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Sea Change

by Darlene Marshall (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 109 ratings · 32 reviews

American privateer Captain David Fletcher needs a surgeon for his wounded brother. But when he captures a British merchantman in the Caribbean, what he gets is Charley Alcott, an apprentice physician barely old enough to shave. Needs take priority over skill, and Captain Fletcher whisks the prisoner aboard his ship with orders to do his best or he'll be walking the plank.

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Paperback, 256 pages

Published June 13th 2011 by Amber Quill Press

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Captive of My Desires by Johanna Lindsey

Historical Pirate Romance Books

36th out of 110 books — 189 voters

The Pirate and the Pagan by Virginia Henley

Pirate/Swashbucking Romance

23rd out of 102 books — 97 voters

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Feb 07, 2012 ~ames~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-read, book-binge-book, e-book, historical, 2012-read, re-read

I’ve been wanting to read a Darlene Marshall book for a while now so I jumped at the chance to read and review Sea Change, her latest Amber Quill release. Now I am definitely going to read her backlist.

Sea Change features I few things I absolutely love in my romance. A kick-ass heroine who cross dresses and is working in a man’s profession (doctor in the early 1800s). It also has a great hero who is attracted to said cross-dressing woman but freaks out a bit because he thinks he’s attracted to...more I’ve been wanting to read a Darlene Marshall book for a while now so I jumped at the chance to read and review Sea Change, her latest Amber Quill release. Now I am definitely going to read her backlist.

Sea Change features I few things I absolutely love in my romance. A kick-ass heroine who cross dresses and is working in a man’s profession (doctor in the early 1800s). It also has a great hero who is attracted to said cross-dressing woman but freaks out a bit because he thinks he’s attracted to a man. Oh boy do the sparks fly once the truth is revealed!

Charley (aka Charlotte) Alcott is disguised as a man and earning her passage on a ship to Jamaica from England, acting as the ship’s doctor. Her father, whom she apprenticed with, has died recently and so she’s going to stay with her godfather, also a doctor. She’s hoping she can continue apprenticing with him. Meanwhile, she disguises herself as a man. Her plan is totally screwed up when their ship is overtaken by American privateers and she’s forced onto their vessel. Charley’s ship was attacked because Captain David Fletcher’s younger brother was injured and Captain David needs a surgeon to save him. David isn’t exactly impressed with the young doctor he’s found, but he’s better than nothing. And once the pressing matter of his younger brother’s health is behind them, Charley and David form a loose friendship. I say loose because Charley still wants to go to Jamaica and David is determined to keep the doctor on his boat – his men like it, it has improved morale and Charley is someone that David can really talk to.

But Charley realizes that her feelings are growing for the sexy captain and this makes her more determined than ever to get away from him. David too is thrown for a loop when he realizes that Charley is growing feelings for him and thinking he’s a man, it freaks him out, because he’s noticing things and reacting to the young man. All of that changes one day when Charley is knocked overboard and David jumps into the ocean to save her. David can’t help but notice the shape of the body under the wet clothes. And David is furious:

David liked women. Not on his ship, of course, but when he was on land he enjoyed being in their company. He liked them clothed in their fripperies and unclothed in all their glory, curved and rounded and sweet smelling. He liked the contrast of their
softness to his hardness, their gentle ways and delicate natures to his life among rough men. And the ones who weren’t so delicate but gave as good as they got in a game of slap and tickle, he liked them, too.

What he did not like was the thought of a female who talked like a man, and dressed like a man, and thought like a man, and spent her day examining the naked bodies of men when it was no proper place for a lady to be!

The scene, where David reveals Charley’s true identity was so thrilling! He’s glad he hasn’t been attracted to a man but he’s horrified that she’s also a woman. She has been treating the men and seeing them naked and even treated him! It’s unacceptable and he’s determined to get her off his ship as quickly as possible. (There’s an awesome scene when he announces his intentions to the crew.)
I won’t say any more but that’s only half the story. It’s not so easy for David to let Charley go. And I LOVED that these two had time to get to know each other before their feelings came into play. It created some delicious tension, both pre and post gender reveal. I liked all the characters. Charley is a practical sort of woman and David is a great captain and sigh-worthy hero. The writing was engaging and the dialog never dragged. Who thought doctor-speak could be sexy?

“Do you know how an inoculation works, Captain?”
Her voice was low, and husky, and despite her prosaic question, made him even harder, if that were possible.
“An inoculation gives you a taste of a disease. Just enough to strengthen you against it.”
“Am I a disease then, Doctor?”
“If I kiss you, I may be inoculated against you, and I can sleep easy again.”

Hot stuff!!

I got sucked into Charley’s story right from the get go and about halfway through, I knew I was reading a book I’d be listing as a top read for 2011. And I was right. Sea Change is going to be in my top 5 reads for this year.
(less)

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Apr 27, 2013 Jemma Gutierrez rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-great-romance, hilarious, mistaken-identity, really-romantic, swoon-and-sigh, pirates

You are the greatest treasure I ever stole

description

This book reduced me into a squealing, love-struck teenager! Ok, i am one but still, this book got me laughing hysterically, sighing, swooning, and finally falling in love!

  "That's right, Charley, I'm a damned pirate, but I'm the pirate who's fucking you, and you will never, ever forget me,"

Inappropriate be damned! Admit that was HOT! LOL

Anyway, a story of a doctor taken captive by a privateer pretending to be a pirate. So you know the blurb but you...more You are the greatest treasure I ever stole

description

This book reduced me into a squealing, love-struck teenager! Ok, i am one but still, this book got me laughing hysterically, sighing, swooning, and finally falling in love!

  "That's right, Charley, I'm a damned pirate, but I'm the pirate who's fucking you, and you will never, ever forget me,"

Inappropriate be damned! Admit that was HOT! LOL

Anyway, a story of a doctor taken captive by a privateer pretending to be a pirate. So you know the blurb but you don't know the amusing tales/scenes that happens. Lets just say you'll encounter a lot of good and fun laughs.

Especially when our hero decided to make a man out of our heroine, not knowing who she really is. The terrifying attraction he has towards her before even knowing her true gender, which leads him to think he's gay!

HAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So there's the homur, guaranteed, there is also that steamy romance i know everyone is looking forward to. HOT scorching hero. The heroine got on my nerves the first few chapters but when she started warming up to the crew she became this strong heroine im sure readers will come to love.

The ending was perfect! SO yeah..(less)

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Mar 13, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, strong-heroine

Although Sea Change is definitely a romance, it's also about a strong heroine who is struggling to find her place in a world that severely limits her choices. I loved Charley (Charlotte) Alcott. From the minute we meet her, she is competent and in charge. She is used to working with her physician father and now that he is gone, she has made the decision to seek passage to the West Indies to join her godfather and hopefully continue her studies. Because she would have problems traveling as a woma...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Chelsea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Charlotte Alcott has lived a large part of her life disguised as a boy, going by the name of Charley and acting as an apprentice to her father, who is a doctor. When her father dies, Charley wants nothing more than to continue practicing medicine. In her disguise, she books passage on a British ship to Jamaica in exchange for acting as the ship's surgeon. She hopes to apprentice herself to her uncle, who is also a doctor. But the ship is attacked by American privateers, who capture Charley and d...more Charlotte Alcott has lived a large part of her life disguised as a boy, going by the name of Charley and acting as an apprentice to her father, who is a doctor. When her father dies, Charley wants nothing more than to continue practicing medicine. In her disguise, she books passage on a British ship to Jamaica in exchange for acting as the ship's surgeon. She hopes to apprentice herself to her uncle, who is also a doctor. But the ship is attacked by American privateers, who capture Charley and demand that she treat their gravely injured first mate. The captain, David Fletcher, is all too grateful to the young surgeon for saving his brother and treating his men--too grateful to see past the disguise. But as Charley and David form a friendship, David worries that Charley may be developing an attraction to him--and that the feeling may be mutual.

Positive Comments:

The characters are extremely likable. Charley is smart and competent. Her actions struck me as incredibly brave. Marshall does a good job in examining the identity issues that Charley faces, both from an emotional and professional standpoint. This makes Charley a character that a modern woman can easily sympathize with and relate to.

David is, perhaps, not as interesting. He's dashing, patriotic, and makes an excellent leader. His struggle with his attraction to Charley (especially before he discovers her full identity) is extremely amusing. Otherwise he's very much a typical romance hero. Given that our focus is primarily on the heroine, I thought David's lack of interesting development was forgivable.

The plot has a good balance of internal and external conflict. There is just enough action to keep things suspenseful. The medical details added intrigue for me. There's also plenty of humor, both in the situations and in the dialogue. Overall the story is emotional enough to draw you in, but does not get caught up in angst.

Critical Comments

The only thing I can really say is that I felt the ending wrapped up a bit too neatly. All of the conflicts are wrapped up and swept away with great ease, rather abruptly clearing a path for David and Charley to be together. However, this is such a frequent occurrence in romance that I can't really count it as a serious flaw.

In sum, I found this book to be extremely enjoyable. It's a fun adventure story for those who enjoy historical romance. 4.5 stars. (less)

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Nov 13, 2011 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Story Rating 5 stars
Character Rating 5 stars
Romance Rating 4 stars
Heat Level 3 stars
Overall Rating 5 stars

I LOVED this story and I had a really hard time putting it down.

The heroine made this book for me she was a fantastic character but I have to say that all the characters in this book were very well done.

This story had some really exciting moments and the action of the sea battles were very well done. Warning if you do not like reading about the injuries that happen from battles this book wou...more

6 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 Katherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

The first reads historical romance is a great romp through the Caribbean in 1817. A young orphaned girl is posing as an apprentice surgeon on a Royal Naval ship on her way to Jamaica and life with her godfather, a doctor, who she hopes will allow her to assist him in his practice. During the delivery of the Captain's wife an American privateer boards the ship to take the doctor prisoner so that he will treat the American's injured brother. And so begins a delightful story in which the reader kno...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Justine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Actually 4.5 stars! .5 because the ending was wrapped up in a hurry. Still....AMAZING story. All my fav plots/shelves put together in a wonderful book.
Strong h who actually has a purpose in life besides looking pretty ... Check
Macho but tender H.... Check
Pirate... Check
Girl masquerading as a guy ... Check
H then wondering y he's getting tingly feelings for another 'dude'... Check
Funny dialogues/scenes ... Check
Scarred H ... Check
Sensible conversation between H and h without either of them 'raging...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, historical, library

I have heard really good things about this book and I have to agree that it has something special. There was a realism in the portrayal of a young woman passing as a male surgeon and the privateer who stole her off a ship during the midst of war. Charlotte was invested in her vocation and planned to spend her life as a man if need be, not just dressing up for kicks or plot device. Being a romance novel, I knew David and Charley would get their HEA but there were times I was worried and could not...more

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Oct 21, 2012 KarenF rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, kindle, romance

A totally fun, frothy ~~pirate~~ privateer romance. Charley is such a great heroine. She's a smart, compassionate woman who discovered her love for medicine as a child at her father's side. Posing as a young man in order to practice medicine and earn her fare across Atlatentic, she's captured by American privateer Davey Fletcher. I love how the woman masquerading as a man was handled here. So often no one can figure it out except the hero because he's so Alpha or something she can't hide her womanli...more

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May 24, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, scarred-hero

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 09, 2012 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: genre-historical, genre-romance

Excellent book. A completely enjoyable reading experience.
There was interesting, well-developed characters, well-paced plot, good writing and a delightful story. The pages more or less turned themselves.

A few very minor quibbles. First, the romance had a few weak spots (especially the emotions the heroine supposedly feel just before the ending - while she felt them, I didn't) - but even so the romance in itself was still worthy of five stars. Second, the heroine practices the medicine of her tim...more

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May 14, 2012 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-victorian, captain-naval-pirate, historical-romance, birds-with-balls, set-in-caribbean, all-time-favorites

Holy crap, this book was ABSOLUTELY fantastic!

I loved it from beginning to end, and as soon as I finish writing this review, I'm going to go and buy a stack of other books by this author.

This books shows hands-down how a pirate story should be written. It also shows how a skinny heroine story, a birds-in-breeches story, a drop-dead gorgeous hero/blah heroine story and a naval doctor story should be written too. Yup, I'm serious, it really is that good.

I have an almost unhealthy obsession for pi...more Holy crap, this book was ABSOLUTELY fantastic!

I loved it from beginning to end, and as soon as I finish writing this review, I'm going to go and buy a stack of other books by this author.

This books shows hands-down how a pirate story should be written. It also shows how a skinny heroine story, a birds-in-breeches story, a drop-dead gorgeous hero/blah heroine story and a naval doctor story should be written too. Yup, I'm serious, it really is that good.

I have an almost unhealthy obsession for pirate/naval historical romances, and those with heroines disguised as boys are probably my favorite of all, mainly because women really did do this for a whole number of reasons, and there is something that appeals to me in a romance in such a romantic setting which is at least partially based in fact. But I usually find myself disappointed. The hero sees through the heroine's disguise far too soon, usually by Chapter 3, spends the rest of the book chasing the heroine around the deck, before she falls pathetically into his berth (usually whilst fainting or something), and then the whole business gets overtaken by the plot moving on to a good pirates v bad pirates thing. See, what I mean? Disappointing!

Well, this one doesn't disappoint. Not at all! The heroine's disguise is the whole point of this book - why she does it, how she is so convincing, why some people see through her and others don't, what happens when they do..

Something else this book does perfectly is describe the whole process of falling in love with someone, not just lusting after their body, but loving them as a person. It's one of the very few books I've read which makes a compelling case as to why a gorgeous, coverboy-worthy hero is attracted to a skinny, bony, flat-chested heroine. It really is the most convincing story of love transcending physical perfection.

I have to also say that the descriptions of the gruesome work of a naval doctor (Can I amputate your other leg now, sir?) aren't just dry passages explaining where the heroine works and sleeps, because we need to know the layout of her room when the hero seduces her in Chapter 3. Oh no, we get to see what the heroine actually does on board.

Which brings me to the part which I absolutely loved best about this book... the heroine has a passion and a personal mission beyond herself, beyond her love for the hero and beyond her own desires and needs. She is a doctor, and without the ability to practice she is not a fulfilled person. I can't honestly remember reading many romances which manage to convey that so well.

So, the plot, the characters, the setting are all perfect. Did I also mention that the writing is also great? Having been a female engineering student among a whole posse of men, I can honestly say that the descriptions of pissing, farting and burping competitions have more than a passing resemblence to reality in a male dominated environment. Bless 'em.

5 stars. It was amazing and straight onto my all-time-favorites list.(less)

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Feb 13, 2013 Anna Bowling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

The standouts for me in this book are the unexpected delights - Charley's passion for medicine; a very realistic-for-the-character reaction when David discovers Charley's gender; a unique take on the traditional trope of heroine in male disguise visiting a brothel, and of course, Pirate the cat. Multifaceted characters will make the reader think and feel, sharing the journey with Charley and David. The eventual resolution will leave readers with that happily ever after feeling, perfectly suited...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Jacqueline rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-historical-not-old-west, available-for-kindle-loan, historical-romance, kindle-reads, masquerade-or-mistaken-identity, medical-personnel, owned, ships-sailing, angsty

Another wonderful story by Ms. Marshall. A sailing story set during the War of 1812. The hero is an American privateer and the heroine is an English woman masquerading as a man/surgeon. Of course this is during a time when women were not in any way accepted as physicians. The tone of the book was not as light hearted as the other book I read by this author but I loved them both. The way the heroine carried out her masquerade and the reasons for it were very well done. The historical accuracy was...more

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Oct 31, 2011 C.L. Bevill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oh, it's a trite formula. Girl mascarading as...a boy doctor on a privateer's ship! She was kidnapped by the privateer captain to save his wounded brother and much mistaken gender missassociations ensue! Honestly, entertaining and well written. The heroine actually bleeds someone to help them. (It's historically correct, anyway.) And so on. Romantical historical fiction and readable.

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Oct 12, 2011 Laylah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

Nothing earth shattering about this sea romance. We have an uber-alpha, privateer hero and a cross-dressing heroine, a formulaic plot -- abduction, bonding, misunderstanding, lots of sex, forced seperation, cinderella-esque transformation, final reunion -- in that order.

However, Sea Change is well-written and entertaining. I would have rated it one star higher if it is not a tad too long and very much too sweet.

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Sep 17, 2011 Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: romance readers

Recommended to Mara by: DearAuthor.com

Shelves: historical, romance

3 ½ star

A very nice historical romance that makes you laugh a lot too. :)

I'm not a good judge of historical novels (you need to be a real expert of a very definite period of time for that), but it seems/feels accurate.

I'm not sure why the HEA has such a twist of fate for the hero and heroine (it does make something less of their story, I fear). But its development is real.

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Sep 16, 2011 Anne Dirty Girls' Good Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance, pirate, best-of-2011

Favorite line: "Look! I'm a narwhal!"

This book was a wonderful mix of humor, adventure, and love story. I impulsively bought it after reading a good review at DearAuthor.com and I'm so glad I did.

Charley's (Charlotte's) position as ships doctor made for some gorey and realistic scenes. That was offset by plenty of laughter. I highly recommend this book!

1 like · like · see review

Mar 11, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I hoped that I would like Sea Change, I didn't expect that I would love it! It brings to life interesting, smart, passionate characters in such vivid situations. Davy and Charley were people that I enjoyed spending time with as they fell in love with each other. I laughed, I gasped, I had trouble putting the book down and I finished the last page with a smile on my face.

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Nov 06, 2011 MaryLu Tyndall rated it 5 of 5 stars

Darlene Marshal is a new author to me, but I have to say, she's my kind of author! Apparently, she loves tall ships and swashbuckling heroes as much as I do! Sea Change was an excellent story! Filled with adventure and romance and great characters! I found myself thinking about the story long after I finished it. Which is a rare thing for me these days. HOWEVER, this book does contain explicit sex. Not much of it, but it's in there. Personally, I just skim over those parts...but if you find them...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Laura (Kyahgirl) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, historical-fiction, romance-historical, set-during-a-war

4/5; 4 stars; A-

I can't decide whether to make this a 4 star or a 5 star book. I really liked it. I want to re-read The Iron Rose and The Charm School to see how this compares in my memory. Both of those were excellent pirate books.

I liked the balance between history, romance, action, and angst in this book. Charley was the kind of female lead I love to read about. She followed her dream, even though in the reality of the time no one would even entertain the idea of a female doctor. She was fac...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 17, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This book worked for me on many levels. I enjoyed the interactions between the hero and heroine. I enjoyed the plot. I liked the characters and watching them fall for each other. There were wonderful moments of humor interspersed with touching emotion. All around highly recommended!

1 like · like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 ♥Book♥YouVeryMuch rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, pirates

The book would have been great if not for the last part of the book. It felt as if the author lost passion by the time it came to the ending of the book.

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Nov 28, 2012 Erica Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, medical-theme-fiction, regency-era-romance, love-on-the-high-seas

Really enjoyed this book, which is far from your usual Regency-era romance. Unusual heroine, amputation, and some serious cross-dressing, not necessary in that order. I think I enjoyed Marshall's Castaway Dreams a bit more than Sea Change, but that may be because I find grizzled surgeons bizarrely attractive . . . don't ask.

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Feb 23, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really Good! Girl disguises as boy story; very well written & very believable. Some parts were extremely poignant & touching. She made a fantastic heroine.

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Oct 21, 2012 Emmy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: pirates

This was an average book. Entertaining and a quick, light, easy read, but not particularly memorable.

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Feb 29, 2012 Sheri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I enjoyed this a lot. For most of the book we're on a schooner, sailing the high seas. Charley is is a delightful heroine--strong, commanding, tenacious, determined, and yet insecure and unsure of herself. I had so much anticipation, waiting for David to discover she was not a man!

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May 11, 2013 Jessie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good story, but the ending gets a little crazy.

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Oct 05, 2011 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this book

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Oct 21, 2011 MJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, standalone, 5-star-ratings

4½ Stars

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About Darlene Marshall

Darlene Marshall is the author of award-winning historical romance featuring pirates, privateers, smugglers and a possum or two. CASTAWAY DREAMS--on sale now!

Her books include Castaway Dreams, Sea Change, The Bride and the Buccaneer, Smuggler's Bride, Captain Sinister's Lady, and Pirate's Price .

Marshall's books are also available in German and Estonian.

Sea Change was a finalist for the 2012 Des...more

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