscience that refuses to die.

The Reliance is an energetic, exciting and romantic read, full of interesting details of pirate culture (if one could call it that!), the ships that defined them and the changes that God can make to the hearts of even ones so hardened by their hostile and brutal life. The only downside is waiting until August for the release of The Restitution by Barbour.

Author MaryLu Tyndall broadsides the reader with a rip-roaring adventure on the stormy Caribbean. It's all here, from walking-the-plank to rat-infested ship holds, while interspersed throughout with love, devotion and duplicity.

It's a given that handsome and brave Captain Merrick is my favorite male character, but a close second goes to his first-mate Sloane. A crusty curmudgeon, he's got a heart as big as the sea. His care and protection of Charlisse in Merrick's absence is admirable, and his conversion toward the end could make a grown pirate cry.

Many new characters are introduced, but the heart of the story is the faith journey of Charlisse and Merrick. Charlisse's new faith catches wind and sails in the midst of tragic events. Merrick's trust in God plunges to murky depths so gloomy, the reader wonders whether he'll drown in his doubts.

I must admit to being nervous when embarking on The Reliance since my heart had already been kidnapped by Tyndall's first book, The Redemption. But before the end of chapter one, I'd been reeled in. Tyndall is a master of character development and rope-dangling scene endings. Once you begin reading, your everyday life will be thrown in the hold until the last page.

Five stars, ten yo-ho-ho's and a bottle of rum for Tyndall's masterpiece, The Reliance. My only concern is how she'll be able to top this with the third and last book in the series due out later this year. Don't get stranded ashore and miss the adventure. Set sail for the nearest bookstore and capture this treasure!

Captain Edmund Merrick and his wife, Charlisse, are struggling to reach their ship, the Redemption. They had gone ashore, thinking they would be safe, when their old enemy Captain Kent Carlton, and his unsavory crew attacked. Edmund returns to the church where he left Charlisse, only to find it in flames, and he believes she is dead. In reality, she has been taken captive by Kent. Filled with bitterness, Edmund searches for the pirates he believes killed his wife, unaware that she is still alive.

The Reliance is the sequel to The Redemption, and is just as riveting. M.L.Tyndale's historical details puts the reader in the thick of the action. Her characters are strong and courageous, and there is a clear message of grace and redemption. For the reader of exciting historical romance, The Reliance is a must.

Having just finished reading The Redemption, The Reliance reads as only an okay sequel. There is plenty of action, adventure, intrigue, and drama but I felt aggravated throughout pretty much the whole book. Why? Well, in the Redemption you get to know Charlisse and Merrick. Sigh. You fall in love with Merrick right along with Charlisse. But in the Reliance I found Merrick's character to be cowardly, capricious, hypocritical, weak, and stupid. One of the main attractions to his character in the Redemption was his strong faith in the face of evil and his hopeful optimism even facing death. Here, he doesn't even check the site where Charlisse is believed to have been found dead. He pretty much immediately falls back into his old, before-Christ pirating. Both Merrick and Charlisse hear voices of good and of evil- which initially is an interesting twist but it's used too much, making this story preachier than the first.

My main complaint is that I really didn't like Merrick. He returns too quickly and easily to his old habits- joining up with an evil pirate to avenge Charlisse's "death". He practically starts falling in love with another woman and when he finds that Charlisse is still alive, he has the audacity and gall to think that she has no right to not welcome him with open arms?!? Argh. Charlisse, on the other hand, is much more likeable. She shows such strength, courage, faith, and bravery. She captains a ship of bloody pirates! Pretty amazing compared to how she was in the Redemption. But her change is believable; she had to fight to survive and her faith/reliance on God gave her strength in the face of any adversity.

Even though the plot is action packed, the storyline offers nothing really new or original. Husband thinks wife is dead, goes on revenge kick, wife is really alive, and there are many instances where they pass each other by. That idea is nothing new. The plot points were predictable; you know that they can't find each other right away- the story would be over too soon.

Maybe if you spread out the reading of the two stories you wouldn't notice or be bothered by the change in Merrick's character. Reading one after the other, they don't really match up. The Redemption reads as much more exciting, riveting story. Even though the Restitution focuses on Kent and Isabel, I hope the story line is better than the Reliance. (Though Kent is another character who seems different/changed- in the Redemption, he comes off as a heartless, cunning rogue bent on revenge and in the Reliance he still is evil but we see some good in him. He comes to love Isabel. Maybe his change will be believable...)

A continuing story takes place in "The Reliance" by MaryLu Tyndall where we last left Charlisse & Captain Merrick. Both on a mission together in the beginning of the story, soon a huge tragedy takes place separating the two newly married and finally able to spend their life together. Captain Merrick believing Charlisse, his wife, is dead, he turns his back on the One true God and goes to his old life of piracy. Charlisse captured by a villainous pirate, soon to escape to then seek out Captain Merrick, her husband, but starts to struggle with her own insecurities.

The capture of Charlisse, she tries to help another lady, Isabel, escape from Kent, while she is struggling to face Captain Merrick when she discovers what he has been up to. Captain Merrick finally realizing being disgusted with his old way, repents, and struggles to get back on the right track, with shocking news about Charlisse still being alive. As in the in "The Redemption" see how the title, "The Reliance", plays out through this second novel to the "Legacy of the King's Pirate". Watch how Charlisse's faith grows, where she can only rely on the Lord, and Captain Merrick being dependent on the Lord and leave it in His hands. "The Reliance" has truly been a hard book to set aside, where I want to know how things are going to turn out in the end. Definitely going to read this novel again!