The Mayflower Bride by Kimberly Woodhouse (Daughters of the Mayflower Series 1)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Can a religious separatist and an opportunistic spy make it in the New World?

A brand new series for fans of all things related to history, romance, adventure, faith, and family trees.

Mary Elizabeth Chapman boards the Speedwell in 1620 as a Separatist seeking a better life in the New World. William Lytton embarks on the Mayflower as a carpenter looking for opportunities to succeed—and he may have found one when a man from the Virginia Company offers William a hefty sum to keep a stealth eye on company interests in the new colony. The season is far too late for good sailing and storms rage, but reaching land is no better as food is scarce and the people are weak. Will Mary Elizabeth survive to face the spring planting and unknown natives? Will William be branded a traitor and expelled?

My thoughts-

It's always exciting when I come across the first book in what is to become a series. I love staying in fictitious worlds so even though I love reading stand alone books, there is nothing like a good series that keeps me immersed with characters for some time. I thought The Mayflower Bride sounded intriguing because it isn't often you come across a book that is set on the famous Mayflower. I felt like this book gave me some good insight into what the journey to the new land might have been like. Part of the reason I felt that way is because a lot of the book uses real passengers from the ship and tells their stories, and the author gives some background information before and after the novel which I found very helpful and enlightening. I really enjoyed getting to know Mary Elizabeth, and her family. 
I am hoping to see more of them, even if just a brief glimpse or mention, in the coming books of the Daughters of the Mayflower series. I recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction. 

More to come in the Daughters of the Mayflower series:
The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y’Barbo – set 1725 New Orleans (April 2018)
The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep – set 1760 during the French and Indian War (June 2018)
The Patriot Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse – set 1774 Philadelphia (August 2018)
The Cumberland Bride by Shannon McNear – set 1794 on the Wilderness Road (October 2018)
The Liberty Bride by MaryLu Tyndall – set 1814 Baltimore (December 2018)