An adventure in history paired with a romantic struggle, that is what TIMELESS TREASURE by MaryLu Tyndall is all about.
To say Lexi Cain is down on her luck would be a vast understatement.
Her life has been one difficulty after another but losing her mom might just be
the icing on the cake. Feeling utterly alone, the only thing she has left of
her mother’s is an old wooden chest. What Lexi doesn’t know is how some aged
letters and a coin found in that chest is going to change the trajectory of her
future. Realizing these letters could lead to the treasure of the infamous pirate,
Stede Bonnet—a possible distant relative—Lexi has no choice but to ask Professor
Barret Johnson for help. Though Professor Johnson is the epidemy of everything
she hates – wealth, affluence, the perfect family, a pillar of the community—it
doesn’t change the fact that she needs his help deciphering the letters.
Professor Barret Johnson teaches South Carolina history at
Charleston University. However, his pet project at the moment is writing a book
on the pirates of Charleston. When Lexi Cain barges into his office, waving
around letters that might have been penned by notorious pirate Stede Bonnet, he
is more than interested. But what surprises Barret even more is the feelings
that start to develop for this woman who is everything he is not.
Working together, Lexi and Barret read the letters looking
for any clues that might lead to Bonnet’s hidden treasure. Though Barret is skeptical
the treasure even exists, he changes his mind when Lexi becomes the target of
break-ins and physical assaults. Someone wants the letters as much as Barret
does, and they’re willing to do anything to take them from Lexi. Now, not only
does Barret want to secure the letters for his research and their historical
value, but he also feels the need to keep Lexi safe, even though she is
resistant to his help. Knowing her independent spirit is an outpouring of the
difficult life she has led; Barret doesn’t give up. Slowly, he attempts to
break down Lexi’s walls and challenge her to let him in.
TIMELESS TREASURE is historical, adventurous, romantic, and
actually provides the reader with two stories—the torrid love affair between Stede
Bonnet and Melody Rogers in the 1800s, and the current relationship between Lexi
Cain and Barret Johnson. Though Stede and Melody were kept apart by circumstances,
Lexi and Barret are thrown together by fate. I did find the spiritual impact a
little soft and at times stilted, but it did not minimize my love for the
story. However, what I did appreciate
was the research Ms. Tyndall undertook in order to make this novel both factual
and believable. Of course, she took creative license in crafting her story,
nevertheless, it all blended together into a captivating tale that shows how resilient
love is, whether it’s spanning the vastness of the seas or the gap between
social standings in our world today.
Thank you, MaryLu, for another great adventure! I’m glad I
went along for the ride!
This novel was provided to me in exchange for an honest
review. All opinions expressed are my own.
