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St. Brendan #1
The Unlikely Master Genius
Sailing Master Able Six, Royal Navy, is a man like no other. To call him a mere polymath is to sell him short. Someone with his extraordinary gifts should rise to the top, unless it is the 1800s, where pedigree and money govern Regency society, as sure as Napoleon seeks world domination. A bastard raised in a Scottish workhouse with nothing in his favor except his amazing mind, Able must navigate life ashore on half-pay during the uneasy Truce of Amiens, and find a way to provide for his charming bride Meridee Bonfort, a gentlewoman to be sure, but lacking a dowry.
Assisted by two sea captains acquainted with his startling abilities, Able finds himself teaching mathematics and seamanship at St. Brendan the Navigator School, which is itself an experiment, taking boys like Able from workhouses and training them to serve the fleet in wartime. Meridee has agreed to invite four lads who need extra attention into their home in raffish, unsavory Portsmouth. Calling themselves the Gunwharf Rats, these St. Brendan lads show promise in an unpromising world. Can a sailing master-turned-teacher uncover their potential? Can Meridee find a way to nurture young hearts bruised too soon by life? What will happen when war breaks out again? And what is it about Able Six, the unlikely master genius?
Assisted by two sea captains acquainted with his startling abilities, Able finds himself teaching mathematics and seamanship at St. Brendan the Navigator School, which is itself an experiment, taking boys like Able from workhouses and training them to serve the fleet in wartime. Meridee has agreed to invite four lads who need extra attention into their home in raffish, unsavory Portsmouth. Calling themselves the Gunwharf Rats, these St. Brendan lads show promise in an unpromising world. Can a sailing master-turned-teacher uncover their potential? Can Meridee find a way to nurture young hearts bruised too soon by life? What will happen when war breaks out again? And what is it about Able Six, the unlikely master genius?
256 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2018
74 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Carla Kelly
138 books804 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
March 28, 2018
It’s always time to rejoice when a new Regency-set series debuts from the imagination of Carla Kelly. This time it’s Mr. Chips in the form of the polymath genius with the strangely apt name of Durable Six, who can’t remember to keep his hair combed. Never fear, he has a keeper in the form of his new bride Meridee, an on-the-shelf spinster with no dowery but endless game and love for her troubled, baffling new husband. Add a school full of the boys of St. Brendan’s, who, like their new math and seamanship master, are ill-used workhouse foundlings. Place them all in a fragile peaceful respite (during the 1803 Truce of Amiens) in the Napoleonic wars, and a compelling story ensues. Love scenes are beautifully rendered and bound to keep romance readers enchanted. Carla Kelly is a treasure for all who enjoy great storytelling. Enough mystery and forward motion remains to anticipate the next book with delight. Highly recommended.
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February 10, 2019
My reviews are honest & they contain spoilers. For more, follow me:
After reading and loving a short story ‘The Christmas Angle’ by Carla Kelly in an anthology, I was anticipating The Unlikely Master Genius, book 1 in the St. Brendan series. The above mentioned short story is kind of a prequel to this one and I enjoyed it so much, I was totally invested in the series already. I mean, who doesn’t like a hero who is a nerd and a genius with a heart of gold? Who is also a gentleman that loves his wife to distraction? However, after reading it can’t say I loved it as much as I thought I would. I’ll try to elaborate as best as I can.
Born in a street behind a church in Scotland, where his supposed mother died right after his birth without even giving him a name, Durable or ‘Able’ Six has come a long way. The name he’s got is the aftermath of becoming a nameless orphan left unclaimed in a workhouse of Dumfries, where his life was everything that was never nice, loving or pleasant. He’d shortened the silly name to Able later in life to give it some semblance of normalcy. After his initial resistance to death–hence he surpassed the first 5 ‘Durables’ and became number Six that lived—Able fought to survive. He fought hunger, abuse at the hand of his so-called teachers but most of all, he fought death to stay alive.
Able joined Navy to escape the workhouse so I doubt he had any big ambition but as Sailing Master Able Six at 26 he’d already climbed the ladder of success when it comes to HRM Navy. At least as far as success is concerned for a total nobody like him. No one ever heard a person becoming a sailing master at the age of 22 but Able had become what no one has been before. Hell, he’s someone so unique that no one probably had seen anyone like him in the past decades, maybe more, and likely won’t see another for a long time to come. Able Six, what you can describe in the simplest terms possible, is a genius. A prodigy if you’d like that word too. Someone with photographic memory. He’d read/see/hear, basically experience anything, and he’d remember every single crisp detail.
Able had known he’s a bit of a genius from a very young age. But he didn’t know that he was exceptional cause there was no one to guide him until he joined the Navy. From there though, his odd talent (if you can say so) had been quickly found out by not only his mates but also the captains of the ships he’d worked on. And the rest, they say, is history. He’d climbed the rank where he never thought he’d ever be—that too at such a young age—had it not been for his brilliant memory and the help from a few good captains who’d taken him under their wings.
We get all that and more in ‘The Christmas Angle’, where we also learned that Able was on half pay from the Navy as a result of the Treaty of Amiens. He has basically been living day to day on whatever meager amount he had in his sad purse until the day a mate of his offered him a job. Of sort. He knew about Able’s brilliance and thought he’d be the perfect man for this particular job. The offer was to teach a few of many children of the Vicar of his parish during the celebratory month of Christmas. It’s also a month when the Vicar was extremely busy so he was unable to do this part of his numerous fatherly responsibilities. The pay was good and he’d also have a place to stay, so Able agrees to this crazy scheme not knowing if he’d even get the job. Unbeknownst to him, fate was planning something for him that’d totally catch Able by surprise; namely meeting the beautiful young woman with whom he’d spend the rest of his life.
Meridee, a self-proclaimed spinster at 24, had given up on marriage a long time ago. Not because she had no interest to but because she had no other options. She’d planned to live out as the ‘fun aunt’ to her rapidly growing line of nieces and nephews. Having so many older sisters robbed Meridee out of the dowry she deserved; hence she knew there won’t a marriage for her. She’s beautiful in her own way and Able was duly smitten because of that. But she was also smart and kind, someone who showed so much genuine interest in him that Able was simply awestruck by it. No decent woman had ever given him that much attention (except if you think of the superficial since he was quite handsome himself). But whatever it was it always ended when they knew of his background.
Meridee and Able’s attraction was instant, their courtship rushed but it ended in marriage despite both never imagining marriage to be a future prospect. Able, because of his background. Also because he thought marriage will only lead to heartbreak, such was his job in the Navy. He knew there’d be war as soon the treaty was over and he’d be on a ship once again fighting for his country. And I already mentioned why Meridee didn’t think she’d ever marry. But they fell for one another and there was no going back.
As we observed Able and Meridee’s adorable courtship, we were also awarded glimpses of Able’s unique way of teaching children. The way he could gain the attention of the most mischievous or the shiest of children and veer them to the right path, teaching them through fun and games. It was a sight of delight. Meridee was already quite taken with Able’s genius mind (among other things ;) ), she also knew instinctively that he’d be a good teacher. A plan hatched to keep him land-bound as long as possible. With the help of two of his staunch champions, Captain Hallowell and Capt. Belvedere St. Anthony, Meridee lands a job for Able at a little known school for the street-rats called St. Brendan. A school the Navy peeps don’t really talk about cause it’s all about training the street rats AKA workhouse boys into able seamen. You know, they needed more and more people as the war raged on and what best way to utilize the ‘free resources’? There were rumors surrounding as to who funded the school—unknown men of upper echelon of the Navy, maybe even the Crown itself—yet no one acknowledged it.
It was the perfect opportunity for Able to stay on land. After marrying Meridee, the sea has ceased to appeal to him. He wanted to live with her, by her side and not die at sea so far away from her and their home. So Able was all game to try this new venture if it meant he could keep Meridee, his love hale and hearty. If it meant they’d have a home of their own and money for future. That’s all Able cared about. Though Meridee also, let’s just say, ‘coaxed’ out a promise from Able’s captains that he won’t be called away if it’s not dire necessity, there was still a chance he must go if the summons arrive. Neither of them was looking forward to it but they won’t let this tarnish their current marital bliss and Able’s own enthusiasm about teaching in a school for the very first time. Who was better than he to teach these children? He, Able, who knew exactly what these so-called ‘street rats’ have been through and had an idea about how to help them. Meridee saw how resourceful her darling was and took pride in everything he did. She was his keeper and his true champion.
If you read the story, you’ll know why Able’s Captains always poked fun at him about gaining a ‘keeper’ as soon as possible. Since his brain didn’t function the way a normal individual’s would, Able’s needed special care. It was always crammed with too many things; thoughts, pictures, books and other experiences, good or bad, he’d had since he never forgot a thing. To say he was always under stress would be an understatement. In the past, there were incidents that had proven to be too much where he’d been knocked senseless for days because of it. There was always a chance he may not wake up from that and it worried everyone who cared for him. Able had several ways of alleviating the stress, the pressure of it by reciting his favorite books with eyes close and trying best to relax; sometimes even chatting with his favorite authors as if they were real. Another way for him was to have sex. We don’t really get a lot of details or mentions of how he handled that side of his life prior to Meridee since it’s a clean romance and he was more often than not on board a ship (I can assure you he had no interest in men). I have a few ideas of my own but.... let’s just say it didn’t really come up until... it did. Over and over again in the story. How so? On that in a bit...
The Unlikely Master Genius pretty much takes off right after ‘The Christmas Angel’. Able and Meridee marry and promptly move to Portsmouth where St. Brendan is situated close to the sea but hidden away through a walkway long forgotten by the people. Well nothing that dramatic but the peeps behind this school didn’t want too much attention coming its way, so they found a place where not many would go to pester the children or the teachers. Thankfully, as Able would find out soon, that despite all the hush-hush the school functioned properly with all the necessary amenities for the boys training there. He was relieved and ecstatic that it was nothing like a workhouse. From the very beginning, Able made a splash, naturally, on the minds of the children as well as the headmaster, Mr. Crocker who was equally relieved to find someone wanting to take the stress of majority of the lesson since they were short of instructors. For obvious reasons they didn’t have many teachers but Able was totally fine with taking on the challenge. He wanted to work with these kids, to show them they too can shine in this world despite the atrocities they must’ve endured and experienced while growing up in different workhouses. Those didn’t vary whether in London or in Dumfries or anywhere else in England.
Meridee also found herself with a job of the House Mother since some of these children needed extra care due to the way they were treated from whence they came. She and Able were given a big house just opposite of the school to live so they had plenty of space to house extra children. She was also more than happy to care for them because 1. She knew what Able went through and it fairly broke her heart that there were more children living under the same condition. Yes, she lived a sheltered life and had little clue of the realities of outside world. 2. Also because she had been around children all her life, was living with the Vicar and her sister who had over 6 children of their own so it was no big deal for her. However, she’d find that these workhouse children were indeed special on their own and they indeed needed extra care; sometimes just to reach out to them so they aren’t scared of being beaten or missing their families so much that they’d cry out at night. Sometimes all it took were a few hugs and the reassurances they previously never had. They needed to know someone cared. After all, they were only children. :(
Now, the story is largely based on Able’s life as a St. Brendan instructor and how he established himself as someone that the boys could look up to. Some even hero-worshipped him and began considering Meridee as their Ma. They formed a lasting bond with many of Able’s pupils including the ones who came to live with them. I really enjoyed that part of the story, all the while trying to figure out Able’s brilliant mind which was no mean feat. But Meridee was ultimately the keeper of everything that was Able. At daytime he was exercising his brilliance on his pupils at St. Brendan and trying to do everything in his power so they became brilliant seamen on their own. He also worried about his pupils, knowing full well they’re going to the sea probably to die, which eat at Able every single day since he had a soft heart. There were simply too much going on in such a short time and Able had to work on relieving the stress. How you ask? Yes, he and Meridee had quite a healthy sex life or so I come to understand from the millions of times the author hinted at it. Like on every other page there was one mention or innuendo to something that referred to them going at it like the bunnies. Well, I certainly would have no problems with that cause they were, after all, newlyweds. Plus they loved each-other madly. And thankfully, Meridee who enjoyed it also knew how it helped her extremely adorable and super genius husband so she was always up for, uh, helping him cope with it.
However I had an issue. Since the book was a clean read, I found the numerous mentions of their sex life quite frustrating, and frankly speaking, extremely annoying. I didn’t need to know the hints of how many times or when and how and whatever they did in bed since the author had no intentions of giving me at least one love scene. So why bother? One strictly clinical mention of sex being one of Able’s coping mechanisms would’ve been enough for me. I didn’t need images swirling around in my head ffs! -_- I adored Meridee and Able enough to have an interest in their sex life. Also because he was so different, I would’ve loved to know the details of how it helped him. What helped him the most. Which position he preferred and why. Yes all of that! I was THAT interested in Able and so I got irritated every time there was a hint or a mention of anything remotely sexual in their relationship cause I knew there won’t be any fulfillment for me as a reader in the end. I’ve read Carla Kelly’s lovescenes, however sparse they are, in her older harlequin historicals and I know she doesn’t need long descriptions to make your toes curl where her heroes are concerned. So yeah, I wasn’t happy about this aspect of the story at all.
Maybe because of that, I found the story quite dragging in the middle of it cause there wasn’t much happening apart from what I mentioned above. I’d say there are some interesting twists in the end, though nothing too dramatic, to tidy it over. But it wasn’t as fulfilling as I thought it’d be. Plus I felt the story ended abruptly, which means the next installment of this series would probably pick up right where it was left off in this one following the tradition of the prequel.
I’m not saying I’m not interested in the series anymore. Quite the opposite actually so I can only hope that book 2 is coming soon, though I’m yet to see any pre-order or even a title. I can’t really hazard a guess if the story would be about Able and Meridee again or center on another couple with them being secondary characters. It can go both ways. There were some very interesting secondary characters in The Unlikely Master Genius including Capt. St. Anthony. I was hoping the author would give us his story since he’d suffered so much in the war. :( Despite my feelings about book 1, I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book cause I need to know what Ms. Kelly has in store for us!
Also highly recommended cause I don’t think what bugged me in this story will bug you. The writing was as excellent as ever, plus you get to read about this highly unusual nerdy hero who is hot in his own way (even if there isn’t any hot scenes). 3.5 stars, wish I could rate it better than this.
After reading and loving a short story ‘The Christmas Angle’ by Carla Kelly in an anthology, I was anticipating The Unlikely Master Genius, book 1 in the St. Brendan series. The above mentioned short story is kind of a prequel to this one and I enjoyed it so much, I was totally invested in the series already. I mean, who doesn’t like a hero who is a nerd and a genius with a heart of gold? Who is also a gentleman that loves his wife to distraction? However, after reading it can’t say I loved it as much as I thought I would. I’ll try to elaborate as best as I can.
Born in a street behind a church in Scotland, where his supposed mother died right after his birth without even giving him a name, Durable or ‘Able’ Six has come a long way. The name he’s got is the aftermath of becoming a nameless orphan left unclaimed in a workhouse of Dumfries, where his life was everything that was never nice, loving or pleasant. He’d shortened the silly name to Able later in life to give it some semblance of normalcy. After his initial resistance to death–hence he surpassed the first 5 ‘Durables’ and became number Six that lived—Able fought to survive. He fought hunger, abuse at the hand of his so-called teachers but most of all, he fought death to stay alive.
Able joined Navy to escape the workhouse so I doubt he had any big ambition but as Sailing Master Able Six at 26 he’d already climbed the ladder of success when it comes to HRM Navy. At least as far as success is concerned for a total nobody like him. No one ever heard a person becoming a sailing master at the age of 22 but Able had become what no one has been before. Hell, he’s someone so unique that no one probably had seen anyone like him in the past decades, maybe more, and likely won’t see another for a long time to come. Able Six, what you can describe in the simplest terms possible, is a genius. A prodigy if you’d like that word too. Someone with photographic memory. He’d read/see/hear, basically experience anything, and he’d remember every single crisp detail.
Able had known he’s a bit of a genius from a very young age. But he didn’t know that he was exceptional cause there was no one to guide him until he joined the Navy. From there though, his odd talent (if you can say so) had been quickly found out by not only his mates but also the captains of the ships he’d worked on. And the rest, they say, is history. He’d climbed the rank where he never thought he’d ever be—that too at such a young age—had it not been for his brilliant memory and the help from a few good captains who’d taken him under their wings.
We get all that and more in ‘The Christmas Angle’, where we also learned that Able was on half pay from the Navy as a result of the Treaty of Amiens. He has basically been living day to day on whatever meager amount he had in his sad purse until the day a mate of his offered him a job. Of sort. He knew about Able’s brilliance and thought he’d be the perfect man for this particular job. The offer was to teach a few of many children of the Vicar of his parish during the celebratory month of Christmas. It’s also a month when the Vicar was extremely busy so he was unable to do this part of his numerous fatherly responsibilities. The pay was good and he’d also have a place to stay, so Able agrees to this crazy scheme not knowing if he’d even get the job. Unbeknownst to him, fate was planning something for him that’d totally catch Able by surprise; namely meeting the beautiful young woman with whom he’d spend the rest of his life.
Meridee, a self-proclaimed spinster at 24, had given up on marriage a long time ago. Not because she had no interest to but because she had no other options. She’d planned to live out as the ‘fun aunt’ to her rapidly growing line of nieces and nephews. Having so many older sisters robbed Meridee out of the dowry she deserved; hence she knew there won’t a marriage for her. She’s beautiful in her own way and Able was duly smitten because of that. But she was also smart and kind, someone who showed so much genuine interest in him that Able was simply awestruck by it. No decent woman had ever given him that much attention (except if you think of the superficial since he was quite handsome himself). But whatever it was it always ended when they knew of his background.
Meridee and Able’s attraction was instant, their courtship rushed but it ended in marriage despite both never imagining marriage to be a future prospect. Able, because of his background. Also because he thought marriage will only lead to heartbreak, such was his job in the Navy. He knew there’d be war as soon the treaty was over and he’d be on a ship once again fighting for his country. And I already mentioned why Meridee didn’t think she’d ever marry. But they fell for one another and there was no going back.
As we observed Able and Meridee’s adorable courtship, we were also awarded glimpses of Able’s unique way of teaching children. The way he could gain the attention of the most mischievous or the shiest of children and veer them to the right path, teaching them through fun and games. It was a sight of delight. Meridee was already quite taken with Able’s genius mind (among other things ;) ), she also knew instinctively that he’d be a good teacher. A plan hatched to keep him land-bound as long as possible. With the help of two of his staunch champions, Captain Hallowell and Capt. Belvedere St. Anthony, Meridee lands a job for Able at a little known school for the street-rats called St. Brendan. A school the Navy peeps don’t really talk about cause it’s all about training the street rats AKA workhouse boys into able seamen. You know, they needed more and more people as the war raged on and what best way to utilize the ‘free resources’? There were rumors surrounding as to who funded the school—unknown men of upper echelon of the Navy, maybe even the Crown itself—yet no one acknowledged it.
It was the perfect opportunity for Able to stay on land. After marrying Meridee, the sea has ceased to appeal to him. He wanted to live with her, by her side and not die at sea so far away from her and their home. So Able was all game to try this new venture if it meant he could keep Meridee, his love hale and hearty. If it meant they’d have a home of their own and money for future. That’s all Able cared about. Though Meridee also, let’s just say, ‘coaxed’ out a promise from Able’s captains that he won’t be called away if it’s not dire necessity, there was still a chance he must go if the summons arrive. Neither of them was looking forward to it but they won’t let this tarnish their current marital bliss and Able’s own enthusiasm about teaching in a school for the very first time. Who was better than he to teach these children? He, Able, who knew exactly what these so-called ‘street rats’ have been through and had an idea about how to help them. Meridee saw how resourceful her darling was and took pride in everything he did. She was his keeper and his true champion.
If you read the story, you’ll know why Able’s Captains always poked fun at him about gaining a ‘keeper’ as soon as possible. Since his brain didn’t function the way a normal individual’s would, Able’s needed special care. It was always crammed with too many things; thoughts, pictures, books and other experiences, good or bad, he’d had since he never forgot a thing. To say he was always under stress would be an understatement. In the past, there were incidents that had proven to be too much where he’d been knocked senseless for days because of it. There was always a chance he may not wake up from that and it worried everyone who cared for him. Able had several ways of alleviating the stress, the pressure of it by reciting his favorite books with eyes close and trying best to relax; sometimes even chatting with his favorite authors as if they were real. Another way for him was to have sex. We don’t really get a lot of details or mentions of how he handled that side of his life prior to Meridee since it’s a clean romance and he was more often than not on board a ship (I can assure you he had no interest in men). I have a few ideas of my own but.... let’s just say it didn’t really come up until... it did. Over and over again in the story. How so? On that in a bit...
The Unlikely Master Genius pretty much takes off right after ‘The Christmas Angel’. Able and Meridee marry and promptly move to Portsmouth where St. Brendan is situated close to the sea but hidden away through a walkway long forgotten by the people. Well nothing that dramatic but the peeps behind this school didn’t want too much attention coming its way, so they found a place where not many would go to pester the children or the teachers. Thankfully, as Able would find out soon, that despite all the hush-hush the school functioned properly with all the necessary amenities for the boys training there. He was relieved and ecstatic that it was nothing like a workhouse. From the very beginning, Able made a splash, naturally, on the minds of the children as well as the headmaster, Mr. Crocker who was equally relieved to find someone wanting to take the stress of majority of the lesson since they were short of instructors. For obvious reasons they didn’t have many teachers but Able was totally fine with taking on the challenge. He wanted to work with these kids, to show them they too can shine in this world despite the atrocities they must’ve endured and experienced while growing up in different workhouses. Those didn’t vary whether in London or in Dumfries or anywhere else in England.
Meridee also found herself with a job of the House Mother since some of these children needed extra care due to the way they were treated from whence they came. She and Able were given a big house just opposite of the school to live so they had plenty of space to house extra children. She was also more than happy to care for them because 1. She knew what Able went through and it fairly broke her heart that there were more children living under the same condition. Yes, she lived a sheltered life and had little clue of the realities of outside world. 2. Also because she had been around children all her life, was living with the Vicar and her sister who had over 6 children of their own so it was no big deal for her. However, she’d find that these workhouse children were indeed special on their own and they indeed needed extra care; sometimes just to reach out to them so they aren’t scared of being beaten or missing their families so much that they’d cry out at night. Sometimes all it took were a few hugs and the reassurances they previously never had. They needed to know someone cared. After all, they were only children. :(
Now, the story is largely based on Able’s life as a St. Brendan instructor and how he established himself as someone that the boys could look up to. Some even hero-worshipped him and began considering Meridee as their Ma. They formed a lasting bond with many of Able’s pupils including the ones who came to live with them. I really enjoyed that part of the story, all the while trying to figure out Able’s brilliant mind which was no mean feat. But Meridee was ultimately the keeper of everything that was Able. At daytime he was exercising his brilliance on his pupils at St. Brendan and trying to do everything in his power so they became brilliant seamen on their own. He also worried about his pupils, knowing full well they’re going to the sea probably to die, which eat at Able every single day since he had a soft heart. There were simply too much going on in such a short time and Able had to work on relieving the stress. How you ask? Yes, he and Meridee had quite a healthy sex life or so I come to understand from the millions of times the author hinted at it. Like on every other page there was one mention or innuendo to something that referred to them going at it like the bunnies. Well, I certainly would have no problems with that cause they were, after all, newlyweds. Plus they loved each-other madly. And thankfully, Meridee who enjoyed it also knew how it helped her extremely adorable and super genius husband so she was always up for, uh, helping him cope with it.
However I had an issue. Since the book was a clean read, I found the numerous mentions of their sex life quite frustrating, and frankly speaking, extremely annoying. I didn’t need to know the hints of how many times or when and how and whatever they did in bed since the author had no intentions of giving me at least one love scene. So why bother? One strictly clinical mention of sex being one of Able’s coping mechanisms would’ve been enough for me. I didn’t need images swirling around in my head ffs! -_- I adored Meridee and Able enough to have an interest in their sex life. Also because he was so different, I would’ve loved to know the details of how it helped him. What helped him the most. Which position he preferred and why. Yes all of that! I was THAT interested in Able and so I got irritated every time there was a hint or a mention of anything remotely sexual in their relationship cause I knew there won’t be any fulfillment for me as a reader in the end. I’ve read Carla Kelly’s lovescenes, however sparse they are, in her older harlequin historicals and I know she doesn’t need long descriptions to make your toes curl where her heroes are concerned. So yeah, I wasn’t happy about this aspect of the story at all.
Maybe because of that, I found the story quite dragging in the middle of it cause there wasn’t much happening apart from what I mentioned above. I’d say there are some interesting twists in the end, though nothing too dramatic, to tidy it over. But it wasn’t as fulfilling as I thought it’d be. Plus I felt the story ended abruptly, which means the next installment of this series would probably pick up right where it was left off in this one following the tradition of the prequel.
I’m not saying I’m not interested in the series anymore. Quite the opposite actually so I can only hope that book 2 is coming soon, though I’m yet to see any pre-order or even a title. I can’t really hazard a guess if the story would be about Able and Meridee again or center on another couple with them being secondary characters. It can go both ways. There were some very interesting secondary characters in The Unlikely Master Genius including Capt. St. Anthony. I was hoping the author would give us his story since he’d suffered so much in the war. :( Despite my feelings about book 1, I’m eagerly looking forward to the next book cause I need to know what Ms. Kelly has in store for us!
Also highly recommended cause I don’t think what bugged me in this story will bug you. The writing was as excellent as ever, plus you get to read about this highly unusual nerdy hero who is hot in his own way (even if there isn’t any hot scenes). 3.5 stars, wish I could rate it better than this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2020
4 STARS
This one was very well done, Lighthearted and sweet. I look forward to reading more in the series.
This one was very well done, Lighthearted and sweet. I look forward to reading more in the series.
October 1, 2024
Marvelous start to a series centered in early 1800s' Portsmouth, England during the war with France.
I loved it. Able Six and his charming lady, Meridee, are wonderfully realized, and the boys are great.
Warning--keep the tissues handy as Ms Kelly sure knows how to pluck on your heartstrings.
The back cover gives you a good idea of the set-up:
"Sailing Master Able Six, Royal Navy, is a man like no other. To call him a mere polymath is to sell him short. Someone with his extraordinary gifts should rise to the top, unless it is the 1800s, where pedigree and money govern Regency society, as sure as Napoleon seeks world domination. A bastard raised in a Scottish workhouse with nothing in his favor except his amazing mind, Able must navigate life ashore on half-pay during the uneasy Truce of Amiens, and find a way to provide for his charming bride Meridee Bonfort, a gentlewoman to be sure, but lacking a dowry.
Assisted by two sea captains acquainted with his startling abilities, Able finds himself teaching mathematics and seamanship at St. Brendan the Navigator School, which is itself an experiment, taking boys like Able from workhouses and training them to serve the fleet in wartime. Meridee has agreed to invite four lads who need extra attention into their home in raffish, unsavory Portsmouth. Calling themselves the Gunwharf Rats, these St. Brendan lads show promise in an unpromising world. Can a sailing master-turned-teacher uncover their potential? Can Meridee find a way to nurture young hearts bruised too soon by life? What will happen when war breaks out again? And what is it about Able Six, the unlikely master genius?"
I'm now tracking down the second in the series, The Unlikely Spy Catchers. I'm really looking forward to it.
I loved it. Able Six and his charming lady, Meridee, are wonderfully realized, and the boys are great.
Warning--keep the tissues handy as Ms Kelly sure knows how to pluck on your heartstrings.
The back cover gives you a good idea of the set-up:
"Sailing Master Able Six, Royal Navy, is a man like no other. To call him a mere polymath is to sell him short. Someone with his extraordinary gifts should rise to the top, unless it is the 1800s, where pedigree and money govern Regency society, as sure as Napoleon seeks world domination. A bastard raised in a Scottish workhouse with nothing in his favor except his amazing mind, Able must navigate life ashore on half-pay during the uneasy Truce of Amiens, and find a way to provide for his charming bride Meridee Bonfort, a gentlewoman to be sure, but lacking a dowry.
Assisted by two sea captains acquainted with his startling abilities, Able finds himself teaching mathematics and seamanship at St. Brendan the Navigator School, which is itself an experiment, taking boys like Able from workhouses and training them to serve the fleet in wartime. Meridee has agreed to invite four lads who need extra attention into their home in raffish, unsavory Portsmouth. Calling themselves the Gunwharf Rats, these St. Brendan lads show promise in an unpromising world. Can a sailing master-turned-teacher uncover their potential? Can Meridee find a way to nurture young hearts bruised too soon by life? What will happen when war breaks out again? And what is it about Able Six, the unlikely master genius?"
I'm now tracking down the second in the series, The Unlikely Spy Catchers. I'm really looking forward to it.
April 9, 2024
This is the kind of book I read when the world seems out of control. It follows people who are on the margins of society, many coming from workhouses, who have landed in a special school for boys, St. Brendan’s. The school prepares students for service in the British Navy during the time of Napoleon. So a very challenging and uncertain time. We get to ride along with a polymath who sometimes loses his anchor in reality and his wife. They are such good decent and kind folks that it’s like spending time with the parents you wished you’d had. Frankly, I love historical fiction that includes children. This is the first part of a series that I intend to bury myself in.
May 21, 2018
As reviewed at Roses Are Blue: https://wp.me/p3QRh4-Ly
Durable “Able” Six was abandoned at birth, and received his unusual name by being durable enough to survive the adverse conditions he was left in, and the orphanages simply used a sequential numbering system for their children. Being illegitimate and raised in an orphanage is not an easy life, and Able’s was made even more difficult because he is a true genius. Rather than appreciating and encouraging him, his cruel teachers beat and ridiculed him. At age nine, Able ran away to begin his life on the sea. Now at twenty-six, Able is a sailing master, but because there is a temporary peace, he is on land, waiting to see what the future holds. At a temporary tutoring job, he and his students’ aunt, Meridee Bonfort, quickly fall in love and make plans to marry.
Meridee is a gentleman’s daughter, but has no dowry, no prospects, and is living with her sister, helping to care for her children. The handsome tutor wins her heart, but their future seems uncertain due to their nonexistent financial assets. Their luck changes when Able is offered a teaching job which will also provide a home for the newlywed couple. Able is to teach and instruct orphans and abandoned children, much like he was, for careers on the sea. There is also a bonus salary for Meridee, if she will allow some of the more vulnerable boys a place in her home. The kindly sponsors of this program want the boys to feel a motherly love and caring, something they’ve not known before.
Both Meridee and Able are kind, loving, and caring people, and are very willing to have the boys in their home. Able also is an instructor far unlike those who abused him years ago. He encourages the boys, makes learning fun, and never, ever strikes them. When Able and another teacher clash, Able makes an enemy, and inadvertently becomes victim of a plot for revenge that will cause retribution against his boys.
While Able’s genius allows him to remember literally everything, and learn how to do almost anything, it also comes with dark consequences. Able feels that he should be able to know and do everything. When he fails, his mind travels to an unworldly place. Usually Meridee’s touch can bring him back, as this couple have a truly loving relationship. I love how Meridee is not put off by Able’s oddness, but accepts and loves his total person. She is, indeed, his keeper. Able’s mind is so unlike everyone else’s, that at any given time, a slew of different conversations and thoughts can be occurring in his head at the same time. Yet, he’s not cold or distant – he’s a passionate, warm, funny, caring man. His relationship with Meridee is swoonworthy, and their passion, while not explicit, is frequent and obviously highly enjoyable to both of them.
I found THE UNLIKELY MASTER GENIUS a joy to read for so many reasons. The storyline is very unusual, as is the hero. He is handsome, sexy, caring, and obviously deeply in love with his new wife. His mistreatment as a child didn’t make him bitter, but made him determined to never treat a child that way himself. Meridee is Able’s perfect match, and their care of the orphaned boys is truly heartwarming. Author Carla Kelly crafted a brilliant book that flows beautifully, holds your interest, touches your emotions, and warms your heart. There are also some memorable secondary characters and some lighthearted, smileworthy moments. I loved reading this book, and I can’t wait to follow Able and Meridee in the upcoming books in the ST. BRENDAN series. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy a character driven romance with a very different type of hero.
Durable “Able” Six was abandoned at birth, and received his unusual name by being durable enough to survive the adverse conditions he was left in, and the orphanages simply used a sequential numbering system for their children. Being illegitimate and raised in an orphanage is not an easy life, and Able’s was made even more difficult because he is a true genius. Rather than appreciating and encouraging him, his cruel teachers beat and ridiculed him. At age nine, Able ran away to begin his life on the sea. Now at twenty-six, Able is a sailing master, but because there is a temporary peace, he is on land, waiting to see what the future holds. At a temporary tutoring job, he and his students’ aunt, Meridee Bonfort, quickly fall in love and make plans to marry.
Meridee is a gentleman’s daughter, but has no dowry, no prospects, and is living with her sister, helping to care for her children. The handsome tutor wins her heart, but their future seems uncertain due to their nonexistent financial assets. Their luck changes when Able is offered a teaching job which will also provide a home for the newlywed couple. Able is to teach and instruct orphans and abandoned children, much like he was, for careers on the sea. There is also a bonus salary for Meridee, if she will allow some of the more vulnerable boys a place in her home. The kindly sponsors of this program want the boys to feel a motherly love and caring, something they’ve not known before.
Both Meridee and Able are kind, loving, and caring people, and are very willing to have the boys in their home. Able also is an instructor far unlike those who abused him years ago. He encourages the boys, makes learning fun, and never, ever strikes them. When Able and another teacher clash, Able makes an enemy, and inadvertently becomes victim of a plot for revenge that will cause retribution against his boys.
While Able’s genius allows him to remember literally everything, and learn how to do almost anything, it also comes with dark consequences. Able feels that he should be able to know and do everything. When he fails, his mind travels to an unworldly place. Usually Meridee’s touch can bring him back, as this couple have a truly loving relationship. I love how Meridee is not put off by Able’s oddness, but accepts and loves his total person. She is, indeed, his keeper. Able’s mind is so unlike everyone else’s, that at any given time, a slew of different conversations and thoughts can be occurring in his head at the same time. Yet, he’s not cold or distant – he’s a passionate, warm, funny, caring man. His relationship with Meridee is swoonworthy, and their passion, while not explicit, is frequent and obviously highly enjoyable to both of them.
I found THE UNLIKELY MASTER GENIUS a joy to read for so many reasons. The storyline is very unusual, as is the hero. He is handsome, sexy, caring, and obviously deeply in love with his new wife. His mistreatment as a child didn’t make him bitter, but made him determined to never treat a child that way himself. Meridee is Able’s perfect match, and their care of the orphaned boys is truly heartwarming. Author Carla Kelly crafted a brilliant book that flows beautifully, holds your interest, touches your emotions, and warms your heart. There are also some memorable secondary characters and some lighthearted, smileworthy moments. I loved reading this book, and I can’t wait to follow Able and Meridee in the upcoming books in the ST. BRENDAN series. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy a character driven romance with a very different type of hero.
June 5, 2018
I was reluctant to read this book because I had already read the short story, "The Christmas Angle" where Able and Meridee fall in love. So glad I did because the romance kept on getting better and better in "The Unlikely Master Genius". Able is on leave from the Navy due to a tenuous peace with France; he and Meridee have just gotten married and he's worried about supporting a wife. Meridee comes from a middle class background with no dowry. They were wonderful characters: Able who grew up in a workhouse and ran away to join the navy at 9 years old is a genius and the perfect teacher to young boys. He's also a loving husband. Meridee is also lovely (although a bit of a crier!) with a sense of humor and strength. The stories of the boys in the naval school are heartbreaking but also hopeful.
I hope there's a follow-up story to the governess who Able met on the mail coach.
I hope there's a follow-up story to the governess who Able met on the mail coach.
February 3, 2024
4.5 stars
October 11, 2022
Not exactly a love story or an adventure or a mystery... it's got bits of all those but they aren't the main theme. I guess it's a sort of historical story set at the very beginning of the 1800's in England.
I enjoy this author's style and ability to bring characters to vivid life. Observing a couple of month in the lives of the male and female main character and their students/foster children was interesting and provided for some deep thought on the lives of the poorest of children of the time and place. I just wasn't sure what the point of the story was. It felt like one of those mostly true stories where we see that everyone has something hard they are struggling with and we should all do the best we can with what we've been given. For some reason I was expecting something a little more Sherlock Holmes-ish but the adventure and mystery were just side notes. By the end of the story nothing had really been resolved, but the characters were a little more settled in their lives and had some optimistic hopes. Many plot lines were just left open ended.
I really liked the main characters. They were already in love in the first pages and had a particularly strong bond that I wouldn't mind seeing more of in future books in the series but I'm also fine with just vaguely imagining them in a sort of realistic happy-ish ever after. In other words, it was good but didn't pack the emotional punch that would leave me craving more.
Violence. Vague mentions of sex. Mild language. Themes of violence against children, war, child trafficking, neglect, abuse, poverty, PTSD, traumatized children, slavery, grief, death of children, mental health issues.
I enjoy this author's style and ability to bring characters to vivid life. Observing a couple of month in the lives of the male and female main character and their students/foster children was interesting and provided for some deep thought on the lives of the poorest of children of the time and place. I just wasn't sure what the point of the story was. It felt like one of those mostly true stories where we see that everyone has something hard they are struggling with and we should all do the best we can with what we've been given. For some reason I was expecting something a little more Sherlock Holmes-ish but the adventure and mystery were just side notes. By the end of the story nothing had really been resolved, but the characters were a little more settled in their lives and had some optimistic hopes. Many plot lines were just left open ended.
I really liked the main characters. They were already in love in the first pages and had a particularly strong bond that I wouldn't mind seeing more of in future books in the series but I'm also fine with just vaguely imagining them in a sort of realistic happy-ish ever after. In other words, it was good but didn't pack the emotional punch that would leave me craving more.
Violence. Vague mentions of sex. Mild language. Themes of violence against children, war, child trafficking, neglect, abuse, poverty, PTSD, traumatized children, slavery, grief, death of children, mental health issues.
December 19, 2018
What incredible characters! I'm excited for future books so I can follow the adventures of Able and Merridee Six along with their Gunwharf Rats.
September 1, 2018
Wow just wow
Heartwarming and a little dark at times. That may sound contradictory but Carla Kelly pulls it off. It's part a beautiful mind and part Oliver Twist . Carla Kelly makes periods in history come to life. This story of workhouse children who find themselves lucky enough to be picked and sent to a military school to be trained and sent off to war while they are still basically children kept me up until 4 in the morning. Time well spent . Not sure if it would be everybody's cup of tea but for me it's been awhile since I've read a book this well written.
Heartwarming and a little dark at times. That may sound contradictory but Carla Kelly pulls it off. It's part a beautiful mind and part Oliver Twist . Carla Kelly makes periods in history come to life. This story of workhouse children who find themselves lucky enough to be picked and sent to a military school to be trained and sent off to war while they are still basically children kept me up until 4 in the morning. Time well spent . Not sure if it would be everybody's cup of tea but for me it's been awhile since I've read a book this well written.
June 26, 2018
Sailing Master Able Six is a savant, a man with a beautiful mind and a lowly beginning. He's a true polymath, but a bastard raised in a Scottish workhouse doesn't have the connections needed in Regency England to allow him to fully use his gifts. However, some of his former captains know his worth and have encouraged Able to teach at St. Brendan the Navigator School, where poor boys like him have a chance to advance themselves by serving in the Royal Navy.
You're going to need your hankies. When Carla Kelly writes a book about boys being trained for battle during the Napoleonic Wars, you can't say you didn't know what to expect. However, it's a gentle love story about a man who could easily go insane from a mind that won't shut down and the woman who nurtures his soul. It's also about lost boys. As much as we Americans view the Royal Navy during the War of 1812 as a place of floggings and impressment, for some boys and men it was an opportunity to advance themselves, and to be fed on a regular basis.
Able and Meridee are introduced in the short story "The Christmas Angle", and this is the first of the St. Brendan novels. One of the joys of a Carla Kelly Regency is that it's about people who are not powerful or privileged. It's about everyday people being good, though Able's far from ordinary and Meridee's quite extraordinary for loving him and appreciating him.
You're going to need your hankies. When Carla Kelly writes a book about boys being trained for battle during the Napoleonic Wars, you can't say you didn't know what to expect. However, it's a gentle love story about a man who could easily go insane from a mind that won't shut down and the woman who nurtures his soul. It's also about lost boys. As much as we Americans view the Royal Navy during the War of 1812 as a place of floggings and impressment, for some boys and men it was an opportunity to advance themselves, and to be fed on a regular basis.
Able and Meridee are introduced in the short story "The Christmas Angle", and this is the first of the St. Brendan novels. One of the joys of a Carla Kelly Regency is that it's about people who are not powerful or privileged. It's about everyday people being good, though Able's far from ordinary and Meridee's quite extraordinary for loving him and appreciating him.
September 3, 2018
A pageturner that ends with a Bravo!
Since I read the "Lady's Companion" by Carla Kelly, over 20 years ago, her books about "ordinary" people in historical settings have wrapped me up in a world I do not want to leave until I finally get to the end. (Hint: don't plan on doing anything else until you finish the last page..) While the hero in this tale is an extraordinarily gifted person, the heroine is a strong and very human but special woman. Her characters almost always need to deal with issues of their time period that can mirror events we face in our world today. Which makes it easy to relate to their challenges, and to celebrate their victories with them, while recognizing that Kelly has been able to accurately show the behaviors and language of the time period. I have yet to find a Carla Kelly book haven't enjoyed. And yes, I still have that first paperback book I read by her.
Since I read the "Lady's Companion" by Carla Kelly, over 20 years ago, her books about "ordinary" people in historical settings have wrapped me up in a world I do not want to leave until I finally get to the end. (Hint: don't plan on doing anything else until you finish the last page..) While the hero in this tale is an extraordinarily gifted person, the heroine is a strong and very human but special woman. Her characters almost always need to deal with issues of their time period that can mirror events we face in our world today. Which makes it easy to relate to their challenges, and to celebrate their victories with them, while recognizing that Kelly has been able to accurately show the behaviors and language of the time period. I have yet to find a Carla Kelly book haven't enjoyed. And yes, I still have that first paperback book I read by her.
August 6, 2018
See the full review at HarlequinJunkie.com
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
A wonderful start to a brand new series by Carla Kelly, The Unlikely Master Genius was everything I love about her writing: a pleasing mix of humor and warmth, lovely historical details, and characters who seem so real, they will leap off the pages and charm you right away.
Carla Kelly is one of my go-to authors, especially for her historical romances. The stories are always perfectly paced and show off her knack for creating plots that are genuinely interesting. In this case we had a Sailing Master from the Royal Navy who was a genius with a golden heart. I adored everything about Able Six. His quirks were part of his appeal, certainly part of what drew his new bride Meridee Bonfort to him. Read More
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
A wonderful start to a brand new series by Carla Kelly, The Unlikely Master Genius was everything I love about her writing: a pleasing mix of humor and warmth, lovely historical details, and characters who seem so real, they will leap off the pages and charm you right away.
Carla Kelly is one of my go-to authors, especially for her historical romances. The stories are always perfectly paced and show off her knack for creating plots that are genuinely interesting. In this case we had a Sailing Master from the Royal Navy who was a genius with a golden heart. I adored everything about Able Six. His quirks were part of his appeal, certainly part of what drew his new bride Meridee Bonfort to him. Read More
April 20, 2018
3.5/5.0
The passion between Able and Meri is refreshing—and vigorous.
Read full review in the 2018 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
The passion between Able and Meri is refreshing—and vigorous.
Read full review in the 2018 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
December 22, 2019
Should be made into a movie
Loved the main characters Able, Medidee, Sir B, and all the boys at St. Brenden's, and even a few of the ones in Master Six's head. This reminded me of the Horatio Hornblower television series, but much more romantic. I look forward to reading book 2.
Loved the main characters Able, Medidee, Sir B, and all the boys at St. Brenden's, and even a few of the ones in Master Six's head. This reminded me of the Horatio Hornblower television series, but much more romantic. I look forward to reading book 2.
February 4, 2024
OH I LOVED IT, especially the H and the relationship between the MCs. this book felt like it focused more on establishing the characters and their relationships with one another, which is something i always look forward to!
July 8, 2019
Carla Kelly has done it again. Superb!! Thrilled that this is the first of a series. So many possibilities for next books.
March 13, 2025
PG-13. 3.5/5. I was a bit surprised given the prequel to this book I had read. Able starts work at St, Brendan’s school. Does a good job but starts to struggle knowing he is preparing these boys to go to war. St. Brendan’s is a school for workhouse boys abandoned, forgotten, or without family. Able had been a workhouse boy and the scars from the abusive treatment rise up at various points. Meridee and Able are married in the beginning of the book and she takes one house mom to four boys: Nick, John Mark, Stephen, and Davey? There is another teacher, Master Blake, that is mean and hates Able. One day he finds Jamie MacGregor’s sister, Betty, digging through trash for food. He tried to lure her for food and she runs away and finds her brother. Jamie takes his sister to Meridee’s and Able’s home where they protect her from the Constable. The headmaster disciplines Master Blake who begins beating the four boys who stay with Able and Meridee in retaliation. They find out one day because all the boys are crying in a room late one night. The headmaster then fires Master Blake who arranges for a woman to pretend to be Nick’s long lost aunt to take him home. Instead he is being sold to a Child molester of the gentry. David sees a picture of a pimp Able had drawn and says that was the man Nick left with. After the woman took Nick out of the house. They find Nick just in time and bring him back. Master Blake and the pimp get killed in the rescue. It is unknown what happened to the other boys who were picked up by family before Able got there. (Which is traumatizing). Able is sad because it preyed on the workhouse boys desire to be found by family. Stephen’s parents were sentenced to Australia for poaching and hitting a guard. His father attacked a man over food on the way there and died (although Meridee lied saying he saved a man being attacked instead). Stephen went with a family friend of the admiral to find his mother in Australia. Davey likes bones and goes to a hospital to learn how to be some kind of assistant to a ship’s surgeon. Jamie survives his initial assignment at war, but Able’s other student, Janus Yarmouth is killed in a freak accident. Sending Able into a spiral as his mind doesn’t stop. Meridee eventually pulls him out but yelling at the dead guys he talks to. He takes up fishing which helps his brains slow down and relax. Meridee learns she is pregnant and she tries to be a house mom for workhouse boys, a good wife and employer.
I liked the historical context and it is an interesting story. There is good character development at times. The writing seems inconsistent to me. Sometimes it is really engaging, sometimes is wraps up rather simply (Master Blake’s death, Stephen leaving for Australia, etc) I rounded up to four as it is unique for the genre and it was emotional engaging so much so that you really feel for workhouse boys.
I liked the historical context and it is an interesting story. There is good character development at times. The writing seems inconsistent to me. Sometimes it is really engaging, sometimes is wraps up rather simply (Master Blake’s death, Stephen leaving for Australia, etc) I rounded up to four as it is unique for the genre and it was emotional engaging so much so that you really feel for workhouse boys.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2018
Leave it to Carla Kelly to come up with a fresh new plot angle to write about in Regency England. This is it and I can tell I’m going to really like this St. Brendan Series!
Sometimes the opening grabs me instantly, other times I have to work a little harder. It was definitely the latter this time to get all the background, but I always know Carla Kelly is baiting my proverbial hook and when Captain Sir Belvedere St. Anthony asked Able to take over the class lesson - I was caught!
Sailing Master Able Six (loved how he got his name, btw) is a genius with a remarkable ability to teach, as well as think. Along with his new bride, Meridee, they embark on a unique task offered by a couple former sea captains that know Abel and his talents well. They see his potential training orphaned/abandoned young boys destined for war ships. Meridee’s agrees to take in four, very scared young boys as charges and helps give them, and her new husband the love and tender support they all need. After all, Able was once just as the boys he teaches: an escaped workhouse child, beaten, neglected, abandoned, dirty, unloved and alone. His only survival was as a young kid on a war ship.
I loved the characters in this story! So happy for Abel and sweet Meridee who was a miracle in his life. It’s people that looked beyond the pathetic visual to give ignored and destitute children a chance. The two sea captains, the neighborhood baker, and Mrs. Perry were wonderful; they jumped into my heart and soul! There some great scenes in this book. So many solid moments where we get a look into Master Able’s truly remarkable mind. Another winner, CK! I can hardly wait for the sequels…
Sometimes the opening grabs me instantly, other times I have to work a little harder. It was definitely the latter this time to get all the background, but I always know Carla Kelly is baiting my proverbial hook and when Captain Sir Belvedere St. Anthony asked Able to take over the class lesson - I was caught!
Sailing Master Able Six (loved how he got his name, btw) is a genius with a remarkable ability to teach, as well as think. Along with his new bride, Meridee, they embark on a unique task offered by a couple former sea captains that know Abel and his talents well. They see his potential training orphaned/abandoned young boys destined for war ships. Meridee’s agrees to take in four, very scared young boys as charges and helps give them, and her new husband the love and tender support they all need. After all, Able was once just as the boys he teaches: an escaped workhouse child, beaten, neglected, abandoned, dirty, unloved and alone. His only survival was as a young kid on a war ship.
I loved the characters in this story! So happy for Abel and sweet Meridee who was a miracle in his life. It’s people that looked beyond the pathetic visual to give ignored and destitute children a chance. The two sea captains, the neighborhood baker, and Mrs. Perry were wonderful; they jumped into my heart and soul! There some great scenes in this book. So many solid moments where we get a look into Master Able’s truly remarkable mind. Another winner, CK! I can hardly wait for the sequels…
June 14, 2019
So underwhelming. I am not rating this 1 because it is Carla Kelly. But truthfully, I didn't like this book and it took me ages to finish it (and I have not actually finish it, because I skipped the last 3 or so chapters, or at least it was 86% on my Kindle).
I see it was her writing, and some parts were so Kelly-ish writing, but overall I didn't like it and it can be because I didn't connect to the MC and everybody was either nice people or bad people.. nothing inbetween. Like the boys and Mrs Perry, all of them were nice and kind-hearted people. Mr Blake was certainly a disgusting man (a pimp.. a pimp of children) but all the rest were nice. And Meridee was nice and brave, and Able (gawd, I hated his and her name.. both were awful) was perfect and handsome.
I guess it doesn't help that 1) there is a whole story before this book, like Able's past life and how he met Meridee, and his comrades, and how he got his job, etc, etc. And 2) Able and Meridee are newlyweds since chapter 2, and blissfully in love and having merrymaking all the time (this is not a clean romance) and while he, yes, has PSTD, he also has her, so there wasn't a "awww I am rooting for them". They were already happy, what more can I want to read? Unlike other CK books, where both MC are lonely and scarred and etc, and form such a beautiful friendship and you just can't help but root for them. So what was the point of this romance, unless it was book #2? MEH, they weren't kindred spirits, unfortunately.
I see it was her writing, and some parts were so Kelly-ish writing, but overall I didn't like it and it can be because I didn't connect to the MC and everybody was either nice people or bad people.. nothing inbetween. Like the boys and Mrs Perry, all of them were nice and kind-hearted people. Mr Blake was certainly a disgusting man (a pimp.. a pimp of children) but all the rest were nice. And Meridee was nice and brave, and Able (gawd, I hated his and her name.. both were awful) was perfect and handsome.
I guess it doesn't help that 1) there is a whole story before this book, like Able's past life and how he met Meridee, and his comrades, and how he got his job, etc, etc. And 2) Able and Meridee are newlyweds since chapter 2, and blissfully in love and having merrymaking all the time (this is not a clean romance) and while he, yes, has PSTD, he also has her, so there wasn't a "awww I am rooting for them". They were already happy, what more can I want to read? Unlike other CK books, where both MC are lonely and scarred and etc, and form such a beautiful friendship and you just can't help but root for them. So what was the point of this romance, unless it was book #2? MEH, they weren't kindred spirits, unfortunately.
April 10, 2022
Again, my wife and I read it as we traveled to and fro. She read and I drove. This book is set in the Napoleonic war time for England (about 1803). When it started there was a peace, but at the end war had opened back up. (Endur)Abel Six had recently gotten married and they came to live in Portsmouth, England, where he was teaching a band of boys who had been orphaned. He was quite different in his approach. He taught with compassion and no physical abuse which characterized many instructors of the day, especially since these were boys who grew up in the "workhouse," just as he did. He had risen far for that kind of a start. He had a brilliant mind which had a hard time shutting down at night. He and his adorable wife Meri(dee) were deeply in love and committed to each other.
Master Six was trying to teach these boys, who were called the "Wharf rats," since they had found a rat on the pier and boiled it and glued the bones onto a piece of wood as part of a biology lesson. Six wanted them to all learn how to swim since they would soon be joining various war ships looking for the allied Spanish and French fleets of Boni (Napoleon Boneparte). Some had already left and one had died. Six nearly died upon hearing this as he and Meri had come to regard them as their own.
He helped a boy sail to Australia to find his mother, a criminal sent to the Land Down Under. It was the English officials who were really the guilty ones.
More adventures await as Meridee Six is pregnant.
Master Six was trying to teach these boys, who were called the "Wharf rats," since they had found a rat on the pier and boiled it and glued the bones onto a piece of wood as part of a biology lesson. Six wanted them to all learn how to swim since they would soon be joining various war ships looking for the allied Spanish and French fleets of Boni (Napoleon Boneparte). Some had already left and one had died. Six nearly died upon hearing this as he and Meri had come to regard them as their own.
He helped a boy sail to Australia to find his mother, a criminal sent to the Land Down Under. It was the English officials who were really the guilty ones.
More adventures await as Meridee Six is pregnant.
July 20, 2020
"The Unlikely Master Genius" by Carla Kelly 2018
Volume One in the St. Brendan Series
Able Six was on half-pay from the Navy during the time of the Truce of Amiens. He took a position of teaching two sons of a country Vicar who was too busy to continue with his son's lessons. There he met the love of his life, Meridee Bonfort. After knowing her for only a month, he married her.
Meridee saw something amazing in Able when he was visiting her brother who was as attorney. She saw his eyes scanning all the book titles behind her brother. She later found that he had memorized all of them. Whatever he read, he remembered. Whatever he experienced, her remembered. She knew in her heart that he needed her.
Able got a position of teaching at St. Brendan the Navigator School. This school was an experiment in taking in boys who came from workhouses. They then trained them to serve in the fleet. Meridee and Able were asked to take in four of the younger boys who needed extra attention but it wasn't only the boys who needed the extra attention but Able when the war broke out again. Very different but great story. Happy Reading! ReadingGenie
Volume One in the St. Brendan Series
Able Six was on half-pay from the Navy during the time of the Truce of Amiens. He took a position of teaching two sons of a country Vicar who was too busy to continue with his son's lessons. There he met the love of his life, Meridee Bonfort. After knowing her for only a month, he married her.
Meridee saw something amazing in Able when he was visiting her brother who was as attorney. She saw his eyes scanning all the book titles behind her brother. She later found that he had memorized all of them. Whatever he read, he remembered. Whatever he experienced, her remembered. She knew in her heart that he needed her.
Able got a position of teaching at St. Brendan the Navigator School. This school was an experiment in taking in boys who came from workhouses. They then trained them to serve in the fleet. Meridee and Able were asked to take in four of the younger boys who needed extra attention but it wasn't only the boys who needed the extra attention but Able when the war broke out again. Very different but great story. Happy Reading! ReadingGenie
June 27, 2019
How would you like to remember everything? Able can read pages in a mille second right side up, on the side, or upside down, and best of all he understands them completely. Any knowledge is grist for his brain. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Then why does he need a keeper?
This insightful book explores the subject of education for everyone at a time when those who lived in the workhouses were considered to be uneducationable. Not so delightful is the grittyness of those boys and girls who lived without someone to be their corner, to care for them, or even love them. How can they get ahead?
It also is a lesson on the role of kindness in anyone's life - kindness, caring, discipline, knowledge, persistence, fortitude. This is a great story about all of that and it's lack. The characters are well drawn and memorable. I will think about them often. And...there is another book!! Beware, it's hard to put down!!
This insightful book explores the subject of education for everyone at a time when those who lived in the workhouses were considered to be uneducationable. Not so delightful is the grittyness of those boys and girls who lived without someone to be their corner, to care for them, or even love them. How can they get ahead?
It also is a lesson on the role of kindness in anyone's life - kindness, caring, discipline, knowledge, persistence, fortitude. This is a great story about all of that and it's lack. The characters are well drawn and memorable. I will think about them often. And...there is another book!! Beware, it's hard to put down!!
July 7, 2018
I was sure I'd read a number of Carla Kelly books but could not remember any of them. My impression was that she wrote bland, forgettable Regencies- which is why, though the name was familiar, I couldn't call any of them to mind. Well, either I was thinking of someone else entirely or her writing has improved by leaps and bounds! I see now I haven't marked any of her other books as read on Goodreads, which means if I have read any it couldn't have been within the last five years or so.
In any case, this first of a series is absolutely marvellous! It is not, strictly speaking, a romance, since the hero has already won his bride when the books starts. But it's a major heart-tugger of a book nevertheless. I've bought another couple of her books now and am looking forward to the next in the series!
In any case, this first of a series is absolutely marvellous! It is not, strictly speaking, a romance, since the hero has already won his bride when the books starts. But it's a major heart-tugger of a book nevertheless. I've bought another couple of her books now and am looking forward to the next in the series!
February 19, 2020
In my opinion, the ratio of plot in this book was way too low; while the ratio of sexual innuendo and bedscapades was waaay too high, my opinion. I like married couples who enjoy (all aspects of) their marriage--but I don't need to beaten over the head with it, every single chapter and nearly every conversation! (They're newlyweds, I get it, but maybe keep it behind closed doors more? I feel like they were exhibitionists showing off for me the reader.)
I found both Able and Meridee's characters kind of annoying (which didn't help). The historical content and setting was interesting, as were the supporting characters. So, 2.5 stars I guess? I've found other books of Carla Kelly's I've read more enjoyable.
(This took me a long time to read. I started, got bored, gave it a long hiatus, then finally finished it off.)
I found both Able and Meridee's characters kind of annoying (which didn't help). The historical content and setting was interesting, as were the supporting characters. So, 2.5 stars I guess? I've found other books of Carla Kelly's I've read more enjoyable.
(This took me a long time to read. I started, got bored, gave it a long hiatus, then finally finished it off.)
August 23, 2020
Durable “Able” Six, left at birth on the steps of the workhouse, is named Durable because he refused to die and Six because he was the sixth bastard left on their steps since the beginning of the year. We learn his history in flashbacks and allusions throughout the book. He is a polymath genius, whose mind is constantly occupied by several thought processes at once, is a speed-reader and has a photographic memory. He ran away at 9 and went to sea becoming a Sailing Master. Now he is married and a teacher at an unusual school for boys in training for naval careers. All the boys are from the workhouse and have been picked because of their questioning minds. Meri-dee and Able take 4 of the boys with a special need for mothering into their home. This is a great story dealing with the issues of handling brilliance, the ravages of workhouse cruelty, and the rigors of preparation for seafaring and war. And the effect that caring can have on all of that. Really great. I love all Carla Kelly's books and am looking forward to more about Able and Meri-dee in the next volume.
January 28, 2023
Master Durble Six is a man of most unusual intellectual talents, which are first discovered by a superior officer and mentor, Captain Sir Belvedere St. Anthony, when Able finds refuge, from the curse of his workhouse origins, in the Royal Navy. Of course, there is the obligatory romance (a sweet one) with a young gentlewoman, Meridee Bonfort, who sees his value, understands his foibles, takes him in hand, and, in a sense, saves his life. But all of this is simply context for the real story: the faculty and poverty-stricken students of St. Brendan the Navigator School—who they are, how they got there, what use they are in England’s fight to stop Napoleon. Although this novel is of present day construction, it reminds me at times of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Men,” and even Charles Dickens’s “Oliver Twist.” I think I will read the next book in this series.
October 25, 2024
Although the author writes a lot of historical romance, I would say this is a historical with romantic elements. The romance doesn't really unfold in this story - the hero/heroine start out engaged and the story takes place as their married life begins.
It is a very compelling story about Able and Meridee Six, a young married couple, and their roles in educating young (former) workhouse boys to be sailing masters in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. In some ways, the premise is similar to Ender's Game. Able is an unusual person - a polymath with a very compassionate nature. Seeing his character and actions unfold was really interesting.
It is a very compelling story about Able and Meridee Six, a young married couple, and their roles in educating young (former) workhouse boys to be sailing masters in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. In some ways, the premise is similar to Ender's Game. Able is an unusual person - a polymath with a very compassionate nature. Seeing his character and actions unfold was really interesting.
June 12, 2020
A foundling named Able Six who grew up in a Scottish workhouse and ran away to sea at the age of nine and became a Sailing Master, is a rare genius. He becomes a teacher at St. Brendan the Navigator School and teaches boys taken from the workhouse and trains them to serve the fleet as sailors themselves. He is a newlywed and along with his bride Meridee he not only teaches the young boys but also makes a place in his heart and his home for many of them
I really love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves Historical romances.
I really love this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves Historical romances.
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