Charleston Brides Series by Elva Cobb Martin

Escaping to the New World is her only option...Rescuing her will wrap the chains of the Inquisition around his neck. Marisol Valentin flees Spain after murdering the nobleman who molested her. She ends up for sale on the indentured servants' block at Charles Town harbor—dirty, angry, and with child. Her hopes are shattered, but she must find a refuge for herself and the child she carries... moreEscaping to the New World is her only option...Rescuing her will wrap the chains of the Inquisition around his neck. Marisol Valentin flees Spain after murdering the nobleman who molested her. She ends up for sale on the indentured servants' block at Charles Town harbor—dirty, angry, and with child. Her hopes are shattered, but she must find a refuge for herself and the child she carries. Can this new land offer her the grace, love, and security she craves? Or must she escape again to her only living relative in Cartagena? Captain Ethan Becket, once a Charles Town minister, now sails the seas as a privateer, grieving his deceased wife. But when he takes captive a ship full of indentured servants, he's intrigued by the woman whose manners seem much more refined than the average Spanish serving girl. Perfect to become governess for his young son. But when he sets out on a quest to find his captured sister, said to be in Cartagena, little does he expect his new Spanish governess to stow away on his ship with her six-month-old son. Yet her offer of help to free his sister is too tempting to pass up. And her beauty, both inside and out, is too attractive for his heart to protect itself against—until he learns she is a wanted murderess. As their paths intertwine on a journey filled with danger, intrigue, and romance, only love and the grace of God can overcome the past and ignite a new beginning for Marisol and Ethan. less

She’s fleeing the secrets of her dangerous past. A swashbuckling privateer is her last hope. And the Inquisition is closing in…Captain Ethan Becket, a former Charles Town minister, sails the seas as a privateer, leaving behind the God who took everything from him. When his sister is taken by his enemies, he sets off to Cartagena in pursuit. Little does he expect his new Spanish governess to stow away on his ship. Yet her offer of help to free his sister is too tempting to pass up... moreShe’s fleeing the secrets of her dangerous past. A swashbuckling privateer is her last hope. And the Inquisition is closing in…Captain Ethan Becket, a former Charles Town minister, sails the seas as a privateer, leaving behind the God who took everything from him. When his sister is taken by his enemies, he sets off to Cartagena in pursuit. Little does he expect his new Spanish governess to stow away on his ship. Yet her offer of help to free his sister is too tempting to pass up. And her beauty, both inside and out, is too attractive for his embittered heart to protect itself against. But she has a past of her own…Wanted for murder—and with child—Marisol Valentin is on the run. When she sees an opportunity to get to Cartagena to find her last living relative, she takes it. She’ll do anything to outrun her accidental crime and protect her child…even if it means using the one man she’s finally come to trust. But secrets have a way of breaking loose. With everything at stake, only the grace of God can help Marisol and Ethan overcome their past and ignite a new beginning. less

The lure of the legendary Spice Trail beckons, but he may never find a spice more precious than the treasure he left in Charles Town.Two Charles Town men love Georgia Ann Cooper—Samuel Vargas and his step-brother, Joshua Becket—but only one both attracts and infuriates her. Even though he’s a dangerous budding patriot and a privateer—or more likely pirate—Samuel fills her dreams and waking moments... moreThe lure of the legendary Spice Trail beckons, but he may never find a spice more precious than the treasure he left in Charles Town.Two Charles Town men love Georgia Ann Cooper—Samuel Vargas and his step-brother, Joshua Becket—but only one both attracts and infuriates her. Even though he’s a dangerous budding patriot and a privateer—or more likely pirate—Samuel fills her dreams and waking moments. When he leaves Charles Town for high sea adventure on the legendary Spice Trail, she determines to push him out of her thoughts and her graces. A task made easier when she sets out on her own journey to England on one of her father’s merchant ships.Samuel Vargas is determined to make his own way in the world, not live in the glow of his parents’ escapades in Charles Town and the Spanish Main. There’s no better place to earn his fortune than the Spice Trail and along the Barbary Coast of the Mediterranean. But the adventure becomes more than he bargained for when, at Tripoli, he stumbles across a familiar face from Charles Town in a sultan's dungeon. He’s forced to use all his abilities to save the life of the woman he’s been trying to forget.As their paths intertwine on a journey filled with Barbary pirates, intrigue, and romance, only love and the grace of God can overcome the past and ignite a new beginning for Georgia Ann and Samuel. less

A Charles Town belle and a blockade runner ignite fireworks in more ways than one during the American Revolution. To Anna Grace Laurens, the war is like a distant bad dream until her family’s Charles Town plantation is burned and her parents murdered by those loyal to the king. She flees on horseback and leaps into the Cooper River to escape her pursuers.As John Cooper Vargas sails his sloop down the river, he spots a woman diving into the water... moreA Charles Town belle and a blockade runner ignite fireworks in more ways than one during the American Revolution. To Anna Grace Laurens, the war is like a distant bad dream until her family’s Charles Town plantation is burned and her parents murdered by those loyal to the king. She flees on horseback and leaps into the Cooper River to escape her pursuers.As John Cooper Vargas sails his sloop down the river, he spots a woman diving into the water. After firing on the Tory raiders chasing her, he rescues her and offers to take her with his parents to an island hideaway for the duration of the war. But she has other plans, including revenge for her parents’ deaths. She insists he drop her off in Charles Town, even with the British planning a massive attack by land and sea to retake the city, the Pearl of the South.John employs his sailing skills for the patriots, risking capture and death, but he enjoys his skirmishes with the British navy blockade to bring goods from the islands to aid the cause. But when Charles Town falls to the British, he docks his ship in a secret cove and joins Francis Marion's militia. This decision lands him wounded on a harbor prison ship where more men die than on the battlefield.Anna Grace braves the deprivations, first of a city barricaded against the British, and then one surrendered and ruled by fists of iron under the English flag and injustice. Can she find a way to rescue John before it's too late? As both American and English armies gather near Yorktown, Virginia, for a pivotal battle, can John and Anna's love for each other and their faith in God preserve them and help forge a new nation? less

She needs a new start...He knows a reckoning is coming. Banished from Charleston for his misdeeds years earlier, Joshua Becket built a new life on both sides of the law in Jamaica. As sugar plantation owner and member of the governing British Assembly, he's known and respected on the island. But he guards a secret identity. As swashbuckling Captain Jay, he leads daredevil privateering exploits on his ship, the Eagle, when the mood suits him... moreShe needs a new start...He knows a reckoning is coming. Banished from Charleston for his misdeeds years earlier, Joshua Becket built a new life on both sides of the law in Jamaica. As sugar plantation owner and member of the governing British Assembly, he's known and respected on the island. But he guards a secret identity. As swashbuckling Captain Jay, he leads daredevil privateering exploits on his ship, the Eagle, when the mood suits him. Currently, he needs a governess for his young daughter whose mother has passed. Widowed gentlewoman Abigail Welch accepted the governess position, leaving behind her disintegrated life in Charleston. This new start in Jamaica might finally help her find healing for her broken heart after losing her husband in the Revolution and their infant son to yellow fever. Joshua's precocious, undisciplined daughter is the drawing card that brings him and Abigail together like clashing cymbals of disagreement...and fiery attraction. Can love and the miracle power of God give them a new beginning and a happily ever after? less

An exposed family secret changed her life forever and blindsided his Marine heart.From the day Hannah was abandoned as a newborn, her adoptive parents have kept the truth of her origin from her and her siblings. But when that secret is exposed, a threat arises which forces her to leave the only family she’s ever known and the adoptive brother she adores. She must start her life anew in Charleston.U.S... moreAn exposed family secret changed her life forever and blindsided his Marine heart.From the day Hannah was abandoned as a newborn, her adoptive parents have kept the truth of her origin from her and her siblings. But when that secret is exposed, a threat arises which forces her to leave the only family she’s ever known and the adoptive brother she adores. She must start her life anew in Charleston.U.S. Marine Lieutenant Adam White, harbors a secret—more confidential than patrolling the Caribbean for French corsairs, more threatening than the fight against Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean. Adam carries a personal, burning secret in his heart. He's fallen in love with Hannah since discovering she is not his blood sister. And the thought that she might only ever see him as her loving big brother may be the greatest threat to him yet.As the Charleston men seek to win Hannah’s heart, she never loses touch with the man who had been her older brother. The man her heart can’t help seeing him in a whole new light. But when Adam’s squadron sets out for the Mediterranean on the most dangerous mission of his life, only God can keep him—and their love—alive. less

She fled from a gilded cage, only to find herself trapped in a marriage of obligation… Helena Allston had it all—wealth, beauty, and a life of luxury on her family's plantation. But when her father arranges a marriage to a man she despises, Helena takes matters into her own hands, fleeing on horseback, only to find herself half-drowned and memory-less in a simple cottage... moreShe fled from a gilded cage, only to find herself trapped in a marriage of obligation… Helena Allston had it all—wealth, beauty, and a life of luxury on her family's plantation. But when her father arranges a marriage to a man she despises, Helena takes matters into her own hands, fleeing on horseback, only to find herself half-drowned and memory-less in a simple cottage. And when her memory returns, Helena ends up back where she began; Arranged to marry—this time to the handsome gamekeeper who rescued her.Could there be more than obligation to this marriage? Or is he only after the Windemere Plantation her father promised him?Gideon Falconer is at a loss when it comes to the stubborn, beautiful woman he rescued from the Ashley River. And his predicament only worsen when he returns her to her family's plantation, where her father shocks him with a demand that Gideon marry his daughter to prevent a scandal. As a man new to his faith, he feels compelled to do the right thing, but his own secrets and a past left behind in England threaten to complicate matters further.In a marriage that began as a mere obligation, can Helena and Gideon find the strength to let love and trust conquer all, even as the world around them threatens to crumble? less