Sharman Burson Ramsey

This novel follows Swimming With Serpents and includes some of the same main characters, although the story can and does stand alone. The story begins in England but quickly returns to this side of the Atlantic. The story focuses on Joie and Godfrey from the previous book and the pirate activity on the Gulf coast. As in the first book, the research is great, but it does tend to overwhelm the action at times. Someone interested in the history of this era (early 1800s) would learn a great deal, especially about pirates and the struggles between the Native Americans, particularly the Creek and Seminole peoples, and the white settlers, along with Andrew Jackson. Both Joie and Godrey are characters you will want to cheer on throughout the book, and as a result, the ending is satisfying. I can see another book in the making, however!… (meer)

This novel incorporates a great deal of history intermingled with a romantic story. The background is the early 1800s in the South; I recognized place names in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. The struggles between the Native American tribes in the area and the incoming white settlers has begun. I found the research to be very interesting, although sometimes it tended to overpower the story. I often got lost in all the Native American names. Not being a student of Native American history, I did find it a bit odd that the main characters, who were mixed race, all had blue eyes while largely identifying with their Native American families. Perhaps this was more true than I would have thought. I didn't realize there was so much intermarriage between the groups. I did find some of the happenings between Lyssa and Cade a tad too coincidental at times, but overall it was a good story with likable characters.… (meer)