The Reckoning is Mary Lu’s fifth book in her Legacy of the Kings Pirate Series (an absolute favorite of mine!  BTW!)  This installment of the series has an unexpected twist; beginning in our modern day world of 2015 and time traveling back to 1694, just a few years after the previous book, The Ransom, ended.  Our heroine in The Reckoning is a techy, modern age 24 year old named Morgan Shaw.  Morgan suffers from anxiety and OCD – you can only imagine how interesting her life becomes when she’s transported back to a world of pirates, greed and ship battles!

I’m a huge fan of Mary Lu’s pirate books, but will admit, I was a little hesitant when I heard this book included time travel.  I feared it would come across unrealistic and be sub-par compared to the rest of the series – boy, was I wrong about that!  It was brilliant!  I couldn’t put it down!

Each book in Mary Lu’s series has a strong spiritual theme and The Reckoning was even better than the other four books (if that’s possible!)  Morgan is taken on a journey where prescription meds, modern medicine and technology can’t fix and/or numb her from her problems – she has to learn to face them head on with courage and with God.  This is a real interesting process in the book, because, as you will find out, Morgan isn’t convinced she’s in 1694!  Now, the evidence is all around her and at times I kept wanting to shout, “It’s real!  It really is!”  Yet, how natural is it for me to be in denial about certain things in life, desperately wanting to believe it’s all a mistake?  Ya’ know, like when you’re in a jungle and a snake drops around your neck?  😉  All that to say that “moral of the story” really struck a chord with me and was one that will stay with me forever, challenging me to trust more fully on God.

Just a little note to the folks who, like me, are really into the historical side of a novel: there are plenty of dangers, sword fights and ship battles!  You’ll smile at the plot behind Captain Bloodmoon’s “precious treasure map” and how it came to be missing from his possession.  The storyline is fast paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Another thing I really enjoyed about The Reckoning was how Mary Lu incorporated all the characters from her previous pirate novels into this book.  Folks like Edmund Merrick, Charlisse, Alex, Juliana and even one of my favorite characters from The Ransom, Jonas come back on the scene with our favorite ships – The Redemption and The Ransom!  Not only did Tyndall bring these characters back, she had them doing what they do best…and that stirs up memories from the other books which make me want to go read them again!

This book is very different and I loved that about it!  The storyline is funny, heart wrenching and stimulating at the same time.  It’s a wonderful addition to the pirate series and if you’ve read all the books, I think you’ll enjoy it.  If you haven’t read the previous releases, don’t worry, you can read The Reckoning as a standalone, though I warn you, you will want to read the rest if you do!  The Reckoning is a must read if you enjoy historical fiction, action, adventure and fast paced novels, but most of all, if you like time travel and romance– this book is for you!

The Reckoning releases July 1st, 2015!

Buy from Amazon – HERE.

I received a copy of The Reckoning for my honest review and was under no obligation to write a favorable review – but I just couldn’t help myself…it was well written, meaningful and well worth the read!