The Bride Ship by Regina Scott

1866 – At sea, heading West

What was his brother’s widow—his first love—doing on a ship full of prospective brides headed out West? Clay Howard had been tasked with escorting the Boston belle home, but he didn’t anticipate Allegra being so strong-willed—or that he’d wind up traveling with her just to keep her from leaving without him! Allegra Banks Howard isn’t going to let Clay interfere with her plans for a new life with her daughter on the frontier. True, Allegra needs his wilderness savvy, but if Clay thinks he can rekindle what they once shared, he had better think again. Because risking her heart for a second chance at being his bride isn’t something she’ll undertake lightly….

Prudence Pursued by Shirley Raye Redmond

Prudence Pursued

Regency England

At the advanced age of twenty-seven, vicar’s daughter Prudence Pentrye is on the shelf. Content to occupy her time by attending meetings of Mr. Wilberforce’s Abolition Society and helping her father administer vaccines in an effort to prevent a small pox epidemic, Prudence is resolved to see that her younger cousin Margaret does not share her own unmarried fate. But Margaret is plain and shy. She is repulsed when a swashbuckling baronet, Sir James Brownell, makes her an offer of marriage. With his sunburned skin, eye patch, and indifference to fashion, Sir James is not Margaret’s idea of a romantic suitor. Nor does Margaret enjoy his tales of fighting against Malay pirates and trekking through tropical jungles on the island of Borneo in hopes of capturing a living orangutan. Prudence, however, finds herself secretly smitten. Will she maintain control of her traitorous heart or will she trust God to make her life richer and more rewarding than the one she had planned for herself?

The Promise Keeper by Lisa Norato

The Promise Keeper

1825 – Massachusetts

Danger reunites a sea captain’s daughter with her childhood protector—who is now a reclusive lighthouse keeper on an island across the bay. The new keeper has manned Pilgrim Light for a year now, and though her father recruited him for the post, Iris Moon has never seen the fellow nor will anyone discuss him. Rumors circulate he was once a pirate and had been imprisoned. Lured by the secrecy, Iris rows out to the light to meet the solitary keeper. He’s a curmudgeon who remains as mysterious as ever, until confusing dreams haunt her, causing Iris to suspect they share a past connection. Jonathan Mayne sailed with Captain Moon’s family as a young cabin boy during the earliest years of Iris’s life. A grown woman, Iris holds no memory for her childhood friend, who now guards the bay from a lonely lighthouse tower. When a shipwreck survivor bent on revenge washes up on the shores of the Moon family mansion, will Johnny be able to protect Iris from her dead mother’s secret while keeping a promise to her father never to expose it?

Curse of the Black Avenger by Eddie Jones

curseoftheblackavenger Curse of the Black Avenger

Time Travel – Carribean

If you drowned and the sea spit you out, thrusting you back into an age of pirates, buried treasure and beauty beyond belief… would you stay?

RICKY BRADSHAW has never sailed the Caribbean Sea, searched for buried treasure or battled pirates on the deck of a Spanish Galleon. He’s never fallen through the floor of Davy Jones’ locker, befriended a witch doctor or watched an old fisherman morph into a porpoise. All Ricky knows is his lonely life with his widowed mom in a tiny apartment overlooking a marina on the Chesapeake Bay.

But all that changes on a snowy Christmas Eve when Ricky’s apartment building burns down and he falls into the chilly waters while trying to save BARNACLE, a mangy mutt with shrimp breath. Suddenly Ricky finds himself confronted by his neighbor, a young woman in a pink bathrobe who jumped to her death in order to escape the flames. She offers him a choice: go with her to a wonderful afterlife where snowflakes taste like candy or return to the dreary old world he knows. Ricky picks the past and awakes on a raft in the middle of the sea where there is surprising beauty on every island, danger around every corner and great honor and glory ahead of him… if only Ricky can summon the courage to survive the curse of the Black Avenger.

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

Full Steam Ahead

1851 – Texas

When Nicole Renard returns home to Galveston from an eastern finishing school, she’s stunned to find her father in ill health. Though she loves him, he’s only ever focused on what she’s not. Not male. Not married. Not able to run their family business, Renard Shipping. Vowing to secure a suitable marriage partner, Nicole sets out with the Renard family’s greatest treasure: a dagger personally gifted to Nicole’s father by the pirate Jean Lafitte. Many believe the legend that the dagger is the source of all Renard Shipping’s good fortune, though Nicole is sure her father’s work ethic and honorable business practices are the keys to their success. Before she can board the steamer to New Orleans, Nicole finds her father’s rivals–the Jenkins brothers–on either side of the gangplank, ready to grab her and steal the dagger. Quickly, she decides to instead travel north, to Liberty, Texas, where she can decide what to do next.

Darius Thornton needs a secretary–someone to help him get his notes in order. Ever since the boiler explosion aboard the Louisiana, Darius has been a man obsessed. He will do anything to stop even one more steamship disaster. The pretty young socialite who applies for the job baffles him with her knowledge of mathematics and steamships. He decides to take a risk and hire her, but he’s determined her attractive face and fancy clothes won’t distract him from his important research. The job offer comes at exactly the right time for Nicole. With what Darius is paying her, she’ll be able to afford passage to New Orleans in mere weeks. But Mr. Thornton is so reclusive, so distant, so unusual. He can create complex scientific equations but can’t remember to comb his hair. And his experiments are growing more and more dangerous. Still, there are undeniable sparks of attraction between them. But Nicole is leaving soon, and if she marries, it must be to a man who can manage a shipping empire. Darius certainly doesn’t fit that description. And the Jenkins brothers have not given up on kidnapping Nicole and seizing the Lafitte dagger for themselves.

The Pelican Bride by Beth White

The Pelican Bride

1704 – Canada

Genevieve Gaillain and her sister board a French ship headed for the Louisiana colony as mail-order brides. Both have promised to marry one of the rough-and-tumble Canadian men in this New World in order to escape religious persecution in the Old World. Genevieve knows life won’t be easy, but at least here she can establish a home and family without fear of beheading. But when she falls in love with Tristan Lanier, an expatriate cartographer whose courageous stand for fair treatment of native peoples has made him decidedly unpopular in the young colony, Genevieve realizes that even in this land of liberty one is not guaranteed peace. And a secret she harbors could mean the undoing of the colony itself.

A Captain for Laura Rose by Stephanie Grace Whitson

A Captain for Laura Rose

1867 – Missouri

Laura Rose White’s late father taught her everything he knew about piloting a Missouri River steamboat. He even named their boat after her. Despite that, it seems that Laura will forever be a “cub pilot” to her brother Joe, because in 1867, a female riverboat captain is unheard of. That is, until tragedy strikes and Laura must make the two month journey from St. Louis to Fort Benton and back in order to save her family’s legacy, her home, and the only life she’s ever known. The only way for her to overcome the nearly insurmountable odds is with the help of her brother’s disreputable friend Finn MacKnight, a skilled pilot with a terrible reputation. Laura loathes having to accept MacKnight as her co-pilot, especially when she learns she must also provide passage for his two sisters. Straight-laced Fiona has a fear of water, and unpredictable Adele seems much too comfortable with the idea of life in the rough and tumble environment of the untamed river and the men who ply it. Though they are thrown together by necessity, this historic journey may lead Laura and the MacKnights to far more than they ever expected.

The Ransom by MaryLu Tyndall

1692 – Caribbean

Living in a city deemed the wickedest in the world is no easy task for Miss Juliana Dutton. To make matters worse, with an ailing father and a drunken fool for a brother, she is forced to take over the running of the family business in order to survive. When a nosey suitor threatens everything, she spurns him and instead becomes engaged to the town idiot, Lord Munthrope. But is he an idiot? The more her problems push her closer to the man, the more she realizes he is not who he seems. Alexander Hyde, the Pirate Earl, is the most feared pirate in the Caribbean—feared, successful, wealthy, handsome, and bored, so terribly bored. When an unexpected event allows him to get close to Juliana, a woman he has loved from afar for years, he takes it. But leading a double life causes more problems than it’s worth. A restless crew and a long-time enemy out to capture and hang Alex, put Juliana in grave danger. As tremors rock the city of Port Royal, Juliana’s faith in God is equally shaken. Not only have things gotten worse, but she is confused by her feelings for both Munthrope and the Pirate Earl. Deception, intrigue, mutiny, death, betrayal, all attempt to tear the lovers apart. But the final blow comes when a massive earthquake strikes the city and threatens to sink it into the sea.

Jasmine by Diane T Ashley and Aaron McCarver

Jasmine (Song of the River)

1870 – Illinois

Jasmine Anderson runs away from her riverboat home and the faith and love of her past to pursue a life of fame. She flees to a showboat where she gains small roles and attracts the seductive attention of the lead actor and the bitter jealousy of a veteran actress. Then a great tragedy sets off a chain of events that creates promising new opportunities but also grave danger for Jasmine—and ultimately the chance to discover a dream truly worth living and sacrificing for.

The River Palace by Gilbert Morris

The River Palace: A Water Wheel Novel

1865 – Several US States, Mississippi River

The Civil War has ended when Yankee Captain Dennis Wainwright and Confederate Sergeant Gage Kennon cross paths. Forming an unlikely alliance, their travels become very interesting when they stumble across a band of Gypsies. Gage saves an older Gypsy woman from a terrible accident, earning the respect, but not the friendship, of her granddaughter Nadyha. Later Gage finds himself in the unlikely position of saving an innocent young woman from being arrested and possibly hanged.

These unlikely people seem bound together mysteriously by unaccountable forces; but always Gage Kennon, a humble and devout Christian man, is at the center of the turns and twists their lives take. The road soon leads them to a grand showboat, the Queen of Bohemia, and exciting journeys on the Mississippi River.

The River Palace is based on a very old story, that of the Good Samaritan, but it is also a new story of faith, romance, and classic adventure from beloved Christian author Gilbert Morris.

Camellia: Song of the River by Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver

Camellia: Song of the River

1861 – Mississippi

Natchez belle turned riverboat maiden Camellia Anderson misses her old life of privilege. She misses the balls and she misses the suitors. . .then a chance to attend finishing school in New Orleans catapults her into an exciting world—and a whirlwind courtship with a dashing Confederate soldier. It’s beautiful, uncomplicated romance until a trip to Memphis brings old friend—and Northern spy—Jonah Thornton back into Camellia’s life. Now she’s torn between two loves, but will she risk everything to save a Union soldier?

A Bride’s Rogue in Roma, Texas by Darlene Franklin

A Bride’s Rogue in Roma, Texas

1897 – Texas

Blanche Lamar has inherited a steamboat from a father she’s never met. As she struggles to adjust to her new life she finds an unexpected ally in Ike Gallagher. She and Ike both want to find a way to make the steamboat profitable but are at odds on how to accomplish it. Can they learn to live in faith, or will their future happiness sink in a river of overwhelming devastation.

The River Rose by Gilbert Morris

riverrose The River Rose: A Water Wheel Novel

1854 – Tennessee

Life hasn’t been easy for Jeanne Bettencourt, a widow approaching thirty and struggling to provide for her eight-year-old daughter. But hope arrives in the form of the Helena Rose, a steamboat she unexpectedly inherits from a distant, departed relative. Jeanne’s father had captained a similar vessel and taught her how to pilot a steamer along the banks of Memphis. She’s looking forward to a renewed livelihood on the mighty Mississippi.

However, as plans are made, news comes of another heir to the Helena Rose – a tough man named Clint Hardin – and a clause in the will that says claimants of the estate must live aboard the boat. Jeanne, a Christian woman, makes it clear she won’t stay with a man who is not her husband. But both are desperate for work, so they agree to keep their distance as Clint occupies the lower deck and Jeanne takes the captain’s quarters.

As they restore the Helena Rose, the slowly softening Clint becomes attracted to Jeanne – who is now being courted by a wealthy plantation owner. With her family and future at stake, the desires of Jeanne’s heart are duly complex. Only her simple faith can navigate her through what’s about to happen.

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Lily by Diane Ashley and Aaron McCarver

Lily (Song of the River)

1859 – Mississippi

Cruise down the Mississippi with Natchez belle Lily Anderson. Needing to provide for herself and her sisters, Lily is desperately trying to make a go of a riverboat venture with co-owner Blake Matthews. But they fail to find anything to agree upon. Blake is enamored of the feisty Lily. Attempts to woo her may be lost to the devious Jean Luc Champney. Will the siren song of the river evolve into a serenade or a somber lament?

The River Queen by Gilbert Morris

riverqueen The River Queen: A Water Wheel Novel

1850s – Mississippi

Julienne Ashby, 24, must change her pampered ways after her father, a prominent businessman in Natchez, Mississippi, loses their fortune and family home to a bad gambling habit in 1850. Like a fish out of water, she aims to refit their one remaining possession, an old riverboat, in hopes of making a profit and restoring the Cuvier name along the mighty Mississippi.

Desperate for help in doing the restoration work, prideful Julienne hires Dallas Bronte, a humiliated captain whose drinking problem stopped his water ways many years ago. Despite initial success, the struggles they will face with other ship owners are almost as challenging as the fiery feelings – of love and hate – that they must sort out for each other. When the riverboat and all aboard meet what looks like certain destruction, God shows Julienne and Dallas only one of those emotions is unsinkable.

Ransome’s Quest by Kaye Dacus

Ransome’s Quest

1814 – Jamaica

This fast-paced, engaging end to the Ransome Trilogy follows a tale of love and danger on the Caribbean Sea in the early 1800s.

Commodore William Ransome is searching for his sister, Charlotte, who has been captured by Salvador, the infamous “Robin Hood of the West Indies.” When word comes that his wife, Julia, has been kidnapped by the evil pirate, Shaw, Commodore Ransome and his crew frantically search the horizon for the two women he loves. After Charlotte is found, she emerges with revelations about Salvador’s true identity and his willingness to help search for Julia. It’s news that sends shockwaves through the family.

Will Commodore Ransome trust Salvador to help rescue his beloved wife? And what other secrets have been buried like long lost treasure in these waters? Romance, intrigue, and swashbuckling leaps of faith create a wonderfully heroic close to this beloved series.

The Red Siren by MaryLu Tyndall

1718 – Carolina

You’ll be swept away by this latest historical romance by bestselling author M. L. Tyndall. Faith Westcott is a lady by day and a pirate by night. Can she garner the riches she so desperately needs before her secret is revealed? Captain Dajon Waite is determined to catch the fiery redhead who has been pillaging the Carolina coast. When Faith invites his courtship, she hopes his infatuation will shield her true identity and keep other suitors at bay. Can the love of a godly captain win her heart, or will she be forced to marry Sir Wilhelm Carteret, a man obsessed with taking her to wife?

Whirlwind by Cathy Marie Hake

1892 – At Sea

As a nanny, Millicent Fairweather poured her energy and talents into the two young charges under her care–only to have them suddenly and without explanation sent to a boarding school. Bereft and unsure of where life will lead her, she agrees to accompany her sister and brother-in-law to America. They board the Opportunity, confident a better life awaits. Widower Daniel Clark determines to begin life anew in Gooding, Texas, operating a mercantile. But when his nanny leaves him stranded aboard the ship with his young son, he finds himself in dire need of assistance. Obtaining temporary help from steerage, Daniel is initially taken aback by the pretty bundle of energy who takes over his suite. Yet Miss Fairweather’s unique child-rearing techniques and tireless devotion to his son soon win him over. When tragedy ensues and a whirlwind decision is made, Daniel and Millicent’s lives irrevocably intertwine. Will love soon follow?

Flame from Within by Shirley Kiger Connolly

Flame from Within

1864 – Virginia, Louisiana

A journey across the sea begins a journey of healing for Aimée’s soul and a discovery of love and faith she thought she’d never find. When a Yankee-induced fire destroys her family and her home, young plantation-bred Amethyst Rose finds herself on the run. Angry towards God and the men in blue, Amethyst’s only choice left is to move in with her elder and controlling sister, who runs a bordello in The French Quarter of New Orleans-a decision guaranteed to destroy Amethyst’s personal respect and tarnish her family name. With her bitter hatred towards all Yankees plunged into high gear, nothing seems to matter anymore, until, on a riverboat en route to New Orleans, she finds herself intrigued by the presence of not one, but two Union officers. Each in his own way find ways to tug at the heart and soul of this woman lost.

The Restitution by Marylu Tyndall

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1669 – Jamaica

A woman’s desperate search for her kidnapped child A father seeking forgiveness for an unconscionable act Only when they join forces, can they save their son Lady Isabel Ashton longs to marry a nobleman and live out her days in the wealth and privilege she is accustomed to as the daughter of an earl. But her plans went awry when she was kidnapped and ravished by a notorious pirate captain. Scorned by society and banished by her family to live on the island of Jamaica, Isabel decides to keep her baby. But then her precious child is kidnapped. Desperate to find him, Isabel soon discovers she must accept the help of the one man she hates most in the world–the boy’s father. Determined to win the heart and forgiveness of the woman he ravished, Captain Kent Carlton searches every port in the Caribbean for Isabel. Drowning his sorrows in rum and cards, he has all but given up when an acquaintance informs him, first of the child’s existence, and then of the kidnapping and Isabel’s whereabouts. Thrilled Isabel agrees to accept his help, Kent soon finds himself involved in a plot of deception and revenge that threaten to destroy both him and Isabel and keep them from their son forever.

The Reliance by MaryLu Tyndall

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1668 – Caribbean

Tormented by his wife’s apparent demise, Edmund Merrick sails away to drown his sorrows-only to find himself trapped in the dark world of a demented Frenchman. When his mind clears from its rum-induced haze, will Edmund find the will to escape? Seemingly abandoned by her husband, Charlisse is thrown into the clutches of the vengeful pirate Kent. Will she be swept away by the undertow of treachery and despair? Can Edmund and Charlisse steer their way to the faith-filled haven they so desperately seek, or will they ultimately lose their love and lives to the sea?

The Redemption by MaryLu Tyndall

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1665 – Caribbean

Lady Charlisse Bristol sets off on a voyage in search of a father she never knew, only to find herself shipwrecked on a desert island. Near starvation, she is rescued by a band of pirates and their fiercely handsome leader, Edmund Merrick. Will Clarisse win her struggle against the seductive lure of this pirate captain? While battling his attraction to this winsome lady, Edmund offers to help Charlisse on her quest-until he discovers her father is none other than Edward the Terror, the cruelest pirate on the Caribbean. Can Edmund win this lady’s love while shielding her from his lecherous crew and working to bring her father to justice?

Island Bride by Linda Chaikin

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1660s – West Indies

Betrayed by family, sustained by love, strengthened by faith…they face their greatest test.

The courageous Nicklas Valentin is pulling off the masquerade of the century. As a decorated knight of Spain and the son of a powerful Spanish viceroy, he commands the respect of Spanish nobles and the obedience of soldiers. But as the dashing English buccaneer, Bruce Hawkins, he has the affection and loyalty of his men and the heart of the beautiful Devora Ashby.

Claiming to have killed the pirate Bruce Hawkins, Nicklas returns home to a hero’s welcome and his lovely bride-to-be. But Nicklas, consumed with a desire for revenge against his father and Spain, plans for a last raid which is threatened by treachery.

While Nicklas and his father must eventually face each other’s pride and vengeance. They are destined to learn an important lesson as forgiveness ultimately surfaces at a great expense to both.

Though Nicklas and Devora have faced love’s ultimate challenges, their hearts desires are realized in the exciting conclusion.

Captive Heart by Linda Chaikin

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1661 – West Indies

He was a daring adventurer—one whose company she would never seek on her own…

Life was perfect in British Barbados, thought Devora. Assisting her Uncle Barnabus with his patients, and learning his medical knowledge was exhilarating. Then Devora overheard her long-absent mother, Countess Radburn, make a life-changing announcement: Devora would be carried away to the Spanish Main where her marriage would be arranged. “It is important you marry Don Nicklas—if only he’ll have you.”

From perilous intrigue at the king’s high court, to battles between Spanish conquerors and English pirates, Captive Heart takes you on a romantic adventure set in a time when love, honor, and faith forged a sacred trust.

Jamaican Sunset by Linda Chaikin

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1700s – Jamaica

Publicly betrothed to Baret Buckington, her handsome sea captain, Emerald Harwick can scarcely contain her joy. She will manage her plantation’s Great House on Jamaica until his return from sailing with buccaneer Henry Morgan, and then they will marry. Meanwhile, she will begin a singing school and translate the African slave chants God’s songs of redemption.

But then problems out of the past put in an unexpected appearance. Emerald is abducted and finds herself on an unscheduled sea voyage. That long-ago stolen treasure from the Prince Philip comes into play once more. Baret hopes to free his imprisoned father and unearth the treasure.

But Baret’s enemy—pirate Rafael Levasseur—emerges as a final threat to Emerald’s cherished hopes. Can the God in whom she trusts indeed cause all things to work together for good?

Wings of the Morning by Lori Wick

Wings of the Morning (Kensington Chronicles, Book 2)

1850 – Maine and other countries on the Atlantic

Victoria “Smokey” Simmons stands silently on deck as her father’s body is lowered into the Atlantic, asking God for the strength she will need to command the Aramis alone. Not wanting to remain at sea forever, Smokey dreams of the time when she can trade her life aboard ship for a home and family. When she meets another captain, Dallas Knight, Smokey believes her dream will finally come true. But circumstances beyond their control and the schemes of a cunning pirate threaten to destroy this young couple’s hope for the future.

The Saintly Buccaneer by Gilbert Morris

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1777 – Pennsylvania

The Saintly Buccaneer spotlights Paul Winslow, a young man who is bitterly opposed to the American Revolution. His life is quickly changed when he is shanghaied and pressed into service aboard a navy frigate. And then he is struck with amnesia!