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Reviewed by Laurel
Nobody’s Saint – Paula Reed
Zebra,
March 2005
ISBN-13: 978-0821777251
ISBN-10: 0821777254
Reviewed by Laurel
August 2005
Diego Montoya Fernandez de Madrid y Delgado Cortes, has been receiving visions for the past few months, from Mary Magdalene, the saint. She appears to him and warns him of danger or victory on the high seas. She also promises him a wife. All Diego has ever wanted to do in life was to own his own ship, and have a loving, demure Spanish wife to come home to. While he and his crew profit from their victories, his crew are becoming feared and superstitious of their Captain. Their fear is heightened even more when Diego has a vision that leads his crew into victory. Aboard this ship Diego stops dead in tracks, staring in awe. On the deck of the ship was his Saint Mary Magdalene, all aglow, wielding a sword and cursing up a streak in Irish at him for being dimwitted and almost getting himself killed. Soon Diego realizes that the woman before him is not his Saint but the woman he is meant to marry.
Mary Kate O’Reilly is furious, 4 years ago her grandfather removed her from her home in Londonberry taking her to England, vowing she would get married and produce him an heir. She is a spirited lass with a stubborn streak, her bad habits include; never changing her dress, a fowl mouth and a surly disposition. Thinking he is finally conceding and allowing her to move back home she finds out he has tricked her. She is ship bound on her way to Port Royal to be married off to man her grandfather sold her too. When Pirates overtake their ship, she is taken captive. After watching all the crew and passengers of the ship be killed, she is scared and trying to find a way to save herself, when suddenly, another ship appears on the horizon. With a skeleton crew on the pirate ship, she knows she has to save herself, picking up a sword she starts to fight. She kills a man to save the life of Diego, a man she has an instant attraction to.
Aboard the Magdalena, Diego’s ship, he asks her if she has seen him before. He is convinced that his Saint is wrong; she is an ill-mannered English person. Which she quickly corrects, telling him she is Irish and has contempt for the English just like he does. He is upset that she is not Spanish and further dismayed that she is betrothed. When they make land Diego takes her to the church. While he is talking to his friend, Mary Magdalene returns and informs him he is in danger. During this time in Spain, the Inquisition was going on for heresy and his crew is reporting him for his “evil” ways to the Bishop of the Catholic Church. Now in a fight to save his life, Diego must convince the church that the visions he has are from Saint Mary Magdalene and not the work of heresy.
I must admit that I had a hard time grabbing the concept of the novel. I have read novels that contained a paranormal element to the story with mythical figures and spirits playing matchmaker. But Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary was a first for me and I did not particularly like it. It felt odd, weird and out of place for religious icons being used this way and I was glad that they all but disappeared during the second half of the novel. Where I got back into the story and really enjoyed it for the good love story that it was.
All Mary Kate wanted to do was return home back to Londonberry to see her father and sister Bridget. She developed an attraction to Diego on her voyage. She was an adventurer and was often tempted to go against her religious beliefs. Diego was a lovable and gentlemanly man, he was humorous and didn’t want to let Mary Kate go, but honour and duty required him to do the right thing and return her to her rightful betrothed. When they returned to their lives and Mary Kate made it home she felt out of place, her family did not need her anymore. The book was touching in some parts and in some parts it was just weird, plotlines moved and wrapped up at a quick speed and revolved around the real conflict of the story. Diego and Mary Kate’s love, different cultures, ideas on love and marriage but a strong desire to be with each other.
This is my first novel by Paula Reed, while her theme of Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary in the story was off putting to me as a reader. I do give her credit, though, for trying something new in a novel and for that I would read her again. The secondary characters peaked my interest, leaving me to wonder if they have a story. NOBODY’S SAINT is a well-written romance novel with the characters and setting of the story written against the backdrop of a different time in history and one I am not all that familiar with.
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