CALANESAEA

by Gail Meath

After the Revolutionary War, England fate depends upon the love and trust between two strangers. (1785)Calanesaea washed ashore three years ago and has been hiding with a native family in the Bahamas. No one knows who she is or where she came from and she isn't saying a word. With her, she has proof that her father was unjustly executed as a traitor, but the rest of her family wants her killed and the proof buried.Captain Reece Garrett is haunted by his memories of the war and blames himself for the death of his best friend. He's lost all interest in seafaring and even living. So, he's heading back to Boston to sell his merchant ship and marry his childhood sweetheart. But when he discovers a native family has been murdered, he takes Calanesaea aboard his ship and they set sail in search of her identity. And without knowing how intertwined their lives are, they embark on a perilous voyage that leads them straight back into Reece's worst nightmare...and hers.

212 pages, Paperback

Published January 7, 2020

About the author

Gail Meath is the author of the multi-award-winning Jax Diamond Mysteries, a fun 1920s series about wise-cracking PI Jax Diamond, his courageous German Shepherd partner, Ace, and Broadway star Laura Graystone. She is alternating that series with her new 1930s Golden Age of Hollywood mysteries series, Stone & Steele, starring Vivian Steele, a widow seeking justice, and Preston Stone, a playboy vigilante.

Gail loves researching history, crafting mysteries with clues hidden in plain sight, building characters with a sense of humor, and always includes some very clever canine and feline companions. She also has a list of other award-winning historical romances, westerns, and fictional biographies of true heroines. She lives in a small village in Upstate New York with her husband and sweet Boston Terrier, and she spends loads of time with her grandchildren.

Reviews

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

1785, New Providence Island, Bahamas. Local tavern. Xavier (helmsman), Miles Granger, & Diego (Portugal, 1st mate) were having a pint when Captain Reece Garrett (American, Danika merchant ship) joined them with his drink.
Xavier had the ideal girl for Diego who gladly coughed up 10 gold coins.
Pilar (Diego’s wife) was furious with the 2 of them.
The 4 of them followed Pilar to her father’s house.
Ettore (Pa) told them the story; it seems Calanesaea’s (sea nymph, Nereus God of the sea’s daughter) Uncle put a curse on her, & the serpent is holding Nereus prisoner.

The serpent needs killed & Nereus set free.
Captain Garrett still had nightmares about things that continued to haunt him.
Captain Garrett had gone back to visit with Pilar & Ettore, she had been stabbed/killed, Ettore was not in great shape but died later.
Calanesaea had been hiding in the root cellar. She hardly knew what happened upstairs.
In 4 weeks, the Danika (merchant ship) would set sail for the last time with Captain Garrett as its commander of 50 seaman.
He would retire & marry Myrna (fiancé) in Boston, MA.
Captain Garrett had taken Calanesaea aboard the Danika (ship).
Captain Garrett had told Barney (heavyset, elderly man, cook) that Calanesaea was aboard the vessel. Take good care of her.
Captain Garrett finally had to tell Diego that Calanesaea was on board.
The Danika merchant ship’s destination is set for England.
There was a tropical storm headed their way.

London, England. Captain Garrett left Calanesaea “Cal” with Blythe (Reece’s BMF, bar/brothel owner).
The crew was quite worried about Cal, her Uncle Lars Rothwell (aka Jean-Louis Jardin), or King George III’s military might find her.
The Danika (merchant ship) had docked in Calais.
Captain Garrett went to visit with Pierrel (French, Reece’s BMF, former Continental Congress undercover agent) & Damion (colleague).
The discussion was of course about Calanesaea.
Selena had a plan.

Lady Selena Elizabeth Chatham (niece) & Uncle/Lord Rothwell had quite the argument.
LaSalle's restaurant. Lady Chatham met with Prince George.
How are Captain Garrett & his crew going to get Jonathan Chatham out of prison?
What did Lady Chatham reveal to Pierrel?
What was William up to?
I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.

I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.

Warning: This book contains descriptive accounts of extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader. If you are especially sensitive to this type of material, it is strongly advised not to read any further.

Wow, an awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written 17th century historical fictional romantic mystery book. It was extremely easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. This could also make another great 17th century historical fictional romantic mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is an extremely easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; PDF book.
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Gail Meath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars
Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
Calanesaea is a work of fiction in the historical, romantic, and adventure sub-genres, and was penned by author Gail Meath. Set in 1785 as the American Revolutionary War ends and the French Revolution rages on, a sweeping narrative takes us traveling the high seas with plenty of intrigue and mystery. The titular character Calanesaea survives a shipwreck and is taken in by a native family in the Bahamas. Keeping silent about her past is essential, but when circumstances lead her to the ship of Captain Reece Garrett, her true story and identity must come to light if she is ever to find peace.

Fans of sweeping historical romance with plenty of emotion and mystery will certainly adore this masterpiece of fiction by author Gail Meath. The late eighteenth-century setting offers a huge amount of atmosphere and context to the lives that the characters are leading, whilst also providing a lavish and dangerous backdrop for the budding romance to blossom. One of the things which I enjoyed so much in the writing was the attention paid to the central protagonist’s emotional state and her search for identity, which makes Calanesaea a relatable figure, but also one whom we root for and want to learn more and more about. The action scenes and the discoveries from Reece’s past were also filled with thrills and surprises, and overall I would highly recommend Calanesaea as an accomplished work of historical fiction that will satisfy both romance and adventure fans of all types.