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Watermark
Whom could you trust if you were stranded fifteen hundred miles from home?
Misfortune has plagued Juno Brock for months. Recently widowed, a chance encounter with a dangerous criminal in St. Louis exposes her to information that can see her branded. Or worse, hanged. When a pirate attack on the Mississippi River maroons her in the wilds of Michigan Territory, she has but one choice: use her wits to secure passage on a boat traveling downriver and reunite with her family fifteen hundred miles away.
An arrogant mistake in his youth has set flatboat pilot Malcolm Moreau on a forked path of redemption and revenge. His successful livelihood transporting goods to New Orleans revolves around cargo, not passengers, but Juno’s recent encounter with his longtime enemy makes her the exception. A bargain is struck: safe passage to Natchez, Mississippi, in exchange for the information she unwittingly discovered.
What follows is a month-long journey where mistrust and resentment unfolds into an unexpected friendship filled with secret confidences and before long, attraction. Sometimes dangerous, often humorous, their voyage down America’s most infamous river and the outlandish characters they meet along the way will ultimately inspire a destination neither expected: love.
Misfortune has plagued Juno Brock for months. Recently widowed, a chance encounter with a dangerous criminal in St. Louis exposes her to information that can see her branded. Or worse, hanged. When a pirate attack on the Mississippi River maroons her in the wilds of Michigan Territory, she has but one choice: use her wits to secure passage on a boat traveling downriver and reunite with her family fifteen hundred miles away.
An arrogant mistake in his youth has set flatboat pilot Malcolm Moreau on a forked path of redemption and revenge. His successful livelihood transporting goods to New Orleans revolves around cargo, not passengers, but Juno’s recent encounter with his longtime enemy makes her the exception. A bargain is struck: safe passage to Natchez, Mississippi, in exchange for the information she unwittingly discovered.
What follows is a month-long journey where mistrust and resentment unfolds into an unexpected friendship filled with secret confidences and before long, attraction. Sometimes dangerous, often humorous, their voyage down America’s most infamous river and the outlandish characters they meet along the way will ultimately inspire a destination neither expected: love.
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About the author
Marti Ziegler
3 books16 followersHistory's working class deserve romance, too. I write happy ever afters for them.
After nearly twenty years banging my head against a wall trying to get my books traditionally published, I came to my senses and self-published my first book Clingstone in 2016. Clingstone went on to win the historical category in the 2017 I Heart Indie Contest and placed as a finalist in the 2017 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. The goose egg on my forehead is slowly shrinking, but the world of indie publishing has its own set of frustrations.
Namely, I'm a drop of water in a very big bucket.
But you've made it this far into my author bio, so huzzah! This drop of water has briefly floated to the top.
I swoon over the research that goes into the writing process: historically accurate slang, the asking price for a team of mules, and how long it took to travel 280 miles by train during the American Civil War are my nerdy bliss. If you admit to a similar dorky fascination with the preceding, and you're drawn to working-class heroes and heroines, then one of my American Historical romances is fluttering its eyelashes flirtatiously in your direction.
I love hearing from my readers and invite you to visit my website martiziegler.com
After nearly twenty years banging my head against a wall trying to get my books traditionally published, I came to my senses and self-published my first book Clingstone in 2016. Clingstone went on to win the historical category in the 2017 I Heart Indie Contest and placed as a finalist in the 2017 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. The goose egg on my forehead is slowly shrinking, but the world of indie publishing has its own set of frustrations.
Namely, I'm a drop of water in a very big bucket.
But you've made it this far into my author bio, so huzzah! This drop of water has briefly floated to the top.
I swoon over the research that goes into the writing process: historically accurate slang, the asking price for a team of mules, and how long it took to travel 280 miles by train during the American Civil War are my nerdy bliss. If you admit to a similar dorky fascination with the preceding, and you're drawn to working-class heroes and heroines, then one of my American Historical romances is fluttering its eyelashes flirtatiously in your direction.
I love hearing from my readers and invite you to visit my website martiziegler.com
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 14, 2018
River pirates!
An unusual story, cleverly told that will take you down a flatboat on the Mississippi to New Orleans.
Set in 1828, beginning in St. Louis, this is the story of Juno Brock, a young widow who meets a dangerous criminal on the street who threatens her to get her to deliver a package. She believes it has to do with counterfeiting but since she can’t read, she doesn’t know what is written on the directions he gives her. Instead, she sells her hair for the passage north to Michigan Territory to join her mother.
Reunited with her mother and her father-in-law, who runs a riverboat store, river pirates attack them on the Mississippi River leaving her in the wilds of Michigan Territory with flatboat pilot Malcolm Moreau. He agrees to give Juno safe passage to Natchez, Mississippi, in exchange for the information she gained from the criminal she met in St. Louis, a man Moreau has been hunting for some time.
As Juno and Malcolm travel the Mississippi, they have many adventures and come to appreciate how right they are for each other. But Malcolm is reluctant to give his heart. So, of course, he bungles it.
Great writing makes this story flow effortlessly and Malcolm’s riverboat crew are a delightful bunch of characters. Historical details reflect solid research into the era and the riverboat life.
A great adventure… You will love it!
An unusual story, cleverly told that will take you down a flatboat on the Mississippi to New Orleans.
Set in 1828, beginning in St. Louis, this is the story of Juno Brock, a young widow who meets a dangerous criminal on the street who threatens her to get her to deliver a package. She believes it has to do with counterfeiting but since she can’t read, she doesn’t know what is written on the directions he gives her. Instead, she sells her hair for the passage north to Michigan Territory to join her mother.
Reunited with her mother and her father-in-law, who runs a riverboat store, river pirates attack them on the Mississippi River leaving her in the wilds of Michigan Territory with flatboat pilot Malcolm Moreau. He agrees to give Juno safe passage to Natchez, Mississippi, in exchange for the information she gained from the criminal she met in St. Louis, a man Moreau has been hunting for some time.
As Juno and Malcolm travel the Mississippi, they have many adventures and come to appreciate how right they are for each other. But Malcolm is reluctant to give his heart. So, of course, he bungles it.
Great writing makes this story flow effortlessly and Malcolm’s riverboat crew are a delightful bunch of characters. Historical details reflect solid research into the era and the riverboat life.
A great adventure… You will love it!
to-be-review
June 29, 2020I won a kindle edition of this book from goodreads, and I will post a honest review of this book as soon as I read it.
July 9, 2019
A journey down the Mississippi River is fraught with perils: alligators, pirates, and a debonair flatboat captain with his sight set on revenge. Sign me up!
This is only the second Marti Ziegler book I’ve ever read, but I think it’s fair to say that one of my favorite things about her work is seeing the characters evolve. I’m now convinced she is an absolute master at creating a rough male lead who you can’t help but love. At first introduction, Malcolm is kind of a jerk. He is hell bent on revenge, and is more than willing to just leave Juno on the side of the Mississippi River to fend for herself. But then we slowly start to unravel his story, and see what can almost be described as a charmingly boyish side to this rough man. I found myself smitten within a matter of pages even though you also kind of get the urge to slap him a few times throughout the book.
There’s a similar unraveling to Juno’s character as well. When the novel beings she sort of seems like a momma’s girl, always clinging to her family’s side. Someone who is afraid to be out on their own. Very quickly though we discover that this strong woman knows how to survive. She’s clever, stubborn in only the best of ways, and just a downright fun heroine to read. All in all, I’m always mesmerized by the lead characters Ziegler introduces me to in her work.
It’s not just the main characters who are an absolute delight in this river tale. We literally have a whole crew of Malcolm’s boat mates to provide us with thorough entertainment. From his hard-lined cook, to a few flirtatious scallywags, you never want this trip down the Mississippi to end. That brings us to the setting, which is basically another character in and of itself. ‘Tis a journey filled with a plethora of perils, some of which were mentioned above. Alligators, exploding riverboats, pirates and religious zealots.
This motley crew is constantly facing challenges as they make their way to return Juno to her family, and for Malcolm to finally achieve revenge against his sworn enemy who was the most devious of villains. I do sort of wish we had seen more of this enemy rather than just a few scenes at the very beginning and end of the book. He is described at length throughout from Malcolm’s point of view, so we do learn about their complicated history. That being said, I think it would have been more interesting and suspenseful to have more scenes between the two in person.
What I particularly enjoyed about this novel, aside from learning the historical aspect of 19th century riverboat life, was seeing the evolution of Juno and Malcolm’s relationship. At the start they are both severely annoyed by each other, and see the other as a deterrent and nuisance to reaching their final goal. However, they quickly realize they must rely on each other in their journey.
Slowly, Juno and Malcolm start to open up and trust each other. This is perfectly reflected in their nightly pastime where Malcolm reads to Juno, who doesn’t know how to read for herself. She’s still fascinated by the written word, and though she initially kind of harasses Malcolm into reading for her, it soon becomes their nightly thing. Malcolm begrudgingly puts up with it every night, but then when he eventually buys her a small pocket reader to teach her to read? Girl, I damn near had tears in my eyes it was so beautiful.
For a historical romance these two have some sizzling hot sex scenes! And in some pretty unique locations on top of everything. They tussle about in a small bed on a flatboat, against a tree trunk, and even on the floor of a cave. For those last two, they definitely aren’t the most comfortable of locales, but that’s what I positively loved about it all. Juno acknowledges right away that a bed probably would have been more convenient.
She has twigs in her hair, a few scrapes and bruises, but when you’re overcome by passion? You do it wherever you can apparently. When the two realize their time together is soon coming to an end their lovemaking becomes even more desperate and passionate. However, they still manage to keep things grounded. For example, at one point they also have a drunkenly frank conversation about how they can’t have sex because she’s on her courses. It provides a comforting sense of realism and domesticity to their relationship that I just loved.
This is only the second Marti Ziegler book I’ve ever read, but I think it’s fair to say that one of my favorite things about her work is seeing the characters evolve. I’m now convinced she is an absolute master at creating a rough male lead who you can’t help but love. At first introduction, Malcolm is kind of a jerk. He is hell bent on revenge, and is more than willing to just leave Juno on the side of the Mississippi River to fend for herself. But then we slowly start to unravel his story, and see what can almost be described as a charmingly boyish side to this rough man. I found myself smitten within a matter of pages even though you also kind of get the urge to slap him a few times throughout the book.
There’s a similar unraveling to Juno’s character as well. When the novel beings she sort of seems like a momma’s girl, always clinging to her family’s side. Someone who is afraid to be out on their own. Very quickly though we discover that this strong woman knows how to survive. She’s clever, stubborn in only the best of ways, and just a downright fun heroine to read. All in all, I’m always mesmerized by the lead characters Ziegler introduces me to in her work.
It’s not just the main characters who are an absolute delight in this river tale. We literally have a whole crew of Malcolm’s boat mates to provide us with thorough entertainment. From his hard-lined cook, to a few flirtatious scallywags, you never want this trip down the Mississippi to end. That brings us to the setting, which is basically another character in and of itself. ‘Tis a journey filled with a plethora of perils, some of which were mentioned above. Alligators, exploding riverboats, pirates and religious zealots.
This motley crew is constantly facing challenges as they make their way to return Juno to her family, and for Malcolm to finally achieve revenge against his sworn enemy who was the most devious of villains. I do sort of wish we had seen more of this enemy rather than just a few scenes at the very beginning and end of the book. He is described at length throughout from Malcolm’s point of view, so we do learn about their complicated history. That being said, I think it would have been more interesting and suspenseful to have more scenes between the two in person.
What I particularly enjoyed about this novel, aside from learning the historical aspect of 19th century riverboat life, was seeing the evolution of Juno and Malcolm’s relationship. At the start they are both severely annoyed by each other, and see the other as a deterrent and nuisance to reaching their final goal. However, they quickly realize they must rely on each other in their journey.
Slowly, Juno and Malcolm start to open up and trust each other. This is perfectly reflected in their nightly pastime where Malcolm reads to Juno, who doesn’t know how to read for herself. She’s still fascinated by the written word, and though she initially kind of harasses Malcolm into reading for her, it soon becomes their nightly thing. Malcolm begrudgingly puts up with it every night, but then when he eventually buys her a small pocket reader to teach her to read? Girl, I damn near had tears in my eyes it was so beautiful.
For a historical romance these two have some sizzling hot sex scenes! And in some pretty unique locations on top of everything. They tussle about in a small bed on a flatboat, against a tree trunk, and even on the floor of a cave. For those last two, they definitely aren’t the most comfortable of locales, but that’s what I positively loved about it all. Juno acknowledges right away that a bed probably would have been more convenient.
She has twigs in her hair, a few scrapes and bruises, but when you’re overcome by passion? You do it wherever you can apparently. When the two realize their time together is soon coming to an end their lovemaking becomes even more desperate and passionate. However, they still manage to keep things grounded. For example, at one point they also have a drunkenly frank conversation about how they can’t have sex because she’s on her courses. It provides a comforting sense of realism and domesticity to their relationship that I just loved.
August 19, 2017
I previously read and loved the author's first book,
Clingstone,
so I had pretty high hopes for Watermark. Unsurprisingly, this book far exceeded any expectations I had when I started it. Even though I've only read two of her books, this one is without a doubt my favorite (for now).
Marti Ziegler is a brilliant historical romance author. While I may not read much historical romance, I can attest that this is a fantastic book, no matter the genre.
Both the aspects of life on the Mississippi River during the late 1820s and the lovely deep connection between our two main characters, Juno and Malcolm, are told in a beautiful prose that I just couldn't get enough of. I loved both Juno and Malcolm and I adored them together. Also, I really enjoyed the story line about Malcolm and Joliange and everything that entailed. It added another depth to the book that I liked. Overall, there's not a single thing I would have changed.
I said before that I was looking forward to seeing more from the author. That remains true still. Her writing is exactly what I needed during a reading slump.
* This book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review. *
Marti Ziegler is a brilliant historical romance author. While I may not read much historical romance, I can attest that this is a fantastic book, no matter the genre.
Both the aspects of life on the Mississippi River during the late 1820s and the lovely deep connection between our two main characters, Juno and Malcolm, are told in a beautiful prose that I just couldn't get enough of. I loved both Juno and Malcolm and I adored them together. Also, I really enjoyed the story line about Malcolm and Joliange and everything that entailed. It added another depth to the book that I liked. Overall, there's not a single thing I would have changed.
I said before that I was looking forward to seeing more from the author. That remains true still. Her writing is exactly what I needed during a reading slump.
* This book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review. *
February 12, 2018
The ending saved the book for me.
The beginning was okay. The middle was okay.
I had to reread parts quite often as it just wasn’t making sense to me. I think the way the author revealed bits and pieces when she did was confusing. Once I got to about chapter 18 I started really enjoying the book. So as I said, the ending saved it for me.
The beginning was okay. The middle was okay.
I had to reread parts quite often as it just wasn’t making sense to me. I think the way the author revealed bits and pieces when she did was confusing. Once I got to about chapter 18 I started really enjoying the book. So as I said, the ending saved it for me.
March 26, 2020
Excellent book!!!
February 27, 2020
Kindle Copy for Review
A woman is stranded as she must trust for her survival. But can she really trust them or who they are? t Along the way, love is found but is it real or just an illusion on their month journey?
It was an average storyline with a few moments of potential.
A woman is stranded as she must trust for her survival. But can she really trust them or who they are? t Along the way, love is found but is it real or just an illusion on their month journey?
It was an average storyline with a few moments of potential.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews