Heart's Ransom

Rafe Serrano Beltram is a physician by training. Now the new captain of El Verdad, he is on a mission to exact revenge against his privateer father’s murderer. His death was caused by the reputed “Hawk of the High Seas.”

The plan was relatively simple. Lure the British captain to them by kidnapping his daughter. But from the beginning Rafe is faced with unexpected complications and in the end he finds himself thoroughly ensnared by his comely captive.

A childhood illness left Catherine Ransom blind. Since then she has gone through life being coddled by her father but becoming independent in spite of him. Though she may well be called Kitty she is not helpless and she is more capable than many would suspect.

Her yearnings for adventure beyond her home come true in a most unexpected manner. Kitty is taken from her bed one night and though she is unable to escape her abductor she does not give up in her attempts to thwart him in his scheme.

This tale is made up of the serialized installments that Ms Reinke had written for subscribers and is currently available as a free ebook download from the author’s website. As such it is quite cohesive though there are a couple of instances where we might feel an attitude is out of character or we may question a happening. Even so, it is a fantastic novel-length perk.

The heroine is a woman who has learned to depend on all of her senses in response to being unable to see. She is unwilling to be pitied and has managed to escape being bitter for her sightless state. We cannot help but admire her for her strength of character and her warmth of personality.

Rafe is an equally engaging and complex character. With his difficult childhood history and upbringing to adulthood he is still innately kind, compassionate, and loving.

Humor, tenderness, adventure, betrayal and misunderstandings will keep readers hooked from beginning to end. And of course it is a pleasure to watch the romance take hold and grow across the course of the book.

Readers will thoroughly enjoy this moving account of an honorable man unwittingly set on a dastardly course and the resourceful woman intent upon changing his direction.

Ms. Reinke continues to deliver the goods as a writer and satisfaction can be yours by little more than the click of a key. So…what are you waiting for?

April 2007