The Redemption: Legacy of the King's Pirates, Book One

M. L. Tyndall always surprises me with her simple yet though provoking tales of redemption and Christ's transforming work. If you are a fan of romance, the sea and enjoy Christian Fiction, I would highly recommend starting with The Redemption ( first in this series). Nice beach read!

Redemption is truly in a class of its own. Never before have I seen a pirate adventure/romance in the Christian fiction section. It's a fast-paced, fun read. Charlisse has escaped an abusive uncle and is traveling to Port Royal to find her long-lost father. On her way, she is shipwrecked and who should come to her "rescue" but a band of bloody pirates, captained by the dreamy, newly-saved-Christian Merrick. Merrick is a great hero- you fall in love with him right along with Charlisse- he's sweet and sensitive but always has a mischievious twinkle in his eye... There are also some fun secondary characters, one that reminds me of Smee from Disney's Peter Pan (at least that's the image that comes to mind). A great adventure story with a sweet romance thrown in. Just enough Christian overtones to be a pleasant read not too preachy. Overall a great find; I've already read it twice! I'm an avid reader of Christian fiction and romance, so I was absolutely delighted to see a different sort of story. Pirate stories are usually good, action-packed reads and the Redemption is no exception. Plus it doesn't have the smut of mainstream pirate romances to ruin the story. **Check out www dot piratequiz dot com for a quiz to determine your pirate name.** Some silly questions but fun nonetheless. My name came out as Dirty Charity Flint (apparently in pirate-speak showering daily makes you dirty...)

Swashbuckling pirates, battles at sea, a lady in distress, and a missing father all combine in The Redemption by M. L. Tyndall for an enjoyable read. The first surprise came when I realized that the pirate captain, Edmund Merrick, had already become a Christian. How could this be? How could he continue his "occupation" as a pirate and profess to be a Christian? The questions drove me to read as quickly as I could. Finally it dawned on me. Edmund was a British subject in 1665 working at the Queen's order. He was a "legal" pirate. He and his pirate crew hunt down Spanish ships for the Queen. The British were at odds with the Spanish during this time period. The problem with not with Ms. Tyndall's writing; it was with my lack of quick knowledge of the history of the time period. I must say that in spite of my confusion I had to keep reading. Edmund Merrick's character enticed me to keep going to see how he would deal with the conflicts he experienced between the requirements of his job and his need to follow a more Christian path. Would he change or revert to his pre-Christian ways? In Lady Charlisse Bristol, M. L. Tyndall created a strong heroine. Her determination to live after the shipwreck that stranded her alone on a deserted island and to find her missing father made me want to cheer her on. As Charlisse struggles to get through all the trials, I wondered how much more could she endure? I've watched a lot of movies about pirates and enjoyed them, but I've not done a lot of reading from this time period. The weaving of the threads of historical facts is so well done in this novel that the unfamiliar nature of them became a rich background instead of a jarring intrusion. The romance M. L. Tyndall creates in The Redemption drew me into the story as well. Would Edmund and Charlisse find a way to cross the ocean of doubt and fear between them in order to be able to acknowledge their attraction for one another? Women readers will find this story captivating, yet it is written with a strong enough hero to attract male readers as well.

A Christian Pirate novel, what a concept, what an oxymoron! M.L. Tyndall, author of The Redemption, is quick to point out that the genre is actually historical romance--with plenty of gritty swashbuckling. So what am I, an industrialized-blue-collar-yankee-Christian reader and writer of adventures, doing reading what Barbour categorizes as fiction/ general/ romance? It is with pleasure and complete surprise that I found myself completely engrossed in The Redemption from start to finish. The Redemption is no more or less a romance novel than is Robin Hood. Anyone interested in classic swashbuckling action stories which just happen to include a leading lady and man reluctantly falling in love, must read this book, regardless of the bookstore shelf label. Not only was I relieved to discover The Redemption to be all Robin Hood with a thimble of Maid Marion, I was ecstatic to find that the quality of M.L. Tyndall's writing rivals that of Robin Hood author, James Clarke Holt! Every scene that could have lapsed into page-flipping predictability instead edged me on my seat then riveted me there with clashing cutlasses, strategic naval maneuvers and dire conflict: I'd found a gold and pearl true pirate treasure. Those are pumped-up-classy review terms but remember I'm a writer. This is what makes The Redemption true literature . . . We begin with a shipwreck introduction of the heroine: must be the Godly woman who leads all the pirates to Jesus, right? Wrong. Lady Charlisse Bristol is a non-Christian who hates the church. She's rescued off a desert island when a pirate ship stops for careening and fresh water. The Redemption (the pirate ship) is captained by a Christian--yes, my eyebrows did the same thing. While this story is not easily labeled, The Redemption can be best categorized as alternate-history, a sub-genre of speculative fiction. One of the reasons I'm drawn to write spec-fic is the creative latitude granted by the genre: If you can make something like a Christian pirate believable to your reader, it's allowed. Not only does M.L. Tyndall make apparent contradictions believable, she makes them logical and does so with the most powerful tool of fiction--deep characterization: "Captain Edmund Merrick was raised in Britian's high society, found snobbery unfulfilling and fled to the Caribbean to seek adventure. Years of piracy proved equally unfulfilling and eventually he found Christ. The only reason Merrick's still in the pirate-game is that he was contracted by England to raid the Spanish Main." In classic style and voice, Tyndall skillfully braids breathing characters with Raider's of the Lost Ark non-stop plot conflict and action, forcing you to turn pages until the very end.

Lady Charlisse leaves London and the only life she's ever known in search of the father's love she has never possessed. Raised and abused by a licentious uncle, Charlisse bears deep physical and emotional scars that leave her wary of trusting men and the God her uncle claimed to serve. En route to Port Royal, the ship she bartered passage on sinks in a violent storm and Charlisse is left shipwrecked and struggling for survival on a deserted island. Near death, she is discovered by a band of pirates led by the infuriating and enigmatic Captain Edmund Merrick. Edmund Merrick is a man with a mission. Once a pirate, Edmund has become a Christian and a privateer in the service of King Charles. He seeks to serve his new Lord by ridding the Caribbean of pirates and is on a quest to stop the reign of terror led by his one-time captain, Edward the Terror. When he rescues Charlisse from near-starvation, Edmund finds himself inexplicably attracted to her and admires her strength and tenacity. However, Charlisse brings new dilemmas to his life - not only must he protect her from his lecherous crew, but his resolve to capture Edward is shaken when he discovers his nemesis is none other than Charlisse's long sought-for father. Charlisse struggles to trust Edmund and his God -- never having known the love of a father, with only an abusive uncle as a male role model, her adventures in the Caribbean become an extreme exercise in faith. When treachery threatens to separate Charlisse and Edmund forever, and Charlisse's life is subsequently threatened by her father and his pirates, will their fledgling faith be enough to see them through seemingly overwhelming obstacles? With a release timed to coincide with the "pirates craze" surrounding POTC: Dead Man's Chest, Tyndall's novel perfectly fills a gap in the CBA historical fiction market. On one level, simply put the novel is a great deal of sheer fun to read. The Redemption reminded me of Linda Chaikin's great pirate novels released about ten years ago, and delivers action, romance, and exotic locales in spades. Tyndall draws her characters with a great deal of style and panache and the fact that this is her debut novel, is, quite frankly, astounding. Her prose sparkles, the action is tightly plotted, and she incorporates faith without ever resorting to trite clichés or heavy-handed treatment. Highly recommended. Tyndall is an author that I look forward to seeing more from. Thankfully, one will not have to wait long for a sequel. Book #2 in the Legacy of the King's Pirates series, The Reliance, releases in January 2007 followed by book #3, The Restitution, in June (well-timed to coincide with the release of the final Pirates of the Caribbean film, I might add!).