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Trade Winds #1

Captive Heart

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Life was perfect, Devora thought. Assisting her Uncle Barnabas with his patients was exhilarating, and the thought of marriage to her beau, Edward, filled her heart with joy. Then the Countess of Radburn made a life-changing announcement: Devora must marry a Spanish don. In her desperate search for Edward, Devora encounters a mysterious stranger with a small, but lethal, dagger . . . From perilous intrigue at court to battles between Spanish conquerors and English pirates, Captive Heart takes you on a romantic adventure in a time when love, honor, and faith forged a sacred trust.

355 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

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About the author

Linda Lee Chaikin

47 books236 followers
Linda Chaikin is a Christian fiction author with a focus on historical fiction. She sometimes publishes using the name L.L. Chaikin.

Linda was the youngest of 10 children and her father died shortly after she was born. She wrote her first full-length novel with pen and paper at the age of 14 - this novel was later rewritten as Wednesday's Child, part of the Day to Remember series.

She met her husband, Steve, in a Bible study, and they were married 6 months later. They both went to Multnomah School for the Bible, now known as Multnomah Bible College and Biblical Seminary in Portland, Oregon.

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5 stars
139 (44%)
4 stars
93 (29%)
3 stars
60 (19%)
2 stars
13 (4%)
1 star
8 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Irene.
33 reviews
November 6, 2018
Revisiting one of my favourite authors from my teenage years. I don't think I've read these in a good 15+ years. It's light reading, but I quite enjoyed it
Profile Image for Isabella Readbooks.
14 reviews
January 19, 2026
I borrowed this book from a friend over Christmas, and I will be buying a copy for my personal library.
The romance, drama, and tension is fantastic. There’s an overall plot filled with drama and a subplot of romance, and another subplot where we are figuring out the mystery of who one of the characters is.
This book left me wanting more of her writing. I loved her descriptions of the characters and their actions. Having a handsome MC is great too, lol.
Overall. In love with this book. I can easily see myself re-reading it and thinking of it often. As it was recommended to me, I recommend it to those looking for a light-hearted romance with drama and encouraging Christian messages throughout. I loved it!
Profile Image for ScriptLit-You Are What You Read.
241 reviews26 followers
June 25, 2024
#BookReviewFriday
#2023readingchallenge
#20includespirates

Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

# 20 Includes Pirates

Book: Captive Hearts
Author: Linda Chaikin

Ending the year with my favorite authors was a good plan! Another five star book by Mrs. Chaikin. Although her books often feature similar tropes, i.e, the evil family member, the sarcastically witty male love interest, she still manages to make every story unique while capturing the essence of the time and place.

One of my favorite series by Mrs. Chaikin features pirates, and I guess it was a favorite for her too because she wrote another trilogy about them! This time around, there was less struggle and a bit more romance. I'm in more of a romantic mood during the holidays so it fit!

Bruce did have his struggles, and I believe we'll get more in to them in the next book. Devora comes from a loveless family, but I don't see her as having the same struggle as the heroine in the other pirate centered series.

This book was fast paced and action packed, while I still got to know quite a bit about the characters, this one was focused more on the adventure. Unlike many of her other books, these two fall for each other rather quickly so I'm anticipating the next book to be about how they will be kept apart! In fact I'm ready to get to the next book because Devora ends the book in a completely unexpected way that has me dying to know more!

I highly recommend this book and anything written by Linda Chaikin!

📸 Look at this post on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/e4WPi9...
Profile Image for Anita.
1 review
Read
September 15, 2008
This is book 1 of 3 and deals with the oppression of the native people of the Carribean, Central and South America by the Spanish as well as showing the growing Reformation movement in the Christian religion. Peppered with scripture, it begins the story to 2 people and how they come to terms with their parents and their faith.

Book 2 is Silver Dreams.
Book 3 is Island Bride.
Profile Image for Julie.
66 reviews
August 14, 2015
This review is actually for the whole series, because it really does take all 3 books to finish the thought… it could have been one large novel. Takes a look at themes like revenge - justice - forgiveness with a healthy bit of spiritual devotion stirred in. As an action story, it has intrigue and some great "all-is-lost" moments that keep you reading 'til the end. Enjoyable.
Profile Image for Pam Carroll.
67 reviews5 followers
June 1, 2018
I'm rating this book how I rated the series since as a standalone it felt like an incomplete thought. For my taste, it didn't have enough about the actual characters and had way too many historical elements that were boring at times.

It did set the stage nicely for the next two books though which is why you really need to read all three to get the full picture.
Profile Image for Melissa.
154 reviews
November 3, 2008
Oh my goodness! I didn't think I would ever get through this book. I just wasn't into it...I've read so many Linda Chaikin books the last few months I've burned out. However, I did finish this book, and all in all I really liked it. Can't wait to finish the series.
Profile Image for Lisa.
58 reviews4 followers
Read
July 28, 2011
I really only scanned this story, but I read enough to understand the author's talent, and to look forward to reading the second book in the series- especially since the author rather frustratingly ended the book on a sort of cliff-hager...
Profile Image for Paula.
532 reviews4 followers
February 24, 2013
Not a bad little story, but probably the whole trilogy could be smooshed into one slightly larger book.
Profile Image for Cora.
121 reviews
September 2, 2017
This book will keep you reading more. I can't wait to start the next one, "Silver Dreams".
88 reviews
June 18, 2015
a bit wordy and slow at first
Devora met a pirate who is really the Spaniard she is supposed to marry
Profile Image for marlajanereads.
68 reviews27 followers
December 12, 2018
I read this book back when I was in high school. I remember it being a favorite at the time, but it’s been so long that I decided to re-read it. It was like reading it for the first time, which was a cool experience. I enjoyed the story. There’s enough adventure in it to keep you interested, but the romance is what really drives the story. It’s a clean, solid romantic adventure novel. The reason I give it 4 instead of 5 stars is that there seems to be an overload of adjectives. Sometimes it’s not noticeable, but other times it’s distracting. Not everything needs to be described in detail 😅 Other than that, I’d recommend it if the person is into romance and adventure stories.
11 reviews
June 4, 2023
I LOVE THIS SERIES.

This is one of my most favorite series I have ever read! Shout out to Linda Chaikin’s talents! The characters were so deep and interesting and the locations and historical backdrop were amazing! I feel like I learned so much about Spain and life in the 1600’s. I loved that they were trying to help Holland against the Spaniards. Bruce was super dreamy and his and Devora’s meeting in the second book was fantastically written. You never knew what was going to happen next in the story because there were so many twists and turns that kept you on your toes. Definitely recommend!
Profile Image for Judy  Warner.
84 reviews2 followers
July 11, 2025
An interesting read! I must say that the end was a lead to the 2nd book for sure! The story continues in Silver Dreams. That's okay with me because I have all 3 books. Note: There's not indication on the cover as to the sequence. But, a small search helps to find it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews