The author takes us back to Savannah Georgia and Tybee Island where the weather is unpredictable and the people are friendly. Enter Anne, she has a sullied past that was not of her own doing but she has made her home in Savannah running Rum Runners Tours sharing the history of pirates and their impact on the town.  Carter is bucking his father's aspirations for him and loves history which is in part due to his Aunt giving him a diary from 250 years ago.

This book has so much going for it - love, guilt, fear, mystery, faith, and the pursuit of happiness.  Anne has a lot of guilt that is weighing her down due to events that were beyond her control yet she took the blame for the tragedy.  This is a theme that runs through the book and I found this line very appropriate to how she feels about herself and the situation that happened:

"But what you're really carrying is shame.  Shame for your actions. Shame for your inaction. Shame for the embarrassment you caused your family."

Anne beats herself up in this book...a LOT!  It has also made it hard for her to trust anyone or even allow herself to be happy.  It is very sad to see someone beat themselves up over the past the way Anne does in this story.  As the details are revealed her actions and words make more sense.  She has a lot to learn and finding a treasure, meeting Carter, and moving forward does help.

Carter has his own baggage in going against his father and the career plans that he wanted Carter to follow which did not line up with Carter's dreams.  I had to admire Carter for sticking to his guns and making it on his own.  Granted, not everything was flowing smoothly but he was out there and wasn't bailed out by his family's name or connections.

One of the minor characters that I really like is Tessie, Carter's aunt.  She was disowned from her family for following her heart and she was wise to not second guess her actions.  She is very wise in her conversations with Anne and I think it was something of a turning point for Anne's life.

Another point of the story that stuck out to me is how the media was not portraying the whole story about what happened to Anne.  As we see in today's media, they are only focused on the bad and not the whole truth which is a sad state of affairs for our country.

The mystery comes from the treasure that is found plus the diary.  While I don't want to spoil too much of the story, I liked this passage that was in the diary because while written 250 years it still applies today.

"My heart, which was injured beyond repair, has been restored. And I believe only a good God would allow me to know such joy. For I do feel joy and love and enough merriment to dance a thousand jigs."

All in all, we enjoyed this story and was treated to a sneak peek of the next book in this series and I cannot WAIT to read the story of Penelope and Tucker.  That's all I'm saying.  We give this book 4 paws up and as a side note while it is the second in a series you do not have to read the first book to enjoy this one.