Saturday, December 12, 2020

My Review - Timeless Treasure by MaryLu Tyndall

 

5 out of 5 stars
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.

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