Hawk's Ascension

Hawk's Legacy #2

by S.J. Garland

Nathaniel Hawk keeps his promise to Cornelius Thistlewaite after the events of the recent Singapore trading season. Nathaniel reluctantly gives up his life of vice for a position at Thistlewaite's trading house. He soon finds the business of trade in the British Empire is every bit as cut throat as fighting pirates on the high seas. As he starts his new life, a terrible secret from his past threatens to destroy everything he has built and will force him to choose between old allies' and new. Charlotte Carstairs tries desperately to settle into her new life as Nathaniel Hawk's fiance. She is not proud of the decisions she made in order to save her family from penury and must deal with their repercussions for her future. Every bit as determined as her formidable future husband to make her own place in the world, she must navigate the space between ruthless trader and traitor as the payment for past debts threaten her future. Together Nathaniel Hawk and Charlotte Carstairs will navigate the dark underworld of black market traders in colonial Britain. They will challenge the East India Company's monopoly on trade with China and lead the drive for individual enterprise. With enemies on all sides, Nathaniel and Charlotte's immense ambitions will either drive them apart or bind them together."

380 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2016

About the author

SJ Garland is a Canadian author residing in Singapore. She has published close to twenty books in several different genres, including Contemporary Romance under pen name P Nelson, Historical Romance and Historical Adventure.

Garland has spent over a decade living all over the world and is interested in learning people’s stories, sharing their history, and understanding their lives. Her historical adventure books are packed full of action and adventure, while her contemporary romance series is sultry and full of heart-warming happily ever after.

The Rebirth of Bao is her first foray into Magic Realism, incorporating her love of the mystical with a splash of Singapore.

Instagram: sjgarlandauthor

Facebook: @SJGarlandAuthor

Twitter: @SJGarland1

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars: Overall, I enjoyed this story. It displayed well how a relationship can unravel because of secrets and deceptions. The characters are interesting and well developed. I genuinely felt for them as they struggled through all the trials. I like that Charlotte tried her best to remain strong and independent. Nothing I hate more than an empty, waify woman waiting for a man to tell her how to be a human. I also like that the book made it easy to jump in mid-series. I'm considering reading book 1, but there was just the right amount of interspersed backstory for my liking.

I think the ebook needed another editing pass. There were so many typing mistakes (wrong words, missing words, etc) throughout. This is a personal peeve, which always jostles me out of a story. A few mistakes I may have been willing to ignore, but there seemed to be an error on every 3rd page. For me, that's what bumped Hawk's Ascension off a solid 4 stars (but I round up).

[Taleisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 years after reading Captain Hawk, I have finally gotten to reading the 2nd book.
There was a lot less sea faring in this one and was surprised that the ghost ship made no appearances.
I enjoyed reading it but was annoyed by Nathaniel's actions for most of the book. He finally came good in the end but too little, too late.
I didn't think that ending would affect me the way it has. Those last 30 or so pages alluded to a fantasy that I had just enough time to get on board with, then it got swiftly crushed.
There were a few grammatical errors here and there but it didn't affect my reading.
I rate it 4 stars.

[GrnEyed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into Hawk’s Ascension not realizing it was part of a series, with that being said, I did not need to read the first book to appreciate this book. SJ Garland spun a rather remarkable tale with this book. There is so much going on that you realize anything can happen, and frankly, it does.

The book starts with the wedding of Nathaniel Hawk and Charlotte Carstairs. One would think that a wedding would be a happy event. In some respects it was, that is until both Nathaniel and Charlotte received troubling news. Nathaniel’s news revolves around the East India Company, his deceased father’s memory and suspected treason. Charlotte’s news relates to her brother and the family business.

With Nathaniel gone to tend to his father’s business and his own, Charlotte is left to deal with her family’s business. Both Nathaniel and Charlotte are forced to make decisions and keep secrets that could be their undoing. As a couple, their secrets and business choices they make lead to a tremendous rift in their marriage.

Hawk’s Ascension kept me interested in finding out what was going to happen next. I was curious if Nathaniel and Charlotte could repair the problems that had arisen in both their business as well as their personal lives. There were twists that I found to be good and others that proved rather frustrating. Overall this is a good read. I might have to pick up the next in the series to find out what happens further. If not, this book by itself stands on its own merits.

[Jim Irons · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing and poorly edited

I gather this was a sequel but there was no background, making it very confusing. Very poor editing with misspellings, missing words, etc. I'll remember the author's name but only so I don't order another.