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The Ransome Trilogy #1
Ransome's Honor
Once Youthful Sweethearts—Can Their Love Be Renewed?
When young Julia Witherington doesn’t receive the proposal for marriage she expects from William Ransome, she determines to never forgive him. They go their separate ways—she returns to her family’s Caribbean plantation, and he returns to the Royal Navy.
Now, twelve years later, Julia is about to receive a substantial inheritance, including her beloved plantation. When unscrupulous relatives try to gain the inheritance by forcing her into a marriage, she turns to the only eligible man to whom her father, Admiral Sir Edward Witherington, will not object—his most trusted captain and the man who broke Julia’s heart, William Ransome. Julia offers William her thirty-thousand-pound dowry to feign marriage for one year, but then something she never imagined happens: She starts to fall in love with him again.
Can two people overcome their hurt, reconcile their conflicting desires, and find a way to be happy together? Duty and honor, faith and love are intertwined in this intriguing tale from the Regency era.
When young Julia Witherington doesn’t receive the proposal for marriage she expects from William Ransome, she determines to never forgive him. They go their separate ways—she returns to her family’s Caribbean plantation, and he returns to the Royal Navy.
Now, twelve years later, Julia is about to receive a substantial inheritance, including her beloved plantation. When unscrupulous relatives try to gain the inheritance by forcing her into a marriage, she turns to the only eligible man to whom her father, Admiral Sir Edward Witherington, will not object—his most trusted captain and the man who broke Julia’s heart, William Ransome. Julia offers William her thirty-thousand-pound dowry to feign marriage for one year, but then something she never imagined happens: She starts to fall in love with him again.
Can two people overcome their hurt, reconcile their conflicting desires, and find a way to be happy together? Duty and honor, faith and love are intertwined in this intriguing tale from the Regency era.
342 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
77 people are currently reading
2834 people want to read
About the author
Kaye Dacus
19 books225 followersKaye Dacus is a professional editor, author, and educator who has been writing fiction for more nearly forty years. Pursuing her passion for writing, she earned a Master of Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Kaye lives in Middle Tennessee, where she is a training documentation specialist in the IT industry and volunteers teaching writing in the community. She writes contemporary and historical romances; and while her contemporary romances are out of print, her historicals are available at most major retailers. To learn more about Kaye and her books, visit her website at kayedacus.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
January 20, 2017
If you’re interested in reading this book, I recommend against reading the official book description. I think it’s too much of a spoiler.
Ransome’s Honor (Harvest House, 2009), first in the The Ransome Trilogy series by Kaye Dacus, is a standalone Christian Regency romance set in Portsmouth, England in 1814. Goodreads has recommended Kaye Dacus’s books to me over and over again, so I decided to give this one a try.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
The heroine: Julia Witherington, 17, misses her beloved Jamaican sugar plantation, where she has lived since the age of ten. At the beginning of the story, Julia is anxiously anticipating the first time her parents’ new titles of “Sir Edward” and “Lady Witherington” will be announced, which will be at the assembly hall in Portsmouth that evening. (Julia and her family recently arrived in London for her father to receive a knighthood in recognition of his service to the Royal Navy.) On top of that, Julia is also nervous because she expects to see William Ransome, “one of her father’s favorite young officers,” at the assembly. She’s hoping he will propose to her that evening.
The hero: Lieutenant William Ransome, 22, does take Julia aside for a walk at the assembly, as anticipated. He tells her that her father is making sure that William will be one of the lieutenants getting his own ship. Sounds good, right? But I knew Julia was in for heartbreak when William says of their mutual friend (an earl’s son with a large inheritance), “He can marry as he wills. He is not dependent upon patronage and promotion to make his way into this world.” At this point, I recognized the plot as a reversal of sorts of Persuasion by Jane Austen. (This made me happy, of course!) They go their separate ways, William as captain of his own ship, and Julia returns home to Jamaica.
That’s all in the prologue. Chapter one jumps ahead twelve years to 1814 (compared to a seven-year separation in Persuasion) with the return of Captain William Ransome to Portsmouth for five weeks. Julia Witherington, who is “almost thir--”, has been in town for eight months, following the death of her mother. Neither has ever married in those twelve years.
It is to be expected that William and Julia will be in each other’s orbit once again, but how can there be anything but pain and angst? Julia is certain that William must not have felt affection for her all those years ago, and that “his true intention was never toward me, but to ingratiate himself to my father.”
Christian elements: Christian references are infrequent and brief, but doctrinally sound and well-integrated. These include praying before a meal, being thankful for God’s blessings, and references to God and nonspecific scripture in a wedding. At one point, a character says, “When you fall in love with the man God has created for you, it’s as if you’ve found a missing part of yourself. Until you meet him, you may never know something is missing.” I personally would have prefered more Christian themes throughout.
What I liked:
*The hero and heroine. Such strong, considerate, moral characters. Very Austenesque. This was a wonderful, clean romance.
*The villains, though they are annoying as villains always are, are not completely flat characters and they have plausible motivations. Additionally, the secondary characters are fantastic.
*A favorite quote: ”Though she [Julia] dreaded conversation with William, she discovered she would much rather sit beside him - whom she knew and resented - than her cousin, whose very presence made her feel like she was covered with sand fleas.”
*Julia’s knowledge of the navy echoed Anne’s in Persuasion. I always enjoy finding parallels to Austen’s works. There were many, many others in this book - nods to Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and I believe Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility) as well - some pretty subtle. I could be wrong, but I think that the name “Admiral Hinds” was chosen because of Ciaran Hinds, who played Captain Frederick Wentworth in the 1995 film. Rest assured, though, that Ms. Dacus does not come even close to copying Jane Austen. This tale feels fresh and original.
What I didn’t like:
*Julia: “I started writing a letter to her [Julia’s mother] today, forgetting she is not just back home in Jamaica.” Maybe my experience is too limited, but the only time I briefly forget someone has passed away, it’s because the person wasn’t very close to me. And Julia is 29 - not the age at which I’d expect a person to be forgetful. I’m nitpicking, though, because this was just mentioned in passing.
*There were a few - very few - editing errors. “Wile away the hours” rather than “while away” and “welcomed sights” rather than “welcome sights” are two examples. I’m probably being too critical, because the errors weren’t serious enough to make me question whether the book was edited. I did decide to lower my initial rating from 5 to 4 ½, though.
*Too much Austen? _I_ do not feel so, but there may be some who feel that way, particularly since this was not billed in the book description as a retelling (although I’m not sure that’s an apt term) of Persuasion.
I will certainly continue on to read book two of the trilogy, Ransome’s Crossing . I recommend this book to fans of clean or Christian Regency romances, and definitely to fans of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I might re-read this one someday.
Ransome’s Honor (Harvest House, 2009), first in the The Ransome Trilogy series by Kaye Dacus, is a standalone Christian Regency romance set in Portsmouth, England in 1814. Goodreads has recommended Kaye Dacus’s books to me over and over again, so I decided to give this one a try.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars
The heroine: Julia Witherington, 17, misses her beloved Jamaican sugar plantation, where she has lived since the age of ten. At the beginning of the story, Julia is anxiously anticipating the first time her parents’ new titles of “Sir Edward” and “Lady Witherington” will be announced, which will be at the assembly hall in Portsmouth that evening. (Julia and her family recently arrived in London for her father to receive a knighthood in recognition of his service to the Royal Navy.) On top of that, Julia is also nervous because she expects to see William Ransome, “one of her father’s favorite young officers,” at the assembly. She’s hoping he will propose to her that evening.
The hero: Lieutenant William Ransome, 22, does take Julia aside for a walk at the assembly, as anticipated. He tells her that her father is making sure that William will be one of the lieutenants getting his own ship. Sounds good, right? But I knew Julia was in for heartbreak when William says of their mutual friend (an earl’s son with a large inheritance), “He can marry as he wills. He is not dependent upon patronage and promotion to make his way into this world.” At this point, I recognized the plot as a reversal of sorts of Persuasion by Jane Austen. (This made me happy, of course!) They go their separate ways, William as captain of his own ship, and Julia returns home to Jamaica.
That’s all in the prologue. Chapter one jumps ahead twelve years to 1814 (compared to a seven-year separation in Persuasion) with the return of Captain William Ransome to Portsmouth for five weeks. Julia Witherington, who is “almost thir--”, has been in town for eight months, following the death of her mother. Neither has ever married in those twelve years.
It is to be expected that William and Julia will be in each other’s orbit once again, but how can there be anything but pain and angst? Julia is certain that William must not have felt affection for her all those years ago, and that “his true intention was never toward me, but to ingratiate himself to my father.”
Christian elements: Christian references are infrequent and brief, but doctrinally sound and well-integrated. These include praying before a meal, being thankful for God’s blessings, and references to God and nonspecific scripture in a wedding. At one point, a character says, “When you fall in love with the man God has created for you, it’s as if you’ve found a missing part of yourself. Until you meet him, you may never know something is missing.” I personally would have prefered more Christian themes throughout.
What I liked:
*The hero and heroine. Such strong, considerate, moral characters. Very Austenesque. This was a wonderful, clean romance.
*The villains, though they are annoying as villains always are, are not completely flat characters and they have plausible motivations. Additionally, the secondary characters are fantastic.
*A favorite quote: ”Though she [Julia] dreaded conversation with William, she discovered she would much rather sit beside him - whom she knew and resented - than her cousin, whose very presence made her feel like she was covered with sand fleas.”
*Julia’s knowledge of the navy echoed Anne’s in Persuasion. I always enjoy finding parallels to Austen’s works. There were many, many others in this book - nods to Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and I believe Mansfield Park and Sense and Sensibility) as well - some pretty subtle. I could be wrong, but I think that the name “Admiral Hinds” was chosen because of Ciaran Hinds, who played Captain Frederick Wentworth in the 1995 film. Rest assured, though, that Ms. Dacus does not come even close to copying Jane Austen. This tale feels fresh and original.
What I didn’t like:
*Julia: “I started writing a letter to her [Julia’s mother] today, forgetting she is not just back home in Jamaica.” Maybe my experience is too limited, but the only time I briefly forget someone has passed away, it’s because the person wasn’t very close to me. And Julia is 29 - not the age at which I’d expect a person to be forgetful. I’m nitpicking, though, because this was just mentioned in passing.
*There were a few - very few - editing errors. “Wile away the hours” rather than “while away” and “welcomed sights” rather than “welcome sights” are two examples. I’m probably being too critical, because the errors weren’t serious enough to make me question whether the book was edited. I did decide to lower my initial rating from 5 to 4 ½, though.
*Too much Austen? _I_ do not feel so, but there may be some who feel that way, particularly since this was not billed in the book description as a retelling (although I’m not sure that’s an apt term) of Persuasion.
I will certainly continue on to read book two of the trilogy, Ransome’s Crossing . I recommend this book to fans of clean or Christian Regency romances, and definitely to fans of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. I might re-read this one someday.
March 12, 2012
Overall, I enjoyed this one. At times it kind of dragged and was a bit slow, but again I did enjoy it and it kept me wanting to read more. Captain William Ransome and Julia Witherington are reunited after twelve years apart. Julia had expected a proposal instead William left for the sea and his career in the Royal Navy, never to be heard from again. Until of course their paths cross and are thrown together once more. I of course enjoy a good lost-love story and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. Although William had ended things between them he still harbored secret feelings for her. Julia also has feelings, but swears to never forgive him for breaking her heart. I liked Julia and William, but didn’t really feel any real chemistry between them. I wanted a little more tension, and I just didn’t feel it. I did enjoy the overall story though and will read the rest of the series.
Content: Clean Christian romance.
Content: Clean Christian romance.
July 22, 2011
I enjoyed every moment I spend in Ransome's Honor. Wow, what an enjoyable read! With a Jane Austin feel to the book, it had a wonderful plot that kept me guessing and easily pulled me along.
Kaye Dacus has a wonderful writing voice that easily transported me back in time and endeared Julia and William to me. What loveable characters! Loved them all!
This is a book where, once you finish, you better hope you have the second book. After getting a peak at Charlotte's upcoming adventures, I can't wait to see what happens. :-)
Kaye Dacus has a wonderful writing voice that easily transported me back in time and endeared Julia and William to me. What loveable characters! Loved them all!
This is a book where, once you finish, you better hope you have the second book. After getting a peak at Charlotte's upcoming adventures, I can't wait to see what happens. :-)
May 23, 2018
I enjoyed this book. The main characters and their friends and family were interesting to get to know. Some were good and some not so good. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
November 14, 2013
This story is a rewrite of Persuasion, my favorite Austen novel, so I couldn't wait to read it. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my expectations. The plot was full of gaping holes that didn't make much sense. Honor is overemphasized in the plot to a ridiculous degree. I didn't believe any of the reasons characters invoked honor to do something stupid. Julia is also of age and no one can force her to do anything. Even if rumors are spread, it's pretty obvious that soon everyone will know Julia was the wronged party so her actions are not justified. The romance was a bit hollow too. It's supposed to be a slow burn but never fully develops and is rushed at the end. It leaves room for development in the sequels, I suppose, but it wasn't the ending I hoped for. The characters are all pretty bland. Not one of them is memorable. Julia is whiny and easily persuadable. William is too stiff and they're both too proud. The villains are typical stock villains of this sort of novel. The only character I found interesting is Charlotte Ransome, William's headstrong sister. I didn't like her enough to want to read her book (#2 in the trilogy). It's pretty obvious what is going to happen. This is supposed to be an inspirational novel, but it's pretty tame on the religious end of things. The characters pray for guidance one in awhile but they take responsibility for their own actions, which pleased me. If you like this sort of novel, try Regina Scott's Everard Legacy and other inspirational novels instead.
June 4, 2013
•°o•:*:•.Jane Austen meets Pirates of the Carribean!.•:*:• o°•
Ransome Trilogy – Ransome’s Honor, Ransome’s Quest, Ransome’s Crossing
by Kaye Dacus
I am rating the books as a trilogy since I read them all back to back. These books surprised me. I felt book one started out a little slow and a bit stiff. But, they definitely got better. I started book 1 on a Sunday, finished Monday and started book 2 that night, finished it on Tuesday, started book 3 that night and finished by Wednesday afternoon. The story line became so exciting I just could not wait to continue. There is romance, historical nuance, and then the action…OH the action. Fantastic! God also seems to show up more as the story progresses. Not like some authors where you really feel God’s presence throughout, but still I enjoyed it. I did notice the author uses a lot of the same descriptions repeatedly which I did not care for (ex: he punched his fists into his jacket). So for a couple little forgivable issues, I give these 4 out of 5 stars.
My favorite character: Charles Lott – but you will have to read to discover why (wink!).
May 2013
Ransome Trilogy – Ransome’s Honor, Ransome’s Quest, Ransome’s Crossing
by Kaye Dacus
I am rating the books as a trilogy since I read them all back to back. These books surprised me. I felt book one started out a little slow and a bit stiff. But, they definitely got better. I started book 1 on a Sunday, finished Monday and started book 2 that night, finished it on Tuesday, started book 3 that night and finished by Wednesday afternoon. The story line became so exciting I just could not wait to continue. There is romance, historical nuance, and then the action…OH the action. Fantastic! God also seems to show up more as the story progresses. Not like some authors where you really feel God’s presence throughout, but still I enjoyed it. I did notice the author uses a lot of the same descriptions repeatedly which I did not care for (ex: he punched his fists into his jacket). So for a couple little forgivable issues, I give these 4 out of 5 stars.
My favorite character: Charles Lott – but you will have to read to discover why (wink!).
May 2013
March 31, 2016
The first thing I wanted to do when I finished this was to read the next book. But I'd checked it out at church, and had to wait a week to get the next ones!
I liked the conflict and the characters a lot.
I really liked the hero, Ransome. He'd made a mistake before (or, perhaps, it could be termed a simple error in judgment) and had to get up the courage to realize he could still retrieve that part of his life. He played the man, and I liked that.
Julia's courage and level-headedness was a pleasure. She wasn't a silly, simpering heroine by any stretch of the imagination, but a strong lady.
Their friends Susan and Collin Yates were a joy, too. It's always pleasant to have characters with such a successful marriage in books. :)
There were a few issues with the editing, such as missing commas and periods and a couple instances of the wrong word (has instead of was, which made me stop and figure out the sentence.) That ultimately took away a half star of my rating because of how many times it bothered me...though most people probably wouldn't notice.
I liked the conflict and the characters a lot.
I really liked the hero, Ransome. He'd made a mistake before (or, perhaps, it could be termed a simple error in judgment) and had to get up the courage to realize he could still retrieve that part of his life. He played the man, and I liked that.
Julia's courage and level-headedness was a pleasure. She wasn't a silly, simpering heroine by any stretch of the imagination, but a strong lady.
Their friends Susan and Collin Yates were a joy, too. It's always pleasant to have characters with such a successful marriage in books. :)
There were a few issues with the editing, such as missing commas and periods and a couple instances of the wrong word (has instead of was, which made me stop and figure out the sentence.) That ultimately took away a half star of my rating because of how many times it bothered me...though most people probably wouldn't notice.
June 7, 2011
I really enjoyed reading this book. At first I was thinking it was just a copycat for Jane Austen's Persuasion, adding some Christian stuff mixed in - but as I read more it twisted the story more in the end.
Moral Note: Pretty clean, some talk of mistresses, and looking at women's necklines.
Moral Note: Pretty clean, some talk of mistresses, and looking at women's necklines.
February 9, 2011
Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus
Harvest House, 2009
342 pages
Historical; Inspirational; Romance
3.5/5 stars
Source: Library
Kaye Dacus has been one of my favorite contemporary Christian romance writers so I thought it was high time to give her historicals a whirl by picking up the first in the Ransome trilogy. I didn't like it as much as her contemporaries but it was an enjoyable story.
This is yet another book where young lovers separate and then reunite as adults. In this case Julia had every expectation of receiving a proposal from her love William Ransome but no proposal comes, leaving her to conclude that he had only courted her so that he could ingratiate himself with her father, an Admiral, and thus further his own career. Thus twelve years later, Julia is in no mood to spend any time with Ransome. However her aunt is conspiring to force Julia to marry her cousin in order to save his estates from financial ruin. In order to escape these pressures, Julia embarks on a business arrangement whereby she will marry Ransome, he will escort her to her family estate in Jamaica, and after a year the marriage will be annulled. But Ransome does not want a marriage in name only, hoping instead for a true marriage in the eyes of God.
I really do hate reunited lovers stories (normally); in this case it is Ransome's pride although he prefers to call it honor that separates them. He felt unworthy of her and didn't want to be a gold-digger after her 30,000 pounds. Never mind the genuine love between them; he thought only of himself. I wanted to see a lot more groveling on his part but the machinations of her aunt and cousin push Julia toward him. In fact based on the official summary I thought their engagement would happen much earlier in the book than it does.
Both Julia and Ransome are honorable people with much respect from pretty much everyone. They didn't have many interests. His life is consumed by the Navy although he also seems the more faithful as his relationship with God is more in focus than hers. She likes music and is a sound business manager. I liked them-they seemed like good people-but they didn't fascinate or enthrall me in their story.
Her aunt and cousin are pretty stereotypical villains for Regency romance in my opinion. The aunt looks down on Ransome for being in the navy instead of being a true gentleman (a baronet) like her son. Never mind that Ransome is a sober-mannered, respected leader while her son is a dissolute broke womanizer. The son also isn't very bright, relying on his mother's schemes to secure his fortune.
There are two really important secondary characters: Susan and Charlotte. Susan is Julia's best friend, married to her own captain in the Navy and she is a total chatterbox. I loved reading about her as I feel like she is the kind of person who just lights up a room and makes you feel at home. Charlotte is Ransome's younger sister and foreshadowing in the book plus the summary of the second book shows that she will play a large part in the second book, Ransome's Crossing. I didn't like her that much. She's keeping secrets and that will provide much of the conflict in the later books.
Overall: Feels familiar and the main characters didn't pop for me. I will probably read the rest of the trilogy but I don't recommend it.
Cover: I feel like it's very typical for historical Christian fiction: woman in dress looking off into the distance.
Harvest House, 2009
342 pages
Historical; Inspirational; Romance
3.5/5 stars
Source: Library
Kaye Dacus has been one of my favorite contemporary Christian romance writers so I thought it was high time to give her historicals a whirl by picking up the first in the Ransome trilogy. I didn't like it as much as her contemporaries but it was an enjoyable story.
This is yet another book where young lovers separate and then reunite as adults. In this case Julia had every expectation of receiving a proposal from her love William Ransome but no proposal comes, leaving her to conclude that he had only courted her so that he could ingratiate himself with her father, an Admiral, and thus further his own career. Thus twelve years later, Julia is in no mood to spend any time with Ransome. However her aunt is conspiring to force Julia to marry her cousin in order to save his estates from financial ruin. In order to escape these pressures, Julia embarks on a business arrangement whereby she will marry Ransome, he will escort her to her family estate in Jamaica, and after a year the marriage will be annulled. But Ransome does not want a marriage in name only, hoping instead for a true marriage in the eyes of God.
I really do hate reunited lovers stories (normally); in this case it is Ransome's pride although he prefers to call it honor that separates them. He felt unworthy of her and didn't want to be a gold-digger after her 30,000 pounds. Never mind the genuine love between them; he thought only of himself. I wanted to see a lot more groveling on his part but the machinations of her aunt and cousin push Julia toward him. In fact based on the official summary I thought their engagement would happen much earlier in the book than it does.
Both Julia and Ransome are honorable people with much respect from pretty much everyone. They didn't have many interests. His life is consumed by the Navy although he also seems the more faithful as his relationship with God is more in focus than hers. She likes music and is a sound business manager. I liked them-they seemed like good people-but they didn't fascinate or enthrall me in their story.
Her aunt and cousin are pretty stereotypical villains for Regency romance in my opinion. The aunt looks down on Ransome for being in the navy instead of being a true gentleman (a baronet) like her son. Never mind that Ransome is a sober-mannered, respected leader while her son is a dissolute broke womanizer. The son also isn't very bright, relying on his mother's schemes to secure his fortune.
There are two really important secondary characters: Susan and Charlotte. Susan is Julia's best friend, married to her own captain in the Navy and she is a total chatterbox. I loved reading about her as I feel like she is the kind of person who just lights up a room and makes you feel at home. Charlotte is Ransome's younger sister and foreshadowing in the book plus the summary of the second book shows that she will play a large part in the second book, Ransome's Crossing. I didn't like her that much. She's keeping secrets and that will provide much of the conflict in the later books.
Overall: Feels familiar and the main characters didn't pop for me. I will probably read the rest of the trilogy but I don't recommend it.
Cover: I feel like it's very typical for historical Christian fiction: woman in dress looking off into the distance.
August 12, 2024
"Ransome's Honor"? How about "Ransome has no Honor"? This whole book goes on and on about honor, duty, blah, blah, but I saw very little of it. Let me break it down for you because I have a lot to say.
WARNING!! MAJOR SPOILERS.
Brief summary; Bad retelling of Persuasion. Poor navy officer meets admirals daughter, falls in love, feels bad about marry her because he's so poor, leaves, comes back years later when he is rich, mopes about not marrying her, enters into a contract like relationship. Oh, did I mention the fact that in the first chapter whenever they are young and "in love" he basically uses her to get a promotion from her father???
So, let's start with the father. This dude is what really gets me on the whole honor/duty thing. Everyone in the book goes on and on about what a great man and father he is and the readers are clearly supossed to hold this same view of him. Ha! From what I saw, this man has no sense on honor, duty, loyalty, or even basic common sense. He KNOWS his daughter, Julia was in love with William (the main character guy) and that after he gave William this promotion he left Julia high and dry. And what does this good ol dad do? He invites the man over for supper, includes him in his life, even makes hints about making William his freaking heir! All while knowing that his daughter got her heart seriously brok over this guy. William clearly makes Julia VERY uncomfortable when they first meet back up, yet the father keeps forcing them to be near each other. It's insane!!! Then the father is called away on buisness and is like "Hmm, let me leave my precious daughter in the same house as my rude, conniving sister-in-law who was never nice to my wife." On top of that he knows that his sister-in-laws son is broke and close to declaring bankruptcy, yet the father does nothing to stop his nephew from making advances to his daughter "coincidentally" right before she inherits a SUPPER large dowery. Then after the father leaves on this important buisness he doesn't even wonder why none of his letters are being replied to. Like dude, come on, obviously something is up. This man just cannot read a room to save his life.
All right, now let me tell you about the badguy. Drake. Bland. Boring. One dimensional. Cookie cutter villain. How many other ways can I say that this man had ZERO personality. I mean, I guess I did appreciate the fact that he really was only after Julia's money and didn't have this weird obsession with like possessing her or something like that. He just really needed her money and didn't even like her in any way. But still, he was just sleezy and evil with no real reason. Like you can make a bad guy who really needs to marry this girl for her money more interesting than just adding in paragraphs of him being sleezy just to make sure the readers won't like him. And his mother was the same. Just that annoying, conniving, overbearing aunt. No depth or personality.
Captain Collin Yates. This guy may just be a side character but I probably hated him the most out of everyone. To give you some perspective, Collin is a captain in the navy, so the guy is probably gone a lot from home. Waiting at home for him in Susan, a supper sweet, chatty, and yes, a little pushy, wife. What could have been a supper sweet side romantic relationship, gave me the icks. At one point Susan is prattling on like, you know, ANY WOMAN WHO HASNT SEEN HER HUSBAND IN MONTHS! And Willian looks over at Collin and is like "wow, how does he put up with her talking all the time? What a guy, I commend him." For what??? And then Collin looks back at him like "oh you know, this is just how marriage works". I can not stand these men!!!! Like what is going on here? How am I supposed to cheer for these guys. Susan has been lonely, alone, for months. Her husband finally comes home, she's overjoyed to see him and like any one, I think, really misses talking to her best friend. But the narrative voice is like mocking her or making fun of her for being such a chatter box. It literally made me so sad... and then of course angry. Because, what the heck Collin ane William!?!?!!?
William. I could write a book on this dude. Uh, talk about borderline misogyny, chovanist, sexist. I don't know the differnece between those terms, but I know this guy is one of them. If you think I am exaggerating here is a peek into this man's thoughts, directly quoted from the book, page 180. "To William marriage was a lifelong commitment. He would be forever bound to her alone--" Aww, that's sweet, I can get behind a guy who thinks like that. "--his future in her emotional, illogical feminine hands." What did I just read? Am I supossed to root for this guy? I hope ya'll can see the red flags. Need I say more. Don't worry, I will. From the very begining he used her to get a promotion, DROPS her cause he's a coward, continually comes back after being gone for years when his prsnece CLEARLY makes her uncomfortable. Then he mopes for chapters about how he regrets not marrying her, she's so pretty, how could he let her go, blah, blah. This man even goes so far to question where that youthful spark went from her and why she has not found other love? Like bro! You made her feel worthless and like she was just a pawn in your climbing of the ladder. And again he KNOWS this. He got a little less annoying after she asks him to marry her in exchange for her dowery and like the "honorable" man he is, he accepts. Like uh no!?!?! Any honorable man would been like "I'm going to marry you, but not because I want your money, because I want to help you." Does he say that? No. He does use her dowery to purchase her mother's ancestral home, but it's still his and makes him a very large profit in the long run. How much sweeter of him would it have been if he gave the dowery back to her? Like I thought he made his fortune in the war, let the woman have her dowry. I won't say anymore, because it will raise my blood pressure so let's move on.
Julia. I really liked her. At first. I thought she was really clever and smart. At first. You buckled up? Now, I have always hated stories with simple resolutions that would resolve the characters "complex problems" but normally I am able to laugh or roll my eyes and get through it... but what the heck was this? Julia's desire throughout the whole book is to just get home to Jamaica. Something she can't do till she comes into her inheritance in like 6 or 8 weeks. So that's how long she has to hold off. Then her father leaves and her aunt plots to force Julia into marriage with Drake by telling people they are engaged. Of course Julia couldn't tell people her aunt is lying or just kick her aunt out of her house or send a letter to her father through her descreet butler to tell him whats up or just move into her best friends house for a couple weeks and hide out there. I mean that would be insane, right? Obviously the simplest way to get around this would be to propose a buisness relationship and marry your childhood sweetheart after procuring a special license and paying the man your dowery and going on his ship across dangerous waters to Jamaica where you will live alone for a year before petitioning for an annulment. I mean you see the idiocy of this right? I'm not crazy am I? or was there a million and one ways Julia could have gotten out of that situation without paying someone to marry her? And this kind of thing happens like at least two other times. Where the evil aunt is plotting against her, trying to thwart her, and Julia is being an absolute idiot about everything. Plus this girl is like bipolar or something, cause she knows what a snake her aunt is yet at the end (before the final drama) Julia is like "maybe my aunt has changed. Maybe she really is sorry. Here, let me just go to this old, practically abandoned home really far away with my evil aunt and her friend." Girl!!! Buy some brains with all that money your giving to user man to marry you!!!
Okay, okay, I'm done now.
WARNING!! MAJOR SPOILERS.
Brief summary; Bad retelling of Persuasion. Poor navy officer meets admirals daughter, falls in love, feels bad about marry her because he's so poor, leaves, comes back years later when he is rich, mopes about not marrying her, enters into a contract like relationship. Oh, did I mention the fact that in the first chapter whenever they are young and "in love" he basically uses her to get a promotion from her father???
So, let's start with the father. This dude is what really gets me on the whole honor/duty thing. Everyone in the book goes on and on about what a great man and father he is and the readers are clearly supossed to hold this same view of him. Ha! From what I saw, this man has no sense on honor, duty, loyalty, or even basic common sense. He KNOWS his daughter, Julia was in love with William (the main character guy) and that after he gave William this promotion he left Julia high and dry. And what does this good ol dad do? He invites the man over for supper, includes him in his life, even makes hints about making William his freaking heir! All while knowing that his daughter got her heart seriously brok over this guy. William clearly makes Julia VERY uncomfortable when they first meet back up, yet the father keeps forcing them to be near each other. It's insane!!! Then the father is called away on buisness and is like "Hmm, let me leave my precious daughter in the same house as my rude, conniving sister-in-law who was never nice to my wife." On top of that he knows that his sister-in-laws son is broke and close to declaring bankruptcy, yet the father does nothing to stop his nephew from making advances to his daughter "coincidentally" right before she inherits a SUPPER large dowery. Then after the father leaves on this important buisness he doesn't even wonder why none of his letters are being replied to. Like dude, come on, obviously something is up. This man just cannot read a room to save his life.
All right, now let me tell you about the badguy. Drake. Bland. Boring. One dimensional. Cookie cutter villain. How many other ways can I say that this man had ZERO personality. I mean, I guess I did appreciate the fact that he really was only after Julia's money and didn't have this weird obsession with like possessing her or something like that. He just really needed her money and didn't even like her in any way. But still, he was just sleezy and evil with no real reason. Like you can make a bad guy who really needs to marry this girl for her money more interesting than just adding in paragraphs of him being sleezy just to make sure the readers won't like him. And his mother was the same. Just that annoying, conniving, overbearing aunt. No depth or personality.
Captain Collin Yates. This guy may just be a side character but I probably hated him the most out of everyone. To give you some perspective, Collin is a captain in the navy, so the guy is probably gone a lot from home. Waiting at home for him in Susan, a supper sweet, chatty, and yes, a little pushy, wife. What could have been a supper sweet side romantic relationship, gave me the icks. At one point Susan is prattling on like, you know, ANY WOMAN WHO HASNT SEEN HER HUSBAND IN MONTHS! And Willian looks over at Collin and is like "wow, how does he put up with her talking all the time? What a guy, I commend him." For what??? And then Collin looks back at him like "oh you know, this is just how marriage works". I can not stand these men!!!! Like what is going on here? How am I supposed to cheer for these guys. Susan has been lonely, alone, for months. Her husband finally comes home, she's overjoyed to see him and like any one, I think, really misses talking to her best friend. But the narrative voice is like mocking her or making fun of her for being such a chatter box. It literally made me so sad... and then of course angry. Because, what the heck Collin ane William!?!?!!?
William. I could write a book on this dude. Uh, talk about borderline misogyny, chovanist, sexist. I don't know the differnece between those terms, but I know this guy is one of them. If you think I am exaggerating here is a peek into this man's thoughts, directly quoted from the book, page 180. "To William marriage was a lifelong commitment. He would be forever bound to her alone--" Aww, that's sweet, I can get behind a guy who thinks like that. "--his future in her emotional, illogical feminine hands." What did I just read? Am I supossed to root for this guy? I hope ya'll can see the red flags. Need I say more. Don't worry, I will. From the very begining he used her to get a promotion, DROPS her cause he's a coward, continually comes back after being gone for years when his prsnece CLEARLY makes her uncomfortable. Then he mopes for chapters about how he regrets not marrying her, she's so pretty, how could he let her go, blah, blah. This man even goes so far to question where that youthful spark went from her and why she has not found other love? Like bro! You made her feel worthless and like she was just a pawn in your climbing of the ladder. And again he KNOWS this. He got a little less annoying after she asks him to marry her in exchange for her dowery and like the "honorable" man he is, he accepts. Like uh no!?!?! Any honorable man would been like "I'm going to marry you, but not because I want your money, because I want to help you." Does he say that? No. He does use her dowery to purchase her mother's ancestral home, but it's still his and makes him a very large profit in the long run. How much sweeter of him would it have been if he gave the dowery back to her? Like I thought he made his fortune in the war, let the woman have her dowry. I won't say anymore, because it will raise my blood pressure so let's move on.
Julia. I really liked her. At first. I thought she was really clever and smart. At first. You buckled up? Now, I have always hated stories with simple resolutions that would resolve the characters "complex problems" but normally I am able to laugh or roll my eyes and get through it... but what the heck was this? Julia's desire throughout the whole book is to just get home to Jamaica. Something she can't do till she comes into her inheritance in like 6 or 8 weeks. So that's how long she has to hold off. Then her father leaves and her aunt plots to force Julia into marriage with Drake by telling people they are engaged. Of course Julia couldn't tell people her aunt is lying or just kick her aunt out of her house or send a letter to her father through her descreet butler to tell him whats up or just move into her best friends house for a couple weeks and hide out there. I mean that would be insane, right? Obviously the simplest way to get around this would be to propose a buisness relationship and marry your childhood sweetheart after procuring a special license and paying the man your dowery and going on his ship across dangerous waters to Jamaica where you will live alone for a year before petitioning for an annulment. I mean you see the idiocy of this right? I'm not crazy am I? or was there a million and one ways Julia could have gotten out of that situation without paying someone to marry her? And this kind of thing happens like at least two other times. Where the evil aunt is plotting against her, trying to thwart her, and Julia is being an absolute idiot about everything. Plus this girl is like bipolar or something, cause she knows what a snake her aunt is yet at the end (before the final drama) Julia is like "maybe my aunt has changed. Maybe she really is sorry. Here, let me just go to this old, practically abandoned home really far away with my evil aunt and her friend." Girl!!! Buy some brains with all that money your giving to user man to marry you!!!
Okay, okay, I'm done now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2012
I chose this book for bookclub while having only read half of the book because I was confident of how good it would be since I devoured the first 50 pages in less than 2 hours. I was immediately drawn in to the wonderful characters of Julia Witherington and Captain William Ransome. The supporting characters are equally engaging, especially, Julia's best friend. I found myself rooting for Julia and William. I liked the setting of Regency England and the author is great at descriptions of the town, the bustling ports, and the battle worn ships. My favorite was her vivid, detailed descriptions of the bold colored, beautiful dresses that Miss Julia wore. I loved her courage in being different from the rest of proper society that wore pale, boring gowns. Julia lived most of her life in Jamaica, which influences her bold choices.
All in all, I really enjoyed it. It just had a few things that irritated me a bit. Though I enjoyed that this book focused on a main character that was in the Navy & military life who "earned" his wealth instead of a "proper" English gentleman who inherits his, I was a bit distracted by the author always writing how those who served the Captain knuckled their forehead to salute! Couldn't she just write, they saluted him? I know it's petty but it's was quite irritating to constantly read that.
The other issue I had is how the author has a tendency to write all the words of a characters prayers. I enjoy Christian fiction for the most part as long it is not "preaching" to me. I enjoyed that these people looked to God to help them in their trials because that is something that I do myself, but I found it distracting to hear their thoughts in that way. It seemed a bit disconnected when the book is written in third person and then you had a prayer thrown in in 1st person. Again, I think because this was my book club book choice that I am a bit nit picky but bottom line is that I did enjoy it and those issues didn't distract enough for me to not look forward to reading more.
I recommend this book to those who like historical fiction that are Jane Austen-esque. It's a nice, sweet romance novel, albeit predictable at times. It moves quickly and it was an easy to read story that's great for summer!
All in all, I really enjoyed it. It just had a few things that irritated me a bit. Though I enjoyed that this book focused on a main character that was in the Navy & military life who "earned" his wealth instead of a "proper" English gentleman who inherits his, I was a bit distracted by the author always writing how those who served the Captain knuckled their forehead to salute! Couldn't she just write, they saluted him? I know it's petty but it's was quite irritating to constantly read that.
The other issue I had is how the author has a tendency to write all the words of a characters prayers. I enjoy Christian fiction for the most part as long it is not "preaching" to me. I enjoyed that these people looked to God to help them in their trials because that is something that I do myself, but I found it distracting to hear their thoughts in that way. It seemed a bit disconnected when the book is written in third person and then you had a prayer thrown in in 1st person. Again, I think because this was my book club book choice that I am a bit nit picky but bottom line is that I did enjoy it and those issues didn't distract enough for me to not look forward to reading more.
I recommend this book to those who like historical fiction that are Jane Austen-esque. It's a nice, sweet romance novel, albeit predictable at times. It moves quickly and it was an easy to read story that's great for summer!
August 24, 2011
More like 2.5 stars actually.
There were a few things that really bothered me while I was reading this story. The first was that the characters feelings seemed to vacillate quite often. One minute they would make a decision about how they felt, then on the next page they would feel a completely different way again. That made it difficult for me as a reader to really understand (and like) them, because they kept changing their minds every five seconds. Also, another aspect of this story that was a little off putting was the religion part. I am a religious person and so it wasn't the religion itself that annoyed me, rather the way it was added into the story. We do not get any background for the characters that indicate they are religious in any way, but randomly they would start praying asking for help and guidance. I feel like the author was trying to weave religious undertones into the story without being obtrusive, but it just felt too disconnected. In my head the random scriptures and prayers seemed very out of place for these characters.
Those are some of my complaints...but overall I liked the story alright. Obviously it was interesting enough to read all the way through. It definitely had the feel of Jane Austen's novel, Persuasion. The British Navy was practically it's own character in the novel, which was fun. I still don't know if I'll read the second one...the sister pretending to be a sailor could be interesting...
There were a few things that really bothered me while I was reading this story. The first was that the characters feelings seemed to vacillate quite often. One minute they would make a decision about how they felt, then on the next page they would feel a completely different way again. That made it difficult for me as a reader to really understand (and like) them, because they kept changing their minds every five seconds. Also, another aspect of this story that was a little off putting was the religion part. I am a religious person and so it wasn't the religion itself that annoyed me, rather the way it was added into the story. We do not get any background for the characters that indicate they are religious in any way, but randomly they would start praying asking for help and guidance. I feel like the author was trying to weave religious undertones into the story without being obtrusive, but it just felt too disconnected. In my head the random scriptures and prayers seemed very out of place for these characters.
Those are some of my complaints...but overall I liked the story alright. Obviously it was interesting enough to read all the way through. It definitely had the feel of Jane Austen's novel, Persuasion. The British Navy was practically it's own character in the novel, which was fun. I still don't know if I'll read the second one...the sister pretending to be a sailor could be interesting...
July 3, 2009
If you are looking for a good clean romance, and don't mind a tiny bit of religion thrown in, I recommend Ransome's Honor. Set in the early 1800's in England, the book opens with the heroine, Julia, watching her beau, William Ransome, go and speak to her father, who she knows adores William. She knows this is the night she will become engaged to him--only it doesn't happen. He believes he doesn't have enough money to be worthy of her. She is furious and returns to her home on a sugar plantation in Jamaica. Twelve years later she is in England again, and William is in port. William's best friend is her best friend's husband so they see each other. In the meantime, unscrupulous relatives plot to marry her off to a man who needs her money. Will they succeed? Ok, so the outcome was never really in doubt, but it was a good story.
As noted in my opening, this is Christian fiction, but definitely on the lighter end of the spectrum. The characters pray periodically and go to church, but the prayers are short, and we don't get treated to pages of sermons. No one has to find God before they get together. Another Christian aspect of the book is that Julia and her brother convinced her parents to free the slaves on the plantation--and in doing so made the plantation more profitable.
In short, while this was a pretty formula romance, it was a fun read.
As noted in my opening, this is Christian fiction, but definitely on the lighter end of the spectrum. The characters pray periodically and go to church, but the prayers are short, and we don't get treated to pages of sermons. No one has to find God before they get together. Another Christian aspect of the book is that Julia and her brother convinced her parents to free the slaves on the plantation--and in doing so made the plantation more profitable.
In short, while this was a pretty formula romance, it was a fun read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2016
Oh my! This is the best book that I have read in a while with no exaggeration. In a way it is Persuasion with some Pride and Prejudice as well as a bit of Sense and Sensibility put within. Action, adventure, intrigue, romance, rescue, and true love, edge of the seat, page turning, not able to read fast enough thrills throughout. This novel has all of the great qualities of a fabulous read and reminds me of other stories I have read and loved. Without a doubt this is one for the permanent keeper shelf and I cannot wait for more from the series. This is my first Kaye Dacus, but not my last. I plan to read some of her contemporary series next.
As far as a recommendation for who would like this book... Well it's regency, and deals with the King's Navy. I would relate the adventure and feeling of reading that that of when I read a book by MaryLu Tyndall or Kathleen Y'Barbo. In my opinion, set some time aside when you plan to start this book, because you will be in pain to attempt to set it down and walk away from what happens next! Highly recommended!!!
As far as a recommendation for who would like this book... Well it's regency, and deals with the King's Navy. I would relate the adventure and feeling of reading that that of when I read a book by MaryLu Tyndall or Kathleen Y'Barbo. In my opinion, set some time aside when you plan to start this book, because you will be in pain to attempt to set it down and walk away from what happens next! Highly recommended!!!
July 6, 2009
A charming, easy read. Light Christian with no preaching. A predictable, but sweet story about love and friendship. I enjoyed that the perspective was the from those in the Royal Navy, not from the pillars of society. The villains are annoying, and I found myself frustrated that Julia allowed herself to be taken in by them as much as she did. But, she finds her backbone and true love conquers all. I loved that Julia was an older heroine. At 29, she was considered an old maid, but she was a strong, independent thinking woman: very refreshing in a Regency heroine, where most are young debutantes. This is the first in the Ransome trilogy and I look forward to the next books.
October 24, 2011
I loved this book! If you love the Regency era, anything Jane Austen (especially Persuasion) or anything written by Georgette Heyer, you will love this book! The writing is beautiful and the story captivating, I couldn't put it down.
Thank goodness it's a trilogy, can't wait for book two to arrive! I only wish I had ordered the whole trilogy at once and not just book one. Paitence is not my virtue!
Thank goodness it's a trilogy, can't wait for book two to arrive! I only wish I had ordered the whole trilogy at once and not just book one. Paitence is not my virtue!
did-not-finish
July 20, 2018 This is a mini ‘Books For Christian Girls’ review. It is not a full content review and will not receive one. These mini-reviews are years old and just for clarity on the rating the book received on Goodreads.
3/4/2015-
"Stopped at page 220. Not clean, not worth the read for me. "
*Main Content-
Drake (in his point of view) notices Julia's chest; Mentions of Drake's past affair and his plan to have a mistress after he's married.
3/4/2015-
"Stopped at page 220. Not clean, not worth the read for me. "
*Main Content-
Drake (in his point of view) notices Julia's chest; Mentions of Drake's past affair and his plan to have a mistress after he's married.
May 21, 2012
I really liked this book. It was simple and easy to read but really a beautiful clean story that kept my attention from start to end. Although this book is Christian, it's not overly Christian; meaning while there is some faith and prayer, it didn't seem to be the basis of the book by any means.
This is another book that has me excited to read the other books in the Ransome series.
This is another book that has me excited to read the other books in the Ransome series.
August 27, 2018
This is one of those books that I have had on my Kindle for *years* (according to Amazon since August 2011 in fact) but just never got around to reading. I was bored last night, and being too lazy to get my actual Kindle I was flicking through the app on my phone and came across this. After checking the GR app to see if I'd read it, and seeing it was rated over 3.5 stars I figured "why not?"
This book is relatively well written, so if you're a fan of period chick-lit, with some dashing naval heroes, and a plot somewhat reminiscent of Austen's Persuasion, this could be for you. I'll admit it had me gripped in places (though not so much as to make me want to read on when I had other things to be doing), but the plot really was rather paint by numbers-esque and nothing really surprising happened. The villains were villainous with nothing to redeem them or make them likable or anything more than a standard caricature, our hero was brave, and dashing and handsome, whilst our heroine was out of her time, pretty, intelligent (though clearly she is more book smart than street smart)...
So, this book is part of a trilogy, not something I am sure I knew when I got the book originally (though I do know I didn't pay anything for the book, always a plus). I will say that this works as a stand-alone - just. There are some (not very subtle) hints as to the events of the next books, and as the Kindle edition included a synopsis for both these, it's really not hard to put two and two together and realise there isn't much point in reading on for me. Maybe if I had been really gripped I'd consider it but not for the price of the next books!
This book is relatively well written, so if you're a fan of period chick-lit, with some dashing naval heroes, and a plot somewhat reminiscent of Austen's Persuasion, this could be for you. I'll admit it had me gripped in places (though not so much as to make me want to read on when I had other things to be doing), but the plot really was rather paint by numbers-esque and nothing really surprising happened. The villains were villainous with nothing to redeem them or make them likable or anything more than a standard caricature, our hero was brave, and dashing and handsome, whilst our heroine was out of her time, pretty, intelligent (though clearly she is more book smart than street smart)...
So, this book is part of a trilogy, not something I am sure I knew when I got the book originally (though I do know I didn't pay anything for the book, always a plus). I will say that this works as a stand-alone - just. There are some (not very subtle) hints as to the events of the next books, and as the Kindle edition included a synopsis for both these, it's really not hard to put two and two together and realise there isn't much point in reading on for me. Maybe if I had been really gripped I'd consider it but not for the price of the next books!
August 22, 2017
At seventeen, Julia Witherington expected to receive a marriage proposal from then-Lieutenant William Ransome. When that didn't happen, she settled down to become the mistress of her family's Jamaican plantation, Tierra Dulce.
Now, twelve years later, Julia is visiting Portsmouth, England, and is only weeks away from receiving a 30,000 pound inheritance from her father in her own right. When she is "courted" by her odious cousin, Sir Drake Pembroke, she proposes a business arrangement to now-Captain Ransome; marry her for one year, then get an annulment, and he can keep her 30,000 pound dowry. But William wants much more than that ...
I enjoyed this book immensely. It has everything a reader could want in a Regency romance, except perhaps a duel. However, since it is the first of a trilogy, some loose ends were left dangling.
Now, twelve years later, Julia is visiting Portsmouth, England, and is only weeks away from receiving a 30,000 pound inheritance from her father in her own right. When she is "courted" by her odious cousin, Sir Drake Pembroke, she proposes a business arrangement to now-Captain Ransome; marry her for one year, then get an annulment, and he can keep her 30,000 pound dowry. But William wants much more than that ...
I enjoyed this book immensely. It has everything a reader could want in a Regency romance, except perhaps a duel. However, since it is the first of a trilogy, some loose ends were left dangling.
March 8, 2021
EXTREMELY GOOD SERIES! I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book! I purchased it back when Famuly Christian Stores existed (moment of silence as we remember when there were different bookstores than A and B).
I didn’t think to get the other 2. So, I just ran and grabbed the next ones on A bookstore as I knew I wanted hard copy. These are keepers.
It is more than just a romance, it is about trust, women in society and familial roles. It also has adventure, but this book just touches on the whole picture.
I must admit, I envisioned the actor who played the Admiral in a 1990’s version of “Persuasion” as Sir Admiral Witherington.
It is a clean romance. It is a Christian piece, but I don’t feel God is rammed down the readers throat.
It is a good read. 😃
One regret, I wish there was more of Susan, and that feeling would be through the trilogy for me.
I didn’t think to get the other 2. So, I just ran and grabbed the next ones on A bookstore as I knew I wanted hard copy. These are keepers.
It is more than just a romance, it is about trust, women in society and familial roles. It also has adventure, but this book just touches on the whole picture.
I must admit, I envisioned the actor who played the Admiral in a 1990’s version of “Persuasion” as Sir Admiral Witherington.
It is a clean romance. It is a Christian piece, but I don’t feel God is rammed down the readers throat.
It is a good read. 😃
One regret, I wish there was more of Susan, and that feeling would be through the trilogy for me.
April 23, 2023
I really wanted to love this book. I'm all about regency romance especially nautical adventures. But this book was so slow and I feel like it could have been a few chapters included in the next book or maybe a novella. I do have high hopes for the series and I am going to read the next book, but was underwhelmed with this one.
I do love the characters as written which is why I will continue.
I also had issues with the amount of times the point of view changed within a chapter or without a break. It got confusing at times and I needed to reread sections to be sure I had it right.
I do love the characters as written which is why I will continue.
I also had issues with the amount of times the point of view changed within a chapter or without a break. It got confusing at times and I needed to reread sections to be sure I had it right.
November 30, 2024
3.5 stars. This was a clean, non-spicy, mostly non-violent book. I would have preferred a little more biblical faith but there was more than a lot of ‘Christian’ books I have read have had, so I appreciated that. While not superbly written (way too many references to the navy such as “he could always depend on her to part the social waters and afford him smooth sailing”, and her knees buckled every time he kissed her lol) it still kept my interest throughout. It seems like the author has done her research which I always appreciate and I will give the next book a try, too.
April 17, 2018
There were a few times characters reached a decision and the the very next scene seemed to retrace it or act as if they hadn’t just decided otherwise
There were just a bit too many navy metaphors for me, trending into cutesy/annoying
However I did really enjoy the spin on ‘Persuasion’
And it was clear the author grew up in a military family. The relationships and interactions and decisions all felt very true to what military families from many eras have lived
There were just a bit too many navy metaphors for me, trending into cutesy/annoying
However I did really enjoy the spin on ‘Persuasion’
And it was clear the author grew up in a military family. The relationships and interactions and decisions all felt very true to what military families from many eras have lived
August 15, 2021
In my promise to myself to get rid of books after reading them - this one is a keeper. Fascinating and exciting, never a dull moment. Full of intrigue, suspense and plenty of personal relationships and all they involve. Stayed up till 2am to try and finish it but eyes didn't cooperate (after about 3 hours of reading). Finished it the next day as soon as I had the chance. Reread the last 2 chapters today. It was that good! In my opinion anyway.
July 30, 2023
Kaye Dacus was a favorite author of mine growing up (still is!) and I love all of her books. The Ransome Trilogy was a different genre for Kaye, but I feel she did an excellent job creating a world back in the regency era and it did not disappoint! The series as a whole was intriguing and captivating and was full of adventure and wonderful stories and relationship that develop between the characters!
December 11, 2022
Good read
I enjoyed this book more than I had anticipated. I sense that this book is a slight nod to Jane Austen's, "Persuasion," as this book centers on Captain Ransome and Julia. It's a lovely story and I enjoyed wondering how they were going to take down Sir Drake. I hope to read more books by this author.
I enjoyed this book more than I had anticipated. I sense that this book is a slight nod to Jane Austen's, "Persuasion," as this book centers on Captain Ransome and Julia. It's a lovely story and I enjoyed wondering how they were going to take down Sir Drake. I hope to read more books by this author.
July 5, 2017
eh, ok. Was hoping to like this one a lot more than I did. It dragged and honestly it was random. At one point the rumors would be too great to overcome, yet we can spread other rumors and these somehow wouldn't hurt our reputation?
Still reeling from these inconsistencies.
Still reeling from these inconsistencies.
October 24, 2018
Delightful story
Rate: 3.5
I took pleasure in reading about William and Julia love story. I was pleasantly surprised to see scriptures quoted and prayer mentioned often, by men and ladies alike. A Christian book I enjoyed.
Rate: 3.5
I took pleasure in reading about William and Julia love story. I was pleasantly surprised to see scriptures quoted and prayer mentioned often, by men and ladies alike. A Christian book I enjoyed.
July 30, 2021
I wasn’t sure about reading this book because the cover on it is horrendous, however I’m glad I ignored it and read it. It was slow in sections but I really enjoyed how the author writes and how she grips your attention to read the next book in the series.
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