It was a marriage of inconvenience, but life has a wicked sense of humor.Charlotte Amelia Etheridge has cowered to her mother’s sharp tongue and endless demands for the last time. In a fleeting moment of rebellion, she recklessly asks a foreigner from the Leeward Islands for a dance. But her one courageous act lands her in a compromising position. Forced to wed a stranger, Lottie leaves the only … a stranger, Lottie leaves the only home she’s ever known to reside on the isle of St. Kitts.
Nathaniel Winthrop’s troubles are mounting, and the rumors of him being cursed are spreading. Due to the dwindling sugar crop, he risks everything to start his own shipping company. The last thing he needs is a wife, especially one with a weak constitution. Yellow fever has already claimed the lives of his mother and siblings. He must guard his heart against falling in love with this gentle beauty, knowing island life will be a death sentence.
No longer under her mother’s scrutiny, the newfound freedom of the island rejuvenates Lottie’s spirit. If her days on this earth are limited, then it’s time she lives life to the full. Now it’s up to her to prove that even though Nathan was coerced into marrying her, she’s the one he can’t live without.
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My Thoughts on The Merchant’s Yield:
I enjoyed the first book in this fun series and was eager to begin on this one. The Merchant’s Yield takes you back to the islands but with some new characters and the threat of yellow fever in the air.
Nathaniel Winthrop has lost his mother and siblings to the yellow fever. It’s rumored he’s cursed. And now, he’s married to a girl he doesn’t know and definitely doesn’t love. In fact, he’s determined not to love her.
Charlotte, better known as Lottie, is determined to make Nathan fall in love with her now. She loves her newfound freedom and is determined to finally live life to the fullest.
Who is going to win out? Will Lottie convince Nathan she’s worth loving or will Nathan in guarding his heart lose out on love?
I highly recommend both this book and this series and can’t wait for the next installment.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
This is the first book by Lorri Dudley that I have read and I thought it was really good. I loved how she took you on a tour of the Leeward Islands and the hardships people faced there. I also loved how the main characters went from disliking each other to falling love as they learned that God is more powerful then any supposed curse. I loved that there was a bit of mystery in the story as well and that Charlotte’s faith is what helps them get through it. I will definitely pick up the other books in this series.
I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.
The Merchant’s Yield is book two from Lorri Dudley’s series, The Leeward Islands. I had the pleasure of reading and enjoying the first book, The Duke’s Refuge, and this one does not disappoint. Readers are introduced to Charlotte Amelia Etheridge, also known as, Lottie. She is desperate to be free from her mother and marries a stranger. I admired her determination, bravery and courage. The story is full of adventure, action, and romance. There were a few twists that I did not expect to happen. What I thought to be “let me read just one chapter” moment, turned into a few hours later turning the last page.
I am giving The Merchant’s Yield five plus stars. I can not wait to read the next installment from The Leeward Islands series, The Sugar Baron’s Ring, to see what happens next. I believe readers who enjoy clean historical romance will enjoy this one.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
The way that Lorri Dudley writes immediately captures and holds my attention. I can so clearly see the characters and I can so clearly see each scene she sets. As I read I feel connected to these characters and find myself relating to each of them on a personal level throughout their struggles and their triumphs. It is so lovely to be so completely swept away by such a beautiful story! I can’t wait to go read it AGAIN!
Nestled in this story is nuggets of faith that I found encouraging. It would be so hard to be married to someone who was forced to marry you. Can you imagine the uncertainty of your future? I stumbled across a statement in the story that made me completely stop reading. It is just a little sentence but oh my is it powerful. “ Every miracle began with a problem.” As you can see that sentence really had me thinking very hard about all the times that God was there to save me. I could truly understand how Charlotte felt as her new life began as a wife. It was certainly going to take a miracle for her marriage to thrive.
Charlotte was a character I liked at times and other times I wanted to dismiss her. I had high hopes that Charlotte would find her voice and speak up for herself. It was nice to journey with Charlotte as she is forced to make the best of a forced marriage. Her husband Nathan was demanding at times and really could use a dose of kindness thrown on him. The stage is set as these two people set sail on a voyage of courage, danger, secrets and faith.
It is ironic that Charlotte has finally gotten away from her overbearing controlling critical mother only to be pushed into a marriage where those same character flaws exist in her husband. The author has her hands full as the story unravels with an adventure that spans across the sea to land where new beginnings are on the horizon . Charlotte is very anxious to learn about her husband and his past. The author draws our attention to the fact that Charlotte needs to learn more about herself. Can she become a wife that her husband will cherish? Will she overcome the harsh words spoken over her by her mother?
I loved reading about the adventures on a ship and the pirates that roam the waters. The author crafts a wonderful story that had a few unexpected twists that leads to danger. There is also a question of who can be trusted in this adventure that never lacks for intrigue and a beautiful discovery of unwavering faith. The story is not just about an unplanned marriage but of trust and knowing that “ If God is for you, then who can be against you.”
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Lady Charlotte “Lottie” Etheridge has never been good enough to please her mother but now she has decided to take control of her own life and make her own decisions. She does this by entering a hasty “marriage of convenience” and her life will never be the same!
The Merchant’s Yield has drama, adventure, and a tantalizing romance between a heroine who is strong and independent and a hero, still grieving over the death of four of his family members, who believes that he has been cursed by a woman practicing black magic. Caught up in a marriage of convenience, Lottie and Nathaniel Winthrop begin a relationship that appears to be doomed from the start until….Lottie turns his whole life around. I loved her strong faith and her Christian witness that showed the Leeward Islander’s that her God deserved their love and praise. I grieved for Nathan who feared the curse that had ruled his whole life and I longed for him to realize that admitting his love for Lottie would not ruin her life or cause her harm. Can Lottie convince him that her God is more powerful than black magic?
There are also many surprises in this book. Lottie’s domineering mother is not as she appears and the villain is definitely one that I would never have dreamed. The biggest shock, however, is seeing how Lottie adapts to living on an island and changing life at Calico Manor. One of the natives tells her that “Most folk would have me whipped or send me off the land. If your God taught you dat, den I respect dat God.” And still another tells Nathan that he should believe in Lottie’s God and “Choose to be blessed and not cursed.”
If you love Regency fiction and Christian romance, you will certainly enjoy The Merchant’s Yield. This is the first book that I’ve read by Lorri Dudley and I’ve just discovered a new favorite author! I am eagerly looking forward to more of her books.
I received a copy of this book from the author and Celebrate Lit. A favorable review wasn’t required and these are my own thoughts.
Not all stories are for everyone, and that is OK. The Merchant’s Yield by Lorri Dudley is not my cup of tea. When I signed up to review this novel, I anticipated reading a story filled with action and adventure, intrigue, an inconvenient marriage, and pirates. The Merchant’s Yield is all of this and more, but to me, it was all a little too much. Lottie, the heroine, is married off to a stranger, moved to an island far from her native shores of England, befriends everyone including hardened sailors, pirates, and slaves, miraculously rises from a disease, spreads the love of God wherever she goes, converts many people, survives a kidnapping unscathed, stands up to her mother, and wins the heart of her stranger-husband all in a matter of months and at the tender age of 18. To me, she is not a believable heroine. She is a superwoman! Perhaps if Lottie had experienced a setback in her faith for one minute, or failed at something and learned from that failure, I could have bought her character. But as she stands, Lottie is just too perfect, and therefore unreadable. Honestly, how can a flawed 40-year-old ever relate to a perfect 18-year-old?
I do appreciate Dudley’s message that God gives us all a choice — we can choose to see our lives and what He allows or doesn’t allow as a blessing, or we can see it all as a curse. I appreciate the discussion that it really is a matter of perspective. My favorite moments in the novel occur when Lottie stops her train of pessimistic thoughts, or stops her negative emotions and feelings, and forces herself to remember that she has chosen blessings, that God is bigger than any problem, and He is always on her side. It’s the sign of a mature Christian when we can quickly reign in our thoughts and emotions, and bring them to God immediately. Going to God first and remembering His promises to us, should be our knee-jerk reaction, and I appreciate Dudley’s illustration of this principle through her character, Lottie.
The Merchant’s Yield is not the book for me, but that doesn’t mean it is not the book for you. The Merchant’s Yield is getting rave reviews on GoodReads and Amazon with many readers loving the action and adventure, romance, and positive Christian themes throughout the storyline. I definitely recommend checking out this novel for yourself today!
I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the author via Celebrate Lit. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
The author has once again written a book you don’t want to put down until the end. The characters are mostly lovable, except for Lady Etheridge whose caustic tongue was not one you would want to meet. Charlotte, aka Lottie, unfortunately received the brunt of much of that negativity. While she suffered under those less than positive thoughts for a time, it was absolutely wonderful to see her blossom into her own woman, known for being positive and encouraging.
Caught in a compromising situation, a hasty wedding is planned and suddenly the world as they know it is completely different. An oft repeated phrase was…pain is unavoidable, but misery is optional. Would Lottie and Nathan end in misery or would they learn that every miracle begins with a problem that must be solved? With kidnapping, betrayal and near death experiences this adventure kept me wondering what on earth could happen next.
This copy of Book #2 in the Leeward Islands series was received through Wild Heart Books and CelebrateLit. The impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.
When you get a review copy of a book and get so excited you stay up until one in the morning (or later…) reading and love the story. Only to realize there was a book before this one, well, drat. You consider the fact that you liked the book and didn’t feel lost while reading it even though it turned out to be the second book.
Fine then.
You may decide that you need to read the first one and reread the second all the whole forgetting to write the review and not getting the book yet.
And then you’ll come back to write a review when you are about to get the advance reader copy of the third book in the series.
Oops.
But still this book got stuck in my head. You see it kept me guessing, a lot, like I thought I had it figured out, and then I had a new thought, and once again I thought I had it and I was wrong.
I’ve read several historical fiction books lately. And few have surprised me, but THE MERCHANT’S YIELD did with the fact (I KNOW I ALREADY SAID THIS BUT I’M STILL HAPPILY SURPRISED) that I thought I knew who the villain was, and then I thought it was someone else, and so on. I kept second guessing myself which has not happened often… Honestly, I liked it all the more since I couldn’t figure it out right away.
The beginning of the blurb “It was a marriage of inconvenience, but life has a wicked sense of humor.” was all I needed to read to know I would love this book.
Marriage of inconveniences are always one of my favorite tropes, I’ve never come across one I disliked, unless the content was inappropriate, I mean.
Nathaniel, aside from having a name I love, was a character that I couldn’t help but like, he’d had so much grief in his life. I at first disliked how many mentions of curses there were, and how so many believed in them, but the way the author portrayed them was well done, and how she ended the book was well done as well.
Charlotte is a heroine who had a strength I liked seeing, it wasn’t a strength that has me disagreeing with her views. And her faith was a perfect touch to the story.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
As soon as I began reading The Merchant’s Yield I was transported to an aristocratic ballroom in the 1800s, and all of the pressure to conform and expectation to marry that comes with it. I immediately empathized with Charlotte Amelia Etheridge and my blood boiled at every word that her mother spoke, as they dripped with distain and demands. I found myself cheering for Charlotte, called Lottie, to rebel against her mother. In a strange twist, Lottie is trapped into a marriage… or is it that Nathaniel Winthrop is trapped in a marriage to Lottie? I could not make up my mind. Lottie becomes extremely sick on the way to the isle of St. Kitts, and Nathaniel begins to soften. The walls that both of them have built up slowly start to come down. But when Lottie becomes deathly sick, the fear of losing her drives Nathaniel’s away. Eventually, they both learn shocking truths, but will the timing keep them from reuniting? I was on the edge of my seat and could not put this book down! I cannot wait for the next one to transport me to the Leeward Islands again!
“Merchants Yield” is Lorri’s second book which I read with excitement as I read her first book “Dukes Revenge”. What an amazing read….the strong characters, a sense of the times, loyalty and determination make this a “can’t put it down” book filled with romance, courage, determined characters, and God’s love and faithfulness. I more than highly recommend this book as I believe you won’t be able to put it down as I had trouble late at night closing the book.
I am more than excited waiting for her third book.
What a perfect time to read a heartwarming book with life giving words. But I must warn you; I couldn’t put it down
The Merchant’s Yield, by Lorri Dudley, is yet another high-spirited adventure with a delightful cast of characters that swell your emotions. Strangers, a struggling plantation owner and a highborn privileged aristocrat, are forced to wed after a mishap. Nathan has an honorable sense of duty to his workers and no time for a wife. Lottie wants to be free from her acidic mother and if it means leaving all she knows and sailing to St. Kitts so be it. Will Lottie regret her decision especially after hearing about the curse, or will her foundation be firm enough to hold her? A beautiful message of “Choose Life.”
I really enjoyed reading the Merchant’s Yield! It is a great second book by author Lorri Dudley! The characters are real, the imagery used to describe the locations and the characters is creative! A great read!! I highly recommend it!
This series has been so good! I had a hard time putting this book down and found myself sneaking in pages during my workouts and late at night when I should have been sleeping. I really liked how the characters grew and changed throughout the story as they fell in love. I will caution that some of the romantic scenes, while appropriate between a husband and wife, may be too descriptive for some younger readers. I liked the element of faith woven throughout the story and especially liked Lottie’s growth as her faith and courage in God strengthened in the novel. There were surprises in the story that I did not expect and I was shocked when the villain was revealed! The stories in this series wrap up individually so you do not have to read them in order. I recommend this book and am so glad that Celebrate Lit helped me discover this author!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I enjoyed this novel so much, and I did not want it to end! Lorri provides a wonderful glimpse into life in the early 1800s while weaving a story that is intriguing, heart-warming, and captivating. I fell in love with the characters because they were flawed but possessed strong character as a result of their faith and determination to serve God. I can’t wait to read her next book!
I really liked the first book and the second is even better! This one had a few more surprises and twists which I greatly enjoyed!
Action! Adventure! Betrayal! Pirates! Curses! Love! Kidnapping! This book has it all! I have loved this series from the first book and it just continues to get better and better! The books aren’t connected so if you didn’t read the first book, don’t worry! Poor Charlotte – Lottie – she’s tired of her controlling mother so she rebels at a ball and dances with a stranger! Later, she ends up engaged to the man by being in a compromising position with him but no one will listen to her on what really happens! Nathanial is none too happy about the turn of events either! He doesn’t want a wife! He has way too much going on in his life, not to mention he’s lost everyone dear to him and he doesn’t want anyone else to die on him! However, he must marry Lottie so he takes her to St. Kitts and will have someone else be responsible for her! What transpires after that is such a wonderful tale of a sweeping novel with pirates and stolen ships and friends’ betrayals and falling in love and so many other things, it’s hard to put it all in words! I thoroughly enjoyed this story! It transported me to another time and place! I loved it and heartily recommend it!
I enjoyed every page of this book. I highly recommend it!!