Review of The Raven Saint by MaryLu Tyndall

The third book in the Charles Town Bell series, The Raven Saint brings all of the Caribbean sea-faring adventure that we’ve come to expect from these romances, combined with the superb writing of a master phrase-ologist, plus characters with all the chemistry of an Estee Lauder perfume factory.

Grace is the God-fearing daughter of Admiral Westcott, the charitable one, the pious one. She finds herself aboard a mercenary’s vessel, where a rogue Frenchman, Captain Rafe Dubois, has kidnapped her and intends to sell her into white slavery in Colombia.

The Captain has his reasons for such an atrocious act; he seeks revenge against Admiral Westcott, and intends to use the money she would bring for the benefit of charity. A conflicted man with father-issues and a heart that has been broken by the woman he once loved, he has disavowed any religious faith. Until the divine Miss Westcott exerts her subtle influence on him.

Surprises and subterfuge abound. The plot is unpredictable, riveting and fast-paced, and even as things seem to resolve in the final few chapters, the revelations continue. Each character furthers the message of redemption and grace in a unique way that intertwines as each has a lesson to learn of God’s redemptive power, including the pious Miss Grace. Very well-crafted book.