Romance on a British Warship During the War of 1812

Emaline Baratt preferred her painting to rushing into marriage. Her father, however, had different ideas. He believed that the only appropriate life for a young woman was marriage and the sooner the better. Because of her resistance, he packed her off to Brighton, England to live with her wealthy aunt.

Emaline delayed returning to Baltimore as long as possible, but with the death of her aunt, she must return. She is the center of attraction, particularly for young officers, when she returns on one of her father’s ships.

This is the era of the War of 1812. When a British warship sights the ship, they open fire. Emaline is taken prisoner. She decides the best way to save herself is to pretend British sympathy. Therefore, she is given her freedom to tend to the wounded. She also receives the Captain’s attention because of her art.

One of the young officers, Lieutenant Owen Masters is both attracted and repulsed by her. He’s an American spy and while he’s drawn to Emmaline, he can’t risk his cover.

This is the sixth book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. As with the others, it is a romance with a background of a period in American history. The history is well researched and over the six books we get a picture of the struggles of the young American republic.

The characters are typical for a romance novel. Owen and Emaline are attracted but try to fight their blooming interest. The book has adventure, but it’s mostly in the first and last chapters. For me, the middle sagged a little. I recommend this book if you enjoy romance with a realistic historic background.

I received this book from Barbour Books for this review.