Maggie and the Pirate's Son

<p><em>Silver winner of the 2025 IBPA Book Awards.</em></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0)>Once upon a time Maggie Mackintosh Budge yearned for handsome rogues and breathtaking adventure. Now widowed after a disastrous marriage and desperate to escape her still-matchmaking father she stows away on the nearest vessel because sometimes the only solution is running away to sea. </span></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0)>Bastian MacLeod never chose a life of piracy but after coming of age under the brutal regime of </span><em style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0)>Auldfarrand's Revenge</em><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0)> his world has been limited to placating the volatile captain and staying one step ahead of the navy-that is until he discovers Maggie in the cargo hold. The first rule of piracy is: wenches are unlucky and will be cast overboard. </span></p><p></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1); background-color: rgba(0 0 0 0)>With Bastian's help Maggie disguises herself and joins the crew but sparks between them ignite like St. Elmo's Fire. Can they keep her secret-and keep their hands off each other-long enough to outwit the navy and hunt down the captain's lost treasure? Or will bad luck send them both to the hangman's noose?</span></p>