Naomi Dawn Musch

Overview:    

     In The Blue Enchantress, the latest in M.L. Tyndall's Charles Towne Belles series, Hope Wescott desires nothing more than to become a true lady. As the daughter of an admiral, that doesn't seem like such a difficult feat, but her insecurities have led her into a lifestyle of promiscuous behavior she has difficulty overcoming. Desiring love and acceptance, Miss Hope has plunged into an illicit affair that places her in the heart of danger.

     Captain Nathaniel Mason's past is shrouded by having been born as the illegitimate offspring of a wayward woman. Now he'd like nothing better than to find wealth, security, and honor ? an ambition that tends him toward a very judgmental nature.

     Nevertheless, he cannot deny his attraction to the kind of woman he most distrusts, and her name is Hope Wescott. After impetuously rescuing Hope off the auction block, they are shipwrecked together on an island along with a mostly obnoxious troupe and discovered by pirates. In the midst of it, they must struggle to put aside their painful pasts in order to find true love, honor, and acceptance.

    Looking Closer:

      Not having read book one, The Red Siren, I could sense that there was backstory I should have liked to know about the characters. Still, I was quickly caught up in the role they had to play in The Blue Enchantress. MaryLu has her grip firmly fastened on the historical detail of sailing the tall ships and the life of sailors in general, and pirates specifically. The story was a romp, if you enjoy a good pirate tale.

     Writers, as a rule, have to fight the urge to create information dumps. The trouble with sequels comes in quelling the desire to re-cap previous stories. Yet MaryLu avoids that trap. She begins her tale at the beginning ? not back in Charles Towne ? but right in the action. And what action! We authors know the power of a good hook. What better hook than to find our heroine being perused on an auction block by a swaggering crowd of lechers, and having the reluctant hero step forward to bargain for her rescue?

     There is a style I tend to dislike in romances that has characters constantly swooning, or "lowering their lips". The romance sometimes just feels a little bit too over-the-top, but lots of readers thrive on that. This story seems to follow the formula pretty well. But like I said, what I most admire is her ability to hook us and reel us on into a story that constantly moves forward, while being packed with a lot of action and adventure.