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Escape to Paradise, 1

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Colonel Blake Wallace has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath the weight of defeat and loss. With his entire family murdered by the North and his name appearing on a list of officers wanted for war crimes, Blake organizes a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new life in a verdant land called Brazil.


Eliza Crawford can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort at her Georgian home. She can't help but wonder how different her life would be had she not met her late husband, Stanton Watts, a general in the Northern army. Now a war widow, Eliza is rejected by both North and South. Desperate to keep her marriage a secret and escape her past and pain, she longs to start over again in Brazil.
 

But once the voyage begins, troubles abound. Dangers at sea  and enemies from within threaten to keep Blake and Eliza from the new life—and love—they long for.

Enter the World of Escape to Paradise

What Others are Saying

Just when I think MaryLu Tyndall cannot write a more passionate, page-turning romance...she does! Forsaken Dreams is a worthy addition to your keeper shelf, melding adventure, love, and spiritual truths in soul-enriching ways. - Laura Frantz, author of The Colonel's Lady and Love's Reckoning
 

…a remarkably vivid and captivating story about a little known group of ex-patriots. I highly recommend Forsaken Dreams!
- Cara Lynn James, author of A Path Toward Love and Love on a Dime

Tyndall not only fills each page with accurate historical details and vivid imagery, but she also weaves in danger at every crest of the wave, creating an exciting story that keeps the pages turning.
- Jody Hedlund, bestselling author of Unending Devotion & The Preacher's Bride

Impeccably researched and action-packed, this romantic adventure will have you waiting to read the rest of the series to learn what happens to other favorite characters!
- Kelly Eileen Hake, author of the Husbands for Hire series

MaryLu Tyndall writes romantic adventure tales on the high seas like no other! …A wonderful storyteller who has given us a sweeping love story…
- Jamie Carie, award-winning author of Snow Angel and The Forgotten Castles series

The forces of good versus evil are apparent throughout "Forsaken Dreams," and I am intrigued and motivated to read the next book in the series.  There is no doubt that MaryLu Tyndall is a talented author who writes stories with unique settings that offer powerful messages of love, forgiveness, redemption, and peace.  
(M. Banton Ramblings of 2 Readers 2013-01-13)

Emotional, action-packed, riveting and inspirational are just some of the thoughts I had about this romantic adventure. As always, Ms. Tyndall’s detailed accounting of landscapes, sunrises and sunsets to the inter-workings of a ship of this era are tantalizing keeping you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. Characters’ diverse personalities, skill-sets, strengths and weaknesses are blended well bringing them to life, if only in your imagination.
(Trudy Once Upon a Romance 2013-05-13)

Each and every book by MaryluTyndall is pretty much guaranteed to be an adventure. Forsaken Dreams, her latest high seas set novel is just that. With her trademark flair for romance and characters with deep-seeded faith Tyndall tells a tale that won’t soon be forgotten.
(Elizabeth Olmedo Radiant Lit 2013-05-16)


 

The Main Characters

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Eliza Crawford (AKA Flora Eliza Watts)


Brief Description:  At age 22, with hair the color of maple syrup, glistening golden eyes, and an athletic build, Eliza feels like she’s already lived a lifetime. She can barely remember the days of her youth spent in opulence and comfort when she lived at her parent’s upscale hotel in Marietta, Georgia. If only she hadn’t met Stanton Watts, she wouldn’t be in such dire straits. But she was young and in love and her zest for freedom and adventure made her throw caution, convention, and her family’s disapproval to the wind, and follow her heart. Unfortunately it led her to a miserable year of marriage to a man who was hardly ever home. Brigadier-General Stanton Watts, killed in action, December, 1862 during the Battle of Fredericksburg. She could still see the handwritten post that changed her life forever and sent her from Pennsylvania back to Georgia and eventually to the rebel front lines as a nurse. Even after her husband’s death, her family would not forgive her for marrying a Union soldier. Now, rejected by people on either side of the war, Eliza finds herself alone in the world, without friends, family, or means to provide for herself. She sells her remaining jewelry and possessions and procures passage on the NewHope heading for Brazil. Perhaps there, with her secret hidden, she can escape her past, her pain, her rejection and start over.

Strengths:  Courageous, Generous, Kind, A free spirit, Fearless, Dreamer, Doer not a talker

Weaknesses:  Rebellious, Stubborn, Impulsive, Self-willed

Quirks:  Eliza is a take charge kind of woman not easily frightened by new challenges. She craves freedom and therefore often has trouble following any rules or direction if it goes against what she wants to do.  Outwardly, this manifests itself in her unruly hair which she can never seem to keep pinned up in a coiffeur dictated by proper etiquette.

Inspiration:  Eliza is the type of heroine we often see in film and in books. She’s the fearless conqueror who takes life by the horns and fights for her way.  She’s the woman who defies conventions and rules and lives by the impulses of her heart. She’s the artist, the dancer, the actress, the free thinker. Her zest for life and her huge heart are truly gifts from God, but like all  gifts, they can be used either for good or evil. Unfortunately, Eliza tosses away God’s healthy restraints on her zeal and ends up making a huge mess of her life.

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Colonel Blake Wallace

Brief Description:  Blake Wallace is a true warrior. Standing at just over six feet tall with jet black hair, stormy gray eyes and a muscular build honed by war, Blake’s commanding presence offers no doubt as to his profession. A profession he used to love until the war. Now, Blake has seen enough death to last a lifetime. Weary and disillusioned, he slumps beneath a weight of defeat and loss. Son of a wealthy Atlanta merchant, Blake attended WestPoint before the war and worked his way up through the American Army to become a colonel. A career officer, he loved the structure and discipline of the military, and he was proud of his role in the defense of his great nation. So, when the Southern states seceded from the union and declared their independence, Blake didn’t hesitate to lead the charge to protect his homeland from the North. But as the war dragged on and Blake realized that men lived and died based on his decisions, his zeal began to fade. He lost several close friends in his regimen, but it wasn’t until his younger brother was killed that Blake began to loathe the North. As soon as the war ended, he hastened home to his mother, father and sisters, only to find they’d all been murdered during the burning of Atlanta.  Now, angry at God and man, and with nothing to keep him home and with the North inflicting chains of punishment around the South, Blake decides to organize a shipload of southerners who, like him, long to escape the horrors of war and start a new south in a succulent land called Brazil.

Strengths:  Courageous, Honorable, Chivalrous, Leader, Resolute, Idealistic, Structured

Weaknesses:  Demanding, Merciless, Bitter, Unforgiving, Austere

Quirks:  Blake walks with a limp due to a war injury to his right leg. He suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and is prone to blackouts, nightmares, and visions.  Three deep lines furrow on his brow when he’s angry or frustrated.

Inspiration:   I love the character of the Warrior/King! This is a man who is physically and mentally prepared to protect and defend his nation, his family, and his lady love.  He’s the character we see in our favorite movies like The Gladiator, The Patriot, Rob Roy, and Robin Hood. The fearless adventurer who places honor, loyalty, and doing one’s duty for God and King above anything else. Yet along with those great qualities comes a harsher side—a man who holds others up to the same standard to which he holds himself. Mercy and grace do not factor into his way of thinking. Mistakes never go unpunished. Especially not when he’s the one who made them. Consequently, when Blake fails to save his brother and his entire family in the war, he takes all the guilt and the anger upon himself. That is, until he finds a scapegoat for his hatred, a secret Yankee on board the ship!

 

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