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The Reckless Brides #1
Almost a Scandal
Bold, brazen, and beautiful, the Reckless Brides refuse to play by society’s rules of courtship. But—come hell or high water—they always get their man…
A Lady in Disguise
For generations, the Kents have served proudly with the British Royal Navy. So when her younger brother refuses to report for duty, Sally Kent slips into a uniform and takes his place—at least until he comes to his senses. Boldly climbing aboard the Audacious, Sally is as able-bodied as any sailor there. But one man is making her feel tantalizingly aware of the full-bodied woman beneath her navy blues…
A Man Overboard
Dedicated to his ship, sworn to his duty—and distractingly gorgeous—Lieutenant David Colyear sees through Sally’s charade, and he’s furious. But he must admit she’s the best midshipman on board—and a woman who tempts him like no other. With his own secrets to hide and his career at stake, Col agrees to keep her on. But can the passion they hide survive the perils of a battle at sea? Soon, their love and devotion will be put to the test…
A Lady in Disguise
For generations, the Kents have served proudly with the British Royal Navy. So when her younger brother refuses to report for duty, Sally Kent slips into a uniform and takes his place—at least until he comes to his senses. Boldly climbing aboard the Audacious, Sally is as able-bodied as any sailor there. But one man is making her feel tantalizingly aware of the full-bodied woman beneath her navy blues…
A Man Overboard
Dedicated to his ship, sworn to his duty—and distractingly gorgeous—Lieutenant David Colyear sees through Sally’s charade, and he’s furious. But he must admit she’s the best midshipman on board—and a woman who tempts him like no other. With his own secrets to hide and his career at stake, Col agrees to keep her on. But can the passion they hide survive the perils of a battle at sea? Soon, their love and devotion will be put to the test…
353 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 31, 2012
143 people are currently reading
2299 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Essex
45 books332 followersWhen not re-reading Jane Austen, sipping tea or mucking about her garden, Elizabeth Essex can be found at her computer, making up wonderful stories about people who live far more interesting lives than she.
Elizabeth Essex
It wasn’t always so. Elizabeth graduated from Hollins College with a BA in Classical Studies and Art History, and then earned her MA from Texas A&M University in Nautical Archaeology, also known as the archaeology of shipwrecks. While Elizabeth loved the life of a working archaeologist, after writing and reading all those dry, dusty reports on ship construction, she would daydream about how lovely it would have been if only someone had fallen in love on just one of those ships. And so now she writes stories about just that.
Elizabeth lives in Texas with her family, in a house filled to the brim with books.
Elizabeth Essex
It wasn’t always so. Elizabeth graduated from Hollins College with a BA in Classical Studies and Art History, and then earned her MA from Texas A&M University in Nautical Archaeology, also known as the archaeology of shipwrecks. While Elizabeth loved the life of a working archaeologist, after writing and reading all those dry, dusty reports on ship construction, she would daydream about how lovely it would have been if only someone had fallen in love on just one of those ships. And so now she writes stories about just that.
Elizabeth lives in Texas with her family, in a house filled to the brim with books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 225 reviews
March 11, 2018
Sally Kent goes undercover as her brother Richard as a midshipman on the British ship Audacious. Unfortunately, Lieutenant David Colyear figures out that she's hiding breasts and that makes things tense. And hard. Mostly turgid. After a sexy shore leave-slash-mission, they end up in the great sea battle of Trafalgar where feelings fail to stop cannonballs. Shocker.
1. All my nonsense aside: this was a very interesting portrayal of naval life in his majesty's royal navy during the war with France. Perhaps a bit too forgiving, but still interesting.
2. Sally Kent was a good heroine. I liked her and her grit and the fact that I believed in her place in society and why she fought against it the way she did. She's no society damsel spurning the man; she's the daughter of a family with saltwater in their blood, and her drive and confusion and wanting was something I believed in. Some of the surrounding angst was a bit weaker, but I think I can forgive it.
3. Col was definitely less well defined (although the argument can be made that this is very much Sally's book and he's just there to serve as her man candy); that said, I thought the handling of his ... split focus was deftly done, and intriguing. Again, some of the angsty dressing was unnecessary but the tangibility of his attraction and feeling for Sally was well done.
4. THE OVERUSE OF "DAMN HER FINE EYES" WAS TOO MUCH THO. WAAAAAY TOO MUCH. I read this as an ebook and there was literally a 'page' where it showed up TWICE and that was when I knew Essex had CROSSED A LINE.
5. The tone of this is very serious, very stern, which I kind of liked? But I just want to note it since it's somewhat tiring to read. It's not extremely uplifting or joyous: it's war and it's the navy and there are fights and death and real consequences to things and it feels serious and hard.
6. It did intrigue me enough that I'm adding Essex to my backlog tracker since I think I want to read more of her works.
7. Overall: 3.75 stars.
1. All my nonsense aside: this was a very interesting portrayal of naval life in his majesty's royal navy during the war with France. Perhaps a bit too forgiving, but still interesting.
2. Sally Kent was a good heroine. I liked her and her grit and the fact that I believed in her place in society and why she fought against it the way she did. She's no society damsel spurning the man; she's the daughter of a family with saltwater in their blood, and her drive and confusion and wanting was something I believed in. Some of the surrounding angst was a bit weaker, but I think I can forgive it.
3. Col was definitely less well defined (although the argument can be made that this is very much Sally's book and he's just there to serve as her man candy); that said, I thought the handling of his ... split focus was deftly done, and intriguing. Again, some of the angsty dressing was unnecessary but the tangibility of his attraction and feeling for Sally was well done.
4. THE OVERUSE OF "DAMN HER FINE EYES" WAS TOO MUCH THO. WAAAAAY TOO MUCH. I read this as an ebook and there was literally a 'page' where it showed up TWICE and that was when I knew Essex had CROSSED A LINE.
5. The tone of this is very serious, very stern, which I kind of liked? But I just want to note it since it's somewhat tiring to read. It's not extremely uplifting or joyous: it's war and it's the navy and there are fights and death and real consequences to things and it feels serious and hard.
6. It did intrigue me enough that I'm adding Essex to my backlog tracker since I think I want to read more of her works.
7. Overall: 3.75 stars.
August 3, 2012
This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.
Expected Release Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Imprint: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Author’s Website: http://elizabethessex.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Reckless Brides Series
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Overall, I loved this book. With a fresh take on historical “at sea” romance, tons of adventure, and just the right amount of steam, I read this book in a single sitting. I not only loved Sally and Col, but many of the minor characters, and all of the intricate details of daily life in the navy during those times. The pacing was rapid without feeling rushed, and there were plenty of surprising twists and turns to keep me on my toes.
Towards the end, there were some events that left me a little uncertain, and the story began to take a path that I wasn’t exactly thrilled with, but the actual ending was quite satisfying despite my concern during the last quarter.
I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction with a romantic twist, of heroines masquerading as males in a time where the resulting scandal would be their ruination, and of adventure on the high seas.
A resoundingly solid 4.5/5 Stars.
Expected Release Date: July 31, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Imprint: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Author’s Website: http://elizabethessex.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 1, Reckless Brides Series
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy
Overall, I loved this book. With a fresh take on historical “at sea” romance, tons of adventure, and just the right amount of steam, I read this book in a single sitting. I not only loved Sally and Col, but many of the minor characters, and all of the intricate details of daily life in the navy during those times. The pacing was rapid without feeling rushed, and there were plenty of surprising twists and turns to keep me on my toes.
Towards the end, there were some events that left me a little uncertain, and the story began to take a path that I wasn’t exactly thrilled with, but the actual ending was quite satisfying despite my concern during the last quarter.
I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction with a romantic twist, of heroines masquerading as males in a time where the resulting scandal would be their ruination, and of adventure on the high seas.
A resoundingly solid 4.5/5 Stars.
November 22, 2012
Setting: 1805 The High Seas.
1st in the"Reckless Brides Series"
3.5 Stars
Well now..with a cover like that,and the setting to match how could I not like this? Another swashbuckling romance..right? Hmmmm..not quite to rock this Pirate Wench's boat.
Now I knew it wasnt a "pirate-romance" going into it,same theme though as the Heroine disguise's herself as a shipmate on a British Royal Navy ship. Now this is a usual theme in a pirate romance so I did ponder how this was going to work here(not quite for me). When her younger brother disappears before he is to leave for service in the British Royal Navy,Sally Kent dons his uniform and boards the ship Audacious. She is as capable as any midshipman and loves being free of society's rules.Lt.David Colyear has served with the Kents before,but there is something that disturbs him about "Richard Kent". It dosent take him long to to uncover Sally's disguise,but he keeps it to himself as she is a better sailor than many. Amid skirmishes with the Spainish and French and trouble with a bullying seaman,Sally becomes a temptation David cant ignore. In the midst of battle,it is easy to give in to mutual desire,but their love and loyalty will be tested by War and pride. A daring Heroine and a dashing Hero this high seas adventure/desire romance had non stop action,witty repartee and deft plotting right from the bow to the mast,from battles to ballrooms...but it still didnt deliver for me the "swashbuckling romance" that I love. Something for me was just..missing.
Maybe it was the characters. I really didnt connect with them,as I found Sally way too immature for 19 And David didnt create the "swoon to die for" effect.I also found there was too much "Naval details" that dragged down the story and were boring and some would have been better left out..but alas it wasnt a pirate ship. Im hoping the next two "Reckless Brides" in the series will be better,but if they are on a Naval ship I hope the next story dosent have the Naval details over shadow the story/characters otherwise I might just pass and jump ship here.
Steam Factor: 3 1/2
January 14, 2016
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
Summary
The Kent Family has served proudly for the British Royal Navy. Sally Kent, was practically raised on the sea with her father, and she loves every moment and she has soaked any information she could find about running a ship on the sea. She has had great examples in her family of what a sea life is really like. When her younger brother, runs off to pursue his religious endeavors, which turns out him failing to report for duty, Sally dresses in her brothers uniform and takes his place as midshipman. Sally is full of excitement at the opportunity to get away from the boring life of the city, and embrace her dreams. When she arrives, things aren't what she expected, but she isn't daunted by hard work and putting a stop to a mean bully. She is a Kent after all, and she finds herself drawn to the second in command Lieutenant David Colyear. David has devoted his life to his duty, he is fair and highly respected among the crew. David senses something off about Kent, but he can't put his finger on it. But all the clues fall into place, and he realizes that Kent is a woman, he keeps her secret reluctantly, but as tension rises with a battle with the French drawing near, so will his desire for her, but will they be able to find a common ground or lose each other?
The Hero
David Colyear is a family friend of the Kent family and served with Sally's brothers for years. He would recognize a solid Kent just about anywhere. David is committed to serving on the sea, he loves it and embraces his duty. He has spent many years being loyal to his country and those he serves under. David knows the ins and outs of running a ship, and he finds something suspicious about "Richard". There are certain aspects that don't match up with what he knows, but then he soon realizes that Richard isn't Richard at all...it's Sally. A woman he used to play with when he was younger. David despite how devoted he is to his captain and upholding the law of the British Navy, breaks the rules for a woman (no surprises there) but I think what I enjoyed most about his character was how daring he is at times, and I loved how he interacted with Sally--"Richard". He holds his own in their verbal play, but he also stands his ground when its needed to be done, but allows Sally to explore her new surroundings and doesn't tie her down too much.
The Heroine
Sally, is much like the rest of her family, she loves the sea. She has a spirit for adventure and action. Due to the time to spent with her father on his ships, she became hooked on the life on the sea and its what she has always wanted. When she learns that her brother has fled his duty, she decides to take on his service to the British Navy. Sally has spunk and courage in spades. She boldly takes on this duty, and she really gets creative. She makes friends with other midshipman and makes an enemy--a bully who she is determined to bring to justice. I love her methods for dealing with this "bully", there were certain actions she would take, that honestly I would never think of, but were they lively and creative and I just fell for her character ever more. She takes on every duty as a midshipman with ease and excitement. I really enjoyed this certain characteristic to her, because she has this energy and eagerness and she tends to be a great leader in everything she does. She laughs at herself and doesn't take things too seriously.
She becomes a role model for those other boys that need a friend or two.
Plot and Story Line
Almost A Scandal is a beautiful historical romance that won me over from the beginning. I honestly wasn't sure what I would think of this one, I have had it on my Nook for at least six months, but for some reason I just hadn't picked it up, even though I LOVE romances that take place on the sea. I think part of my reluctance was the reviews and ratings, which weren't very high so it didn't encourage me to read this instantly. Well, I decided to try it out, because I have read one of the other books in the series and just couldn't get enough. But boy did I fall for this story just about instantly. I don't know exactly what it was that grabbed me so, I think for the most part it was our heroine of the story. Boy was she great!! I loved her spirit and her willingness to do what it takes to get things done. She is a bit devious and cunning (but I really liked that), she has her flaws but she has her dreams and the courage to go after them. She takes initiative and I grew to admire her character the further I delved into the story. The chemistry between Sally and David doesn't happen overnight. In fact, it takes time for them to develop a spark. Mostly due to the fact that she is posing as a boy, but even once he finds out the truth, he doesn't know what to think of her. There is a period of time where he is dealing with his confusion about Sally. We really see how their romance takes time to develop, and an instant spark doesn't happen overnight. I love how it slowly builds up, and then once it does happen, then life gets more interesting on the sea.
There are a couple of conflicts that keep these two from an instant HEA, and I had a blast seeing them work through their issues and build a trust with each other. It isn't easy what they have going on, and I liked how their love gets tested in the end.
I truly ADORED the ending that Elizabeth Essex weaves for us because it was tender and poignant and truly wraps this story up in the right way. Definitely plan on reading more of this series.
The Cover
I just really admire this cover, and I love the scene it portrays. With the ship in the background, and the dark night, and how sensual it is. Makes me just want to read it again. LOL
Overall View
Almost A Scandal is a love story that is riveting and passionate, a slow-burning romance that builds into an explosion of sensuality and adventure!! A TRUE TREASURE!
Summary
The Kent Family has served proudly for the British Royal Navy. Sally Kent, was practically raised on the sea with her father, and she loves every moment and she has soaked any information she could find about running a ship on the sea. She has had great examples in her family of what a sea life is really like. When her younger brother, runs off to pursue his religious endeavors, which turns out him failing to report for duty, Sally dresses in her brothers uniform and takes his place as midshipman. Sally is full of excitement at the opportunity to get away from the boring life of the city, and embrace her dreams. When she arrives, things aren't what she expected, but she isn't daunted by hard work and putting a stop to a mean bully. She is a Kent after all, and she finds herself drawn to the second in command Lieutenant David Colyear. David has devoted his life to his duty, he is fair and highly respected among the crew. David senses something off about Kent, but he can't put his finger on it. But all the clues fall into place, and he realizes that Kent is a woman, he keeps her secret reluctantly, but as tension rises with a battle with the French drawing near, so will his desire for her, but will they be able to find a common ground or lose each other?
The Hero
David Colyear is a family friend of the Kent family and served with Sally's brothers for years. He would recognize a solid Kent just about anywhere. David is committed to serving on the sea, he loves it and embraces his duty. He has spent many years being loyal to his country and those he serves under. David knows the ins and outs of running a ship, and he finds something suspicious about "Richard". There are certain aspects that don't match up with what he knows, but then he soon realizes that Richard isn't Richard at all...it's Sally. A woman he used to play with when he was younger. David despite how devoted he is to his captain and upholding the law of the British Navy, breaks the rules for a woman (no surprises there) but I think what I enjoyed most about his character was how daring he is at times, and I loved how he interacted with Sally--"Richard". He holds his own in their verbal play, but he also stands his ground when its needed to be done, but allows Sally to explore her new surroundings and doesn't tie her down too much.
The Heroine
Sally, is much like the rest of her family, she loves the sea. She has a spirit for adventure and action. Due to the time to spent with her father on his ships, she became hooked on the life on the sea and its what she has always wanted. When she learns that her brother has fled his duty, she decides to take on his service to the British Navy. Sally has spunk and courage in spades. She boldly takes on this duty, and she really gets creative. She makes friends with other midshipman and makes an enemy--a bully who she is determined to bring to justice. I love her methods for dealing with this "bully", there were certain actions she would take, that honestly I would never think of, but were they lively and creative and I just fell for her character ever more. She takes on every duty as a midshipman with ease and excitement. I really enjoyed this certain characteristic to her, because she has this energy and eagerness and she tends to be a great leader in everything she does. She laughs at herself and doesn't take things too seriously.
"Are you going to tell me how you got that?"
She tipped her head and brewed up a small bit of the mischievous Kent smile. "Juggling. Wine Bottles. Most Ill advised."
He had expected so different an answer that the truth left him amused. And ill-advisedly intrigued. "I didn't know you juggled."
"Judging from the tenderness of my face, I don't."
She becomes a role model for those other boys that need a friend or two.
Plot and Story Line
Almost A Scandal is a beautiful historical romance that won me over from the beginning. I honestly wasn't sure what I would think of this one, I have had it on my Nook for at least six months, but for some reason I just hadn't picked it up, even though I LOVE romances that take place on the sea. I think part of my reluctance was the reviews and ratings, which weren't very high so it didn't encourage me to read this instantly. Well, I decided to try it out, because I have read one of the other books in the series and just couldn't get enough. But boy did I fall for this story just about instantly. I don't know exactly what it was that grabbed me so, I think for the most part it was our heroine of the story. Boy was she great!! I loved her spirit and her willingness to do what it takes to get things done. She is a bit devious and cunning (but I really liked that), she has her flaws but she has her dreams and the courage to go after them. She takes initiative and I grew to admire her character the further I delved into the story. The chemistry between Sally and David doesn't happen overnight. In fact, it takes time for them to develop a spark. Mostly due to the fact that she is posing as a boy, but even once he finds out the truth, he doesn't know what to think of her. There is a period of time where he is dealing with his confusion about Sally. We really see how their romance takes time to develop, and an instant spark doesn't happen overnight. I love how it slowly builds up, and then once it does happen, then life gets more interesting on the sea.
The feel of her lips beneath his was new, and extraordinary, and he was conscious of wanting to go slowly, to savor every touch, every taste. Her lips were chapped and rough as his, but the moment she opened her mouth beneath his, he fell into the inevitable soft sweetness of her. She kissed the way she lived, with generosity and bright enthusiasm.
There are a couple of conflicts that keep these two from an instant HEA, and I had a blast seeing them work through their issues and build a trust with each other. It isn't easy what they have going on, and I liked how their love gets tested in the end.
Do you know what I see? I see loyalty. And devotion. I see what someone, what you, were willing to sacrifice for me. I see love. Only love could leave such a lasting mark. How could I not be moved by that?
I truly ADORED the ending that Elizabeth Essex weaves for us because it was tender and poignant and truly wraps this story up in the right way. Definitely plan on reading more of this series.
The Cover
I just really admire this cover, and I love the scene it portrays. With the ship in the background, and the dark night, and how sensual it is. Makes me just want to read it again. LOL
Overall View
Almost A Scandal is a love story that is riveting and passionate, a slow-burning romance that builds into an explosion of sensuality and adventure!! A TRUE TREASURE!
Almost A Scandal (1)
A Breath of Scandal (2)
Scandal In The Night (3)
The Scandal Before Christmas (3.5)
After The Scandal (4)
A Scandal To Remember (5)
April 5, 2018
This was good. Almost very good. I was prepared to give the book a crap-ton of leeway because I knew it would need it. A girl going to sea as a midshipman in her brother's place was going to be a toughish sell. So the main character has to be able to pass for a man and do hard work and not be all weak-kneed about some officer on the ship. And I was incredibly impressed with how little of that leeway I had to give for the story to work. Sally is practically custom-built for that deception and Essex put that together and made it believable and interesting.
Even better, the ship-board life depicted felt believably authentic. I'll admit that my experience is mainly from devouring Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey stories and sharing Melissa's delight while researching Burning Bright. I guess that I'm better-informed than many but hardly an expert. So bear that in mind as I say I didn't catch any glaring blunders and that the life and activities and battles had great detail without feeling like they were there to show off the author's brilliance.
I did notice that some of the romance was a bit hand-wavy given the constrained circumstances and that some of the impersonation details were simply not brought up (most notably, Sally is conveniently free of her period and accompanying cramps and/or hormonal effects). So there was noticeable sacrifice to the conventions of the story Essex wanted to tell.
Gah. I'm nerding out on the ship/impersonation crap when what made it worth it was Sally and Col. Okay, mostly Sally (because Col is kind of a stand-in for "commanding ship guy"). I loved her grit and determination and how much her love for the sea came through. I could feel her frustration that her gender was keeping her from serving in a way that was important to her—a vocation she is practically built for. The last thing I would associate with being a midshipman in the 19th century British Navy is freedom, but seeing Sally sink gratefully into her duties and life looked very much like being set free. I loved being with her for what she knew deep down couldn't last forever and so was determined to squeeze every last ounce of enjoyment out of it while she could.
The ending falters a bit after the battle of Trafalgar. I didn't like . It made me like both of them a little bit less and that made me sad. So it's 3½ stars instead of 4, but I’m rounding up so it’s not like that matters in any but an aesthetic sense.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes and I didn’t buy any of it. I skimmed the second two. So the story ends up in the middle of my steam tolerance, but the bottom of my buying-into tolerance.
Even better, the ship-board life depicted felt believably authentic. I'll admit that my experience is mainly from devouring Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey stories and sharing Melissa's delight while researching Burning Bright. I guess that I'm better-informed than many but hardly an expert. So bear that in mind as I say I didn't catch any glaring blunders and that the life and activities and battles had great detail without feeling like they were there to show off the author's brilliance.
I did notice that some of the romance was a bit hand-wavy given the constrained circumstances and that some of the impersonation details were simply not brought up (most notably, Sally is conveniently free of her period and accompanying cramps and/or hormonal effects). So there was noticeable sacrifice to the conventions of the story Essex wanted to tell.
Gah. I'm nerding out on the ship/impersonation crap when what made it worth it was Sally and Col. Okay, mostly Sally (because Col is kind of a stand-in for "commanding ship guy"). I loved her grit and determination and how much her love for the sea came through. I could feel her frustration that her gender was keeping her from serving in a way that was important to her—a vocation she is practically built for. The last thing I would associate with being a midshipman in the 19th century British Navy is freedom, but seeing Sally sink gratefully into her duties and life looked very much like being set free. I loved being with her for what she knew deep down couldn't last forever and so was determined to squeeze every last ounce of enjoyment out of it while she could.
The ending falters a bit after the battle of Trafalgar. I didn't like . It made me like both of them a little bit less and that made me sad. So it's 3½ stars instead of 4, but I’m rounding up so it’s not like that matters in any but an aesthetic sense.
A note about Steamy: There are three explicit sex scenes and I didn’t buy any of it. I skimmed the second two. So the story ends up in the middle of my steam tolerance, but the bottom of my buying-into tolerance.
July 21, 2012
When her youngest brother refuses to do his duty and join the navy, Sally Kent does what she thinks is best--she goes in his place to keep the family honor intact. After all, the sea is in her blood having grown up on the ship with her captain father and brothers. She loves the adventure, the air, everything about the sea but as a female she is regulated to the land. When she sees her childhood crush, Lieutenant David Colyear also on board she thinks her disguise is at risk. But as time passes and no one seems the wiser, she relaxes. Circumstances force her to reveal her true identity to Col and she is at his mercy for him not to report her and damage the Kent name. With a war happening and a mean shipmate, how will this pair find time to discover if their feelings are true or just a moment of fancy?
Hmm, I'm a bit torn about this book. The writing and descriptions of life on a ship were lush and really made you feel like you were there but at the same time it was a bit much for me. It took almost half of the book for the romance to start to bloom and I would have liked that to happen much sooner, even though Col and Sally had meet years ago. I have no problem suspending reality a bit when I read but I did have a hard time believing no one on the ship noticed Sally was female. I feel like more would have noticed something...her voice, her hands...something. But then again, if you are not looking for a female, you probably will not notice one.
Anyways, back to Col and Sally and the supporting characters. I really liked Sally, or Kent as she is referred to most of the time! She is bold and brash and has no fear and you could just feel her love and passion for what she was doing. She was also compassionate to all those on board from making sure they had the best food they could to helping the new lads overcome fears. Sally was even a gem to the resident villain on board, a man who could not make lieutenant and she found a clever way to deal with him and in the process, help him. Col was a bit arrogant but confident of his work and responsibilities. Every man on that ship needs him and he makes sure to do everything he can to uphold that. I found his reaction to being on land a bit humorous and was glad our couple finally could be on land and progress with their romance angle. We get to enjoy a few battles and take downs of ships which was very grand and adventurous, but I personally would have liked a bit more romance and a bit less adventure. The ending was sweet and and me sniffling a bit and ended in a way very appropriate for this sea loving couple. So while I didn't love this book, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a very adventurous story! Elizabeth Essex has quite a way of describing the world she is writing about and I look forward to more from her! 3 1/2 stars
I received this eARC from St. Martins Press via netgalley.com, thanks!
Hmm, I'm a bit torn about this book. The writing and descriptions of life on a ship were lush and really made you feel like you were there but at the same time it was a bit much for me. It took almost half of the book for the romance to start to bloom and I would have liked that to happen much sooner, even though Col and Sally had meet years ago. I have no problem suspending reality a bit when I read but I did have a hard time believing no one on the ship noticed Sally was female. I feel like more would have noticed something...her voice, her hands...something. But then again, if you are not looking for a female, you probably will not notice one.
Anyways, back to Col and Sally and the supporting characters. I really liked Sally, or Kent as she is referred to most of the time! She is bold and brash and has no fear and you could just feel her love and passion for what she was doing. She was also compassionate to all those on board from making sure they had the best food they could to helping the new lads overcome fears. Sally was even a gem to the resident villain on board, a man who could not make lieutenant and she found a clever way to deal with him and in the process, help him. Col was a bit arrogant but confident of his work and responsibilities. Every man on that ship needs him and he makes sure to do everything he can to uphold that. I found his reaction to being on land a bit humorous and was glad our couple finally could be on land and progress with their romance angle. We get to enjoy a few battles and take downs of ships which was very grand and adventurous, but I personally would have liked a bit more romance and a bit less adventure. The ending was sweet and and me sniffling a bit and ended in a way very appropriate for this sea loving couple. So while I didn't love this book, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a very adventurous story! Elizabeth Essex has quite a way of describing the world she is writing about and I look forward to more from her! 3 1/2 stars
I received this eARC from St. Martins Press via netgalley.com, thanks!
December 5, 2018
So Good!!! full review to come
July 6, 2014
This book is my first experience with Elizabeth Essex's writing. I have known of her for some time as her previous books are on my wish list of to be read but it was only now through NetGalley that I have had that pleasure.
Almost A Scandal is the start of the new Reckless Brides series. Bold, brazen, and beautiful, the Reckless Brides refuse to play by society’s rules of courtship. But—come hell or high water—they always get their man…
Our first bride is Sally Kent, the only female in a long line of a heroic naval family, with a father and 3 brothers all captains in the british royal navy.
The distractingly gorgeous Lieutenant David Colyear is an old family friend to the Kent brothers and is very dedicated to his duty and his ship the Audacious.
Sally makes the decision to become a "lady in disguise" believing she is saving her family's name, reputation and honor because Richard, her 15 year old brother, has run away from his duty of serving in the navy to study and join the church. Sally takes his place aboard the ship the Audacious as Richard's midshipman post that his father has set up for him.
Colyear is suspicious of Richard given what he remembers of him while at their family home studying for his lieutenant exam and the letters that the Kent brothers have written to him mentioning Richard. Col can't quite figure out why he is suspicious only that there is a remarked change in him from what he was lead to believe of the boy and he don't have time to contemplate the change as he has a ship to get underway. It is only a short while later that he suspects that it was Sally and not Richard and the truth is confirmed when he confronts her.
I did find sections of Elizabeth's writing to be a bit tedious with the technical descriptions about the life aboard and the workings of a naval ship. I know this was done to add a more realistic image to the story but felt there was a lack of background given about Lt. Colyear. It was only mentioned that he was a man with a history and hidden desires he harbored for Sally while staying with the Kent family. The interaction between Sally and Col was interesting to say the least with her pretending to be Richard and Col trying to ignore the growing desire he was feeling for her and when finally they do come together while on land for a mischief mission to cause chaos for the French navy. There was passion with Sally and Col coming together but it was more practical that any real heat between them. Sally's character was written with much detail while there was something lacking and vague with Col. He is not your typical hero who is written up front and center, demanding and domineering. I would consider him a minor hero with the focus being much on the heroine as it is her story.
Almost A Scandal is the start of the new Reckless Brides series. Bold, brazen, and beautiful, the Reckless Brides refuse to play by society’s rules of courtship. But—come hell or high water—they always get their man…
Our first bride is Sally Kent, the only female in a long line of a heroic naval family, with a father and 3 brothers all captains in the british royal navy.
The distractingly gorgeous Lieutenant David Colyear is an old family friend to the Kent brothers and is very dedicated to his duty and his ship the Audacious.
Sally makes the decision to become a "lady in disguise" believing she is saving her family's name, reputation and honor because Richard, her 15 year old brother, has run away from his duty of serving in the navy to study and join the church. Sally takes his place aboard the ship the Audacious as Richard's midshipman post that his father has set up for him.
Colyear is suspicious of Richard given what he remembers of him while at their family home studying for his lieutenant exam and the letters that the Kent brothers have written to him mentioning Richard. Col can't quite figure out why he is suspicious only that there is a remarked change in him from what he was lead to believe of the boy and he don't have time to contemplate the change as he has a ship to get underway. It is only a short while later that he suspects that it was Sally and not Richard and the truth is confirmed when he confronts her.
I did find sections of Elizabeth's writing to be a bit tedious with the technical descriptions about the life aboard and the workings of a naval ship. I know this was done to add a more realistic image to the story but felt there was a lack of background given about Lt. Colyear. It was only mentioned that he was a man with a history and hidden desires he harbored for Sally while staying with the Kent family. The interaction between Sally and Col was interesting to say the least with her pretending to be Richard and Col trying to ignore the growing desire he was feeling for her and when finally they do come together while on land for a mischief mission to cause chaos for the French navy. There was passion with Sally and Col coming together but it was more practical that any real heat between them. Sally's character was written with much detail while there was something lacking and vague with Col. He is not your typical hero who is written up front and center, demanding and domineering. I would consider him a minor hero with the focus being much on the heroine as it is her story.
July 15, 2014
i wanted it to never end. surprised at how much i came to love sally and col. i'd never read a book that takes place on a ship before and this was so, so good.
August 14, 2012
Gawd, I loved this book. LOVED it! It was a super bad idea to start it over the weekend, though, because I had a hundred things I SHOULD have been doing, but I absolutely couldn't put this down. I have to give a big shout out to my husband and thank him for watching the twins so much this weekend, and for letting me be a bum and read pretty much the whole time.
Anyway, I've been looking for a historical romance that has a touch of added danger to it, and this one completely fit that description. It takes a rather typical plot - girl poses as boy to get what she wants - but the author's take on it is one of the best I've read. It only takes a day for Col, an old friend of Sally's and the first lietenant on HMS Audacious, to figure out that Sally isn't her brother. He keeps her secret, though, because he totally has a crush on her, because he wants her to do the right thing and tell the captain herself, and because she's a very capable seawoman. She's grown up in a family of naval officers and has the sea in her blood. And let me tell you, she really does know her stuff. There was a lot of nautical language in the book. I had no freaking clue what Sally was talking about, but it wasn't too much or too confusing to pull me out of the story; it just sucked me in even more. Major credit goes to the author whom, I believe, has a masters in nautical excavation or something close to that (she earned her masters from Texas A&M, so yay fellow Aggie!). You could tell she knew her stuff, but she presented it in way that the average reader can understand.
Also, I just loved Col and Sally together. They were really a great couple, and Sally was strong willed, relatable, not easily frightened, and just all around awesome.
I highly, highly recommend this book! And I'm pretty much dying to read the next one. But I'm afraid to! I have my own book to write and other things that need doing. I can't afford to get sucked completely into a book again!
P.S. And a big THANK YOU to author, Sasha Summers, for recommending Elizabeth Essex!
Anyway, I've been looking for a historical romance that has a touch of added danger to it, and this one completely fit that description. It takes a rather typical plot - girl poses as boy to get what she wants - but the author's take on it is one of the best I've read. It only takes a day for Col, an old friend of Sally's and the first lietenant on HMS Audacious, to figure out that Sally isn't her brother. He keeps her secret, though, because he totally has a crush on her, because he wants her to do the right thing and tell the captain herself, and because she's a very capable seawoman. She's grown up in a family of naval officers and has the sea in her blood. And let me tell you, she really does know her stuff. There was a lot of nautical language in the book. I had no freaking clue what Sally was talking about, but it wasn't too much or too confusing to pull me out of the story; it just sucked me in even more. Major credit goes to the author whom, I believe, has a masters in nautical excavation or something close to that (she earned her masters from Texas A&M, so yay fellow Aggie!). You could tell she knew her stuff, but she presented it in way that the average reader can understand.
Also, I just loved Col and Sally together. They were really a great couple, and Sally was strong willed, relatable, not easily frightened, and just all around awesome.
I highly, highly recommend this book! And I'm pretty much dying to read the next one. But I'm afraid to! I have my own book to write and other things that need doing. I can't afford to get sucked completely into a book again!
P.S. And a big THANK YOU to author, Sasha Summers, for recommending Elizabeth Essex!
June 20, 2019
‘Almost a Scandal’ was an automatic read because it’s got those gender-bending qualities that I love, or at least it’s has a Mulan-esque sheen of a woman dressing as a man to in a male-dominated field that somehow always pulls me in.
Yet strangely, Elizabeth Essex’s writing, so focused on Regency-period British naval supremacy, shines precisely not quite in the wonder of cross-dressing or gender relations, but in this, more so particularly if you’re interested in the intricacies of bringing a warship ship out and engaging in battle, though the sheer detail of every movement, every activity done on board could be tedious if you’re in it more for the romance itself than the setting. It’s well-researched, a little jolly for the tough conditions of war, perhaps, but delivers a breath of fresh sea-air.
Still, amidst the drama of the high seas, Sally Kent and Colyear’s relationship is one forged out of family history, hard-earned respect, battle-worn lines and sexual tension bursting at the seams. A slow burn, the many smouldering looks between them and the inevitable sense of mounting passion kept me engrossed and jittery, more so because Essex’s protagonists are generally likeable and never exactly fall over the rail in a fit of histrionics.
A curious mix of naïveté and a highly-developed sense of justice, Sally Kent is as capable, or perhaps even more so than quite a few men on the Audacious, while Col—intense, controlled, so dedicated and so brilliant until Sally unravels him—feels like the brooding, swoonworthy-type who oddly enough, generally lacks the off-putting, prickish vibe of the male protagonists in more traditional historical romances. It was no hardship to root for this pairing, maybe because it was easy to like them as individuals first.
But perhaps what Essex has done towards the end in not short-changing the reader into an abrupt conclusion but one that’s painfully drawn out to an ending that’s well-deserved is what really makes ‘Almost a Scandal’ a very memorable foray into a historical romance.
Yet strangely, Elizabeth Essex’s writing, so focused on Regency-period British naval supremacy, shines precisely not quite in the wonder of cross-dressing or gender relations, but in this, more so particularly if you’re interested in the intricacies of bringing a warship ship out and engaging in battle, though the sheer detail of every movement, every activity done on board could be tedious if you’re in it more for the romance itself than the setting. It’s well-researched, a little jolly for the tough conditions of war, perhaps, but delivers a breath of fresh sea-air.
Still, amidst the drama of the high seas, Sally Kent and Colyear’s relationship is one forged out of family history, hard-earned respect, battle-worn lines and sexual tension bursting at the seams. A slow burn, the many smouldering looks between them and the inevitable sense of mounting passion kept me engrossed and jittery, more so because Essex’s protagonists are generally likeable and never exactly fall over the rail in a fit of histrionics.
A curious mix of naïveté and a highly-developed sense of justice, Sally Kent is as capable, or perhaps even more so than quite a few men on the Audacious, while Col—intense, controlled, so dedicated and so brilliant until Sally unravels him—feels like the brooding, swoonworthy-type who oddly enough, generally lacks the off-putting, prickish vibe of the male protagonists in more traditional historical romances. It was no hardship to root for this pairing, maybe because it was easy to like them as individuals first.
But perhaps what Essex has done towards the end in not short-changing the reader into an abrupt conclusion but one that’s painfully drawn out to an ending that’s well-deserved is what really makes ‘Almost a Scandal’ a very memorable foray into a historical romance.
March 26, 2013
I disagree entirely with reviewers who've said that there is too much technical navy talk in this book. I like to learn a little about the period and environment in which a book is set, and here you do. This isn't just a frilly romance set on some ship; Essex knows what her characters are talking about. This is also how she gives a fresh touch to the old girl-in-breeches motif. Sally Kent is an entirely credible sea(wo)man, and we can believe that serving in the navy is her passion and her vocation. (Nice touch to call her father 'Alexander Kent': http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...)
The other thing that lifts Essex above the common crowd of Regency romances is her writing style. She steers clear of clichés without becoming colourless; her depictions of people and scenes are lively and sexy. What can I say? My boyfriend - who normally wouldn't touch a novel with that sort of cover, read it in one go; and he said it could almost have been written by a man. (Yeah, I know, but it's praise, coming from him.)
The scenes on board the Audacious are the most successful ones for me; the last few chapters - although they lead to a fulfilling conclusion - are less enthralling. Some plotlines fizzle out a bit, like [SPOILER ALERT!] the threat posed by the creepy midshipman Gandage; and the actual adventure scenes were a little haphazard. (Is setting fire to a town really that easy?)
A pleasure to read, and I will definitely read more by Elizabeth Essex!
The other thing that lifts Essex above the common crowd of Regency romances is her writing style. She steers clear of clichés without becoming colourless; her depictions of people and scenes are lively and sexy. What can I say? My boyfriend - who normally wouldn't touch a novel with that sort of cover, read it in one go; and he said it could almost have been written by a man. (Yeah, I know, but it's praise, coming from him.)
The scenes on board the Audacious are the most successful ones for me; the last few chapters - although they lead to a fulfilling conclusion - are less enthralling. Some plotlines fizzle out a bit, like [SPOILER ALERT!] the threat posed by the creepy midshipman Gandage; and the actual adventure scenes were a little haphazard. (Is setting fire to a town really that easy?)
A pleasure to read, and I will definitely read more by Elizabeth Essex!
August 15, 2020
I’m not the biggest fan of books set on ships but the cover of this book was really eye-catching so I thought why not?!
For most part of the beginning of the book, I struggled to settle into the setting. There were a lot of details about the ship’s properties that lost me a lot of times as they were unfamiliar. But even with that, I couldn’t really get a clear picture of the ship in my mind and what I managed to was a dirty ship filled with over two hundred men with poor hygiene. For a neatness freak like me, it was really bothersome. When some of the secondary characters moaned about hating the ship’s environment, I could very much relate. But I just had to bear it because I was really curious about Col and Sally’s Mulan themed tale :)
When the first issue with Gamage (garbage, damage) was introduced I wondered why Col and the other higher officers were willing to close their eyes while the man terrorized all the new soldiers -stealing from and beating them. And when Col disapproved of Sally standing up to him, I couldn’t understand. Sally on the other hand, seemed to like looking for trouble. She was pretending to be a guy and would face scandal if she was caught. I believe the sensible thing would be to keep her head low, yet she constantly sought attention and got into trouble. Also, if I had a dollar for every time she said “She was a Kent” I’d own private yachts 😂
Almost a scandal isn’t what I’m used to which is why I didn’t really settle into it but still, I appreciated it for what it was. I ended up loving Sally because she was so straightforward and determined and sharp and had this earnestness about her that was endearing. She wasn’t lazy or whiny and she was tall (being tall myself I love reading about tall female characters that bask in their height). Col was an interesting character, although most of the time I couldn’t really place my finger on him (solely from my lack of experience with British navy characters).
The end was truly rewarding and again I want to say I appreciated Sally’s strength. She was truly inspiring!
For most part of the beginning of the book, I struggled to settle into the setting. There were a lot of details about the ship’s properties that lost me a lot of times as they were unfamiliar. But even with that, I couldn’t really get a clear picture of the ship in my mind and what I managed to was a dirty ship filled with over two hundred men with poor hygiene. For a neatness freak like me, it was really bothersome. When some of the secondary characters moaned about hating the ship’s environment, I could very much relate. But I just had to bear it because I was really curious about Col and Sally’s Mulan themed tale :)
When the first issue with Gamage (garbage, damage) was introduced I wondered why Col and the other higher officers were willing to close their eyes while the man terrorized all the new soldiers -stealing from and beating them. And when Col disapproved of Sally standing up to him, I couldn’t understand. Sally on the other hand, seemed to like looking for trouble. She was pretending to be a guy and would face scandal if she was caught. I believe the sensible thing would be to keep her head low, yet she constantly sought attention and got into trouble. Also, if I had a dollar for every time she said “She was a Kent” I’d own private yachts 😂
Almost a scandal isn’t what I’m used to which is why I didn’t really settle into it but still, I appreciated it for what it was. I ended up loving Sally because she was so straightforward and determined and sharp and had this earnestness about her that was endearing. She wasn’t lazy or whiny and she was tall (being tall myself I love reading about tall female characters that bask in their height). Col was an interesting character, although most of the time I couldn’t really place my finger on him (solely from my lack of experience with British navy characters).
The end was truly rewarding and again I want to say I appreciated Sally’s strength. She was truly inspiring!
April 5, 2014
Mulan in the 19th Century British Navy could’ve been the alternate title of this novel. I do not think I can convey in words how much I loved reading this book. I’ve had an interminable 2.5 weeks, that doesn’t really seem like it’s going to get a lot better before April 15th and I cannot express how much this book came to me at exactly the right time.
I will say, I do not have the qualms about mistaken gender that a lot of more discerning readers seem to have. Mulan is literally the best Disney movie of the pre-CGI generation. I will literally fight you over this. So along comes this book, and I sincerely believed it was going to amount to a typical pirate/sea-faring romance novel and boy was I fucking wrong and delightfully so.
The heroine is from a Navy family. There’s a long tradition of men and Navy captains in Sally Kent’s pedigree. She’s the lone girl amongst 4 brothers and a father, her mother having died when she was young. She did the majority of her growing up on board Navy ships, only to be left at port when she reached a certain age. To condense a lot of backstory: she finds herself in a position to take her 15 year old brother’s place as a midshipman (and save her family disgrace). The lovely thing about Sally is that she’s only slightly deluded as to her justification for the risk she takes in pretending to be her brother, also, I love Sally Kent and I will fight you for her.
The hero is Col, Lieutenant David St. Vincent Colyear, and old family friend of the Kents. I have to say, as with most of the romance novels that I end up just wanting to crawl into a hole and die over, the hero is just…rather unremarkable when sat next to the heroine. Don’t get me wrong, Col is plenty likable. And in a great way, he respects Sally. When his protective instincts get engaged, I was left feeling that he would feel that instinctive protective instincts even if she were a boy. He was protective because he was in love with her, not because he didn’t know what she was capable of.
I suppose part of this is because Sally feels the same protectiveness over Col, so you get both sides of that coin, and it comes across as that they both fear, deeply, losing the other instead of some machismo power struggle.
At any rate, let me count the ways I loved this:
1) While I would’ve happily accepted MORE “gaypanic” there was still a really wonderful portion of this novel where Col kind of wanted to bang what he thought was a 15 year old boy. AND WHILE I’M SURE SOME PEOPLE WILL DISAGREE, that was the part that I was like “WELP I’M IN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS NO MATTER WHAT.”
2) This is a slow burn book. If you’re picking this up thinking it’ll follow the traditional format where the meetcute happens around 5%, the first makeout/grope session happens between 23-27%, the sex happens around 45% and the marriage proposal at 65-73% with some major catastrophe between 75-85% that threatens the couple, reassess expectations. There is the very real presence of everyone else on the ship and the realities of the complete and utter lack of privacy onboard a ship as WELL as the fact that people —- well, Col and Sally could stand to be more circumspect. Even before feelings are ever even sort of admitted to, there’s an air about them that people pick up on. In fact, Col is warned away from making Sally his whipping boy (…so to speak) at one point and like. I shrieked with delight.
4) The characters in this book are not idiots. They’re capable military men (and woman) who make hard decisions and are alive for a reason and that’s amazing and I want to marry it.
5) This book is not a book that spends 90% of the time on the couple. This is really, and truly, at its heart the story of Sally Kent. It is a romance novel. I wouldn’t hand this to someone with a distaste for romance novels. But oh man, Sally Kent. My favourite lady.
6) SPEAKING OF. OH MY GOD I WILL FIGHT YOU OVER GRACE KENT NEE HOWE. SHE IS THE BEST OF US ALL. I REALLY WISH THIS WERE A NOVEL WHERE I COULD CONVINCE PEOPLE TO WRITE ME AU FEMMESLASH OF GRACE AND SALLY. AND IF YOU DON’T WANT THAT, I DON’T WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU.
7) And seriously, though this may be attributable to the fact that I’m hormonal right now, by the time Col and Sally get to the horizontal portion of their relationship I was like so there so into it yes please keep going dear god oh my. Which RARELY RARELY HAPPENS.
8) Also, sailors say “fuck” in this novel which is all I’ve really ever wanted.
9) CUNNILINGUS AND IT’S SO GOOD.
10) I feel like there’s so much worth mentioning that I’m forgetting to mention.
My one gripe with this book was that the pacing could use tightening in spots. There’s not even one specific part I could point to. I just feel like maybe it wouldn’t have been awful to have another 25-50 pages to wrap it up. Though there was something utterly befitting about the ending and how it reflected Sally and Col.
I will say, I do not have the qualms about mistaken gender that a lot of more discerning readers seem to have. Mulan is literally the best Disney movie of the pre-CGI generation. I will literally fight you over this. So along comes this book, and I sincerely believed it was going to amount to a typical pirate/sea-faring romance novel and boy was I fucking wrong and delightfully so.
The heroine is from a Navy family. There’s a long tradition of men and Navy captains in Sally Kent’s pedigree. She’s the lone girl amongst 4 brothers and a father, her mother having died when she was young. She did the majority of her growing up on board Navy ships, only to be left at port when she reached a certain age. To condense a lot of backstory: she finds herself in a position to take her 15 year old brother’s place as a midshipman (and save her family disgrace). The lovely thing about Sally is that she’s only slightly deluded as to her justification for the risk she takes in pretending to be her brother, also, I love Sally Kent and I will fight you for her.
The hero is Col, Lieutenant David St. Vincent Colyear, and old family friend of the Kents. I have to say, as with most of the romance novels that I end up just wanting to crawl into a hole and die over, the hero is just…rather unremarkable when sat next to the heroine. Don’t get me wrong, Col is plenty likable. And in a great way, he respects Sally. When his protective instincts get engaged, I was left feeling that he would feel that instinctive protective instincts even if she were a boy. He was protective because he was in love with her, not because he didn’t know what she was capable of.
I suppose part of this is because Sally feels the same protectiveness over Col, so you get both sides of that coin, and it comes across as that they both fear, deeply, losing the other instead of some machismo power struggle.
At any rate, let me count the ways I loved this:
1) While I would’ve happily accepted MORE “gaypanic” there was still a really wonderful portion of this novel where Col kind of wanted to bang what he thought was a 15 year old boy. AND WHILE I’M SURE SOME PEOPLE WILL DISAGREE, that was the part that I was like “WELP I’M IN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS NO MATTER WHAT.”
2) This is a slow burn book. If you’re picking this up thinking it’ll follow the traditional format where the meetcute happens around 5%, the first makeout/grope session happens between 23-27%, the sex happens around 45% and the marriage proposal at 65-73% with some major catastrophe between 75-85% that threatens the couple, reassess expectations. There is the very real presence of everyone else on the ship and the realities of the complete and utter lack of privacy onboard a ship as WELL as the fact that people —- well, Col and Sally could stand to be more circumspect. Even before feelings are ever even sort of admitted to, there’s an air about them that people pick up on. In fact, Col is warned away from making Sally his whipping boy (…so to speak) at one point and like. I shrieked with delight.
4) The characters in this book are not idiots. They’re capable military men (and woman) who make hard decisions and are alive for a reason and that’s amazing and I want to marry it.
5) This book is not a book that spends 90% of the time on the couple. This is really, and truly, at its heart the story of Sally Kent. It is a romance novel. I wouldn’t hand this to someone with a distaste for romance novels. But oh man, Sally Kent. My favourite lady.
6) SPEAKING OF. OH MY GOD I WILL FIGHT YOU OVER GRACE KENT NEE HOWE. SHE IS THE BEST OF US ALL. I REALLY WISH THIS WERE A NOVEL WHERE I COULD CONVINCE PEOPLE TO WRITE ME AU FEMMESLASH OF GRACE AND SALLY. AND IF YOU DON’T WANT THAT, I DON’T WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU.
7) And seriously, though this may be attributable to the fact that I’m hormonal right now, by the time Col and Sally get to the horizontal portion of their relationship I was like so there so into it yes please keep going dear god oh my. Which RARELY RARELY HAPPENS.
8) Also, sailors say “fuck” in this novel which is all I’ve really ever wanted.
9) CUNNILINGUS AND IT’S SO GOOD.
10) I feel like there’s so much worth mentioning that I’m forgetting to mention.
My one gripe with this book was that the pacing could use tightening in spots. There’s not even one specific part I could point to. I just feel like maybe it wouldn’t have been awful to have another 25-50 pages to wrap it up. Though there was something utterly befitting about the ending and how it reflected Sally and Col.
February 7, 2016
3.5 stars
Wow, this one is hard to review or to assign a rating to. Overall, it is a wonderfully rich story about a young girl disguised as a boy, taking the place of her recalcitrant brother on a warship. The first lieutenant, who knows her from childhood, quickly figures out that she is The sister of his best friend from six years ago but decides to keep her secret.
It becomes evident early on in the story that they have feelings for each other but obviously cannot act on them. My issue is that I felt the author was more interested in detailing life aboard a warship and what it meant to work as a sailor versus concentrating on the romance part. In fact most of the book was spent at sea and when the heroine finally did return home the story felt completely flat. When the hero is reunited with the heroine at the END OF THE STORY instead of embracing him and trying to make up for lost time all of a sudden she is standoffish and the complete antithesis of what she was earlier on in the book. In fact it isn't until the last fucking page she finally accepts the hero's love for her.
Oh, and joy of joys-there is no epilogue to find out what the fuck happened in their HEA.
Wow, this one is hard to review or to assign a rating to. Overall, it is a wonderfully rich story about a young girl disguised as a boy, taking the place of her recalcitrant brother on a warship. The first lieutenant, who knows her from childhood, quickly figures out that she is The sister of his best friend from six years ago but decides to keep her secret.
It becomes evident early on in the story that they have feelings for each other but obviously cannot act on them. My issue is that I felt the author was more interested in detailing life aboard a warship and what it meant to work as a sailor versus concentrating on the romance part. In fact most of the book was spent at sea and when the heroine finally did return home the story felt completely flat. When the hero is reunited with the heroine at the END OF THE STORY instead of embracing him and trying to make up for lost time all of a sudden she is standoffish and the complete antithesis of what she was earlier on in the book. In fact it isn't until the last fucking page she finally accepts the hero's love for her.
Oh, and joy of joys-there is no epilogue to find out what the fuck happened in their HEA.
September 10, 2012
Sarah Alice Kent - Sally to anyone who knows her - grew up the only daughter in a naval family. Her father is the well-known Captain Kent, and all three of her older brothers - Matthew, Dominic and Owen - are in the royal navy. Now it's her fifteen-year-old brother Richard's turn to join up as a midshipman, despite the fact that he's never had any interest and wants only to learn sermons. With everyone else at sea (and her mother long ago deceased), Sally goes with Richard to the dock, but when he slips away and disappears, Sally decides to take matters into her own hands in order to preserve the Kent family honour.
It's not the only reason why Sally decides to board the HMS Audacious in disguise: she's always loved the sea, having spent years on board her father's ship growing up, and having tested all her brothers in preparation for their own navigation exams, she knows far more than a midshipman is expected to know. But nothing could prepare her for the discovery that the first lieutenant on board is David Colyear - Col to his friends, which would include the entire Kent family. He never knew Richard well, but all her brothers have written to him to tell him what to expect from their sermonising brother.
Sally isn't discovered, not at first. At nineteen, she's able to pass for a lithe, slender but strong fifteen year old boy. It's when she sings a song on deck that Col recognises her, and remembers the girl he'd spent time with before at her family's home. With England at war with France's Emperor Napoleon, the British navy needs all the men she can get - that's the argument Col makes to himself anyway, though he's at war with himself: his needs to keep Sally close and to keep her from the possibility of injury or death during battle are deeply conflicting.
Sally quickly proves herself to be a quick-witted, observant, knowledgeable sailor and officer, winning over most of the crew - except Gamage, who has been midshipman for too many years to count; he bullies the other boys and steals their things, and Sally is determined to stand up to him. As the Audacious joins the blockade of French and Spanish ships under Captain McAlden in 1805, Sally gets her first taste of real battle - and Col gets his first real taste of what it could mean to lose her.
This was so much more than I was expecting. I was prepared for another generic historical romance, but there is nothing generic about Almost a Scandal. It reads more like historical fiction with a romantic focus, or aim, or just a really lovely blend of the two. Unlike so many romances, Essex doesn't bend the rules of historical accuracy or relegate her setting to a mere place-holder for the romantic action.
No, Sally-the-sailor is front and centre, and so is life at sea on a naval frigate in the middle of a war. The attention to detail is impressive - I'm not familiar with many of the terminology but I feel like I learnt a lot from reading this, and I don't get to say that often about romance! Sally herself is a real classic tomboy, the kind of heroine that always appealed to me - ever since reading The True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle by Avi in grade seven; no, before that, in primary school when I read books featuring a spunky girl like Sally or Charlotte, though Charlotte comes to mind because she too became a sailor. Sally is never once annoying, or blindly stupid, or stubborn - none of the traits that typically infect romance heroines and bog a story down. She's brave, practical, intelligent yet also passionate, and her genuine love for the sea and life on board ship comes across strongly.
Col, too, was a strong character, a blend of romantic hero - strong, stalwart, handsome, in command - while also being true to himself, his own personality, and his circumstances. He's fairly rigid, and comes across as very "British" without being a stereotype. He's a figure that everyone on the ship looks up to, Sally too, but she never goes giddy over him. She actually does a better job at showing restraint than he does, but even so, the chemistry and sexual tension between them is present, if kept on the down-low - it simply wouldn't be possible to have a brazen affair on a ship at war, not with about two hundred men on board and zero privacy. They do have moments of quiet reflection, and Sally is not impervious to the struggle between what she wants to do with her life (but which society dictates she is not allowed to do), and what she could have as a lady:
At times, recreating life on board the ship overshadows the romance and slows the novel down a bit, but in general I didn't mind. It was refreshing, and that side of the story was very interesting. It's kept taut by the constant fear of discovery, Sally's worry and expectation that Col will turn her in to the Captain, and a distinct unpredictability. The story and the subplots never went the way I half-expected them to go. I could predict it at all, though as a romance, I knew Sally and Col would get their happy ending somehow.
And I loved that it didn't have one of those awful, corny scenes so common in American movies, any movie where the protagonist is pretending to be something they're not, or deceiving people in some way: they always have, towards the end, a big reveal, where the main character gives a public confession. I hate those scenes with a passion, and I was half-afraid this book would have one, some hideously public scene where Sally is unmasked and humiliated and has to apologise. Ugh, so tacky and moralising. What actually happened in Almost a Scandal (and see, the title is a clue right there!) was more dignified, more honest, more realistic, and more true to the characters. Big relief.
While this was a slower read than most romances and lighter on the romance side, it is refreshing in its approach and fascinating in its subject matter. I really enjoyed Almost a Scandal, and was so happy that Sally didn't have to sacrifice one dream for another, in the end. Looking forward to more instalments in the Reckless Brides series.
My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book.
It's not the only reason why Sally decides to board the HMS Audacious in disguise: she's always loved the sea, having spent years on board her father's ship growing up, and having tested all her brothers in preparation for their own navigation exams, she knows far more than a midshipman is expected to know. But nothing could prepare her for the discovery that the first lieutenant on board is David Colyear - Col to his friends, which would include the entire Kent family. He never knew Richard well, but all her brothers have written to him to tell him what to expect from their sermonising brother.
Sally isn't discovered, not at first. At nineteen, she's able to pass for a lithe, slender but strong fifteen year old boy. It's when she sings a song on deck that Col recognises her, and remembers the girl he'd spent time with before at her family's home. With England at war with France's Emperor Napoleon, the British navy needs all the men she can get - that's the argument Col makes to himself anyway, though he's at war with himself: his needs to keep Sally close and to keep her from the possibility of injury or death during battle are deeply conflicting.
Sally quickly proves herself to be a quick-witted, observant, knowledgeable sailor and officer, winning over most of the crew - except Gamage, who has been midshipman for too many years to count; he bullies the other boys and steals their things, and Sally is determined to stand up to him. As the Audacious joins the blockade of French and Spanish ships under Captain McAlden in 1805, Sally gets her first taste of real battle - and Col gets his first real taste of what it could mean to lose her.
This was so much more than I was expecting. I was prepared for another generic historical romance, but there is nothing generic about Almost a Scandal. It reads more like historical fiction with a romantic focus, or aim, or just a really lovely blend of the two. Unlike so many romances, Essex doesn't bend the rules of historical accuracy or relegate her setting to a mere place-holder for the romantic action.
No, Sally-the-sailor is front and centre, and so is life at sea on a naval frigate in the middle of a war. The attention to detail is impressive - I'm not familiar with many of the terminology but I feel like I learnt a lot from reading this, and I don't get to say that often about romance! Sally herself is a real classic tomboy, the kind of heroine that always appealed to me - ever since reading The True Adventures of Charlotte Doyle by Avi in grade seven; no, before that, in primary school when I read books featuring a spunky girl like Sally or Charlotte, though Charlotte comes to mind because she too became a sailor. Sally is never once annoying, or blindly stupid, or stubborn - none of the traits that typically infect romance heroines and bog a story down. She's brave, practical, intelligent yet also passionate, and her genuine love for the sea and life on board ship comes across strongly.
Col, too, was a strong character, a blend of romantic hero - strong, stalwart, handsome, in command - while also being true to himself, his own personality, and his circumstances. He's fairly rigid, and comes across as very "British" without being a stereotype. He's a figure that everyone on the ship looks up to, Sally too, but she never goes giddy over him. She actually does a better job at showing restraint than he does, but even so, the chemistry and sexual tension between them is present, if kept on the down-low - it simply wouldn't be possible to have a brazen affair on a ship at war, not with about two hundred men on board and zero privacy. They do have moments of quiet reflection, and Sally is not impervious to the struggle between what she wants to do with her life (but which society dictates she is not allowed to do), and what she could have as a lady:
Sally hung the small lantern on the peg beside the mirror and took a good, hard look. And to think she had thought herself cleaned up enough for the captain's cabin when she had run her fingers through her windblown hair and washed the sulfurous stink of gunpowder off her face. But it was still there, the rime of grime, ringing her face like a high tide mark.
But Mr Colyear had not seemed to mind. He had touched her anyway and told her she looked just fine. Clearly it had been a merciful lie.
The bruise around her eye made her look like a bailiff's mongrel dog. What could he have been thinking when he touched her face like that?
Sally laid her own finger across her lip to try and understand, to test if she could make the shivery feeling come back. But it wasn't the same. Nothing was the same. When he touched her everything changed.
She had thought that by coming aboard, by becoming Richard, she had finally slipped the leash of ladylike expectations. But when Col had touched her, she felt suddenly feminine beneath the surface of her skin. Under the obscuring cover of her clothes, she became aware of her physicality in an entirely different way than she had while reveling in the athletic glory of climbing the shrouds. [Location 2310]
What she might give for a proper bath, with a copper tub full of hot water and a bar of lemon soap like Mrs Jenkins made from the fruit grown in the potted trees at home. What might Col think of her if she were really clean, and dressed in something other than a worn-out blue coat? In something fine and pretty?
It was a useless thought. She'd never once in her life looked fine and pretty. She wasn't that kind of girl. Never had been. If Col admired her, at least she was sure he admire her for what she truly was. For understanding oranges and speaking Spanish for the Captain, not for useless accomplishments that meant nothing at all in the real world. [Location 2324]
At times, recreating life on board the ship overshadows the romance and slows the novel down a bit, but in general I didn't mind. It was refreshing, and that side of the story was very interesting. It's kept taut by the constant fear of discovery, Sally's worry and expectation that Col will turn her in to the Captain, and a distinct unpredictability. The story and the subplots never went the way I half-expected them to go. I could predict it at all, though as a romance, I knew Sally and Col would get their happy ending somehow.
And I loved that it didn't have one of those awful, corny scenes so common in American movies, any movie where the protagonist is pretending to be something they're not, or deceiving people in some way: they always have, towards the end, a big reveal, where the main character gives a public confession. I hate those scenes with a passion, and I was half-afraid this book would have one, some hideously public scene where Sally is unmasked and humiliated and has to apologise. Ugh, so tacky and moralising. What actually happened in Almost a Scandal (and see, the title is a clue right there!) was more dignified, more honest, more realistic, and more true to the characters. Big relief.
While this was a slower read than most romances and lighter on the romance side, it is refreshing in its approach and fascinating in its subject matter. I really enjoyed Almost a Scandal, and was so happy that Sally didn't have to sacrifice one dream for another, in the end. Looking forward to more instalments in the Reckless Brides series.
My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book.
Read
September 6, 2025Didn't get on with this one. It's well-written and I enjoyed the nautical details, but the romance had a power and age imbalance and was pretty much instalove, though they had met before as children. Also couldn't suspend my disbelief around her being able to hide who she was.
April 28, 2013
A Swashbuckling High Seas Romance
When her brother forsakes family tradition and personal honor, disappearing the day he is supposed to become a member of His Majesty's Royal Navy and board the ship Audacious, Sally Kent knows what she has to do to avoid the family scandal and disgrace. She disguises her gender, dons the midshipmen's uniform, and heads to the docks to take her brother's place.
It's just her dubious luck that she's met by David St. Vincent Colyear, family friend and current lieutenant aboard Audacious. The man has filled out in the six years since she last saw him, and though curt and dour, something about him sets Sally's pace racing. Not necessarily the reaction she wants for a man she is going to have to work to impress and yet try to avoid lest he discover her true identity.
The scandal from that potential debacle would be just as damaging to her family's illustrious reputation in Her Majesty's Navy as her brother's defection. And twice as damaging to her heart.
~*~
I seem to keep stumbling over the woman-passing-as-a-boy theme in historical romance of late. I've even read a book in the last year in which the heroine went to sea with the Navy as Sally did here. I don't mind the theme, really, but the seeming prevalence is starting to wear on me.
Fortunately, this story was one of the better ones I've read, so it stood out in a crowd. Essex didn't draw out Sally's well-intentioned if ill-advised deception for so long that it started to annoy, and I genuinely enjoyed her aptitude in the midshipman's role. She really was born ahead of her time, perfectly suited to a life in what was solely a man's world. I loved her plucky, competent, tomboyish, and fiercely independent heart.
And Col was a perfect complement to her. Handsome, strong, loyal, and determined, he also trusted Sally's skill and relied on her to do her job even after he finds out she's a woman. It worked for me. Together they worked for me.
I have to admit, though, as much as I enjoyed the romance between Sally and Col, I was way out of my depth with the naval terminology. There was a lot of it, and without explanation or definition, I had a very hard time with much of the details of naval life and the action on board the ship. It's probably very historical accurate and nautically sound, but it was too much for me.
Late in the book there were a couple of developments that I wasn't fond of, and Sally seemed to fade out of the narrative a bit. The impetus of the plot lost a bit of momentum at that point. And I didn't understand the introduction of Grace's character at all. Her presence and the subsequent scenese with Sally made me question my understanding of Sally as a character. It was a little jarring.
Overall, though, this was a very nice series debut from a new-to-me author. Historical romance fans with an appreciation of the women-disguised-as-a boy theme should definitely mark this as a title to try. Even if you're more ambivalent about theme, this was a solid story with a sweeping romance with great characters and can appeal to a wide audience. I liked it very much.
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
When her brother forsakes family tradition and personal honor, disappearing the day he is supposed to become a member of His Majesty's Royal Navy and board the ship Audacious, Sally Kent knows what she has to do to avoid the family scandal and disgrace. She disguises her gender, dons the midshipmen's uniform, and heads to the docks to take her brother's place.
It's just her dubious luck that she's met by David St. Vincent Colyear, family friend and current lieutenant aboard Audacious. The man has filled out in the six years since she last saw him, and though curt and dour, something about him sets Sally's pace racing. Not necessarily the reaction she wants for a man she is going to have to work to impress and yet try to avoid lest he discover her true identity.
The scandal from that potential debacle would be just as damaging to her family's illustrious reputation in Her Majesty's Navy as her brother's defection. And twice as damaging to her heart.
~*~
I seem to keep stumbling over the woman-passing-as-a-boy theme in historical romance of late. I've even read a book in the last year in which the heroine went to sea with the Navy as Sally did here. I don't mind the theme, really, but the seeming prevalence is starting to wear on me.
Fortunately, this story was one of the better ones I've read, so it stood out in a crowd. Essex didn't draw out Sally's well-intentioned if ill-advised deception for so long that it started to annoy, and I genuinely enjoyed her aptitude in the midshipman's role. She really was born ahead of her time, perfectly suited to a life in what was solely a man's world. I loved her plucky, competent, tomboyish, and fiercely independent heart.
And Col was a perfect complement to her. Handsome, strong, loyal, and determined, he also trusted Sally's skill and relied on her to do her job even after he finds out she's a woman. It worked for me. Together they worked for me.
I have to admit, though, as much as I enjoyed the romance between Sally and Col, I was way out of my depth with the naval terminology. There was a lot of it, and without explanation or definition, I had a very hard time with much of the details of naval life and the action on board the ship. It's probably very historical accurate and nautically sound, but it was too much for me.
Late in the book there were a couple of developments that I wasn't fond of, and Sally seemed to fade out of the narrative a bit. The impetus of the plot lost a bit of momentum at that point. And I didn't understand the introduction of Grace's character at all. Her presence and the subsequent scenese with Sally made me question my understanding of Sally as a character. It was a little jarring.
Overall, though, this was a very nice series debut from a new-to-me author. Historical romance fans with an appreciation of the women-disguised-as-a boy theme should definitely mark this as a title to try. Even if you're more ambivalent about theme, this was a solid story with a sweeping romance with great characters and can appeal to a wide audience. I liked it very much.
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
May 30, 2012
I am not gonna lie. This book sucked me in like a freaking train wreak or a an episode of America's Top Model. This isn't the type of book I usually read, but the description intrigued me, so I gave it a go, and then couldn't put it down. Hell one night I literally stayed up reading till well past the sun came up before finally admitting I needed at least a few hours sleep!
This book is about Sally Kent, who took her brother's place in the British Navy when he ran off and refused to serve. Sally was raised in a family of Navy people and knew all there was about living on a ship so thankfully she was able to blend in fairly well and hold her own. There she reunites with David Colyear who makes it very hard to her to remember that she is supposed to be acting as a man and not a woman.
In the beginning I read this book because I was very curious to see how she would be able to hide her gender on a ship with 250 other men, and with the exception of a few she does it! I kept thinking, well what about when she is on her period? What about bathing (even if it is just from water in a barrel she would still be so grimy as to require some seriously scrubbing and that's gotta be hard with layers of linen across your midsection holding down your breasts). Ok, ok though those are only occasional things and maybe she could hide them...but what about peeing??!?!?!
Warning...historical content...
Urine was collected from everyone on board, and left in the sun so that the water could evaporate leaving behind ammonia. This was done because the ammonia was used to wash clothes, scrub decks, etc. It was basically a detergent. These collection barrels were often on the main deck and people just pissed right into them. And honestly, I think someone would notice that she never peed in the barrel! And then - where was she peeing??? Where could she possibly have popped a squat without being noticed on a tiny ship with 250 other men?!?
Despite all that I still totally enjoyed it! I loved the action, and in terms of historical events it was very accurate. The characters were fun, and I loved both Sally and Col. The inevitable conflict between the two major characters towards the end was a bit forced, but a conflict was needed so the author made it happen even though it wasn't all that believable.
I did find some of the dialog annoying and funny! Annoying when Sally was repeating every other line "The Devil take ______" That blank could have been you, him, that other dude, the weather, the French, etc etc etc. Colyear also had an annoying catch phrase - "Damn your eyes". It got old quick. Although at one point one of them uses the phrase "GOD'S BALLS" which made me laugh so hard cried. I don't think it was entirely historically accurate but damn it was funny!
So yeah - not my usual fare but a really fun read none the less!!
This book is about Sally Kent, who took her brother's place in the British Navy when he ran off and refused to serve. Sally was raised in a family of Navy people and knew all there was about living on a ship so thankfully she was able to blend in fairly well and hold her own. There she reunites with David Colyear who makes it very hard to her to remember that she is supposed to be acting as a man and not a woman.
In the beginning I read this book because I was very curious to see how she would be able to hide her gender on a ship with 250 other men, and with the exception of a few she does it! I kept thinking, well what about when she is on her period? What about bathing (even if it is just from water in a barrel she would still be so grimy as to require some seriously scrubbing and that's gotta be hard with layers of linen across your midsection holding down your breasts). Ok, ok though those are only occasional things and maybe she could hide them...but what about peeing??!?!?!
Warning...historical content...
Urine was collected from everyone on board, and left in the sun so that the water could evaporate leaving behind ammonia. This was done because the ammonia was used to wash clothes, scrub decks, etc. It was basically a detergent. These collection barrels were often on the main deck and people just pissed right into them. And honestly, I think someone would notice that she never peed in the barrel! And then - where was she peeing??? Where could she possibly have popped a squat without being noticed on a tiny ship with 250 other men?!?
Despite all that I still totally enjoyed it! I loved the action, and in terms of historical events it was very accurate. The characters were fun, and I loved both Sally and Col. The inevitable conflict between the two major characters towards the end was a bit forced, but a conflict was needed so the author made it happen even though it wasn't all that believable.
I did find some of the dialog annoying and funny! Annoying when Sally was repeating every other line "The Devil take ______" That blank could have been you, him, that other dude, the weather, the French, etc etc etc. Colyear also had an annoying catch phrase - "Damn your eyes". It got old quick. Although at one point one of them uses the phrase "GOD'S BALLS" which made me laugh so hard cried. I don't think it was entirely historically accurate but damn it was funny!
So yeah - not my usual fare but a really fun read none the less!!
June 13, 2012
Sally Kent is not like most young ladies her age. Belonging to a large Naval family, she is more at home at sea on a frigate than she is in a ballroom or parlor. Sally does the unthinkable when accompanying a brother off to his first ship as a young teenager. Said brother never reports and runs away. Sally decides to follow her heart to the sea for one real adventure and disguises herself and reports for duty as her brother.
Lieutenant David Colyear, a friend of the Kent family finds something odd with his new midshipman. Letters from the Kent family revealed a younger brother who would be sullen, pious, and weak. Attributes that no Lt. wants to deal with when training boys how to be useful sailors. However, the Kent he receives is smart, knowledgeable, and encouraging to other young recruits. Pretty soon Colyear figures out that Sally is not a boy, and she is actually the Kent daughter. He is furious, but does not want to cause a scandal for Sally or jeopardize his position. He decides to let her stay and remembers that Sally is too young for him, but he was attracted to anyway. Readers will definitely get plenty of adventure and even a journey to love, but this reader had a hard time in the believeability of this romance. Sally was on the brink of womanhood at the age of nineteen. Because of her interactions with Colyear, I found her to be immature. Not in what she did but I felt like Colyear was falling for a child. A thought that definitely turned me off of this story. I never felt a true connection between the hero and heroine.
Also, I found that all the naval details to bog down the flow of the story. Some explanations and details are necessary, however Essex provided so much I kept wondering if this was truly a romance novel. Ultimately the story became tedious. I am a fan of Elizabeth Essex, but do not recommend this to other historical romance readers unless you are a fan of the author or enjoy anything related to the British Navy. I do recommend "The Pursuit of Pleasure" by this author. As a great example of historical romance, especially to readers looking to try this author's work.
This book is a first in a new series, but the Captain was seen in previous books ("The Danger of Desire"). It is not necessary to read Essex's previous books. I hope that Essex can redeem herself with the next book in this series, "A Breath of Scandal."
Review to be posted June 30, 2012
* I received this ARC courtesy of St. Martins Press via Netgalley
Lieutenant David Colyear, a friend of the Kent family finds something odd with his new midshipman. Letters from the Kent family revealed a younger brother who would be sullen, pious, and weak. Attributes that no Lt. wants to deal with when training boys how to be useful sailors. However, the Kent he receives is smart, knowledgeable, and encouraging to other young recruits. Pretty soon Colyear figures out that Sally is not a boy, and she is actually the Kent daughter. He is furious, but does not want to cause a scandal for Sally or jeopardize his position. He decides to let her stay and remembers that Sally is too young for him, but he was attracted to anyway. Readers will definitely get plenty of adventure and even a journey to love, but this reader had a hard time in the believeability of this romance. Sally was on the brink of womanhood at the age of nineteen. Because of her interactions with Colyear, I found her to be immature. Not in what she did but I felt like Colyear was falling for a child. A thought that definitely turned me off of this story. I never felt a true connection between the hero and heroine.
Also, I found that all the naval details to bog down the flow of the story. Some explanations and details are necessary, however Essex provided so much I kept wondering if this was truly a romance novel. Ultimately the story became tedious. I am a fan of Elizabeth Essex, but do not recommend this to other historical romance readers unless you are a fan of the author or enjoy anything related to the British Navy. I do recommend "The Pursuit of Pleasure" by this author. As a great example of historical romance, especially to readers looking to try this author's work.
This book is a first in a new series, but the Captain was seen in previous books ("The Danger of Desire"). It is not necessary to read Essex's previous books. I hope that Essex can redeem herself with the next book in this series, "A Breath of Scandal."
Review to be posted June 30, 2012
* I received this ARC courtesy of St. Martins Press via Netgalley
April 25, 2013
I am a history buff (I was a history major, actually), and I have a thing for sailboats. Ships, barques, brigs, schooners, ketches, cutters, sloops, and yawls, I love 'em all. Elizabeth Essex is a romance novelist with an MA in Nautical Archaeology, so she had me at "hello." I was predisposed to like this book a lot, and it did not disappoint.
Sally Kent is the only girl in a family of naval men, and so when her fifteen year old brother dodges his commission to become a midshipman on the Royal Navy's Audacious during the Napoleonic Wars, Sally-in-drag takes his place to preserve the family honor. (If you have trouble believing a woman could join Admiral Nelson's Royal Navy and successfully disguise her gender in order to serve along men, read about Hannah Snell, who is probably the best-known among several female sailors and soldiers of the era.) Upon reporting to her ship, Sally learns she will be serving under Lt. David Colyear, 'Col', a family friend who Sally has admired since he visited her home with her older brother years prior. Col soon sees through her disguise, but (conveniently) not before the Audacious has already set sail, when it would be inconvenient to return to port to put Sally ashore. Despite his misgivings, Col keeps Sally's secret because to do otherwise would shame her family, but she quickly proves her worth as a sailor, literally "showing the ropes" to the other new midshipmen with whom she serves.
Sally's masquerade sets up the romantic tension in the novel, because she and Col cannot act on their mutual attraction without giving up her secret. Because everyone on the ship believes Sally is a man, every lingering look, every casual touch, every minute alone together is dangerous, not because Sally is a single girl who may be ruined (though she is), but because an affair between men, and especially between and officer and a subordinate, is forbidden. Thus, in an interesting reversal from the romance genre norm, Col's reputation is as much at risk of ruin as Sally's, and the consequences of discovery would be even more significant for him, because the potential damage to his career could not be fixed by a hasty marriage.
Sally Kent is the only girl in a family of naval men, and so when her fifteen year old brother dodges his commission to become a midshipman on the Royal Navy's Audacious during the Napoleonic Wars, Sally-in-drag takes his place to preserve the family honor. (If you have trouble believing a woman could join Admiral Nelson's Royal Navy and successfully disguise her gender in order to serve along men, read about Hannah Snell, who is probably the best-known among several female sailors and soldiers of the era.) Upon reporting to her ship, Sally learns she will be serving under Lt. David Colyear, 'Col', a family friend who Sally has admired since he visited her home with her older brother years prior. Col soon sees through her disguise, but (conveniently) not before the Audacious has already set sail, when it would be inconvenient to return to port to put Sally ashore. Despite his misgivings, Col keeps Sally's secret because to do otherwise would shame her family, but she quickly proves her worth as a sailor, literally "showing the ropes" to the other new midshipmen with whom she serves.
Sally's masquerade sets up the romantic tension in the novel, because she and Col cannot act on their mutual attraction without giving up her secret. Because everyone on the ship believes Sally is a man, every lingering look, every casual touch, every minute alone together is dangerous, not because Sally is a single girl who may be ruined (though she is), but because an affair between men, and especially between and officer and a subordinate, is forbidden. Thus, in an interesting reversal from the romance genre norm, Col's reputation is as much at risk of ruin as Sally's, and the consequences of discovery would be even more significant for him, because the potential damage to his career could not be fixed by a hasty marriage.
December 5, 2014
It’s good if you’re in the mood for this kind of story.
Sally is a tall 19-year-old who pretends to be her 15-year-old brother Richard. She takes his place on a British Navy ship during the war with France. You need to suspend disbelief on that part. (Short hair on a woman is not a disguise.) I love stories about characters in disguise, so I went with it.
Sally is the smartest and most able “boy” on the boat. She solves the problem of a bully. She does several smart things to help in missions and battles. She is quickly promoted. Along the way she and her superior officer fall in love. This book has more ship and battle details than most high-seas romance stories. I liked that, but it doesn’t work for everyone.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 353 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 5. Setting: 1805 England, France, and the sea. Copyright: 2012. Genre: high seas historical romance, female disguised as male.
Sally is a tall 19-year-old who pretends to be her 15-year-old brother Richard. She takes his place on a British Navy ship during the war with France. You need to suspend disbelief on that part. (Short hair on a woman is not a disguise.) I love stories about characters in disguise, so I went with it.
Sally is the smartest and most able “boy” on the boat. She solves the problem of a bully. She does several smart things to help in missions and battles. She is quickly promoted. Along the way she and her superior officer fall in love. This book has more ship and battle details than most high-seas romance stories. I liked that, but it doesn’t work for everyone.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 353 pages. Swearing language: strong including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 5. Setting: 1805 England, France, and the sea. Copyright: 2012. Genre: high seas historical romance, female disguised as male.
September 16, 2016
This is a book that I would like to chuck at the head of anyone who sneers at romance novels. Because while this is a romance novel, this book is dense with an accurate representation of life aboard a frigate during war time. The author has a master's degree in nautical archaeology and she knows her boats. I've read reviews where people are complaining about all the terminology, but I liked it. I felt like I was deckside. It didn't get in the way of the story for me. And the story was excellent. The characters developed over time. The slow burn of the romantic relationship was beautifully depicted. I could feel the love both of them had for the sea and for the naval life. And while I knew what the ending would be long before it happened, it didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story as it progressed, or my happiness at the ending when it was revealed. I also really enjoyed that the heroine was friends with a woman with whom she had nothing in common. Usually authors would have played that relationship for conflict, but I love it when females can be friends with other women.
September 26, 2012
Almost a Scandal ของอลิซาเบ็ธ แอสเสกซ์
เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มแรกในชุด The Reckless Brides แต่ดูเนื้อเรื่องของเล่มสองแล้ว ก็คงต้องบอกว่า ไม่ได้ถึงกับเกี่ยวข้องกันมานัก เพราะพระเอกเล่มสองในเล่มนี้เพิ่งเป็นเด็กชายอายุสิบสองสิบสามปีเท่านั้นเอง เป็นหนึ่งในกลุ่มเพื่อนของนางเอก
แซลลี เค้นท์เกิดมาในตระกูลที่รับใช้ประเทศด้วยการเป็นทหารเรือมาตลอด ดังนั้นเมื่อริชาร์ด น้องชายคนเล็กหนีทหาร ไม่ยอมไปรายงานตัวบทเรือรบตามที่ถูกกำหนดไว้ แซลลีตัดสินใจทำเรื่องที่ไม่มีใครคาดคิด เธอปลอมตัวเป็นริชาร์ด และสวมบทบาทแทนที่ของน้องชาย
ด้วยวัยเพียงยี่สิบสี่ปี เดวิด โคลเยียร์ก้าวหน้าในราชการทหารโดยปัจจุบันเขาเป็นถึงต้นหนประจำการบนเรือรบ ภาระที่มีความรับผิดชอบอย่างสูง แต่ด้วยความเป็นเพื่อนกับพี่น้องตระกูลเค้นท์ เขาปลีกเวลาจากหน้าที่ออกไปตามหาตัวริชาร์ด น้องชายคนเล็กที่ควรจะมารายงานตัว แต่กลับมาช้า นั่นทำให้โคลไม่ค่อยพอใจนัก ยิ่งเมื่อรวมกับข้อมูลจากจดหมายที่เขาได้รับจากเพื่อน (ซึ่งเป็นพี่ชายของริชาร์ดเอง) เกี่ยวกับความไม่เอาไหนของริชาร์ด โคลก็ยิ่งตั้งแง่กับเด็กชายคนนี้ตั้งแต่ยังไม่ได้พบกันด้วยซ้ำ
แต่เมื่อได้เจอตัวจริง ริชาร์ด เค้นท์ไม่เหมือนอย่างที่จดหมายบรรยายเอาไว้ เด็กชายคนนี้เชียวชาญและรู้เรื่องเกี่ยวกับการเดินเรือยิ่งกว่าทหารที่มีประสบการณ์หลายคนเสียอีก เค้นท์คล่องแคล่ว เก่งกาจ และแสดงความเป็นผู้นำตั้งแต่เมื่อแรกมาถึงบนเรือ ซึ่งนั่นทำให้โคลแปลกใจมากที่เด็กชายช่างไม่เหมือนกับที่พี่ชายเล่าให้เขาฟังเอาเสียเลย
จนกระทั่งโคลจับได้ว่า ริชาร์ด เค้นท์ ไม่ใช่ริชาร์ด เค้นท์ จริง ๆ แล้วเขาไม่ใช่ผู้ชายด้วยซ้ำ หากแต่เป็นแซลลี น้องสาวของเพื่อน คนที่โคลเองก็แอบมีใจให้อยู่พักใหญ่แล้ว แต่การรู้ความจริงก็เกิดขึ้นเมื่อเรือถอนสมอ มันจึงเป็นไปไม่ได้ที่จะส่งตัวหญิงสาวกลับขึ้นบนฝั่ง และเมื่อโคลตัดสินใจเผชิญหน้า แซลลีก็ขอร้องให้เขาเก็บเรื่องนี้เป็นความลับต่อ เพราะนี่คือชีวิตที่หญิงสาวแสวงหามานาน
การเป็นลูกสาวคนเดียวของครอบครัวนายทหารเรือไม่ใช่สิ่งง่าย โดยเฉพาะเมื่อสิ่งเดียวที่แซลลีต้องการ และทำได้ดีก็คือการเดินเรือ แต่เพราะความเป็นผู้หญิง เธอถูกคาดหวังว่าจะต้องรอคอยอยู่บ้าน บทบาทที่แซลลีทำมาตลอดหลายปี แต่เมื่อมีโอกาส แม้เธอจะอ้างว่า ทำเพื่อรักษาเกียรติของครอบครัวเองไว้ แต่เธอสนุกกับชีวิตบนเรือ ในที่สุดแซลลีก็ค้นพบตัวตนที่แท้จริงของตัวเอง โชคร้ายที่มันเป็นสิ่งต้องห้ามสำหรับเพศของเธอ
เป็นแบบนี้ทุกครั้งนะคะที่เขียนถึงหนังสือที่เราชอบมาก ๆ เราไม่รู้ว่า ควรจะพูดถึงจุดไหนที่เราชอบในเรื่องนี้ก่อน เพราะทุกอย่างที่เราได้อ่านจากเล่มนี้ล้วนถูกใจเรามาก
เริ่มจากคาแร็คเตอร์ของพระเอกและนางเอก เรารู้สึกถึงความสมจริงในตัวตนของพวกเขา ทั้งแซลลี และโคลเป็นคนธรรมดา (ในความหมายของสถานะของพวกเขาที่ไม่ใช่พวกผู้มีบรรดาศักดิ์ และทำอาชีพที่ไม่ได้โดดเด่นเป็นพิเศษ) ที่แสดงด้านที่ไม่ธรรมดาของพวกเขาให้คนอ่านได้เห็น จะมีหนังสือสักกี่เล่มคะที่เล่าเรื่องราวการเดินเรือ (อย่างละเอียดด้วยนะ) แล้วไม่ทำให้เรารู้สึกเบื่อแม้แต่วินาทีเดียว การที่คนแต่งผูกเอาความรักในการเดินเรือของตัวละครเข้าไปในเรื่องราว ทำให้คนอ่านอย่างเรารับรู้ถึงความรักนั้นไปด้วย และสามารถอ่านได้โดยไม่รู้สึกว่า ยืดเยื้อ หรือไม่น่าสนใจ นั่นเพราะเจ้าสิ่งนี้คือสิ่งที่ตัวละครสนใจ และเราจดจ่ออยู่ที่ตัวละครเหล่านี้ เราในฐานะคนอ่านก็เลยจดจ่อทำความเข้าใจในสิ่งที่พวกเขาทำไปด้วย
นี่ไม่ใช่หนังสือเล่มแรกที่เอาพล็อตการปลอมตัวเป็นผู้ชายของนางเอกมาใช้ แต่เราก็ยังรู้สึกถึงความสดใหม่ และแตกต่าง แซลลีไม่ใช่นางเอกสาวแสนสวยดื้อรั้น เธอเป็นลูกสาวที่หน้าตาเหมือนคนในตระกูลเค้นท์ (ที่ไม่ได้บรรยายว่าสวยเลิศเลอ) เธอทำให้คนเชื่อว่า ตัวเองเป็นผู้ชายได้ เพราะความสามารถในการเดินเรือของเธอ ความสามารถที่คนส่วนใหญ่ไม่คิดว่า ผู้หญิงจะมีกัน นั่นเป็นเหตุผลเดียวที่คนไม่สงสัย ซึ่ง (สปอยล์) จริง ๆ แล้วความลับของแซลลีก็ไม่ใช่ความลับสักเท่าไหรนักหรอกนะคะ เมื่อตอนท้ายเรื่องกัปตันเองก็ออกมาเปิดเผยว่าดูออกตั้งแต่ต้น เพียงแต่ไม่พูดออกมาเท่านั้นเอง ยิ่งทำให้เรื่องดูมีความน่าเชื่อ
นางเอกเป็นโฟกัสของเรื่อง และเธอก็ได้ใจเราไปเต็ม ๆ ขอบอกว่าชอบเธอมาก ๆ คนแต่งเขียนได้ลงตัวระหว่างการแสดงความเก่งของนางเอก กับความกล้าแบบเกินเหตุ ในเรื่องแซลลีต้องจัดการทหารที่ออกแนวนักเลงวางท่า ข่มขู่ทหารใหม่คนอื่น ๆ (ซึ่งอายุของทหารใหม่ส่วนใหญ่มักจะไม่ถึงสิบห้าปีด้วยซ้ำ ทำให้เพื่อน ๆ ของนางเอกในเรื่องเป็นเด็กชายวัยกระเตาะ) ซึ่งวิธีการจัดการของเธอแต่ละอย่างก็ล้วนอ่านแล้วสนุก ที่สำคัญ การกระทำของเธอไม่เกินขอบเขตความโง่สมควรตาย (นั่นคือ นางเอกคิดก่อนที่จะทำอะไรเสมอ แม้หลายครั้งจะเสี่ยงไปบ้าง แต่ก็เกิดจากการประเมินสถานการณ์แล้ว)
นี่เป็นหนังสือที่แสดงให้คนอ่านเห็นถึงความสามารถของนางเอก ไม่ใช่การพร่ำบอกคนอ่านว่า นางเอกเก่งแบบนั้น แบบนี้ เล่มนี้อ่านแล้วเชื่อหมดใจค่ะว่า เก่งจริง
นางเอกได้ใจไปแล้วคนนึง ก็มาถึงพระเอก นี่เป็นหนังสือที่โฟกัสไม่ได้อยู่ที่พระเอกมากนัก เพราะเล่าเรื่องชีวิตการเป็นทหารใหม่ของนางเอกไปซะเยอะ แต่ทุกครั้งที่พระเอกโผล่มา ก็แบบกรี๊ดสลบมาก ไม่เคยคิดนะคะว่า จะอ่านหนังสือที่ต้นหนเท่ห์ได้ขนาดนี้ โรแมนซ์ส่วนใหญ่พระเอกก็ต้องเป็นกัปตันถึงจะสมราคา แต่นี่ไม่จำเป็นเลยค่ะ เรื่องไม่ได้เขียนให้คนอ่านรู้สึกว่า กัปตันไม่ได้เรื่องนะคะ กลับกันด้วยซ้ำ (ยิ่งเมื่อคิดว่า กัปตันคือพระเอกในหนังสืออีกเรื่องนึงที่คนแต่งเขียน) แต่ก็ยังทำให้โคลเท่ห์ได้ขนาดนี้ มาดนิ่ง ๆ การพูดที่ไม่ต้องใช้เสียงดัง (ซึ่งเราทำไม่เป็น) แต่สามารถทำให้คนทั้งเรือเงี่ยหูฟัง
นี่เป็นหนังสือที่เราอ่านด้วยความ���ั้งใจไปตลอดทั้งเรื่อง ทั้งที่โดยตัวเนื้อเรื่องเองแล้ว ก็เป็นเรื่องราวของชีวิตคนบนเรือรบธรรมดา ๆ
เพื่อนของเราคนนึงบอกว่า อาจจะเป็นเพราะเรื่องนี้เติมเต็มความปรารถนาของเราตอนที่อ่านหนังสือชุดออเบรย์-มาตูริน ของแพทริค โอเบรียน ที่เล่าเรื่องราวชีวิตบนเรือเช่นกัน แต่ไม่มีผู้หญิงให้เห็นสักคนในเรื่อง ซึ่งเราคิด ๆ ไป ก็อาจจะใช่นะคะ แต่คงต้องบอกว่า ตอนอ่านไม่ได้คิดถึงเรื่องชุดนี้เลยค่ะ ในสมองมีแต่คาแร็คเตอร์ในเรื่องนี้
ซึ่งไม่ใช่แค่พระเอกนางเอกที่น่าสนใจ ตัวประกอบ กระทั่งตัว (ที่เหมือนจะ) ร้ายในเรื่องก็น่าสนใจไม่น้อย เราชอบวิธีการสร้างตัวละครของคนแต่งที่ไม่ได้มีแค่มิติเดียว เราชอบวิธีการจัดการของนางเอกต่อคาแร็คเตอร์นี้มาก ๆ ขนาดที่ว่า เรารู้สึกว่า เรื่องให้เวลาน้อยเกินไปกับประเด็นนี้ด้วยซ้ำ
ที่สำคัญที่สุดเราชอบพระเอกกับนางเอก ในความหมายที่ว่า สองคนนี้ยิ่งกว่าเหมาะสมกัน ไม่จำเป็นต้องเป็นเรื่องแนวพารานอมอลนะคะ ที่พระเอกนางเอกจะเป็นคู่แท้กันได้ เล่มนี้เรารู้สึกแบบนั้นจริง ๆ โคลยอมรับตัวตนของแซลลี่ ยิ่งไปกว่านั้น เขายอมรับความสามารถของเธอ
เรื่องราวโรแมนซ์บนเรือรบ ทึ่คนในเรื่องเข้าใจว่า นางเอกเป็นผู้ชาย คือเสน่ห์อีกอย่างของเรื่องนี้ ทุกอย่างไม่อาจร้อนแรงด้วยการแสดงออกได้ นี่จึงเป็นความร้อนแรงเป็นเผาไหม้ภายใน การใช้สายตา กริยาเล็ก ๆ น้อย ๆ ที่แสดงต่อกัน การใช้คำพูด อ่านแล้วเราถอนหายใจหลายรอบค่ะ เรื่องนี้ไม่ได้ฮ็อตแบบมีเซ็กส์กราดเกลื่อนหรอกนะคะ โอกาสไม่อำนายมากนัก แต่เป็นเรื่องของความรู้สึกข้างใน
เราชอบวิธีการเขียนบทสนทนาของคนแต่งที่ทำให้ตีความไปได้หลายอย่าง สำหรับคนในเรื่องที่ไม่รู้ว่า แซลลีคือผู้หญิง อ่านบทสนทนาระหว่างโคล และแซลลีแล้ว ก็จะไม่สงสัยถึงความนัยที่แฝงอยู่ แต่สำหรับคนอ่านก็จะรู้ว่าแท้จริงแล้ว หมายความว่ายังไง การที่พระเอกเรียกนางเอกว่า เค้นท์ตลอดทั้งเรื่อง เพราะเขารู้ว่า ริชาร์ดไม่ใช่ชื่อจริงของเธอ แต่ในขณะเดียวกันก็เรียกเธอว่าแซลลี่ไม่ได้
ช่วงท้ายเรื่องอ่อนลงไป แต่ก็นิดเดียวค่ะ เราไม่ค่อยชอบการแยกออกจากกันระหว่างโคล และแซลลีมากนัก (สปอยล์) แล้วก็รู้สึกว่า ไม่ค่อยยุติธรรมต่อนางเอกเท่าไหร การที่เธอทำอะไรมากมาย แต่สุดท้ายความสำเร็จทุกอย่างอยู่ในนามของริชาร์ดน้องชาย แต่ก็เข้าใจว่า ทำไมเรื่องต้องออกมาเป็นนั้น อลิซาเบ็ธ แอสเสกซ์เขียนเรื่องที่มีพื้นฐานของความเป็นไปได้ หากเขียนเป็นอย่างอื่นก็คงดูไม่น่าเชื่อ
สำหรับคนที่ชอบเรื่อง The Iron Rose ในส่วนของการวางแผนการรบทางเรือ เล่มนี้มีอยู่นิดหน่อยนะคะ อาจจะไม่แยบคายซ้อนกลเท่า แต่ก็ถือว่าเขียนได้ดีมาก ๆ ในหนังสือโรแมนซ์แล้วล่ะ
ชอบเรื่องนี้มาก ๆ แต่เราไม่แน่ใจว่า เราสื่อความชอบของตัวเองออกมาได้ครบถ้วนรึเปล่า เพราะมันมีอะไรมากมายที่เราชอบ
คะแนนที่ 87
เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มแรกในชุด The Reckless Brides แต่ดูเนื้อเรื่องของเล่มสองแล้ว ก็คงต้องบอกว่า ไม่ได้ถึงกับเกี่ยวข้องกันมานัก เพราะพระเอกเล่มสองในเล่มนี้เพิ่งเป็นเด็กชายอายุสิบสองสิบสามปีเท่านั้นเอง เป็นหนึ่งในกลุ่มเพื่อนของนางเอก
แซลลี เค้นท์เกิดมาในตระกูลที่รับใช้ประเทศด้วยการเป็นทหารเรือมาตลอด ดังนั้นเมื่อริชาร์ด น้องชายคนเล็กหนีทหาร ไม่ยอมไปรายงานตัวบทเรือรบตามที่ถูกกำหนดไว้ แซลลีตัดสินใจทำเรื่องที่ไม่มีใครคาดคิด เธอปลอมตัวเป็นริชาร์ด และสวมบทบาทแทนที่ของน้องชาย
ด้วยวัยเพียงยี่สิบสี่ปี เดวิด โคลเยียร์ก้าวหน้าในราชการทหารโดยปัจจุบันเขาเป็นถึงต้นหนประจำการบนเรือรบ ภาระที่มีความรับผิดชอบอย่างสูง แต่ด้วยความเป็นเพื่อนกับพี่น้องตระกูลเค้นท์ เขาปลีกเวลาจากหน้าที่ออกไปตามหาตัวริชาร์ด น้องชายคนเล็กที่ควรจะมารายงานตัว แต่กลับมาช้า นั่นทำให้โคลไม่ค่อยพอใจนัก ยิ่งเมื่อรวมกับข้อมูลจากจดหมายที่เขาได้รับจากเพื่อน (ซึ่งเป็นพี่ชายของริชาร์ดเอง) เกี่ยวกับความไม่เอาไหนของริชาร์ด โคลก็ยิ่งตั้งแง่กับเด็กชายคนนี้ตั้งแต่ยังไม่ได้พบกันด้วยซ้ำ
แต่เมื่อได้เจอตัวจริง ริชาร์ด เค้นท์ไม่เหมือนอย่างที่จดหมายบรรยายเอาไว้ เด็กชายคนนี้เชียวชาญและรู้เรื่องเกี่ยวกับการเดินเรือยิ่งกว่าทหารที่มีประสบการณ์หลายคนเสียอีก เค้นท์คล่องแคล่ว เก่งกาจ และแสดงความเป็นผู้นำตั้งแต่เมื่อแรกมาถึงบนเรือ ซึ่งนั่นทำให้โคลแปลกใจมากที่เด็กชายช่างไม่เหมือนกับที่พี่ชายเล่าให้เขาฟังเอาเสียเลย
จนกระทั่งโคลจับได้ว่า ริชาร์ด เค้นท์ ไม่ใช่ริชาร์ด เค้นท์ จริง ๆ แล้วเขาไม่ใช่ผู้ชายด้วยซ้ำ หากแต่เป็นแซลลี น้องสาวของเพื่อน คนที่โคลเองก็แอบมีใจให้อยู่พักใหญ่แล้ว แต่การรู้ความจริงก็เกิดขึ้นเมื่อเรือถอนสมอ มันจึงเป็นไปไม่ได้ที่จะส่งตัวหญิงสาวกลับขึ้นบนฝั่ง และเมื่อโคลตัดสินใจเผชิญหน้า แซลลีก็ขอร้องให้เขาเก็บเรื่องนี้เป็นความลับต่อ เพราะนี่คือชีวิตที่หญิงสาวแสวงหามานาน
การเป็นลูกสาวคนเดียวของครอบครัวนายทหารเรือไม่ใช่สิ่งง่าย โดยเฉพาะเมื่อสิ่งเดียวที่แซลลีต้องการ และทำได้ดีก็คือการเดินเรือ แต่เพราะความเป็นผู้หญิง เธอถูกคาดหวังว่าจะต้องรอคอยอยู่บ้าน บทบาทที่แซลลีทำมาตลอดหลายปี แต่เมื่อมีโอกาส แม้เธอจะอ้างว่า ทำเพื่อรักษาเกียรติของครอบครัวเองไว้ แต่เธอสนุกกับชีวิตบนเรือ ในที่สุดแซลลีก็ค้นพบตัวตนที่แท้จริงของตัวเอง โชคร้ายที่มันเป็นสิ่งต้องห้ามสำหรับเพศของเธอ
เป็นแบบนี้ทุกครั้งนะคะที่เขียนถึงหนังสือที่เราชอบมาก ๆ เราไม่รู้ว่า ควรจะพูดถึงจุดไหนที่เราชอบในเรื่องนี้ก่อน เพราะทุกอย่างที่เราได้อ่านจากเล่มนี้ล้วนถูกใจเรามาก
เริ่มจากคาแร็คเตอร์ของพระเอกและนางเอก เรารู้สึกถึงความสมจริงในตัวตนของพวกเขา ทั้งแซลลี และโคลเป็นคนธรรมดา (ในความหมายของสถานะของพวกเขาที่ไม่ใช่พวกผู้มีบรรดาศักดิ์ และทำอาชีพที่ไม่ได้โดดเด่นเป็นพิเศษ) ที่แสดงด้านที่ไม่ธรรมดาของพวกเขาให้คนอ่านได้เห็น จะมีหนังสือสักกี่เล่มคะที่เล่าเรื่องราวการเดินเรือ (อย่างละเอียดด้วยนะ) แล้วไม่ทำให้เรารู้สึกเบื่อแม้แต่วินาทีเดียว การที่คนแต่งผูกเอาความรักในการเดินเรือของตัวละครเข้าไปในเรื่องราว ทำให้คนอ่านอย่างเรารับรู้ถึงความรักนั้นไปด้วย และสามารถอ่านได้โดยไม่รู้สึกว่า ยืดเยื้อ หรือไม่น่าสนใจ นั่นเพราะเจ้าสิ่งนี้คือสิ่งที่ตัวละครสนใจ และเราจดจ่ออยู่ที่ตัวละครเหล่านี้ เราในฐานะคนอ่านก็เลยจดจ่อทำความเข้าใจในสิ่งที่พวกเขาทำไปด้วย
นี่ไม่ใช่หนังสือเล่มแรกที่เอาพล็อตการปลอมตัวเป็นผู้ชายของนางเอกมาใช้ แต่เราก็ยังรู้สึกถึงความสดใหม่ และแตกต่าง แซลลีไม่ใช่นางเอกสาวแสนสวยดื้อรั้น เธอเป็นลูกสาวที่หน้าตาเหมือนคนในตระกูลเค้นท์ (ที่ไม่ได้บรรยายว่าสวยเลิศเลอ) เธอทำให้คนเชื่อว่า ตัวเองเป็นผู้ชายได้ เพราะความสามารถในการเดินเรือของเธอ ความสามารถที่คนส่วนใหญ่ไม่คิดว่า ผู้หญิงจะมีกัน นั่นเป็นเหตุผลเดียวที่คนไม่สงสัย ซึ่ง (สปอยล์) จริง ๆ แล้วความลับของแซลลีก็ไม่ใช่ความลับสักเท่าไหรนักหรอกนะคะ เมื่อตอนท้ายเรื่องกัปตันเองก็ออกมาเปิดเผยว่าดูออกตั้งแต่ต้น เพียงแต่ไม่พูดออกมาเท่านั้นเอง ยิ่งทำให้เรื่องดูมีความน่าเชื่อ
นางเอกเป็นโฟกัสของเรื่อง และเธอก็ได้ใจเราไปเต็ม ๆ ขอบอกว่าชอบเธอมาก ๆ คนแต่งเขียนได้ลงตัวระหว่างการแสดงความเก่งของนางเอก กับความกล้าแบบเกินเหตุ ในเรื่องแซลลีต้องจัดการทหารที่ออกแนวนักเลงวางท่า ข่มขู่ทหารใหม่คนอื่น ๆ (ซึ่งอายุของทหารใหม่ส่วนใหญ่มักจะไม่ถึงสิบห้าปีด้วยซ้ำ ทำให้เพื่อน ๆ ของนางเอกในเรื่องเป็นเด็กชายวัยกระเตาะ) ซึ่งวิธีการจัดการของเธอแต่ละอย่างก็ล้วนอ่านแล้วสนุก ที่สำคัญ การกระทำของเธอไม่เกินขอบเขตความโง่สมควรตาย (นั่นคือ นางเอกคิดก่อนที่จะทำอะไรเสมอ แม้หลายครั้งจะเสี่ยงไปบ้าง แต่ก็เกิดจากการประเมินสถานการณ์แล้ว)
นี่เป็นหนังสือที่แสดงให้คนอ่านเห็นถึงความสามารถของนางเอก ไม่ใช่การพร่ำบอกคนอ่านว่า นางเอกเก่งแบบนั้น แบบนี้ เล่มนี้อ่านแล้วเชื่อหมดใจค่ะว่า เก่งจริง
นางเอกได้ใจไปแล้วคนนึง ก็มาถึงพระเอก นี่เป็นหนังสือที่โฟกัสไม่ได้อยู่ที่พระเอกมากนัก เพราะเล่าเรื่องชีวิตการเป็นทหารใหม่ของนางเอกไปซะเยอะ แต่ทุกครั้งที่พระเอกโผล่มา ก็แบบกรี๊ดสลบมาก ไม่เคยคิดนะคะว่า จะอ่านหนังสือที่ต้นหนเท่ห์ได้ขนาดนี้ โรแมนซ์ส่วนใหญ่พระเอกก็ต้องเป็นกัปตันถึงจะสมราคา แต่นี่ไม่จำเป็นเลยค่ะ เรื่องไม่ได้เขียนให้คนอ่านรู้สึกว่า กัปตันไม่ได้เรื่องนะคะ กลับกันด้วยซ้ำ (ยิ่งเมื่อคิดว่า กัปตันคือพระเอกในหนังสืออีกเรื่องนึงที่คนแต่งเขียน) แต่ก็ยังทำให้โคลเท่ห์ได้ขนาดนี้ มาดนิ่ง ๆ การพูดที่ไม่ต้องใช้เสียงดัง (ซึ่งเราทำไม่เป็น) แต่สามารถทำให้คนทั้งเรือเงี่ยหูฟัง
นี่เป็นหนังสือที่เราอ่านด้วยความ���ั้งใจไปตลอดทั้งเรื่อง ทั้งที่โดยตัวเนื้อเรื่องเองแล้ว ก็เป็นเรื่องราวของชีวิตคนบนเรือรบธรรมดา ๆ
เพื่อนของเราคนนึงบอกว่า อาจจะเป็นเพราะเรื่องนี้เติมเต็มความปรารถนาของเราตอนที่อ่านหนังสือชุดออเบรย์-มาตูริน ของแพทริค โอเบรียน ที่เล่าเรื่องราวชีวิตบนเรือเช่นกัน แต่ไม่มีผู้หญิงให้เห็นสักคนในเรื่อง ซึ่งเราคิด ๆ ไป ก็อาจจะใช่นะคะ แต่คงต้องบอกว่า ตอนอ่านไม่ได้คิดถึงเรื่องชุดนี้เลยค่ะ ในสมองมีแต่คาแร็คเตอร์ในเรื่องนี้
ซึ่งไม่ใช่แค่พระเอกนางเอกที่น่าสนใจ ตัวประกอบ กระทั่งตัว (ที่เหมือนจะ) ร้ายในเรื่องก็น่าสนใจไม่น้อย เราชอบวิธีการสร้างตัวละครของคนแต่งที่ไม่ได้มีแค่มิติเดียว เราชอบวิธีการจัดการของนางเอกต่อคาแร็คเตอร์นี้มาก ๆ ขนาดที่ว่า เรารู้สึกว่า เรื่องให้เวลาน้อยเกินไปกับประเด็นนี้ด้วยซ้ำ
ที่สำคัญที่สุดเราชอบพระเอกกับนางเอก ในความหมายที่ว่า สองคนนี้ยิ่งกว่าเหมาะสมกัน ไม่จำเป็นต้องเป็นเรื่องแนวพารานอมอลนะคะ ที่พระเอกนางเอกจะเป็นคู่แท้กันได้ เล่มนี้เรารู้สึกแบบนั้นจริง ๆ โคลยอมรับตัวตนของแซลลี่ ยิ่งไปกว่านั้น เขายอมรับความสามารถของเธอ
เรื่องราวโรแมนซ์บนเรือรบ ทึ่คนในเรื่องเข้าใจว่า นางเอกเป็นผู้ชาย คือเสน่ห์อีกอย่างของเรื่องนี้ ทุกอย่างไม่อาจร้อนแรงด้วยการแสดงออกได้ นี่จึงเป็นความร้อนแรงเป็นเผาไหม้ภายใน การใช้สายตา กริยาเล็ก ๆ น้อย ๆ ที่แสดงต่อกัน การใช้คำพูด อ่านแล้วเราถอนหายใจหลายรอบค่ะ เรื่องนี้ไม่ได้ฮ็อตแบบมีเซ็กส์กราดเกลื่อนหรอกนะคะ โอกาสไม่อำนายมากนัก แต่เป็นเรื่องของความรู้สึกข้างใน
เราชอบวิธีการเขียนบทสนทนาของคนแต่งที่ทำให้ตีความไปได้หลายอย่าง สำหรับคนในเรื่องที่ไม่รู้ว่า แซลลีคือผู้หญิง อ่านบทสนทนาระหว่างโคล และแซลลีแล้ว ก็จะไม่สงสัยถึงความนัยที่แฝงอยู่ แต่สำหรับคนอ่านก็จะรู้ว่าแท้จริงแล้ว หมายความว่ายังไง การที่พระเอกเรียกนางเอกว่า เค้นท์ตลอดทั้งเรื่อง เพราะเขารู้ว่า ริชาร์ดไม่ใช่ชื่อจริงของเธอ แต่ในขณะเดียวกันก็เรียกเธอว่าแซลลี่ไม่ได้
ช่วงท้ายเรื่องอ่อนลงไป แต่ก็นิดเดียวค่ะ เราไม่ค่อยชอบการแยกออกจากกันระหว่างโคล และแซลลีมากนัก (สปอยล์) แล้วก็รู้สึกว่า ไม่ค่อยยุติธรรมต่อนางเอกเท่าไหร การที่เธอทำอะไรมากมาย แต่สุดท้ายความสำเร็จทุกอย่างอยู่ในนามของริชาร์ดน้องชาย แต่ก็เข้าใจว่า ทำไมเรื่องต้องออกมาเป็นนั้น อลิซาเบ็ธ แอสเสกซ์เขียนเรื่องที่มีพื้นฐานของความเป็นไปได้ หากเขียนเป็นอย่างอื่นก็คงดูไม่น่าเชื่อ
สำหรับคนที่ชอบเรื่อง The Iron Rose ในส่วนของการวางแผนการรบทางเรือ เล่มนี้มีอยู่นิดหน่อยนะคะ อาจจะไม่แยบคายซ้อนกลเท่า แต่ก็ถือว่าเขียนได้ดีมาก ๆ ในหนังสือโรแมนซ์แล้วล่ะ
ชอบเรื่องนี้มาก ๆ แต่เราไม่แน่ใจว่า เราสื่อความชอบของตัวเองออกมาได้ครบถ้วนรึเปล่า เพราะมันมีอะไรมากมายที่เราชอบ
คะแนนที่ 87
January 19, 2022
What an interesting and refreshing book. I put this on my TBR because Courtney Milan said that Elizabeth Essex's books are sexy and intelligent and this is pretty much what that is. It goes REALLY DEEP on boat shit, be forewarned, because Elizabeth Essex has a freaking nautical archeology degree?! But it made the setting intensely vivid and you can hear and feel the thrumming action that is the backdrop of this story.
The pacing of this book matched the energy level of the story, in that it moves along very briskly and doesn't really dawdle over unnecessary internal monologuing or rely on a misunderstanding, which is GREAT because in a book like this, you take run the risk of "girl dresses up as boy to work on boat" dragging out for too long. But the hero finds out pretty quickly and helps move the story to, "Well, what are you going to do about it?"
I really liked the subtle discussions about what it means to be a woman and performing gender. The conversation doesn't go very deep, but I liked that the heroine tries to grapple with the "uselessness" of being a woman in society and not having anything to DO with femininity, other than show it off to people. You don't get to keep that for yourself. I do think some of the heroine's thinking verges on internalized misogyny, and ultimately, I don't think Elizabeth Essex wades too deep into this conversation or provides a "solve," but I like that she attempts to have this conversation.
Ultimately, I docked a star for this because I think the ending is a bit weak (spoilers ahead): The heroine is injured during a climatic battle and because of the injury, can't continue to fake her way through serving in the navy, and has to go back to being a lady, and now she has to contend with a bad scar. The hero shows up at a ball at her house months later, thinking to himself that he'll ask her to marry him, and "save" her in that way, but instead, finds that she's "saved" herself by making friends, contending with her scar all on her own. I guess that's....fine? But after the courageous action from the rest of the book, this felt a little tepid and uninspired. Also, it seems like the heroine is going back to the sea to helm one of the ships that the hero "won," but what exactly does that mean? Are they going to be merchants? Just sailsman?? Who knows.
The pacing of this book matched the energy level of the story, in that it moves along very briskly and doesn't really dawdle over unnecessary internal monologuing or rely on a misunderstanding, which is GREAT because in a book like this, you take run the risk of "girl dresses up as boy to work on boat" dragging out for too long. But the hero finds out pretty quickly and helps move the story to, "Well, what are you going to do about it?"
I really liked the subtle discussions about what it means to be a woman and performing gender. The conversation doesn't go very deep, but I liked that the heroine tries to grapple with the "uselessness" of being a woman in society and not having anything to DO with femininity, other than show it off to people. You don't get to keep that for yourself. I do think some of the heroine's thinking verges on internalized misogyny, and ultimately, I don't think Elizabeth Essex wades too deep into this conversation or provides a "solve," but I like that she attempts to have this conversation.
Ultimately, I docked a star for this because I think the ending is a bit weak (spoilers ahead): The heroine is injured during a climatic battle and because of the injury, can't continue to fake her way through serving in the navy, and has to go back to being a lady, and now she has to contend with a bad scar. The hero shows up at a ball at her house months later, thinking to himself that he'll ask her to marry him, and "save" her in that way, but instead, finds that she's "saved" herself by making friends, contending with her scar all on her own. I guess that's....fine? But after the courageous action from the rest of the book, this felt a little tepid and uninspired. Also, it seems like the heroine is going back to the sea to helm one of the ships that the hero "won," but what exactly does that mean? Are they going to be merchants? Just sailsman?? Who knows.
August 10, 2020
Huh, well I was due a DNF. It's been 7 months. This started out ok but it quickly grew tedious. The heroine's tic of saying "Devil take me/her/him/them" etc. Sometimes twice on one page. That got annoying but when the person of the book that we were supposed to root for turns out to be a bully to her little brother I say No thank you. It would have been so easy to frame Sally Kent's signing on as her brother with the Navy as compassionate. "I'll take your place while you go to University to study and become a vicar since you are clearly not up for being in the Navy". Instead, she talks him down and shames him for not being like her and her other brothers who love the Navy.
She recalls how she and her love interest, the righteous and always fair Mister Colyear used to pelt little brother with apples and call taunts after him until he runs "snivelling into the house to read more sermons". Please - am I to side with you when you get bullied on the ship? I don't think so. (Also we only hear about what a bully he is, we never see it. (ETA: Ok, we do see it but I DNFed it before that.) Before we even meet him on the page we know he obviously has learning problems and can't get a promotion. Now his response to this seems to be to become a bully etc but why don't establish that properly with a scene before. ) No. I will not spend another minute reading this.
I also had to check since this was a series, little brother doesn't even get his own book later, not even a short story. Pass
She recalls how she and her love interest, the righteous and always fair Mister Colyear used to pelt little brother with apples and call taunts after him until he runs "snivelling into the house to read more sermons". Please - am I to side with you when you get bullied on the ship? I don't think so. (Also we only hear about what a bully he is, we never see it. (ETA: Ok, we do see it but I DNFed it before that.) Before we even meet him on the page we know he obviously has learning problems and can't get a promotion. Now his response to this seems to be to become a bully etc but why don't establish that properly with a scene before. ) No. I will not spend another minute reading this.
I also had to check since this was a series, little brother doesn't even get his own book later, not even a short story. Pass
February 2, 2020
This definitely falls in the category of slow burn romance, as in "there will be a good 200 pages of Nautical Stuff before any kissing happens." I very much appreciate that, because you can't promise me a girl taking her brother's place on a ship and then give me a book full of kissing instead of Nautical Stuff.
I also appreciate that, while Sally is literally described on the page as "not like other girls," and she's highly competent at the manly tasks she takes on, she isn't written as superior to other girls. You see the side of her that feels awkward and too much for being the way she is, and how she got to the point of feeling like she must be Useful and Do Her Duty but can't see the use in women's work. It's a trope that can so often be lazy and misogynist so I always enjoy seeing an author really dig into it and make it a genuine-feeling part of a character. The scenes toward the end that bring her family and some other female characters into the picture do some great work to add a little more depth and growth to an otherwise pretty adventure-focused story.
In places I wished for a tighter edit, some repeated scenes and phrases, but overall a very satisfying read!
I also appreciate that, while Sally is literally described on the page as "not like other girls," and she's highly competent at the manly tasks she takes on, she isn't written as superior to other girls. You see the side of her that feels awkward and too much for being the way she is, and how she got to the point of feeling like she must be Useful and Do Her Duty but can't see the use in women's work. It's a trope that can so often be lazy and misogynist so I always enjoy seeing an author really dig into it and make it a genuine-feeling part of a character. The scenes toward the end that bring her family and some other female characters into the picture do some great work to add a little more depth and growth to an otherwise pretty adventure-focused story.
In places I wished for a tighter edit, some repeated scenes and phrases, but overall a very satisfying read!
August 8, 2020
Wonderful story set aboard a ship in 1805, including the Battle of Trafalgar. Sally Kent comes from a family who serve in the British Royal Navy. She has always thought it unfair that she is not allowed, and when an opportunity arises, she takes it. Lieutenant David Colyear, is a friend of the Kent family and has served with them as well, and he discovers her ruse. The amount of research put into this book is staggering, and yet at the same time, does not overshadow the journey Sally and Col take to their HEA. Highly recommend.
September 14, 2024
the cover doesn’t do the book justice at all and if i didn’t have to read it for class i would’ve never picked it up. i ended up not reading it for class (oopsiiiieee) but since i had already paid for it i decided to read it nonetheless and i‘m glad i did. this was such a fun read (despite knowing absolutely nothing about the navy and ships so it was kinda hard to have an image in my head most times) and it was beautifully written :-) so in conclusion, change the cover what the fuck!!!!!!! would actually give it 3,5 stars but whatever
March 30, 2024
4.75 stars 🏴☠️
Second chance pirates romance?! HECK YES.!.!.!
I looooooved this book. Our heroine was such a boss lady. She was in disguise as her younger brother who didn’t want to join the navy. She was so smart, strong, and courageous. She really showed all those boys what a girl can do.! 😈
I was just disappointed in the ending. Our hero left our heroine when she was practically on her death bed and there was no explanation as to why she was gone for so long after being sent away.
We needed an epilogue. ☹️☹️☹️
Second chance pirates romance?! HECK YES.!.!.!
I looooooved this book. Our heroine was such a boss lady. She was in disguise as her younger brother who didn’t want to join the navy. She was so smart, strong, and courageous. She really showed all those boys what a girl can do.! 😈
I was just disappointed in the ending. Our hero left our heroine when she was practically on her death bed and there was no explanation as to why she was gone for so long after being sent away.
We needed an epilogue. ☹️☹️☹️
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