The Raven Saint

A Recommended Read

Like all of Marylu Tyndall's books, The Raven Saint contains nonstop action and stunning settings. However, I would have liked the book a little more if the characters had been a little more believable and the plot a little less predictable. Grace and Rafe seemed too much like the stereotypical protagonists of other books I've read. Still, I loved Grace's character in the first two books, and I loved how this book tied the entire trilogy together. I would definitely recommend this book along with the rest of the trilogy.

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I love it!

This is by far one of my favorite books written by Tyndall! I loved the plot, the characters, the setting, I could read it again and again! Most of all, I must add, the story spoke to me personally and I learned some important lessons from reading it. This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it.

Amazing Book

This is the third book in the Charles Towne Belles series, and it does not disappoint! MaryLou has an amazing way of sucking you into the story she has woven, to the point where you can not get enough. Once you have finished the book you are over joyed however there is a longing for the story to continue on because you have become so endeared by the characters.MaryLou's Love of God shines through in each of her books. Her love for God causes you to draw closer to his love and grace. Her characters become Godly examples of how those who have faced the worst of circumstances can turn to God and be truly loved.I would highly recommend this and ANY of MaryLou's books to anyone who loves a great story, especially those placed upon the sea and founded upon the love of God. MaryLou has very quickly become my favorite author. Her books are easy to read and you just can not get enough of her fascinating stories and characters!A++ All the way!!!

Disappointing

The Raven Saint is the story of Grace Westcott, an admiral's daughter and the picture of virtue. She is kidnapped by Rafe Dubious, a French captain and mercenary. She struggles to discern God's purpose in her kidnapping, especially since she has found herself among some of the worse heathens in the world. Captain Dubious believes that he is doing the right thing for kidnapping Grace, but as their voyage continues, he begins to doubt his motives.This book has the potential to be good, but unfortunately disappoints on many different fronts. The first is the characters. Grace's judgmental attitude actually becomes a turn-off by the fifth chapter. It was hard for me to care about her well-being. Captain Dubious is more likable, but his actions and motivations seem a little too unbelievable. His charity to people in need and his lust for revenge seem to conflict in the wrong way. I found myself more drawn to Madam Dubious' servant, Annette, than the two main characters.Second, the plot stalled in several places. There were portions where the plot didn't move forward. The book also contained long sections of internal dialogue from one of the main characters. I found myself skimming often. Also, Grace seemed a bit too inactive. I understand she was a captive, but often it seemed like she was simply reacting to other's actions. Another problem was a surprise plot twist at the end that didn't resolve one of the subplots. It only left me with more questions.Third, the actual writing left something to be desired. Some of the metaphors and similes sounded as if Tyndall was trying too hard. It was as if she tried to be unique but her attempts ended in some ridiculous sounding phrases. My personal favorite was "The liquor took a warm stroll down his throat..." I think simply saying the liquor warmed his throat would have been far more effective.Also, there are complete sentences in French. It is not an uncommon occurrence to have foreign languages included to add to credibility, but it was excessive. In addition, there were several times were I couldn't figure out what the sentence meant from context clues. I don't speak French and I don't think I should have to work to figure out what it means. Another issue I had with the writing is her overuse of words. I grew extremely weary of men "doffing" their hats and all the hat removing didn't add anything to the story.This book was an unfortunate disappointment, especially since it had potential to be a great story.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A good conclusion to the series!

MaryLu's writing has a way of grabbing your attention and not letting go till the very end. Once I picked up The Raven Saint, I found it very hard to put down for any length of time. From the very first chapter, when Grace is thrown over the shoulder of the dashing Captain Rafe like a sack of corn, I was captivated. I always love a kidnapped/ransom story, and The Raven Saint is all that, and more! While I can't say it's my favorite of Tyndall's books (The Surrender to Destiny series is just SO good!), I did enjoy this last installment in the Charles Towne Belles. One thing I can always count on with MaryLu -- I'm sure to be in for a swashbuckling adventure filled with surprising twists in the plot!

A Good Read

This was a nice conclusion to the Charles Town Belles series. I didn't especially care for Grace's character. Rafe was okay, but he didn't seem quite real enough. On the other hand, I did find some of the secondary characters quite fascinating. The plot was fantastic, and though I didn't quite connect with the characters, I was excited to see what would happen in the end. The ending was actually quite funny and I thought it was great. It was definitely my favorite scene in the whole book. I think that it is awesome that MaryLu adds God into her stories without putting in too little or too much. It is just right. I would recommend this as a nice conclusion to the series.

Great Novel!

Book three in the Charles Towne Belles series. Each novel deals with a different sister and her adventures that lead to romance and grace. The Raven Saint is about a young lady who has lived her life serving God. When she gets kidnapped, she is faced with questions and fears that she never faced before in her life. This novel has all of the wonderful traits that the first two novels had. The only bad thing is that there are only three novels, when another sister has been mentioned on occasion. I would love to hear her story as well. If you haven't read MaryLu Tyndall's other novels, you need to check them out. She never disappoints. She follows God's lead in each and every novel.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

Just like every single other book by MaryLu Tyndall, this was a page turner. I literally couldn't put the book down. I kept reading and reading, not even able to put it down to eat supper. I would carry it to the table and eat! I love the characters and how they continue on and how they interacted with each other. This book was so good because it reminded me of myself. I felt so much like the characters that it was almost scary. It inspired me to be better than I am. Excellent job Captain Tyndall

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

High Sea Adventure from Carolina to Columbia

The Raven Saint by M.L. Tyndall is the third and last book in the Charles Towne Belles series. The first book is The Red Siren and the second is The Blue Enchantress. The books are about three sisters: Faith, Hope & Grace Wescott. They have an older sister who is married and still in England, her name is Charity. Their father is an Admiral in the Royal Navy and spends more time at sea then with his family. Their mother passed away during childbirth.

This is Grace's story. She has been devoted to God from the beginning. Her mother wanted her to make sure her sisters came to Christ as well and Grace carries that burden along with carrying for the people in her area and her family. She brings food, medicine and the gospel even when her life is in danger of Indian attacks. She just did not consider the real danger of being kidnapped until one day in October, 1718 when it became a reality.

Captain Rafe Dubois, French by birth, has a hatred toward the British Navy. His mother was killed during a war and a raid on their Island. So when a don from Spain offered a large sum of money for the daughter of Admiral Wescott Rafe agreed to it. He thought she would be much different than the woman he kidnapped. Instead she had courage and was kind although she was judgmental and pious. He would have second thoughts about selling her but he had hate and revenge to turn to in those times. So many people betrayed him in the past that he did not trust easily.

Grace kept trying to find why God put her in this situation, surely it was to spread his word. She had a way of trying to beat people over the head with the Word rather then ease it up to them. And she was a bit self-righteous. When she escapes the ship at Port de Paix, the Island Rafe grew up on, she does not fair well. She don't speak french, she is robbed and fortunately the robbers did not recognize a woman in boys clothes and after four or five days in the rainy weather without shelter or food she gets help from an unlikely source.

Grace and Rafe are as different as night and day. She is prudish and pious and is a rake who seems to not have many morals. She has never been kissed and he has women throwing themselves at him.

It is quite an adventure that ties up the last of this series. Spyglass the cat is unique and smart, Thorn the first mate who is not all he seems to be, Claire- who has outward beauty but is quite devious, Rafe's father who is just evil although he claims to be a Christian, Annette the slave who is caught between two worlds, Father Aler who left being a Jesuit priest to sail with Rafe, Nicole a soiled dove who reaches out to help Grace when no one else does and helps Grace understand that sometimes people do what they must to survive.

I recommend reading all three books in the order written to get the full scope of the stories.

Piece of Wonder

This book is yet another work of art from M.L. Tyndall. As I read this book I didn't know what was going to happen every time I turned the page. The characters are real and admirable. Grace Westcott is a young woman that strives to bring her sisters to God, and looks after all the poor souls of Charles Towne. French Captain Rafe Dubois is a man used to being in authority and doing as he pleases. When these two meet, two different lives clash, and there's no turning back. Grace teaches Captain Dubois a lesson, and she is taught a lesson herself from Someone who knows her better than she knows herself. A wonderful book full of lovable characters, a riveting plot, and a message that speaks to the heart.

Great read!

Join bestselling author M. L. Tyndall for another seafaring historical adventure full of romance, intrigue and action. Grace Westcott has piously served God her whole life. Captain Rafe Dubois cannot pass up the opportunity to earn more gold by kidnapping Admiral Westcott's youngest daughter. But when the missionary and the mercenary meet, it's full-sail-ahead into tumultuous waters! Find out what happens when a bitter mercenary who's sworn off God falls in love with the Christian woman determined to change him. This is my favorite book to date of Ms. Tyndall's, and I hope she writes more in this series-you will love them!

The Raven Saint

The youngest Westcott daughter, Grace, is about to find out a lot about life. She is betrayed and kidnapped by Captain Rafe Dubois, bound to be given to a Spanish don as vengeance for something her father, the Admiral did. Grace instantly turns to prayer and places her life in God's hands only to have him seem to do nothing.

I disliked Grace in a major way at the beginning of this book. She was everything I disliked about preachy Christians that think they are better than everyone else. Thankfully, Rafe was there to somehow show her the error of her ways.

This was quite a complex plot line, with many spins and twists to keep the action going. Rafe comes from a dubious past that is catching up to him, threatening not only him, but Grace, whom he has learned to hold dear. With all these interesting people roaming the pages, I found my favorite to be the little ship cat, Spyglass.

3/5

Suzie Housley, Midwest Book Review

Grace Westcott is committed to serving her life to promote the goodness of the Lord. She spends her time with the sick and the poor in the town of Charles Towne. She feels the hours she devotes to these less fortunate individuals will bless their lives and hers.

French Captain Rafe Dubious is in need of gold coin to build a hospital for the poor. The opportunity to obtain these funds comes in Admiral Westcotts' daughter Grace Westcott. He decides to kidnap Grace and then demand a high ransom for her safe return.

Rafe succeeds in kidnapping Grace and holds her hostage on his ship Le Champion. Grace questions why God has led her to such a dire situation. As the days on board increases Grace learns that Rafe has turned his back on God. Grace is determined she will lead Rafe to the Lord. Will she succeed in her mission to save Rafe's lost soul before she loses her heart to him?

MaryLu Tyndall's Charles Towne Belles is one beautifully orchestrated novel! The Raven Saint is third in this highly popular series. If you are a fan of historical romance, then you definitely want to put the name MaryLu Tyndall high atop your to buy list. This author writes with a passionate flare that captures the true essence of romance.

"The Raven Saint" by M.L.Tyndall

Grace Westcott was en-route to minister to an ailing Timothy Roberts on a dark, rainy night with her maid, Alice. She had been specifically warned by her father and brother-in-law not to go on any more of these dangerous expeditions. But Grace was doing God's work: feeding the poor, tending to the sick and spreading the Gospel! However, when she arrived at the Roberts' cabin, she found that Mr. and Mrs. Roberts had not called for her.

Betrayal! At that point, the maid disappeared and Grace was accosted and taken captive by men with swords and guns and taken to the ship of a Captain Rafe Dubois, a mercenary who helped the poor. Only his mission with Grace was to sell her to Don Miguel de Salazar in Columbia, in retribution for the death of Don's son by Grace's father.

Betrayal, bitterness, revenge, piracy, and anger make for bitter decisions made by the Captain throughout the book. Grace prays for God's rescue, but she receives no answer. Surely God must have sent her on this mission to save the Captain and his men! But no one listened to her.

The Captain took a detour to Port-de-Paix, his childhood island, where he distributed food and clothing to the poor, amidst great appreciation, as he had promised to build a hospital-with the money he was to receive for Grace.

However, Mr. Thorn, the Captain's first-hand mate, helped Grace to escape, only to be robbed and left homeless for days, upon which she then met Nicole, a 'woman of the night.' Nicole arranged for her to go to a Christian man's home, the father of the Captain, Henri DuBois, in order to secure her way back home.

Rafe found out Grace was at his father's home, and arrived to help her escape. The seething anger and revenge almost overtakes Rafe against his father for the brutal beatings during his childhood and his father's betrayals. Upon rescuing Grace, Rafe finds his ex-fiance, Claire Dubois, his father's wife, and her slave, Annette, aboard his ship. Chaos reigns, partly due to the voodoo practiced by Annette, piracy and betrayals.

Grace finds herself helpless in reaching these men for the Lord. She's again held captive aboard ship, and she finds herself weak to do anything. Does Grace find God's will for this horrifying adventure? Will she be used to redeem these men and women? Does she find her way back home?

This book will keep you turning the pages, as scenes change from moment to moment. The suspense doesn't seem to ever end. Although I found the ending a little sudden, I was enthralled throughout the rest of the book. Enjoy!

A Story of Love and Betrayal Worth Reading!

Amazingly written! Book 3 in The Charles Towne Belles series, this is installment is just as great and book 1 and 2. Ms. Tyndall brings back old characters-Faith and Hope- briefly in the beginning but then she tells of new characters with Grace and Rafe.A story of love,betrayal and hope mixed with God, this one pulled me into to the book until I was one of the characters. I could feel everything they felt, see everything they saw. I didn't have one favorite character, as they were ALL my favorite. My heart went out to all of them. There was something in each character that I felt drawn to.




On top of being a wonderfully written book, there is lots of adventure, suspense and surprises at every turn. If you like pirates, suspenseful adventure, and a book that will make you apart of the wonderful romance then I suggest you grab a copy of this 5 star third installment of The Charles Towne Belles series, The Raven Saint.

Where Kidnapping, Faith, and Romance Collide

MaryLu Tyndall has rapidly become one of my favorite authors. The Raven Saint is book three in the Charlestown Belles Series and it could well be my favorite.

Grace Westcott lives a peaceful life serving God by helping the poor and trying to steer the souls of her wayward sisters. She is sure of herself, her faith, and her God, until the day a French mercenary kidnaps her. Captain Rafe Dubois informs her she is to be sold to a Spanish Don in Colombia. While Grace fears the ramifications of this she tries to believe God has an ultimate plan for her.

Rafe Dubois spent his life as a mercenary avoiding the riches of his inheritance and a tyrannical father. Rafe is known on his home island as a man who gives his bounty to the poor and promises large sums of money to an orphanage. The money he will receive for Miss Westcott will fulfill that promise.

Neither of them is prepared for the other. Or love. Can Grace learn that it is her own faith that needs an upheaval? Can Captain Rafe learn that Grace's God is really there for him too? Can Love save them both as their hearts learn to love each other?

MaryLu Tyndall weaves wonderful stories filled with love and intrigue, despair and hope, grace and mercy. I could almost feel the ocean breezes and smell the salty air. I highly recommend this book. I also highly recommend the first two books in the series, The Red Siren, and The Blue Enchantress. You'll be hooked on them. Then you'll want to go out and pick up her other books, too.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS!

There are few books I look forward to with more anticipation that those written by MaryLu Tyndall. As an inspirational romance writer myself, I read tons of Christian romances, but for me, Ms. Tyndall's are simply some of the best out there, the perfect mix of fast-paced romantic adventure for the heart, beautifully laced with a poignant spiritual message for the soul. She is, and continues to be, at the top of my list for a great read.

The third novel in her Charles Towne Belles trilogy, The Raven Saint, is no exception and a truly heart-pounding conclusion to this wonderful series on the high seas. A master at characterization, Ms. Tyndall concludes this action-packed trilogy with a cast of strong and compelling characters whose fears, trials and hopes soon become yours, taking the reader on an emotional journey that lingers long after the last page. The Raven Saint is a gripping and fitting finale that chronicles the story of the third sister, Grace Westcott, a beautiful woman bent on serving God and others. Kidnapped by a dangerously handsome French mercenary, Grace embarks upon an adventure that not only puts her heart at risk with the roguish Captain Rafe Dubois, but also her pride when she discovers her own failings as a Christian. Clearly another winner for MaryLu Tyndall-bring on the next one, please!

Mary Lu Tyndall's book was absolutely everything that I wanted it to be and more.

When an author writes a book you hope that it's kinda like their past book because you like the way they write but you also want it new and fresh. Mary Lu Tyndall was able to do that with this book and it was absolutely a thrilling read. The story consists of a girl being kidnapped but she is sure God will save her. Of course she is a little prideful an haughty and sometimes she thinks she is better than non-believers. As the girl goes through the hard ideal of being kidnapped, living on a ship and putting up with many things she had never had to put up with, she learns that God wants her to show more love to the people around her. But thats not where the story ends... The captain of the ship who kidnapped falls in love with her, but he's not a Christian. So through all the craziness the captain watches the girl and comes to believe in God. This story is truly a captivating story and will make you feel inspired to be more christ-like in your daily living.

Kidnapping Leads to Romance & Adventure

The Raven Saint is the last in t Tyndall's three-book Charles Towne Belles series. Each of the three novels features one of the sisters in the family, and in the last novel, we follow Grace Wescott, the most "religious" of the three.

When I first started reading, I thought Tyndall had inserted much from the second novel, The Blue Enchantress. But I soon found a totally new thread, quite different from the other two novels.

Mercenary Rafe Dubois kidnaps Grace for a huge sum of money while she's on a mission of mercy, but as he watches her exhibit a kind heart, he realizes this is no ordinary woman. She submits to the will of God, and decides she's on board to bring redemption to the wicked pirate and his crew. But Rafe also assists the poor, forcing Grace to reconsider her initial impression of him. Slowly she realizes her purpose is to find redemption for herself rather than Rafe, and she realizes God wants to change her heart, too.

Tyndall touches upon a common problem in the church with her explanation: "When problems arise, how quick we are to point the finger at someone else, when in truth, it's our heart God is trying to change."

Tyndall has been writing for more than twenty years. Her love of history and old ships led to this outstanding series. She lives on the California coast with her husband, six children and the family cats. One cat, one-eyed Sniffles (aka Spyglass) 1988-2009, is featured in The Raven Saint.


Anyone would enjoy this book, from teenagers to men who love history, and everyone between.


Reviewed by Audrey Hebbert, M.A., author of Green Light Red Light

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Grace Westcott, the extremely pious youngest daughter of Admiral Westcott, suddenly and unceremoniously found herself "between the devil and the deep blue sea" when a French mercenary, Captain Rafe Dubois, kidnapped her while she was doing good works. Immediately his men took her away to their ship and set sail for the Caribbean. As she was taken far away from her Carolina home, Grace constantly asked God why this was happening to her. Was she supposed to minister to the heathen on this ship? Or something else?

As with all her books so far, MaryLu Tyndall's writing exquisitely creates the world of her story, bringing to life all the stench and grimy underbelly of life on the ocean as well as the opulence of the Caribbean plantation. The steamy jungle of Colombia is palpable (and not unwelcome on a snowy January evening). Her words involve all five senses to a greater degree than nearly any other books I have ever read.

Hypocrisy, greed, prejudices, slavery, deception, pride, revenge, and immorality are all dealt with as the story unfolds, and the Biblical standards are projected as a natural progression, not as little sermonettes (although Grace, in keeping with her character, does deliver a certain number of sermonettes and dicta along the way. Few of those take root.) The real fruit of the Holy Spirit is exalted, yet the characters remain real.

Do I recommend The Raven Saint? Absolument, oui! er, Absolutely, yes! It's definitely an adult book, but I know older teens will enjoy it just as well. Even guys may like it, with all the gritty seamen and reality involved.