Books like Mutiny of the heart by Vickie McDonough

Heather Hawthorne, unwed cousin to Deborah, finds herself in peril when her sister’s plea for protection leads her to James—a child whose paternity intertwines with the treacherous past of Lucas Reed. Lucas, a deserter of the Royal Navy, has long eschewed romance after the loss of his beloved Deborah and the destruction of his family’s fortunes. When a letter reveals that Deborah vanished under mysterious circumstances and that Lucas’s brother‑pirate Marcus stole her and fathered Jamie, Lucas assumes responsibility for the boy to safeguard his reputation. Together, Heather and Lucas must collaborate to secure a future for Jamie while confronting the unresolved ghosts of their histories and the threat of Marcus’s vengeful plot. Their partnership, forged in hardship, evolves into a deep bond—testing whether the pull of love can outweigh the pull of duty, loyalty, and blood.

First publish date: 2010