title: The Guardship (The Brethren of the Coast #1) (Book 1)
author:  James L Nelson 
description: The initial entry in Nelson's The Brethren of the Coast series (after his Revolution at Sea trilogy) is first-rate popular action writing. In 1701 Virginia, Thomas Marlowe kills a favorite son of the colony's most powerful tobacco family, the Wilkensons, in a duel, incurring the wrath of the entire clan. Soon after, when he's given command of the colony's guardship Plymouth Prize, Marlowe must deal with the Wilkensons' vendetta, the Prize's decrepitude and inept crew, and his fascination with beautiful widow Elizabeth Tinling (whose honor precipitated the duel), before getting around to his main job, fighting Chesapeake Bay pirates (who call themselves "men on the account" and "Brethren of the Coast"). Marlowe, n? Malachias Barrett, we learn, was himself a member of "the sweet trade" (i.e., a pirate). The lovely Elizabeth isn't what she seems, either. The only man in the world Marlowe fears is his ex-captain and current leader of the Brethren, Jean-Pierre LeRois, whose cruelty and cunning are fueled by blazing dementia: "His crew were still screaming, he could hear them, though he could not actually see anyone's mouth moving." The brilliant descriptions of LeRois's spells make it plain that his craziness is caused by drink and an advanced venereal condition. Lots of plot twists, some nifty seamanship and a nice collection of secondary characters add ballast to the narrative. There's a bit of sex and some sly wit as Marlowe tells Elizabeth about "careening" a ship: "'First we strip the vessel of all of her top hamper," he begins, and ends: "We cause her to roll on her side and thus expose the bottom." Of course, there's a climactic one-on-one between Marlowe and LeRois before Marlowe can become a hero. Despite the general absence of daily colonial texture, readers will gladly be swept along by a wonderful plot. Ad/promo. (Jan.) <br />Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: BRETHREN OF THE COAST
  
  VOLUME II
  
  BARBARA DEVLIN
  
  COPYRIGHT
  
   _This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events,
  and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used
  fictitiously._
  
   _Copyright © 2016 Barbara C. Noyes_
  
   _All rights reserved._
  
   _No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or
  transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
  recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the
  publisher._
  
   _Published by Barbara Devlin_
  
   _The Brethren of the Coast Badge is a registered trademark ® of Barbara
  Devlin._
  
   _Cover art by Lewellen Designs_
  
   _ISBN: 978-0-9962509-5-5_
  
  TITLES BY
  
  BARBARA DEVLIN
  
  BRETHREN OF THE COAST SERIES
  
  Enter the Brethren (Brethren of the Coast 1)
  
  My Lady, the Spy (Brethren of the Coast 2)
  
  The Most Unlikely Lady (Brethren of the Coast 3)
  
  One-Knight Stand (Brethren of the Coast 4)
  
  Captain of Her Heart (Brethren of the Coast 5)
  
  T