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Blessed Isle
A timeless love as dangerous as the sea....
For Captain Harry Thompson, the command of the prison transport ship HMS Banshee is his opportunity to prove his worth, working-class origins be damned. But his criminal attraction to his upper-crust First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, threatens to overturn all he’s ever worked for.
Lust quickly proves to be the least of his problems, however. The deadly combination of typhus, rioting convicts, and a monstrous storm destroys his prospects...and shipwrecks him and Garnet on their own private island. After months of solitary paradise, the journey back to civilization -- surviving mutineers, exposure, and desertion -- is the ultimate test of their feelings for each other.
These two very different men each record their story for an unfathomable future in which the tale of their love -- a love punishable by death in their own time -- can finally be told. Today, dear reader, it is at last safe for you to hear it all.
This is a revised, stand-alone edition of the story originally published in the Hidden Conflict anthology in 2009.
For Captain Harry Thompson, the command of the prison transport ship HMS Banshee is his opportunity to prove his worth, working-class origins be damned. But his criminal attraction to his upper-crust First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, threatens to overturn all he’s ever worked for.
Lust quickly proves to be the least of his problems, however. The deadly combination of typhus, rioting convicts, and a monstrous storm destroys his prospects...and shipwrecks him and Garnet on their own private island. After months of solitary paradise, the journey back to civilization -- surviving mutineers, exposure, and desertion -- is the ultimate test of their feelings for each other.
These two very different men each record their story for an unfathomable future in which the tale of their love -- a love punishable by death in their own time -- can finally be told. Today, dear reader, it is at last safe for you to hear it all.
This is a revised, stand-alone edition of the story originally published in the Hidden Conflict anthology in 2009.
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2012
17 people are currently reading
632 people want to read
About the author
Alex Beecroft
44 books298 followersSpaceships and galaxy spanning empires, conversations with angels, viking villages, haunted mansions and forbidden love in the Age of Sail... I love a good strong plot in an exotic setting, with characters you can admire, and a happy ending.
If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.
~
BTW, if you're thinking my reviews on here are a bit mean, most of the books I really enjoy will get a 4 star. I am saving 5 stars for books I find genuinely life changing. 4 is still "this was really really good, you should read it." 5 is "OMG, my mind is blown and my life will never be the same again."
If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.
~
BTW, if you're thinking my reviews on here are a bit mean, most of the books I really enjoy will get a 4 star. I am saving 5 stars for books I find genuinely life changing. 4 is still "this was really really good, you should read it." 5 is "OMG, my mind is blown and my life will never be the same again."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
November 30, 2018
A delicious, refreshing return to Author Beecroft's Hearts-of-Oak era. I am always down for another voyage o'er the vasty deeps under Author Beecroft's captaincy. Perchance I'll come back to say more when it's not 12.30 and I'm not sleepy.
***
I've been reading Alex Beecroft's books since her debut, Captain's Surrender (hyperlink because damned book search won't give me any results AGAIN), came out in 2008. I loved it. I gave it to my then-dating partner, Frank, because as a firefighter and a closeted married man I thought he'd really identify with the plight of Peter Kenyon; he ended up coming out, though not divorcing, and pursuing his career as a professional full-time firefighter instead of a cop volunteering as one. "Life's too short," he told me, "and I can't hide anymore."
Well done, Author Beecroft. Your words inspired a positive life change.
So I read all Author Beecroft's books because I like them and because I have a great memory associated with her work. Now this short tale of Paradise Lost and Purgatory Gained is in the Age of Sail, the Hearts of Oak days, and features the same reality that opened Frank's eyes and heart: Hiding your true self for fear of the consequences. Hiding love, impossible as that really is, to protect your livelihood and your loved one's safety. How horribly painful that is for all concerned. How unfair to even the worst of one's associates. No one is unscathed by this level of dishonesty, and Author Beecroft makes that clear, and illuminates the awful consequences to all concerned.
The way the story ends, since this is a romantic work, isn't really in question. There will be the requisite HEA. Maybe that's the strongest calling card for reading romantic fiction: Things work out well, unlike much of "real life." The means by which these two men get their HEA was satisfying in a "nyah-nyah" way. The heat level was, it seems to me, modest, but I am a terrible judge of these things because if it's not out-and-out porn I don't think book-sex is overdone. Usually. It's not overdone here.
And the storytelling format, the journal entry end of epistolary noveling, is a further guarantor that both the HEA and the sex levels will remain clear from the start. Not many people speak openly and honestly about their sexual experiences even in a journal. So, well, some glossing is expected, right?
Another happy Royal Navy Read. Thanks, Alex!
***
I've been reading Alex Beecroft's books since her debut, Captain's Surrender (hyperlink because damned book search won't give me any results AGAIN), came out in 2008. I loved it. I gave it to my then-dating partner, Frank, because as a firefighter and a closeted married man I thought he'd really identify with the plight of Peter Kenyon; he ended up coming out, though not divorcing, and pursuing his career as a professional full-time firefighter instead of a cop volunteering as one. "Life's too short," he told me, "and I can't hide anymore."
Well done, Author Beecroft. Your words inspired a positive life change.
So I read all Author Beecroft's books because I like them and because I have a great memory associated with her work. Now this short tale of Paradise Lost and Purgatory Gained is in the Age of Sail, the Hearts of Oak days, and features the same reality that opened Frank's eyes and heart: Hiding your true self for fear of the consequences. Hiding love, impossible as that really is, to protect your livelihood and your loved one's safety. How horribly painful that is for all concerned. How unfair to even the worst of one's associates. No one is unscathed by this level of dishonesty, and Author Beecroft makes that clear, and illuminates the awful consequences to all concerned.
The way the story ends, since this is a romantic work, isn't really in question. There will be the requisite HEA. Maybe that's the strongest calling card for reading romantic fiction: Things work out well, unlike much of "real life." The means by which these two men get their HEA was satisfying in a "nyah-nyah" way. The heat level was, it seems to me, modest, but I am a terrible judge of these things because if it's not out-and-out porn I don't think book-sex is overdone. Usually. It's not overdone here.
And the storytelling format, the journal entry end of epistolary noveling, is a further guarantor that both the HEA and the sex levels will remain clear from the start. Not many people speak openly and honestly about their sexual experiences even in a journal. So, well, some glossing is expected, right?
Another happy Royal Navy Read. Thanks, Alex!
July 20, 2013
4.5 stars
THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gah! I am SHOCKED. STUPEFIED. FLUMMOXED.
It was GLORIOUS and I LOVED it!
"Thanks, but I don't read historicals"
"Thanks, but not interested in a book that doesn't have onpage sex"
"Thanks, but I prefer a book I can actually understand the dialogue"
Apparently I don't know myself very well.
Because despite every excuse I could have made, I read this on the recommendation of an adored friend and I was swept away. I felt like I was just floating and in complete bliss the entire time.
Alex Beecroft wrote a short book that made me feel lost in poetry and prose and in the dearest and deepest love story. Using a journal format where the MC's write alternating chapters of their tale, I was immersed in their journey to each other. It doesn't dive deep, and some of the details are glossed over, but in the end you get everything you need (though I'm left wanting so much more) to understand how Harry & Garnet LOVED.
I honestly ended hugging my kindle and just...in utter joy.
Painfully lovely...MORE PLEASE! I plan to read this over and over again...
August 8, 2013
I don't possess enough adjectives or superlatives to describe how I feel about this book. Beautiful, amazing, breathtaking, divine, gorgeous, exquisite, pulchritudinous (looked that one up!), magnificent, stunning, delightful, elated, I could continue forever. I just didn't want this book to end.
Captain Harry Thompson has made good. Coming from a working class background he is put in command of HMS Banshee the flag ship for a small fleet of ships taking cargo to Australia. On board he meets his First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, and the internal struggle of duty to The Crown or succumb to one's feelings begin. This is a time where sodomy will take you straight to the gallows.
"They’ll pillory us and pelt us with excrement. They’ll mock and laugh and whisper. They’ll take away the twenty years of my life I spent working for this: my rank, my ship, my duty, my king and country. My pride.
So the need to be circumspect in all things is imperative. These guys go through hell and back, through adventure on the high seas, through raging storms, marooned on an island, giving themselves over to their fate and then fashioning a world for themselves to be happy as best as they can in this time. The cargo; they have been charged with taking convicts to Australia. Harry because of his lowly beginnings understands on a certain level the suffering of the convicts.
"I can’t find it in me to blame them for what they did. I’d have done the same had I been caught scrumping apples, confined in chains for months, tossed and forgotten as human ballast in the utter dark and freezing cold of the underwater hull. If I’d gone into that a man, I’d have come out a monster. I can’t blame them."
After escaping storm and a mutiny from the prisoners they end being marooned on the proverbial desert island. However, there is nothing tacky or Robinson Crusoe about this part of the story. It just emphasises the love they have for each other but also their differences. Garnet misses civilasation, however Harry finds a freedom he has never known before.
"To me, this is the reality. Out there they make us pretend. They force us into lies or hiding. Here I’ve been free to be myself for the first time in my life. You and I, it’s the first honest thing I’ve ever done. And that’s because this place has given me the freedom to do it.” A little sigh of amusement mingled with melancholy. “Your prison is my refuge."
They are picked up from the island, but their initial joy will be short lived. Harry realises the Navy isn't everything and his ties to Garnet are now so much closer than any sense of duty. After being found out on board the HMS Pandora, the ship that rescued them, by its captain it seems their fate is sealed. However, a twist of fate allows them to escape and make a new start.
"I’ve had enough journeying. I think it is time to stop.” It is surprising what a man can give away and still remain himself. With that decision, we lost our family, our friends, and our country, but as I rolled onto my back and looked up at the stars, I felt as though I had in some small way received my island back. “No man is an island, entire of himself,” says John Donne, but two may be, together, needing nothing else.
The writing is descriptive and lyrical, but doesn't spare on the reality of the situation either. I smelled the rancid conditions on board. The odour of stale food, rot, Typhus and death. The scent of tar and pitch, sea water and damp. I suffered the exhaustion of the crew battling their way through storms and making little headway. I felt the elation and joy in Harry on the island being able to live a way of life they wanted, free from persecution. I mourned with Garnet and his longing to get back to civilasation. I panicked at the fear of the truth coming out and the pair of them being marched to the gallows; of the angst during the storms. Basically, through the author's writing I lived this book.
This book is written as a journal, each character being a chapter or journal entry. This was a wonderful notion, it was like readng someone's personal diary and getting to know their innermost thoughts and feelings. However, it was not disjointed, Harry's journal entry always picking up nicely and relating to something in Garnet's and vice versa. A way of sharing, a joint dairy with individual perspectives. The style changes between each journal entry and you soon get the feeling that Harry is the conservative, duty bound responsible captain and Garnet is your more flambouyant, risqué and bumptious character. I just loved this whole idea of them writing their lives down and this being locked away until a time where it would be safe to read such a thing.
"I am resigned to the deception, but still I resent it. I would be honest if I could. I am an honest man, it is only the world that forces me to lie. To that end, I am sealing this completed diary and depositing it in my bank, to be released when we are both dead. I think of it as a message in a bottle, cast out into the seas of time. May the future reader know what we have not been permitted to say in the present: that we were happy.
Captain Harry Thompson has made good. Coming from a working class background he is put in command of HMS Banshee the flag ship for a small fleet of ships taking cargo to Australia. On board he meets his First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, and the internal struggle of duty to The Crown or succumb to one's feelings begin. This is a time where sodomy will take you straight to the gallows.
"They’ll pillory us and pelt us with excrement. They’ll mock and laugh and whisper. They’ll take away the twenty years of my life I spent working for this: my rank, my ship, my duty, my king and country. My pride.
So the need to be circumspect in all things is imperative. These guys go through hell and back, through adventure on the high seas, through raging storms, marooned on an island, giving themselves over to their fate and then fashioning a world for themselves to be happy as best as they can in this time. The cargo; they have been charged with taking convicts to Australia. Harry because of his lowly beginnings understands on a certain level the suffering of the convicts.
"I can’t find it in me to blame them for what they did. I’d have done the same had I been caught scrumping apples, confined in chains for months, tossed and forgotten as human ballast in the utter dark and freezing cold of the underwater hull. If I’d gone into that a man, I’d have come out a monster. I can’t blame them."
After escaping storm and a mutiny from the prisoners they end being marooned on the proverbial desert island. However, there is nothing tacky or Robinson Crusoe about this part of the story. It just emphasises the love they have for each other but also their differences. Garnet misses civilasation, however Harry finds a freedom he has never known before.
"To me, this is the reality. Out there they make us pretend. They force us into lies or hiding. Here I’ve been free to be myself for the first time in my life. You and I, it’s the first honest thing I’ve ever done. And that’s because this place has given me the freedom to do it.” A little sigh of amusement mingled with melancholy. “Your prison is my refuge."
They are picked up from the island, but their initial joy will be short lived. Harry realises the Navy isn't everything and his ties to Garnet are now so much closer than any sense of duty. After being found out on board the HMS Pandora, the ship that rescued them, by its captain it seems their fate is sealed. However, a twist of fate allows them to escape and make a new start.
"I’ve had enough journeying. I think it is time to stop.” It is surprising what a man can give away and still remain himself. With that decision, we lost our family, our friends, and our country, but as I rolled onto my back and looked up at the stars, I felt as though I had in some small way received my island back. “No man is an island, entire of himself,” says John Donne, but two may be, together, needing nothing else.
The writing is descriptive and lyrical, but doesn't spare on the reality of the situation either. I smelled the rancid conditions on board. The odour of stale food, rot, Typhus and death. The scent of tar and pitch, sea water and damp. I suffered the exhaustion of the crew battling their way through storms and making little headway. I felt the elation and joy in Harry on the island being able to live a way of life they wanted, free from persecution. I mourned with Garnet and his longing to get back to civilasation. I panicked at the fear of the truth coming out and the pair of them being marched to the gallows; of the angst during the storms. Basically, through the author's writing I lived this book.
This book is written as a journal, each character being a chapter or journal entry. This was a wonderful notion, it was like readng someone's personal diary and getting to know their innermost thoughts and feelings. However, it was not disjointed, Harry's journal entry always picking up nicely and relating to something in Garnet's and vice versa. A way of sharing, a joint dairy with individual perspectives. The style changes between each journal entry and you soon get the feeling that Harry is the conservative, duty bound responsible captain and Garnet is your more flambouyant, risqué and bumptious character. I just loved this whole idea of them writing their lives down and this being locked away until a time where it would be safe to read such a thing.
"I am resigned to the deception, but still I resent it. I would be honest if I could. I am an honest man, it is only the world that forces me to lie. To that end, I am sealing this completed diary and depositing it in my bank, to be released when we are both dead. I think of it as a message in a bottle, cast out into the seas of time. May the future reader know what we have not been permitted to say in the present: that we were happy.
August 1, 2022
What a lovely tale!!
This historical novella packed a lot in its pages. Told in the form of a diary, we hear the story of how two men came to live as lovers in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of the 19th century.
While not overly romantic, there is a lot of action & some very gush-worthy moments. All sex is off-page, but I didn’t really miss it (too much 😉).
I would have loved an expanded version of this tale since the writing and language was so good. I would have loved to better know these very two different men who were instantly drawn to each other.
My rec? Yes.
This historical novella packed a lot in its pages. Told in the form of a diary, we hear the story of how two men came to live as lovers in Rio de Janeiro at the beginning of the 19th century.
While not overly romantic, there is a lot of action & some very gush-worthy moments. All sex is off-page, but I didn’t really miss it (too much 😉).
I would have loved an expanded version of this tale since the writing and language was so good. I would have loved to better know these very two different men who were instantly drawn to each other.
My rec? Yes.
November 29, 2013
English is not my native language. So I am more familiar with "contemporary" English than "old" English. One of the reasons why I also avoid historical genre -- I don't know if I can enjoy a story if I have no idea what the words meant, right?
Well, I guess when you feel for the characters, sometimes you CAN let that issue go... and that was what I felt with this story.
Seriously, I had no idea what these characters were talking or describing about most of the time (I could try to look up the dictionary but then it will take DAYS for me to finish). But it really didn't matter. Because I thought the story was so bloody romantic *siiiiighhhh*.
I loved how it was told through form of a journal, and it was adorable how Garnet 'took over' his lover's journal to write his own point of view about their love story. The difference voice of Harry and Garnet shone from their chapters. And I could also sense the progress of Harry 'changing' from trying to prove his worth as Captain to simply a man who stayed true to himself and felt free to simply loved another man.
I felt like I was with them from the time they set eyes to each other - to surviving storm and illness, to surviving mutiny and being castaways, to surviving being caught when they were displaying their love, to the current day of the journal being wrote where they lived as 'brothers' to deceive the society, when behind doors they were the most devoted, most loving couple.
It was captivating and it was enriching and what a way to end my personal challenge month (to read one MM historical romance a week). I'd say it has been a success!
Well, I guess when you feel for the characters, sometimes you CAN let that issue go... and that was what I felt with this story.
Seriously, I had no idea what these characters were talking or describing about most of the time (I could try to look up the dictionary but then it will take DAYS for me to finish). But it really didn't matter. Because I thought the story was so bloody romantic *siiiiighhhh*.
I loved how it was told through form of a journal, and it was adorable how Garnet 'took over' his lover's journal to write his own point of view about their love story. The difference voice of Harry and Garnet shone from their chapters. And I could also sense the progress of Harry 'changing' from trying to prove his worth as Captain to simply a man who stayed true to himself and felt free to simply loved another man.
I felt like I was with them from the time they set eyes to each other - to surviving storm and illness, to surviving mutiny and being castaways, to surviving being caught when they were displaying their love, to the current day of the journal being wrote where they lived as 'brothers' to deceive the society, when behind doors they were the most devoted, most loving couple.
It was captivating and it was enriching and what a way to end my personal challenge month (to read one MM historical romance a week). I'd say it has been a success!
November 6, 2013
4.5 Stars.
Bless my soul, bless my heart and bless my socks!
This book is a treasure, honestly …what a find (Susan!), what an adventure! And oh boy, what a ROMANCE!
Captain Harry Thompson of His Majesty’s Royal Navy and Lieutenant Garnet Littleton shared a love so special that it needed to be recorded. They knew that to speak of their love would be punishable by death, and yet they risked their lives and reputation to share it with us!
Amazing and dare I say arrogant to consider such a tale would be of notarised importance in years to come. But what I will say (with my toffiest accent) is that I am ever so pleased they deemed it worthy, for they recorded a cracking good tale.
Blessed Isle is a dazzling love story and a perilous voyage across the high seas where together these men are tested beyond the limits of physical and mental endurance. I LOVED this story for its intimate, beautifully scripted narration. Every scene is so tangible it manifests more than emotion. I could feel the spark of their attraction tingle from the souls of my feet to the tip of my nose. My skin itched with the residue of sea spray, and my scalp crawled with imaginary lice. I felt my tummy drop, pitch and roll with every dip and sway of the ship. And then, oh boy … my heart almost stopped dead when ….uh-oh, I won’t spoiler you but that was intense – a big time *gulp* moment I can tell you.
But for these men? Pish-posh, tis but a fly to swat with a hand of fortune …
Lunacy or bravery? I say a bit of both is in order, but the fact remains …men were made of sterner stuff in them days.
It’s not arrogance but humility (with a touch of crazy) that compels them to record their affection, and for that I am forever grateful.
This story is divine. The romance is clutch-your-heart perfect. I loved the charisma, the sincere bravado, the chivalrous and gallant styling. I am also reminded of a time when one and all were shackled with civilised diplomatic and dyspeptic society. Ha! … I wonder what they would have made of me. I would have been whipped and deemed laughable in upholding the status quo of a scullery maid.
Now, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s one of those rare stories that is more than the sum of good plot + good characterisation = success. Blessed Isle is more than an experience, it’s a memory and you will live it. This is a love story that will survive centauries. It’s beautiful.
Bless my soul, bless my heart and bless my socks!
This book is a treasure, honestly …what a find (Susan!), what an adventure! And oh boy, what a ROMANCE!
Captain Harry Thompson of His Majesty’s Royal Navy and Lieutenant Garnet Littleton shared a love so special that it needed to be recorded. They knew that to speak of their love would be punishable by death, and yet they risked their lives and reputation to share it with us!
Amazing and dare I say arrogant to consider such a tale would be of notarised importance in years to come. But what I will say (with my toffiest accent) is that I am ever so pleased they deemed it worthy, for they recorded a cracking good tale.
Blessed Isle is a dazzling love story and a perilous voyage across the high seas where together these men are tested beyond the limits of physical and mental endurance. I LOVED this story for its intimate, beautifully scripted narration. Every scene is so tangible it manifests more than emotion. I could feel the spark of their attraction tingle from the souls of my feet to the tip of my nose. My skin itched with the residue of sea spray, and my scalp crawled with imaginary lice. I felt my tummy drop, pitch and roll with every dip and sway of the ship. And then, oh boy … my heart almost stopped dead when ….uh-oh, I won’t spoiler you but that was intense – a big time *gulp* moment I can tell you.
But for these men? Pish-posh, tis but a fly to swat with a hand of fortune …
“Dear God, sir,” he laughed, his smile wide and bright, “it isn’t often you get to watch your own death flying towards you across the water. It’s just as the poets say. It’s sublime!”
Lunacy or bravery? I say a bit of both is in order, but the fact remains …men were made of sterner stuff in them days.
It’s not arrogance but humility (with a touch of crazy) that compels them to record their affection, and for that I am forever grateful.
This story is divine. The romance is clutch-your-heart perfect. I loved the charisma, the sincere bravado, the chivalrous and gallant styling. I am also reminded of a time when one and all were shackled with civilised diplomatic and dyspeptic society. Ha! … I wonder what they would have made of me. I would have been whipped and deemed laughable in upholding the status quo of a scullery maid.
Now, I can’t recommend this enough. It’s one of those rare stories that is more than the sum of good plot + good characterisation = success. Blessed Isle is more than an experience, it’s a memory and you will live it. This is a love story that will survive centauries. It’s beautiful.
“No man is an island, entire of himself,” says John Donne, but two may be, together, needing nothing else.”
January 25, 2019
A beautiful - and unfortunately too short - story of love, self-discovery, trust and adventure set towards the end of the 18th century.
Harry Thompson has overcome his working-class origins to become Captain of the HMS Banshee where he meets the young Lieutenant Garnet Littleton. Together they will have to overcome mutinies, storms, desert islands and all sorts of adventures worthy of a book set during the Age of Sail.
Apart from the exciting plot, what really struck me in the novel was its structure. Organised as a series of diary entries with alternating POVs, the story unfolds as a flashback and the readers only get a few glimpses into the current and happily-settled life of the two MCs.
Although we never really see them together in the present time, their bond and loyalty come across very strongly from their accounts. I also loved the way Alex Beecroft managed to give us a clear portrayal of their different personalities - Harry is more ceremonious and strives to hide his upbringing behind a very controlled façade, whereas Garnet, self-assured and confident, is more carefree and adventurous. Their banter and communication in the diary is a very interesting way of building up the characters and their relationship.
The diary itself becomes by the end of the story a beautiful testimony of Harry and Garnet's life together:
Harry Thompson has overcome his working-class origins to become Captain of the HMS Banshee where he meets the young Lieutenant Garnet Littleton. Together they will have to overcome mutinies, storms, desert islands and all sorts of adventures worthy of a book set during the Age of Sail.
Apart from the exciting plot, what really struck me in the novel was its structure. Organised as a series of diary entries with alternating POVs, the story unfolds as a flashback and the readers only get a few glimpses into the current and happily-settled life of the two MCs.
Although we never really see them together in the present time, their bond and loyalty come across very strongly from their accounts. I also loved the way Alex Beecroft managed to give us a clear portrayal of their different personalities - Harry is more ceremonious and strives to hide his upbringing behind a very controlled façade, whereas Garnet, self-assured and confident, is more carefree and adventurous. Their banter and communication in the diary is a very interesting way of building up the characters and their relationship.
The diary itself becomes by the end of the story a beautiful testimony of Harry and Garnet's life together:
I think of it as a message in a bottle, cast out into the seas of time. May the future reader know what we have not been permitted to say in the present: that we were happy. And that we were true to one another through the loss of all things. It is important to me that someone should bear witness to our love.I really enjoyed reading Blessed Isle and, as I said, I would have loved to read a longer story focusing on the two characters.
November 23, 2014
This is a story I loved. I wished it had another hundred pages. It's beautifully written, feels true to the period and yet gives us two gay men with a happy ending. There is adventure, heartbreak, love and fear. The basic framework is in journal form, but we get to hear from both main characters, and the entries are long so it reads as an alternating first person account, mainly from Harry's point of view.
Captain Harry Thompson is a man who has been aware of, and suppressed, his desire for other men for a long time. Born to the lower class, he's worked his way up in the Royal Navy with hard labor, study, and self-sacrifice. His whole self-worth is bound up in his rank, his responsibilities and his command. When he first sees his new First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, he's struck by the amount of attraction he feels. But Harry has never, ever, let his own desires get in the way of his responsibilities.
Garnet is different, a man from a more privileged background who didn't have to fight so hard to reach his rank. He's willing to fit pleasure in around duty, and he's also a bit of an adrenaline junkie. The fact that being with a man is risking the gallows adds spice for Garnet, not fear or self-loathing. He's just as taken with Harry, and much more eager to make something of it. But his Captain isn't taking him up on any offers, until fate lends a hand.
This was a time when sodomy, if caught and convicted, led to the death penalty. Harry begins his portion of the story by saying, "Those of us uncaught must perforce be silent. But one day, perhaps, when the world has grown kinder, this journal will be read by less jaundiced eyes. To them I will be able to say there was fidelity here, and love, and long-suffering sacrifice, and joy." The fear overshadows joy through much of the story, and yet it makes the moments of love more poignant and deeper.
I savored every bit of this story, and look forward to the next one I open from this author. One of the best things ever is finding a new author you love, with a backlist you haven't read.
Captain Harry Thompson is a man who has been aware of, and suppressed, his desire for other men for a long time. Born to the lower class, he's worked his way up in the Royal Navy with hard labor, study, and self-sacrifice. His whole self-worth is bound up in his rank, his responsibilities and his command. When he first sees his new First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, he's struck by the amount of attraction he feels. But Harry has never, ever, let his own desires get in the way of his responsibilities.
Garnet is different, a man from a more privileged background who didn't have to fight so hard to reach his rank. He's willing to fit pleasure in around duty, and he's also a bit of an adrenaline junkie. The fact that being with a man is risking the gallows adds spice for Garnet, not fear or self-loathing. He's just as taken with Harry, and much more eager to make something of it. But his Captain isn't taking him up on any offers, until fate lends a hand.
This was a time when sodomy, if caught and convicted, led to the death penalty. Harry begins his portion of the story by saying, "Those of us uncaught must perforce be silent. But one day, perhaps, when the world has grown kinder, this journal will be read by less jaundiced eyes. To them I will be able to say there was fidelity here, and love, and long-suffering sacrifice, and joy." The fear overshadows joy through much of the story, and yet it makes the moments of love more poignant and deeper.
I savored every bit of this story, and look forward to the next one I open from this author. One of the best things ever is finding a new author you love, with a backlist you haven't read.
November 17, 2014
It seems that my first love is my true love and I am head over heels for historical m/m romance. This, this was no exception but it may have set the bar for future books to come. How can a story told in journal form by the two MC’s filled with ships, sails, storms, stow away secret longing, sacrifice and no sex on the page be as wonderful as it was? It just was, Alex Beecroft gave me a wonderful and unique love story like no other.
No man is an island, entire of himself, says John Donne, but two may be together, needing nothing else.
Captain Harry Thompson, commander of the HMS Banshee is a man of control over his ship, over his crew and over his self-control. Until the night he heads down to the wardroom, hears the beautiful voice and sees the man it belongs to, First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton. From the first glance at the dark haired, albeit arrogant man, Harry is entranced. It’s a good thing from the journal we know that Garnet was as well. But until Harry's hand and heart are forced by the strong winds of a mighty storm and the uprising aboard his ship, how will these two be together?
This story, it was absolutely gorgeous. It was written like poetry through both men. I admit, I found Harry’s voice hard to settle into but once Garnet came into the picture, I adored him and Harry made sense. Of course he would, one wouldn’t make sense without the other.
The sea; the sea in itself was a beautiful tale. I could smell the air, feel the swell and roll of the ship as it sailed over the unforgiving ocean. I could hear the waves as the crashed upon the ship and hear the bodies as they were tosses about with the storm. Oh, it was so well written. My heart was in my chest wondering what would happen next. I was not disappointed with the excitement, the fear, the worry and the overwhelming emotions that were with me page after page. It was that good.
The love story between Harry and Garnet, spoken through their separate journal entries told of a wonderful love story that defies odds and laws for the time. So much at risk for these men to be together; not just the law but Mother Nature, health, awful captains and the push and pull of their differences threatened what these men wanted most. I again, loved how this was told. Many moments where emotions and realizations were told by one man and the other felt that way at the same time but neither of them knew until they wrote it down. Oh, the heartache that they could have done something different but would they have? Hindsight is as they say, an unforgiving beast but this story is just wonderful. If you have any doubt, the quote below is just a taste of what this book has to offer.
Why do I want to leave his record? Why not leave our story untold? My need to confess may be the death of us both. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth that this love should go unrecorded, that posterity should judge men like myself – like him –But one day, perhaps, when the words has grown kinder, this journal will be read by less jaundiced eyes. To them I will be able to say there was fidelity here, and love, and long-suffering sacrifice, and joy. To them I will be able to speak the truth.
January 4, 2013
This was absolutely one of the most amazing reads. Alex has an incredible command of the English language. Each paragraph feels like you are watching a master painter create a stunning masterpiece. I feel her ability to turn a phrase should be outlawed, it's that good.
Captain Harry Thompson,and First Lieutenant Garnet Littleton are our players in this moving adventure. A prison ship bound for Australia is the background for a story of love, told by each man in his own words.
"He stepped back.He looked dumbstruck. Something tender and fragile changed behind his eyes. It took me longer than it should have to realize it was only the reflection of moonrise. "You love me?" he asked, bemused. As though this was unexpected. "Did I not say so? I thought I had."
Captain Harry Thompson,and First Lieutenant Garnet Littleton are our players in this moving adventure. A prison ship bound for Australia is the background for a story of love, told by each man in his own words.
"He stepped back.He looked dumbstruck. Something tender and fragile changed behind his eyes. It took me longer than it should have to realize it was only the reflection of moonrise. "You love me?" he asked, bemused. As though this was unexpected. "Did I not say so? I thought I had."
January 13, 2017
*** 4.5 Stars ***
This may just be a case of right time, right mood, right book, but I found myself swept up in this one, heartstrings tugged by the realities of the era and caught by the romance of the sea.
This may just be a case of right time, right mood, right book, but I found myself swept up in this one, heartstrings tugged by the realities of the era and caught by the romance of the sea.
November 9, 2013
A nice historical forbidden love story written in alternating POVs. Nothing smutty, but they were castaways for a while, hence 'Blessed Isle'. Just like Hsin and Boyd, .
As best I can tell, this is the only m/m ebook available at my library which is how i came to read it.
As best I can tell, this is the only m/m ebook available at my library which is how i came to read it.
January 5, 2015
What a fantastically fun read. This author knows language, but more importantly, takes great joy in using it. It's one thing to possess a toy, it's another thing to know how to properly use it. ;)
The descriptions of actions and surroundings have just the right amount of detail. It's easy to see and feel where you are no matter what's happening, and sometimes the happenings are moving quickly.
I'm tempted to mention the writing style and structure of the story but they are essential parts of the experience that you should get to discover on your own. I felt like I was riding along the waves of emotion and action both.
The last update I posted just after finishing this read sums it up well: I felt like I was... dare I say... waltzing through this story? Such a clever, clever way to speak of love, freedom, change, things unchanged, wasted time, seizing life and galloping off with it... so well done.
This is a definite re-read for me. For those times when you may not have a lot of time but want to be completely sucked into another time (that's three, and I'm leaving them all in LOL) with two well crafted main characters, these naval men, this will fit the bill. The more I think about it, the more scenes keep popping back into my brain, the more I like it. I wasn't sure that was possible before I set out to write this review, but apparently that's the case.
Now go have some fun riding the high seas and hidden lagoons. ;)
The descriptions of actions and surroundings have just the right amount of detail. It's easy to see and feel where you are no matter what's happening, and sometimes the happenings are moving quickly.
I'm tempted to mention the writing style and structure of the story but they are essential parts of the experience that you should get to discover on your own. I felt like I was riding along the waves of emotion and action both.
The last update I posted just after finishing this read sums it up well: I felt like I was... dare I say... waltzing through this story? Such a clever, clever way to speak of love, freedom, change, things unchanged, wasted time, seizing life and galloping off with it... so well done.
This is a definite re-read for me. For those times when you may not have a lot of time but want to be completely sucked into another time (that's three, and I'm leaving them all in LOL) with two well crafted main characters, these naval men, this will fit the bill. The more I think about it, the more scenes keep popping back into my brain, the more I like it. I wasn't sure that was possible before I set out to write this review, but apparently that's the case.
Now go have some fun riding the high seas and hidden lagoons. ;)
February 3, 2014
I do like historical writing. I like it when there is an LGBT slant as well. I certainly got my fix with Blessed Isle. This is an absolutely glorious piece of writing, in so many ways. The writing has a mellifluous quality to it (look at some of my status updates). It transports you to another place in time, another era altogether. It also makes you feel like you are there, a part of these men's inner most thoughts, feelings and private moments. Set in the latter part of the seventeen hundreds it is fictional but beautifully crafted around an interesting period of history as far as I'm concerned, living here in the 'arse-end' of the world :) I thoroughly appreciated the historical, maritime and geographical references. Full review at http://ontopdownunderbookreviews.com/...
This book was originally supplied as an ARC in return for an honest review
This book was originally supplied as an ARC in return for an honest review
Want to read
January 6, 2016Price drop to $0.99 at Amazon US! 1/6/16!
Want to read
March 13, 20193/13/19 Currently FREE via Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07BN8WRZB
October 21, 2020
3.5 stars
January 8, 2013
One of my favorite types of historical fiction or historical romance is Age of Sail. Like Louisa Musgrove in Jane Austen's Persuasion, I am enamored with Navy men and the ships that are their home. I have read two other splendid Age of Sail stories by this author so when I saw this one I jumped on it.
Captain Harry Thompson has finally achieved his goal of becoming a captain and being thought a gentleman through hardwork and opportunity. His first command is to be his defining moment, but when he sees the old ship that he is given and the assignment to escort convict ships he knows he has his work cut out for him. His assignment gets complicated when he sets eyes on Lt. Garnet Littleton. He is struck by an instant attraction as is Garnet, but its too dangerous for his life and career to be caught. Garnet is disappointed, but then bigger issues arise that push the two men to the end of their limits. When all is said and done after hardship and survival style adventure, they come through side by side.
The story is told journal style where both men take turns writing down their thoughts. It is also told as a flashback so that there is a vague knowledge of the end before delving back into the past to lead the reader along to how they came to this point. As could be expected from this author, I enjoyed both the authentic feel of the backdrop and the characters she created. The sequence of events though muted in their impact because of the journalistic style nonetheless portray exciting goings on for this pair. This could fall into a sweet romance category because the passion between them is acknowledged as happening, but not described in graphic detail. This shadowing of their physical love fits the tone of the storyteller, Harry, and also draws more emphasis on the love they share rather than detract from it to me (if that makes sense).
To conclude, I found this a wonderful reading experience that would have only been improved for me by being able to spend more time in this story as a novel-length piece. I recommend it to those who enjoy historical romance with an authentic feel and a sweet side rather than spicy.
Thanks to net galley for providing my review copy.
Captain Harry Thompson has finally achieved his goal of becoming a captain and being thought a gentleman through hardwork and opportunity. His first command is to be his defining moment, but when he sees the old ship that he is given and the assignment to escort convict ships he knows he has his work cut out for him. His assignment gets complicated when he sets eyes on Lt. Garnet Littleton. He is struck by an instant attraction as is Garnet, but its too dangerous for his life and career to be caught. Garnet is disappointed, but then bigger issues arise that push the two men to the end of their limits. When all is said and done after hardship and survival style adventure, they come through side by side.
The story is told journal style where both men take turns writing down their thoughts. It is also told as a flashback so that there is a vague knowledge of the end before delving back into the past to lead the reader along to how they came to this point. As could be expected from this author, I enjoyed both the authentic feel of the backdrop and the characters she created. The sequence of events though muted in their impact because of the journalistic style nonetheless portray exciting goings on for this pair. This could fall into a sweet romance category because the passion between them is acknowledged as happening, but not described in graphic detail. This shadowing of their physical love fits the tone of the storyteller, Harry, and also draws more emphasis on the love they share rather than detract from it to me (if that makes sense).
To conclude, I found this a wonderful reading experience that would have only been improved for me by being able to spend more time in this story as a novel-length piece. I recommend it to those who enjoy historical romance with an authentic feel and a sweet side rather than spicy.
Thanks to net galley for providing my review copy.
January 28, 2013
I had high hopes for this novella. It's the story of sea captain who has to fight his growing feelings for his lieutenant, in a time where a relationship between them could end in hanging. But it didn't work for me, largely because of the way the story is told. It's set up as a journal, recounting the history between the men. As a result, it's all telling, with no showing. The narrative never allowed me to feel invested in the story. It was more of a detached recounting of events. And I never felt like I had more than a cursory idea of who these men were as people.
Basically, it plays out like this. Harry is named captain of the ship where Garnet serves. They are instantly attracted to one another, but Harry rejects the feelings... determined to hold onto his honor. He wants to be the best captain he can be, but during a transport of convicts, the crew contracts typhus. Add to that, killer storms and a prisoner revolt, and Harry & Garnet barely escape with their lives. They make it to a deserted island --and live Survivor-style, until they are rescued.
Most of the story, they are miserable. Most of the story, they aren't even together. And when they get to the island --and finally have a chance to be with one another-- I didn't even feel like I got to enjoy it. It was all glossed over. For instance, their first time together:
Um... I wanted to actually bear witness to the scene. Not just be told that they did it. And essentially, this was how the entire story was told. There was virtually no romance. It was just... not good for me.
Rating: C-
*ARC Provided by Riptide via NetGalley
Basically, it plays out like this. Harry is named captain of the ship where Garnet serves. They are instantly attracted to one another, but Harry rejects the feelings... determined to hold onto his honor. He wants to be the best captain he can be, but during a transport of convicts, the crew contracts typhus. Add to that, killer storms and a prisoner revolt, and Harry & Garnet barely escape with their lives. They make it to a deserted island --and live Survivor-style, until they are rescued.
Most of the story, they are miserable. Most of the story, they aren't even together. And when they get to the island --and finally have a chance to be with one another-- I didn't even feel like I got to enjoy it. It was all glossed over. For instance, their first time together:
When we woke that first morning, we made love. Nothing needed to be said; we both understood it would happen as soon as we had the physical resources to allow it. It was sweet and weary and gentle, just kisses and the stroke of callused palms.
Um... I wanted to actually bear witness to the scene. Not just be told that they did it. And essentially, this was how the entire story was told. There was virtually no romance. It was just... not good for me.
Rating: C-
*ARC Provided by Riptide via NetGalley
December 24, 2012
Blessed Isle is a powerful and soul-wrenching story by Alex Beecroft, a tale of love in a time when love is punishable by death. Captain Harry Thompson and First Lieutenant Garnet Littleton are posted on the HMS Banshee, a prison transport, when bad luck befalls the ship. Sickness overruns, leaving very few alive and as an atrocious storm sinks her, thus shipwrecking Harry and Garnet on a deserted island.
While aboard the HMS Banshee, the men fight their growing attraction towards each other, but when they find themselves stranded on an uninhabited island, they throw caution to the wind and begin their illicit affair. They embark on a love affair that left me filled with a storm of emotions, hopeful that their love be permitted to blossom.
Ms. Beecroft wove her magic as she told a story from both characters point of view, keeping true to form in the style of a ship’s log, with every account detailed in their narratives. Both Harry and Garnet spoke of their journey through troubled times and the hope of one day being true to themselves in the open, nil of repercussions. Ms. Beecroft commanded the book physically and emotionally. The chemistry between the two men was direct and forthright. The waves of turmoil were delivered throughout as Harry and Garnet struggled through physical ailments and emotional burdens radiated from the pages.
A novel set in a time when homosexuality had no name and sodomy was a death sentence. Ms. Beecroft took the delicate subject and delivered a true romance, a poetic story that is conveyed in the style of a timeless classic.
reviewed by Zafira
While aboard the HMS Banshee, the men fight their growing attraction towards each other, but when they find themselves stranded on an uninhabited island, they throw caution to the wind and begin their illicit affair. They embark on a love affair that left me filled with a storm of emotions, hopeful that their love be permitted to blossom.
Ms. Beecroft wove her magic as she told a story from both characters point of view, keeping true to form in the style of a ship’s log, with every account detailed in their narratives. Both Harry and Garnet spoke of their journey through troubled times and the hope of one day being true to themselves in the open, nil of repercussions. Ms. Beecroft commanded the book physically and emotionally. The chemistry between the two men was direct and forthright. The waves of turmoil were delivered throughout as Harry and Garnet struggled through physical ailments and emotional burdens radiated from the pages.
A novel set in a time when homosexuality had no name and sodomy was a death sentence. Ms. Beecroft took the delicate subject and delivered a true romance, a poetic story that is conveyed in the style of a timeless classic.
reviewed by Zafira
January 29, 2013
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Why I read it: I picked this one up from NetGalley - I enjoyed Shining in the Sun (my review is here but you'll have to scroll down a bit) and have False Colours on my TBR (... must get to it...).
What it's about: (from Goodreads) For Captain Harry Thompson, the command of the prison transport ship HMS Banshee is his opportunity to prove his worth, working-class origins be damned. But his criminal attraction to his upper-crust First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, threatens to overturn all he’s ever worked for.
Lust quickly proves to be the least of his problems, however. The deadly combination of typhus, rioting convicts, and a monstrous storm destroys his prospects . . . and shipwrecks him and Garnet on their own private island. After months of solitary paradise, the journey back to civilization—surviving mutineers, exposure, and desertion—is the ultimate test of their feelings for each other.
These two very different men each record their story for an unfathomable future in which the tale of their love—a love punishable by death in their own time—can finally be told. Today, dear reader, it is at last safe for you to hear it all.
What worked for me (and what didn't): I don't think I can adequately express how beautifully written this book is. So I shall give you some examples of what I mean:
The spray tangled like silver lace about the yellowhaired, screaming woman of Banshee’s figurehead.
...
Night fell with the lazy downward drift and sheen of a falling magpie feather.
...
The sky curved like hammered gold above, and across it flew, cawing like crows, a flight of birds so blue they looked like little machines of enamel and brass, too vivid for life.
...
My back and arms passed through cramping and into pain, and thence to a kind of thin, red, torn sensation, which distracted me splendidly from my riot of unproductive emotions.
The descriptions are so beautiful. In another kind of book, perhaps they could have been overwrought. But not in this one. Set in the late 1700's/early 1800's the language sets the time and place so well, and lets the reader know much about the characters. Just from the words they choose to write.
The book is unusual in that each chapter is from one of the men's POV but it is written in the form of a journal. I'm not entirely sure it qualifies as second person narrative because the "you" is the reader rather than the other character (I need my friend Liz to tell me whether it is or not). What makes it most unusual, in my opinion, is that each chapter is informed by the previous one - Harry starts, Garnet reads what he has written and continues, including little messages and teasing jibes in the text, Harry then continues, having read what Garnet has written and so on and so forth. The style is both conversational and intimate as well as being intended for an unknown audience at some point in a possible future.
Hearing from both characters, seeing each of them reflected in the writing of the other, the reader gets insight into how each man see himself and is seen by the other. Each man has a distinct character and voice, with Harry being more stoic and slightly stodgy and Garnet being on the flighty and fun side (though that description does him a disservice - he is much more than that). The love they share, the essential importance of that love to their happiness, shines through the pages.
I thought I saw a different me in them, a man I liked better than I had liked myself hitherto.
Their story is full of adventure on the high seas, personal sacrifice and joyful love, in a time when they could not be open about it, where, if caught, they would face death by hanging. It was bitter that they could not be free even in Rio about their relationship, but sweet that they found in each other, someone worth the risk.
“To me . . .” Harry turned his head to watch as salt in one of the branches burned up with a hissing, blue, ghostly light. His voice was very calm and sure. “To me, this is the reality. Out there they make us pretend. They force us into lies or hiding. Here I’ve been free to be myself for the first time in my life. You and I, it’s the first honest thing I’ve ever done. And that’s because this place has given me the freedom to do it.”
A little sigh of amusement mingled with melancholy. “Your prison is my refuge.”
I would have happily read more about this pair - they certainly had many years of adventure together that could have been documented. The book is romantic without being terribly explicit, with the sex mostly hinted at but it is written very intimately so I didn't feel the lack. I did think that the end of the book came abruptly; I noticed that things sped up toward the end. There was a lovely pace to the book, not lazy and not quite languorous but smooth and flowing without rushing and that was lost just a little right at the end I thought. There were plenty of trails down which this pair could have led me willingly.
Still, it was a beautiful book and it has made my saying that A grades are unicorns somewhat of a lie given that it is not even the end of January and I have now given out three of them (although you won't see one for some months yet).
What else? Thank you to Mean Fat Old Bat (whose is misnamed, I'm convinced) for reminding me that this was on my TBR and I really needed to read it immediately instead of in a few weeks from now.
Grade: A-
http://kaetrinsmusings.blogspot.com.a...
Why I read it: I picked this one up from NetGalley - I enjoyed Shining in the Sun (my review is here but you'll have to scroll down a bit) and have False Colours on my TBR (... must get to it...).
What it's about: (from Goodreads) For Captain Harry Thompson, the command of the prison transport ship HMS Banshee is his opportunity to prove his worth, working-class origins be damned. But his criminal attraction to his upper-crust First Lieutenant, Garnet Littleton, threatens to overturn all he’s ever worked for.
Lust quickly proves to be the least of his problems, however. The deadly combination of typhus, rioting convicts, and a monstrous storm destroys his prospects . . . and shipwrecks him and Garnet on their own private island. After months of solitary paradise, the journey back to civilization—surviving mutineers, exposure, and desertion—is the ultimate test of their feelings for each other.
These two very different men each record their story for an unfathomable future in which the tale of their love—a love punishable by death in their own time—can finally be told. Today, dear reader, it is at last safe for you to hear it all.
What worked for me (and what didn't): I don't think I can adequately express how beautifully written this book is. So I shall give you some examples of what I mean:
The spray tangled like silver lace about the yellowhaired, screaming woman of Banshee’s figurehead.
...
Night fell with the lazy downward drift and sheen of a falling magpie feather.
...
The sky curved like hammered gold above, and across it flew, cawing like crows, a flight of birds so blue they looked like little machines of enamel and brass, too vivid for life.
...
My back and arms passed through cramping and into pain, and thence to a kind of thin, red, torn sensation, which distracted me splendidly from my riot of unproductive emotions.
The descriptions are so beautiful. In another kind of book, perhaps they could have been overwrought. But not in this one. Set in the late 1700's/early 1800's the language sets the time and place so well, and lets the reader know much about the characters. Just from the words they choose to write.
The book is unusual in that each chapter is from one of the men's POV but it is written in the form of a journal. I'm not entirely sure it qualifies as second person narrative because the "you" is the reader rather than the other character (I need my friend Liz to tell me whether it is or not). What makes it most unusual, in my opinion, is that each chapter is informed by the previous one - Harry starts, Garnet reads what he has written and continues, including little messages and teasing jibes in the text, Harry then continues, having read what Garnet has written and so on and so forth. The style is both conversational and intimate as well as being intended for an unknown audience at some point in a possible future.
Hearing from both characters, seeing each of them reflected in the writing of the other, the reader gets insight into how each man see himself and is seen by the other. Each man has a distinct character and voice, with Harry being more stoic and slightly stodgy and Garnet being on the flighty and fun side (though that description does him a disservice - he is much more than that). The love they share, the essential importance of that love to their happiness, shines through the pages.
I thought I saw a different me in them, a man I liked better than I had liked myself hitherto.
Their story is full of adventure on the high seas, personal sacrifice and joyful love, in a time when they could not be open about it, where, if caught, they would face death by hanging. It was bitter that they could not be free even in Rio about their relationship, but sweet that they found in each other, someone worth the risk.
“To me . . .” Harry turned his head to watch as salt in one of the branches burned up with a hissing, blue, ghostly light. His voice was very calm and sure. “To me, this is the reality. Out there they make us pretend. They force us into lies or hiding. Here I’ve been free to be myself for the first time in my life. You and I, it’s the first honest thing I’ve ever done. And that’s because this place has given me the freedom to do it.”
A little sigh of amusement mingled with melancholy. “Your prison is my refuge.”
I would have happily read more about this pair - they certainly had many years of adventure together that could have been documented. The book is romantic without being terribly explicit, with the sex mostly hinted at but it is written very intimately so I didn't feel the lack. I did think that the end of the book came abruptly; I noticed that things sped up toward the end. There was a lovely pace to the book, not lazy and not quite languorous but smooth and flowing without rushing and that was lost just a little right at the end I thought. There were plenty of trails down which this pair could have led me willingly.
Still, it was a beautiful book and it has made my saying that A grades are unicorns somewhat of a lie given that it is not even the end of January and I have now given out three of them (although you won't see one for some months yet).
What else? Thank you to Mean Fat Old Bat (whose is misnamed, I'm convinced) for reminding me that this was on my TBR and I really needed to read it immediately instead of in a few weeks from now.
Grade: A-
http://kaetrinsmusings.blogspot.com.a...
February 21, 2024
Castaway story, but far more time spent on the parts at sea. Lots of lovely language, but it didn’t quite paint the picture I feel it meant to.
December 2, 2014
4.5 stars
Blessed Isle is written as journal entries that chronicle the adventures of two British navy men at the turn of the nineteenth century. Captain Harry Thompson and Lieutenant Garnet Littleton are in charge of transporting convicts to Australia. The two take turns telling their story: their backgrounds and how they met and fell in love…
“Such a physical thing. I could have fallen on my arse from the recoil, and bawled for fright…”
The recounting gives a bittersweet view of the impossibility of their relationship in a time when, if discovered, they would be hung for their ‘perversion’. But they aim to leave a record of their love for future, more sympathetic readers…
“To them I will be able to say there was fidelity here, and love, and long suffering sacrifice, and joy…I will be able to speak the truth.”
The author gives each man a different voice and their mutual affection and frustrations come through clearly. Harry is a self-made man from rough beginnings. Through hard work, guile, and tenacity he’s risen to Captain of a small fleet of ships. His voice is plainer and riddled with metaphor and simile. Garnet comes from a more refined background and we hear this in his more lyrical voice. In fact, Garnet adopts some of Harry’s expressions as they become closer.
Through a series of unfortunate events on the high seas -- perilous ocean storms, a typhoid breakout, and mutiny -- Harry and Garnet are shipwrecked, alone, on a tropic isle. Their finally finding a measure of freedom, away from censure, on that blessed isle is a relief…
“… this is the reality. Out there they make us pretend… force us into lies or hiding. Here I’ve been free to be myself for the first time in my life. You and I, it’s the first honest thing I’ve ever done… this place has given me the freedom to do it.”
… and yet, it’s wrenching. The refuge becomes a prison. Should they have to give up everything for their love? Shouldn’t they have the right to live a truthful, honest life out in the world?
The writing is wonderful. The action sequences and depiction of sea storms are thrilling. Harry’s stoicism and despair over this perilous love and Garnet’s charming joie de vivre are also well done. All delivered with economy and without melodrama.
This is another one for the literature shelf; a very fine love story.
For this and other great reviews, author interviews, and general fabulousness, visit Love Bytes:
January 3, 2013
You know what you're in for when you pick up an Alex Beecroft book. Visually stimulating depictions of scenery, a strong sense of the time period that sucks readers in, and a beautiful writing style that feels almost lyrical. You almost don't care what's going on as her poetic dialogue fully immerses you in the events of the time and her characters.
Blessed Isle is a dangerous journey on the seas as well as one man's journey into self-acceptance after meeting a man who completely changes his life and future. Captain Harry is a very staid, quiet man, yet honorable and desperately wanting to prove his place in the Navy. He's a fair captain trying to do what's right in his professional as well as his personal life. This has led him to keep his sexual orientation hidden for fear of not only being drummed out of the Navy but fear for his very life. Meeting the flamboyant and outgoing Lieutenant Garnet changes his life forever as he constantly fights his attraction to him. Garnet is pretty open about his sexuality and keeps encouraging Harry to live life on his terms and not others. Their relationship progresses very slowly with furtive longing glances and fleeting touches on the hand. It's not until close to the conclusion that they connect further in a scene not at all graphic, but rather romantic and sweet.
Most of the story revolves around life on a ship. History buffs will applaud the depictions of the ship's inner-workings and the events of the time that impact the character's lives. These scenes are done in graphic detail and show Ms. Beecroft's vast research into Naval ships. Disease, mutiny, and deadly storms have your heart pounding as men start dying in bloody detail. I was on the edge of my seat praying for Harry and Garnet's safety. Time and again fate was kind and a true HEA is their reward.
Alex Beecroft has rewarded us with a richly beautiful story written in lovely and lyrical prose. Written mostly from Harry's perspective with journal-like entries we get a strong sense of these men's lives. We get to see back and forth banter, with Garnet's journal entry intrusions, that shows off their playful sides and gives us a deeper understanding of Harry, whereas Garnet's still a bit of a mystery. Those who like their sexual encounters hot will be a bit disappointed as the action here is more lukewarm. That's doesn't diminish the love between these two men or our desire to see their satisfying HEA. Ms. Beecroft has once again given us a memorable story written in an unforgettable way.
Blessed Isle is a dangerous journey on the seas as well as one man's journey into self-acceptance after meeting a man who completely changes his life and future. Captain Harry is a very staid, quiet man, yet honorable and desperately wanting to prove his place in the Navy. He's a fair captain trying to do what's right in his professional as well as his personal life. This has led him to keep his sexual orientation hidden for fear of not only being drummed out of the Navy but fear for his very life. Meeting the flamboyant and outgoing Lieutenant Garnet changes his life forever as he constantly fights his attraction to him. Garnet is pretty open about his sexuality and keeps encouraging Harry to live life on his terms and not others. Their relationship progresses very slowly with furtive longing glances and fleeting touches on the hand. It's not until close to the conclusion that they connect further in a scene not at all graphic, but rather romantic and sweet.
Most of the story revolves around life on a ship. History buffs will applaud the depictions of the ship's inner-workings and the events of the time that impact the character's lives. These scenes are done in graphic detail and show Ms. Beecroft's vast research into Naval ships. Disease, mutiny, and deadly storms have your heart pounding as men start dying in bloody detail. I was on the edge of my seat praying for Harry and Garnet's safety. Time and again fate was kind and a true HEA is their reward.
Alex Beecroft has rewarded us with a richly beautiful story written in lovely and lyrical prose. Written mostly from Harry's perspective with journal-like entries we get a strong sense of these men's lives. We get to see back and forth banter, with Garnet's journal entry intrusions, that shows off their playful sides and gives us a deeper understanding of Harry, whereas Garnet's still a bit of a mystery. Those who like their sexual encounters hot will be a bit disappointed as the action here is more lukewarm. That's doesn't diminish the love between these two men or our desire to see their satisfying HEA. Ms. Beecroft has once again given us a memorable story written in an unforgettable way.
January 12, 2013
Originally reviewed for The Book Vixen
In a Nutshell: Great concept of a couple sharing their story through a joint journal but the ending was too abrupt and the sexual intimacy non-existent.
Why I Read this Book: I’ve enjoyed books by this author before and was excited to read the new one about sailors in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy.
What I Liked: I was immediately captivated by the storytelling here. Harry starts a journal chronicling how he and Garnet became a couple and then Garnet finds the journal and adds his viewpoint. The two men share gentle quips in the journal as well as telling their history. This unique storytelling captured my attention and kept it the entire novella. The plot of this novella isn’t easy with sickness, riots, bloodshed and near death often but it read quickly because of all this happening.
What I Also Liked: Since the shipwreck is in the book’s synopsis, I’m not spoiling anything by saying I loved this part of the novella. This allows Harry to be away from prying eyes and love Garnet as he’s long desired. Garnet and Harry both see this time a bit differently so this is where the unique joint journal really showcases its stellar storytelling. I loved how both men share their fears about this time but also their joy and love of becoming a couple.
What I Didn’t Like: I wanted to love this novella but ended up thinking, what-the-what?! The ending was rushed and I actually thought my e-book may be missing some pages. The novella paces so well until the final ten pages and then to have the resolution it did was maddening as it rushed the commitment of the relationship and the men’s lives.
I also have to mention that this is the most PG MM romance I’ve ever read. I read romance for the emotional and sexual intimacy and when one is missing, as is the sex here, I’m always a bit disappointed no matter how good the rest of the book is. I understand Harry’s reluctance at novella’s beginning and middle but their island exile would have been the ideal location for this intimacy.
IMO: Loved the concept of this novella, which worked well, but the abrupt ending and lack of sexual intimacy ruined it for me.
In a Nutshell: Great concept of a couple sharing their story through a joint journal but the ending was too abrupt and the sexual intimacy non-existent.
Why I Read this Book: I’ve enjoyed books by this author before and was excited to read the new one about sailors in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy.
What I Liked: I was immediately captivated by the storytelling here. Harry starts a journal chronicling how he and Garnet became a couple and then Garnet finds the journal and adds his viewpoint. The two men share gentle quips in the journal as well as telling their history. This unique storytelling captured my attention and kept it the entire novella. The plot of this novella isn’t easy with sickness, riots, bloodshed and near death often but it read quickly because of all this happening.
What I Also Liked: Since the shipwreck is in the book’s synopsis, I’m not spoiling anything by saying I loved this part of the novella. This allows Harry to be away from prying eyes and love Garnet as he’s long desired. Garnet and Harry both see this time a bit differently so this is where the unique joint journal really showcases its stellar storytelling. I loved how both men share their fears about this time but also their joy and love of becoming a couple.
What I Didn’t Like: I wanted to love this novella but ended up thinking, what-the-what?! The ending was rushed and I actually thought my e-book may be missing some pages. The novella paces so well until the final ten pages and then to have the resolution it did was maddening as it rushed the commitment of the relationship and the men’s lives.
I also have to mention that this is the most PG MM romance I’ve ever read. I read romance for the emotional and sexual intimacy and when one is missing, as is the sex here, I’m always a bit disappointed no matter how good the rest of the book is. I understand Harry’s reluctance at novella’s beginning and middle but their island exile would have been the ideal location for this intimacy.
IMO: Loved the concept of this novella, which worked well, but the abrupt ending and lack of sexual intimacy ruined it for me.
June 18, 2016
I've got one major complaint - this book is too short. Not in the sense that I thought there was something truly important missing but I just wanted more *pout*.
I usually don't pout (a lot), so that there is a compliment in itself ;-).
Otherwise I loved it. I find that I like me some swashbuckling naval stories (I really have no idea whether I used the word "swashbuckling" in the right way now but I always wanted to use it, so there. Me, not native speaker. Deal with it.)
At first I was a bit turned off by the narrational voice because quite frankly - Harry does sound a bit pompous at times but then the author switched to Garnet's voice who chastised his lover for exactly that - and what can I say - I was charmed. I've read so many books with alternating POVs and really, most of the time I hate them - especially if I'm constantly confused about who is talking right now because they sound exactly alike. There is no danger of that here. The author managed very nicely to imbue their respective voices with a lot of character and that really is quite an accomplishment - in other words it made me really freaking happy.
Then there is some nice action going on - storms, fights and whatnot and though I don't have a very visual imagination I managed to envision it all just fine.
Getting tired here, sorry. So, most importantly, the story left me with a smile on my face. Yes, it is a historical. Yes, there is the very real threat of death just because people are gay but I think that the author managed to walk a very fine line here between a historically inconsistent magically-gay-okay and depressing reality. As I said - a smile on my face. Recommended.
I usually don't pout (a lot), so that there is a compliment in itself ;-).
Otherwise I loved it. I find that I like me some swashbuckling naval stories (I really have no idea whether I used the word "swashbuckling" in the right way now but I always wanted to use it, so there. Me, not native speaker. Deal with it.)
At first I was a bit turned off by the narrational voice because quite frankly - Harry does sound a bit pompous at times but then the author switched to Garnet's voice who chastised his lover for exactly that - and what can I say - I was charmed. I've read so many books with alternating POVs and really, most of the time I hate them - especially if I'm constantly confused about who is talking right now because they sound exactly alike. There is no danger of that here. The author managed very nicely to imbue their respective voices with a lot of character and that really is quite an accomplishment - in other words it made me really freaking happy.
Then there is some nice action going on - storms, fights and whatnot and though I don't have a very visual imagination I managed to envision it all just fine.
Getting tired here, sorry. So, most importantly, the story left me with a smile on my face. Yes, it is a historical. Yes, there is the very real threat of death just because people are gay but I think that the author managed to walk a very fine line here between a historically inconsistent magically-gay-okay and depressing reality. As I said - a smile on my face. Recommended.
June 12, 2016
May the future reader know what we have not even permitted to say in the present: that we were happy. And that we were true to one another through the loss of all things. It is important to me that someone should bear witness of our love.
I bear witness. I bear witness to Harry's and Garnet's story of love, of change, despair, and loss.
They took me with them in their journal, into the past, into a lost and strange world.
Into a world where sodomy was punishable by hanging, where it was the definition of disgrace.
Into a world out on the open sea, where there are powers of nature and gods, of mutiny and disease.
Into a world of refuge, where you can find yourself and be free, where you can love.
It is surprising what a man can give away and still remain himself. With that decision, we lost our family, our friends, and our country, but as I rolled onto my back and looked up at the stars, I felt as though I had in some small way received my island back. "No man is an island, entire of himself," says John Donne, but two may be, together, needing nothing else.
I bear witness. I bear witness to Harry's and Garnet's story of love, of change, despair, and loss.
They took me with them in their journal, into the past, into a lost and strange world.
Into a world where sodomy was punishable by hanging, where it was the definition of disgrace.
Into a world out on the open sea, where there are powers of nature and gods, of mutiny and disease.
Into a world of refuge, where you can find yourself and be free, where you can love.
It is surprising what a man can give away and still remain himself. With that decision, we lost our family, our friends, and our country, but as I rolled onto my back and looked up at the stars, I felt as though I had in some small way received my island back. "No man is an island, entire of himself," says John Donne, but two may be, together, needing nothing else.
March 29, 2016
I really enjoy Alex Beecroft's historicals and Blessed Isle is no exception. The naval setting is very unique and described so well that I can easily imagine standing on the HMS Banshee during a terrible storm. I also love how Ms. Beecroft depicts the forbidden relationships between men during this time. Both heroes have different approaches to their sexuality with Harry being overly cautious and Garnet being more reckless. The way that Ms. Beecroft used the dual point of view technique helped me understand and learn to care about each man. While this story was shorter than most books, I thought it was a very appropriate page count. The story never seemed rushed and the romance was able to develop naturally which I appreciated. I continue to be impressed with Beecroft's naval-set historicals and I hope she keeps writing them!
November 18, 2021
Rich historical.
Shipwrecked sailors grapple with
Fear, pride, lust, and love.
Shipwrecked sailors grapple with
Fear, pride, lust, and love.
January 17, 2013
(This review was originally published on Book Lovers Inc )
It’s a rare occurrence when I decide to read a book without reading the synopsis first* (Well unless it’s an already settled series I’m reading). In this case, I’d never read a book by this author, so I blindly trusted Riptide Publishing’s decision to publish Blessed Isle. So far I’ve never been disappointed. I am really glad I didn’t read the synopsis because I think it reveals too much about the story. It’s not a capital offense but it’s even better when you can still be surprised by the story.
Are you ready to embark in an adventure around the globe? Blessed Isle is the story of Captain Harry Thompson and his First Lieutenant Garnet Littleton . We’re actually reading Harry’s journal where he tells us how he came to fall in love with Garnet and what happened to them since that first meeting. This is a forbidden love and writing down this journal could have them both killed but he’s hoping that when they’ll both be long dead someone will read their story and know they loved each other. Awwww!
Harry’s voice is very lyrical. It’s really beautiful to read, very poetic. It feels like reading an epic story. But then from out of nowhere Garnet decides to write his version of the story, or comment on what Harry had written in the previous entry. I did not expect that and I loved it. Garnet’s voice is so different from Harry’s, he jokes and makes light of everything. I loved how the two different styles completed each other. I couldn’t help but laugh at Garnet’s comments.
The story is riveting, I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to know what happened to them. Would they be alright? Harry is trying to overcome his working class background, he wants to prove to everyone that he can be as good as any other man. But as a captain he can’t be seen with another man, so when he first meets Garnet he tries his best to ignore his attraction to the young man.
Garnet on the other hand is a flamboyant man from the upper class. He is a very social man, he loves life and all its pleasures. He often seemed borderline reckless, singing songs about finding a man to love where he could be overheard etc. I loved that he was the one pulling us back down to earth when Harry’s tale started to become too dramatic.
I just wished this book had more sexy time. I know it wouldn’t be consistent with the ‘journal’ format, since they want to tell their story so it would be read by other people. I can’t really expect them to tell all the details about their love life but oh well, I still hoped. Their unexpected journey freed them from the constraints of society and allowed them to explore their mutual attraction. I’m very happy with how the story ended, it left me smiling and full of hope.
Blessed Isle embarks you on a grand adventure around the world. The delivery is inventive and full of humor. You will fall under the spell of this poetic forbidden love story. I will definitely read more books by this author.
I give Blessed Isle 4 Stars
It’s a rare occurrence when I decide to read a book without reading the synopsis first* (Well unless it’s an already settled series I’m reading). In this case, I’d never read a book by this author, so I blindly trusted Riptide Publishing’s decision to publish Blessed Isle. So far I’ve never been disappointed. I am really glad I didn’t read the synopsis because I think it reveals too much about the story. It’s not a capital offense but it’s even better when you can still be surprised by the story.
Are you ready to embark in an adventure around the globe? Blessed Isle is the story of Captain Harry Thompson and his First Lieutenant Garnet Littleton . We’re actually reading Harry’s journal where he tells us how he came to fall in love with Garnet and what happened to them since that first meeting. This is a forbidden love and writing down this journal could have them both killed but he’s hoping that when they’ll both be long dead someone will read their story and know they loved each other. Awwww!
Harry’s voice is very lyrical. It’s really beautiful to read, very poetic. It feels like reading an epic story. But then from out of nowhere Garnet decides to write his version of the story, or comment on what Harry had written in the previous entry. I did not expect that and I loved it. Garnet’s voice is so different from Harry’s, he jokes and makes light of everything. I loved how the two different styles completed each other. I couldn’t help but laugh at Garnet’s comments.
The story is riveting, I couldn’t stop reading. I wanted to know what happened to them. Would they be alright? Harry is trying to overcome his working class background, he wants to prove to everyone that he can be as good as any other man. But as a captain he can’t be seen with another man, so when he first meets Garnet he tries his best to ignore his attraction to the young man.
Garnet on the other hand is a flamboyant man from the upper class. He is a very social man, he loves life and all its pleasures. He often seemed borderline reckless, singing songs about finding a man to love where he could be overheard etc. I loved that he was the one pulling us back down to earth when Harry’s tale started to become too dramatic.
I just wished this book had more sexy time. I know it wouldn’t be consistent with the ‘journal’ format, since they want to tell their story so it would be read by other people. I can’t really expect them to tell all the details about their love life but oh well, I still hoped. Their unexpected journey freed them from the constraints of society and allowed them to explore their mutual attraction. I’m very happy with how the story ended, it left me smiling and full of hope.
Blessed Isle embarks you on a grand adventure around the world. The delivery is inventive and full of humor. You will fall under the spell of this poetic forbidden love story. I will definitely read more books by this author.
I give Blessed Isle 4 Stars
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