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Raised by Wolves #2
Matelots
Part two of a four part "love story for men" set amongst the buccaneers of Port Royal during the infamous Henry Morgan raids of the 1660’s. With humor, adventure, and romance, it chronicles the life of John Williams, the Viscount of Marsdale, libertine, duelist, dilettante, haphazard philanthropist and philosopher, and his relationship with Gaston the Ghoul, exiled French madman and physician.
608 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2007
21 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
W.A. Hoffman
8 books104 followersW. A. Hoffman, aka Wynette A. Hoffman, is a middle-aged white woman of English/Welsh/Irish descent (with a little German and Spanish to add flavor). Born in March, 1964. Married for 16 years. A geek: comic book collector, movie fanatic, anime watcher, gamer, MMORPG player (multi-box World of Warcraft.) Lives in a big suburban tri-level in Aurora, Colorado, with two German Shepherd Dogs, two Siamese cats, and a pod of gerbils. She don't have any children. She drives a station wagon. She's allergic to soy and alcohol. She used to be an IT manager; before that she was an administrative assistant. Now she just writes. (That doesn't mean you can make a living at this: it just means she married well.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
December 30, 2021
QUE MORTE TERRÍVEL.... O ENREDO MORREU TERRIVELMENTE AQUI. O primeiro livro foi maravilhoso, mas autores podem ESTRAGAR uma história e fazer decisões ESCROTAS. Eu não sei o que deu na cabeça dessa autora, mas foi uma coisa bem LAMENTÁVEL ☠ Como que uma história começa tão bem e acaba tomando um rumo DESASTROSO desses? PUTA QUE PARIU, QUE CARALHO FOI ESSE? QUEREM QUE EU TERMINE MEU 2021 PUTA? ESSA LOUCA DESSA AUTORA CONSEGUIU. QUE RAIVA DO CARALHO 💩 ESTRAGOU TOTALMENTE O ENREDO DOS CASAIS DESSA HISTÓRIA.. E SE EU DETESTAVA TRIÂNGULOS AMOROSOS.. DETESTO MAIS AINDA AGORA.
July 11, 2024
Ahora Will y Gaston son Matelots en todo el sentido de la palabra. Pero Gaston debe liberarse en el bosque para calmar a su "locura" y poder volver a tomar las riendas de su ser. Sin embargo, pareciera que mas bien deben comenzar a entender la "locura" y aprender a vivir con ella, sobre todo cuando Will se da cuenta que es tan parte de Gaston como el resto de él. Ahora de regreso en Port Royal, deben enfrentar de nuevo sus prioridades. Primero, el dinero y propiedades que poseen entre los dos. Segundo, los deseos de su padre de que tenga un "heredero". Tercero, la lucha que quiere llevar el "Almirante" Morgan a los Españoles.
En medio de todo eso, Will y Gaston deben aprender a mantener a sus "locuras" bajo control, sobre todo si quieren volver a zarpar en un barco de los Brethens.
Definitivamente este es un libro lleno de introspección, filosofía y psicología de ambos protagonistas. Vemos como avanzan poco a poco para entenderse, cuidarse y amarse sobre todo los problemas que enfrentan en su vida. Me gusto muchísimo que el autor nos explique de manera mucho mas lógica, la forma de ser y pensar de ambos personajes, así como mucho de los otros. Logra que entremos en sus mentes, en un tiempo donde las personas veían a otras razas o clases sociales como inferiores en todo, hasta el punto de asumir que eran "animales" incapaces de sentir, aprender o ser como ellos.
Nuestros protas son grandes defensores de la "libertad de oportunidades" para todos, pero son realistas, también. Eso hace que la historia sea mucho mas creíble desde el punto de vista del lector.
En fin, me gusta mucho esta serie, quiero saber porque mas tienen que pasar nuestros protas y si en algún momento, van a tener un final feliz.
En medio de todo eso, Will y Gaston deben aprender a mantener a sus "locuras" bajo control, sobre todo si quieren volver a zarpar en un barco de los Brethens.
Definitivamente este es un libro lleno de introspección, filosofía y psicología de ambos protagonistas. Vemos como avanzan poco a poco para entenderse, cuidarse y amarse sobre todo los problemas que enfrentan en su vida. Me gusto muchísimo que el autor nos explique de manera mucho mas lógica, la forma de ser y pensar de ambos personajes, así como mucho de los otros. Logra que entremos en sus mentes, en un tiempo donde las personas veían a otras razas o clases sociales como inferiores en todo, hasta el punto de asumir que eran "animales" incapaces de sentir, aprender o ser como ellos.
Nuestros protas son grandes defensores de la "libertad de oportunidades" para todos, pero son realistas, también. Eso hace que la historia sea mucho mas creíble desde el punto de vista del lector.
En fin, me gusta mucho esta serie, quiero saber porque mas tienen que pasar nuestros protas y si en algún momento, van a tener un final feliz.
July 16, 2015
P-E-R-F-E-C-T.
If you want to know more about the plot, this is my review of the first book: Brethren
I think I'm ruined for future readings. Yes, I have amazing series in my read shelf but just finishing this book I have doubts about finding something that measures up to it.
Raised by Wolves provides everything I need in a book: romance, passion, history, adventure, friendship, laughs, angst, philosophy... It's a complicate mixture that could explode in your face if not taken care for delicately but the author manages to give everything and not bore with anything.
These books are food for thought, they leave me thinking about the characters and the conversations and the metaphors. There is pain and suffering, there is madness and danger, and all of that pass on me. But there is also snark and spice and all the fun, which made me laugh at the most unexpected moments. There are secondary characters I love but without them stealing the show. There are surprises, good and bad ones, and there are deaths and reencounters. Nothing is taken for granted because nothing is guaranteed. This series is as misbegotten as the characters are, and as the facts are, and as the mind is. And I love it for all of that.
Gaston and Will are... the same but not the same. That paradox of a man being himself but different after some time. I have been with them for more than 1000 pages now and they are still interesting to me. In fact, they are still an enigma for me and I want to know more about them because I feel what I had is not enough. Not yet. Their relationship is settled but nothing is stable. It grows and changes and I recognize the same electricity but it's not the same energy now. It's much better and stronger and it makes me wonder for the future they will face and the problems they still have to sort out.
There is tenderness, and violence and obsession in them and someone could say that is not healthy for neither of them but there is no desire to live long, just to live together. They are trying to find a way to not to destroy each other and I crave to see how they achieve that.
I'll finish my review in some days, for now I only have the updates. I have never had updated that many times before.
If you want to know more about the plot, this is my review of the first book: Brethren
I think I'm ruined for future readings. Yes, I have amazing series in my read shelf but just finishing this book I have doubts about finding something that measures up to it.
Raised by Wolves provides everything I need in a book: romance, passion, history, adventure, friendship, laughs, angst, philosophy... It's a complicate mixture that could explode in your face if not taken care for delicately but the author manages to give everything and not bore with anything.
These books are food for thought, they leave me thinking about the characters and the conversations and the metaphors. There is pain and suffering, there is madness and danger, and all of that pass on me. But there is also snark and spice and all the fun, which made me laugh at the most unexpected moments. There are secondary characters I love but without them stealing the show. There are surprises, good and bad ones, and there are deaths and reencounters. Nothing is taken for granted because nothing is guaranteed. This series is as misbegotten as the characters are, and as the facts are, and as the mind is. And I love it for all of that.
Gaston and Will are... the same but not the same. That paradox of a man being himself but different after some time. I have been with them for more than 1000 pages now and they are still interesting to me. In fact, they are still an enigma for me and I want to know more about them because I feel what I had is not enough. Not yet. Their relationship is settled but nothing is stable. It grows and changes and I recognize the same electricity but it's not the same energy now. It's much better and stronger and it makes me wonder for the future they will face and the problems they still have to sort out.
There is tenderness, and violence and obsession in them and someone could say that is not healthy for neither of them but there is no desire to live long, just to live together. They are trying to find a way to not to destroy each other and I crave to see how they achieve that.
I'll finish my review in some days, for now I only have the updates. I have never had updated that many times before.
October 6, 2013
4.5 stars. This is the second book in a series that is really one extended novel (even the chapter numbers just continue to climb.) It will make no sense without the first.
The relationship between Will and Gaston progresses in this novel, particularly on the physical front. But for every step forward, there is one backward and one sideways. Gaston's madness has more triggers and facets than any six men should carry, and it becomes clear that this is not just PTSD from one traumatic event, but in fact a lifelong problem. He was undoubtedly very sensitive and reactive as a child, and the way he was raised, by being shipped off to schools and forced into competitive social settings with his uncivilized peers, brought out the worst in him. He has learned, to the point of ingrained reflex, that the only answer to a threat is full-blown insensate attack, and that reflex sometimes takes over, even toward Will.
Will on the other hand, is finding that his long-time self-control and insouciant intellectual approach is papered over some dark waters of his own. Even love, deep and abiding, is not enough to keep him from occasionally going in over his own head. And he also is capable of hurting Gaston at those times.
These men are both philosophers at heart. They address their situations with endless words and metaphors, trying to build a world-view that encompasses both love and madness, and the paths between. As a fellow wordsmith and analyst, I mostly appreciated this, although occasionally felt they were retracing worn paths of discussion. Their love is the thing that keeps them afloat, and they express it continuously. This seems usually appropriate, because it provides the only light in their darkness, and is the only true love either has known. That same obsessive intensity also sometimes fuels their reactivity, and that also seems plausible.
In this book, they still live mainly in the world where matelots are recognized as partners in sex, love, and life. But this is the 1660s, where a nobleman and only son, even in exile, is someone for whom a child and heir is a thing of life-and-death weight, and having a title provides huge advantages in influence and security. Even for commoner pairs, like Pete and Striker, children are the biggest sticking point for same-sex couples. If one man is bi or prefers women for sex, if one man really wants children, this is something his loving matelot cannot do for him. And in this book, the desire for children, both symbolically to gain advantages, and as loved family in fact, is a wedge that drives more than one pair apart.
There continue to be unexpected plot twists, and the secondary characters are not just there supporting the main couple's story thrust. Their needs, desires and actions, have significant impacts on the plot. Sometimes I stumbled over what felt like an inconsistency in attitude or action, but for the most part I was happily sucked along through the book, mesmerized by the love and train wreck that is the relationship between Will and Gaston, and the maelstrom created by all of their enemies, friends and families.
There are also signs that things are shifting. The Brethren are not what they once were. The values of the outside world, which are universal in their condemnation of sodomy, hover around them. You can feel the stormclouds brewing even as these two men settle into a relationship fit to sustain them life-long. If only the outside world would let them be. But it won't.
The relationship between Will and Gaston progresses in this novel, particularly on the physical front. But for every step forward, there is one backward and one sideways. Gaston's madness has more triggers and facets than any six men should carry, and it becomes clear that this is not just PTSD from one traumatic event, but in fact a lifelong problem. He was undoubtedly very sensitive and reactive as a child, and the way he was raised, by being shipped off to schools and forced into competitive social settings with his uncivilized peers, brought out the worst in him. He has learned, to the point of ingrained reflex, that the only answer to a threat is full-blown insensate attack, and that reflex sometimes takes over, even toward Will.
Will on the other hand, is finding that his long-time self-control and insouciant intellectual approach is papered over some dark waters of his own. Even love, deep and abiding, is not enough to keep him from occasionally going in over his own head. And he also is capable of hurting Gaston at those times.
These men are both philosophers at heart. They address their situations with endless words and metaphors, trying to build a world-view that encompasses both love and madness, and the paths between. As a fellow wordsmith and analyst, I mostly appreciated this, although occasionally felt they were retracing worn paths of discussion. Their love is the thing that keeps them afloat, and they express it continuously. This seems usually appropriate, because it provides the only light in their darkness, and is the only true love either has known. That same obsessive intensity also sometimes fuels their reactivity, and that also seems plausible.
In this book, they still live mainly in the world where matelots are recognized as partners in sex, love, and life. But this is the 1660s, where a nobleman and only son, even in exile, is someone for whom a child and heir is a thing of life-and-death weight, and having a title provides huge advantages in influence and security. Even for commoner pairs, like Pete and Striker, children are the biggest sticking point for same-sex couples. If one man is bi or prefers women for sex, if one man really wants children, this is something his loving matelot cannot do for him. And in this book, the desire for children, both symbolically to gain advantages, and as loved family in fact, is a wedge that drives more than one pair apart.
There continue to be unexpected plot twists, and the secondary characters are not just there supporting the main couple's story thrust. Their needs, desires and actions, have significant impacts on the plot. Sometimes I stumbled over what felt like an inconsistency in attitude or action, but for the most part I was happily sucked along through the book, mesmerized by the love and train wreck that is the relationship between Will and Gaston, and the maelstrom created by all of their enemies, friends and families.
There are also signs that things are shifting. The Brethren are not what they once were. The values of the outside world, which are universal in their condemnation of sodomy, hover around them. You can feel the stormclouds brewing even as these two men settle into a relationship fit to sustain them life-long. If only the outside world would let them be. But it won't.
August 27, 2020
I loved this book so much! More than the prequel, even. Then what’s my excuse for taking so long to finish it?
The thing is, I put Matelots on hold for more than a month. And I had a good reason for doing that (or so I thought…). It wasn’t anything serious, I just had an issue with the unexpected and unwanted and basically chickened out before it reached the neat and very satisfying solution; . Ugh. I hate giving out spoilers, but I don’t want people tossing it because of something that ultimately doesn’t even happen, so there you have it.
The relationship development in both Brethren and Matelots is insane (pun intended) and it keeps getting better. How’s that possible? I’ve no idea, but I’m enjoying it so much that I DON’T CARE! Will and Gaston’s relationship is unlike anything else I’ve ever encountered. They understand each other (and each other’s Problems) on a very deep, instinctive level. The amount of trust between them is just unbelievable, but conversely, so is their potential to hurt one another — however unwittingly that may occur.
Their love has been undeniable since the first book, but because of their personal Problems, the more physical aspects of their relationship were tricky for the longest time. But there was an epic breakthrough here! Epic, I tell you. The unexpected — I feel like everyone concerned was equally surprised — and somewhat low-key (for now…?) suits them so well. Considering their past, it makes a lot of sense, but it also complicates things for them…
I should also mention that I absolutely LOVE the way they actually TALK with each other. They’re the poster boys for open and honest communication. When it comes to that, they’re #RelationshipGoals, as far as I’m concerned. Even though it’s no walk in the park, those two centaurs keep pulling their chariot and don’t give up…
In my review I focused on the romance, because I’m still in awe of those two. But while this is definitely a relationship-driven series, it’s also action-packed and filled with vibrant supporting characters, who have their own problems (of much less epic proportions, hence the lowercase) and are every bit as crucial to the story as our MCs.
Let’s just say that I’ve fallen back in love with this awesome series! I also feel like I share Will’s brain, which is a strange and wonderful experience in and of itself. I love that guy.
The thing is, I put Matelots on hold for more than a month. And I had a good reason for doing that (or so I thought…). It wasn’t anything serious, I just had an issue with the unexpected and unwanted and basically chickened out before it reached the neat and very satisfying solution; . Ugh. I hate giving out spoilers, but I don’t want people tossing it because of something that ultimately doesn’t even happen, so there you have it.
The relationship development in both Brethren and Matelots is insane (pun intended) and it keeps getting better. How’s that possible? I’ve no idea, but I’m enjoying it so much that I DON’T CARE! Will and Gaston’s relationship is unlike anything else I’ve ever encountered. They understand each other (and each other’s Problems) on a very deep, instinctive level. The amount of trust between them is just unbelievable, but conversely, so is their potential to hurt one another — however unwittingly that may occur.
Their love has been undeniable since the first book, but because of their personal Problems, the more physical aspects of their relationship were tricky for the longest time. But there was an epic breakthrough here! Epic, I tell you. The unexpected — I feel like everyone concerned was equally surprised — and somewhat low-key (for now…?) suits them so well. Considering their past, it makes a lot of sense, but it also complicates things for them…
I should also mention that I absolutely LOVE the way they actually TALK with each other. They’re the poster boys for open and honest communication. When it comes to that, they’re #RelationshipGoals, as far as I’m concerned. Even though it’s no walk in the park, those two centaurs keep pulling their chariot and don’t give up…
In my review I focused on the romance, because I’m still in awe of those two. But while this is definitely a relationship-driven series, it’s also action-packed and filled with vibrant supporting characters, who have their own problems (of much less epic proportions, hence the lowercase) and are every bit as crucial to the story as our MCs.
Let’s just say that I’ve fallen back in love with this awesome series! I also feel like I share Will’s brain, which is a strange and wonderful experience in and of itself. I love that guy.
March 19, 2021
This book broke me. BROKE me.
My love for realism in historical fiction took a big hit with this one, but objectively I have to acknowledge the commitment to accurately portraying the buccaneers, flaws and all, without pandering to my delicate Romance Reader sensibilities. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though!!!
But I don't think I would have hesitated to keep going with the series if this book had a good editor. My biggest issue was the constant, repetitive philosophical metaphors. I love, love, love that these guys are thinkers. I love how they connect with each at this level, and the way they use these conversations/metaphors as communication shortcuts in the midst of battles and other life-threatening situations. (The life of a buccaneer is pretty brutal.)
But there was a balance in the first book, where this one seemed to lose the plot. Literally. The action/adventures are the plot drivers of this series, and they got way too muddled down with the metaphors in Book 2.
There's a lot of rambling, and those sections really needed someone to clean them up and pare them down a little. It's a 600-page book. It can take it.
That got more and more frustrating -- and pretty much every review for the next book said it's even worse -- and I was already debating if I really wanted to put up with another book like that when Will lost his shit (rightfully), and then he and Gaston both completely lost my respect in the aftermath of that incident. I'm not sure I like them anymore as individuals. (They still work great as a pairing. They are clearly two of a kind.)
But I'm pretty sure I would have jumped right to Book 3 with the assumption that it was going to redeem them if the incessant rambling hadn't led me to trolling the reviews. Apparently ALL my issues -- the writing, the suddenly unlikable MCs, and the goddamn historically accurate matelotage -- are about to IMPLODE.
So here's what I wish I could tell my past self before starting this series, because I *would* still read it: Read that spoiler so you can pad your heart and be prepared, think of this as a duology and not a four-book series, and do NOT, whatever you do, read the reviews/spoilers for Book 3 or 4. This ending wasn't perfect, but it's satisfying enough to make this tale of 17th century pirate philosophers worth it. Also, not a "Romance Novel". Matelots were rarely true love matches, and Hoffman would like to prove it to you :)
My love for realism in historical fiction took a big hit with this one, but objectively I have to acknowledge the commitment to accurately portraying the buccaneers, flaws and all, without pandering to my delicate Romance Reader sensibilities. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though!!!
But I don't think I would have hesitated to keep going with the series if this book had a good editor. My biggest issue was the constant, repetitive philosophical metaphors. I love, love, love that these guys are thinkers. I love how they connect with each at this level, and the way they use these conversations/metaphors as communication shortcuts in the midst of battles and other life-threatening situations. (The life of a buccaneer is pretty brutal.)
But there was a balance in the first book, where this one seemed to lose the plot. Literally. The action/adventures are the plot drivers of this series, and they got way too muddled down with the metaphors in Book 2.
There's a lot of rambling, and those sections really needed someone to clean them up and pare them down a little. It's a 600-page book. It can take it.
That got more and more frustrating -- and pretty much every review for the next book said it's even worse -- and I was already debating if I really wanted to put up with another book like that when Will lost his shit (rightfully), and then he and Gaston both completely lost my respect in the aftermath of that incident. I'm not sure I like them anymore as individuals. (They still work great as a pairing. They are clearly two of a kind.)
But I'm pretty sure I would have jumped right to Book 3 with the assumption that it was going to redeem them if the incessant rambling hadn't led me to trolling the reviews. Apparently ALL my issues -- the writing, the suddenly unlikable MCs, and the goddamn historically accurate matelotage -- are about to IMPLODE.
So here's what I wish I could tell my past self before starting this series, because I *would* still read it: Read that spoiler so you can pad your heart and be prepared, think of this as a duology and not a four-book series, and do NOT, whatever you do, read the reviews/spoilers for Book 3 or 4. This ending wasn't perfect, but it's satisfying enough to make this tale of 17th century pirate philosophers worth it. Also, not a "Romance Novel". Matelots were rarely true love matches, and Hoffman would like to prove it to you :)
June 4, 2016
Second epic book of this m/m historical series. Seriously unputdownable, a well researched adventure yarn set in the 1660s in the Caribbean. Our hero Will is forced to marry 'the damned bride' in order to secure his title and inheritance. Gaston gains some control of his madness whereas Will's grip on sanity loosens.
'I could see no possible way I could ever become bored with Gaston, unless of course we both became sane; but then, I truly did not believe the Gods would allow such a thing, as I was sure They derived great amusement from us as we were.'
'I could see no possible way I could ever become bored with Gaston, unless of course we both became sane; but then, I truly did not believe the Gods would allow such a thing, as I was sure They derived great amusement from us as we were.'
June 27, 2014
Maybe one day, I'll continue this, but right now I just can't. The whole Striker/Pete/Sarah thing seriously killed me and I HATE love triangles - it is just not acceptable to me that . That's just not right to me and it made me sick and I just couldn't keep reading. I would love to one day continue Will and Gaston's story, because it seems like a bloody long and complicated one!
June 15, 2013
I continue to struggle to be able to explain what it is precisely that I love about this series, but I think a large part of it is that this series is exactly what I wanted to read right now. Exactly. And it's something that I had long despaired I would actually find, so I'd given up on the search. So, to run across it so unexpectedly leaves me in a strange state of perplexed and pleased.
As it is, I'm a bit confounded that I was recommended Brethren possibly two years ago or more, and the book itself sat on my bookshelf for months untouched, and yet the second I got into it I knew immediately that if it continued in that manner there was no way I would be able to focus until I finished all four books.
Matelots continues the story from where Brethren left off. I was even confused in the beginning when I saw "chapter twenty-seven", thinking that somehow there was something wrong with my ebook.
The thing about this book, this series, this couple, is that nothing is easy. They continue to move backward with every step forward, and yet I find myself thinking now and then in the reading of it, "How did this all start again?" And I have to struggle to remember the details, because it all flows so naturally that it all makes sense. And then I want to start over at the beginning to re-examine it but more than that I want to keep reading now.
What is further perplexing/impressive to me is that there are things that are brought up in the book that the romantic in me doesn't like but usually end up being resolved or addressed in a manner that makes sense or I can understand.
Still, it's interesting because I find myself considering all aspects of the situations as I read, and I can never quite seem to condemn or condone anyone because they all have their reasons.
For instance,
I was trying also to identify what it was about the storytelling of this that further made me unwilling to make any judgments as I might have normally and instead try to reserve it all until the end. From what I've been able to figure out, I think it's a combination of several things, including:
1) This series feels very realistic, in that there are a lot of terrible and good things happening at once, and they're all melded together so that sometimes you can't tell at first which side it is
2) First person POV is my second least favorite pov because too often I end up feeling the weight of the author through the words of the character-- and it wasn't something I realized had existed in most books I've read of that pov and is thus why I don't seek them out, until I started reading these books and noticed the complete lack of it. I don't even notice that it IS in first person pov anymore except in all the good ways, when Will's account of a story doesn't match up with what I understand to truly be happening, and through that it makes Will's perspective even more interesting or sad.
3) The characters get quite philosophical on a number of things, and while sometimes I think it a bit trying, and mostly I like it, I find amusement in the fact that they still end up making me philosophical about even their philosophies.
4) I don't know nearly enough about this time in history but with how relatively realistic the setting feels, and with the large bibliographies at the end of each book, it feels to me that at the very least there was a lot of research done to make the story told fit as well as it could in the history it portrays. And I'm someone who really appreciates an author who researches.
5) Despite being first person pov and revolving largely around Will and Gaston, all the other characters don't seem to have yet realized that they're stuck in Will and Gaston's books. They're running around doing their own foolhardy, unexpected and ill-thought things; causing trouble at one turn and amusement at another, popping up to change the course of the book or to disappear as yet another untimely death. Just because they have promise or would fit well into future plots doesn't mean it will go that way.
Maybe it's simply the historical setting but it puts me in mind of period pieces, that don't imagine the main character to be a god that can make it through anything unchanged, and all the rest of the cast to be simply supporting members along the way.
I like that I don't necessarily know what anyone is going to do or who will die or how, and I like that so far I've been wrong on my resigned predictions based on this or that clue.
6) Most importantly: I still keep wanting to read more and more. I'm impatient to keep going in the story so that when I am at work or people try to call or talk to me I don't want to because I'm curious instead about what will be on the next page of the series.
There are some things I have reservations about in the plot, and there are things like typos and errors in the writing, and there are characters I like more than others, and there are things I wish wouldn't be so repetitive (like ending every chapter referencing the Gods whether or not they were thought of any other time), but I'm not worried by any of these things. Like water off a duck's back, I shed any thoughts of them and will reserve any judgment until the very end of the series.
Because if there's one thing I've learned so far in Raised by Wolves, it's that there's always another facet I haven't yet seen, or more tidbits of information that might change my opinion drastically, and there's no use worrying about it because it's just going to happen.
There are other things I have been ruminating on, particularly pertaining to Will and his perspective on women and slavery and Gaston's on science and medicine, and how comparatively modern-thinking they are and how that underscores to the others their foolishness, while at the same time there are subtle ways where they still show the prejudices of the times on a much diluted scale but this review has gone on long enough and I want to think on all that a bit longer. Most likely, I will have even more thoughts on this after the next two books if certain plot points continue in manners expected.
Oh, but PS along those lines:
So I will leave it at this:
One thing this series certainly does is make me think quite a bit without making me feel it is an onerous task. And Will and Gaston are like a slow-moving train wreck, but one in which I'm not quite sure whether all will be well in the end (which I really hope is the case) or whether it will end up being just as tragic as it could be.
That darkness and uncertainty coupled with the romanticism of their pairing and the adoration and admiration they have for each other is, I believe, what draws me in the most.
As it is, I'm a bit confounded that I was recommended Brethren possibly two years ago or more, and the book itself sat on my bookshelf for months untouched, and yet the second I got into it I knew immediately that if it continued in that manner there was no way I would be able to focus until I finished all four books.
Matelots continues the story from where Brethren left off. I was even confused in the beginning when I saw "chapter twenty-seven", thinking that somehow there was something wrong with my ebook.
The thing about this book, this series, this couple, is that nothing is easy. They continue to move backward with every step forward, and yet I find myself thinking now and then in the reading of it, "How did this all start again?" And I have to struggle to remember the details, because it all flows so naturally that it all makes sense. And then I want to start over at the beginning to re-examine it but more than that I want to keep reading now.
What is further perplexing/impressive to me is that there are things that are brought up in the book that the romantic in me doesn't like but usually end up being resolved or addressed in a manner that makes sense or I can understand.
Still, it's interesting because I find myself considering all aspects of the situations as I read, and I can never quite seem to condemn or condone anyone because they all have their reasons.
For instance,
I was trying also to identify what it was about the storytelling of this that further made me unwilling to make any judgments as I might have normally and instead try to reserve it all until the end. From what I've been able to figure out, I think it's a combination of several things, including:
1) This series feels very realistic, in that there are a lot of terrible and good things happening at once, and they're all melded together so that sometimes you can't tell at first which side it is
2) First person POV is my second least favorite pov because too often I end up feeling the weight of the author through the words of the character-- and it wasn't something I realized had existed in most books I've read of that pov and is thus why I don't seek them out, until I started reading these books and noticed the complete lack of it. I don't even notice that it IS in first person pov anymore except in all the good ways, when Will's account of a story doesn't match up with what I understand to truly be happening, and through that it makes Will's perspective even more interesting or sad.
3) The characters get quite philosophical on a number of things, and while sometimes I think it a bit trying, and mostly I like it, I find amusement in the fact that they still end up making me philosophical about even their philosophies.
4) I don't know nearly enough about this time in history but with how relatively realistic the setting feels, and with the large bibliographies at the end of each book, it feels to me that at the very least there was a lot of research done to make the story told fit as well as it could in the history it portrays. And I'm someone who really appreciates an author who researches.
5) Despite being first person pov and revolving largely around Will and Gaston, all the other characters don't seem to have yet realized that they're stuck in Will and Gaston's books. They're running around doing their own foolhardy, unexpected and ill-thought things; causing trouble at one turn and amusement at another, popping up to change the course of the book or to disappear as yet another untimely death. Just because they have promise or would fit well into future plots doesn't mean it will go that way.
Maybe it's simply the historical setting but it puts me in mind of period pieces, that don't imagine the main character to be a god that can make it through anything unchanged, and all the rest of the cast to be simply supporting members along the way.
I like that I don't necessarily know what anyone is going to do or who will die or how, and I like that so far I've been wrong on my resigned predictions based on this or that clue.
6) Most importantly: I still keep wanting to read more and more. I'm impatient to keep going in the story so that when I am at work or people try to call or talk to me I don't want to because I'm curious instead about what will be on the next page of the series.
There are some things I have reservations about in the plot, and there are things like typos and errors in the writing, and there are characters I like more than others, and there are things I wish wouldn't be so repetitive (like ending every chapter referencing the Gods whether or not they were thought of any other time), but I'm not worried by any of these things. Like water off a duck's back, I shed any thoughts of them and will reserve any judgment until the very end of the series.
Because if there's one thing I've learned so far in Raised by Wolves, it's that there's always another facet I haven't yet seen, or more tidbits of information that might change my opinion drastically, and there's no use worrying about it because it's just going to happen.
There are other things I have been ruminating on, particularly pertaining to Will and his perspective on women and slavery and Gaston's on science and medicine, and how comparatively modern-thinking they are and how that underscores to the others their foolishness, while at the same time there are subtle ways where they still show the prejudices of the times on a much diluted scale but this review has gone on long enough and I want to think on all that a bit longer. Most likely, I will have even more thoughts on this after the next two books if certain plot points continue in manners expected.
Oh, but PS along those lines:
So I will leave it at this:
One thing this series certainly does is make me think quite a bit without making me feel it is an onerous task. And Will and Gaston are like a slow-moving train wreck, but one in which I'm not quite sure whether all will be well in the end (which I really hope is the case) or whether it will end up being just as tragic as it could be.
That darkness and uncertainty coupled with the romanticism of their pairing and the adoration and admiration they have for each other is, I believe, what draws me in the most.
Read
August 16, 2021Ogni volta che finisco un libro di questa saga sono divisa tra il dormire per un anno e riprendermi e iniziare subito il seguito
September 26, 2016
I'm thoroughly enjoying this series and found this book much easier to get into than the first one. Will and Gaston cling to each other, they are so in love and would prefer just to be left alone. They analyse 'everything', and just when you think something is finally resolved, they hash it out again. They talk A LOT and they also have sex a lot! I have a huge soft spot for Striker and Pete and was nervous when they started having their difficulties. I'm not really that happy about Looking forward to starting the 3rd book.
April 28, 2016
I just love these guys. I'm moving on to book 3.
May 22, 2009
Pirates. The continued adventures of Will and his pirate mate Gaston. If you liked the first book but thought it had too much pirating and sailing around and not enough PTSD, BDSM, dub-con, and rape, then maybe you'll like this book more than I did. I actually started to hate it near the end. It's appalling how much pain -- physical and emotional -- these two put each other through, all for a relationship that's so poorly developed it reads more like co-dependency than love. It's hurt/comfort, but h/c where the partners are doing the hurt as well as the comfort, rationalizing their mindless violence, and then doing it again and again. These two need therapy and it is sickening to read. I won't be trying any more books in this series.
Two stars because I liked the piratey parts (only about 1/5 of the book, all told), and I was interested in where the Striker/Pete partnership was headed, but I am so over Will and Gaston and their emo suicide-pact of a love affair.
Two stars because I liked the piratey parts (only about 1/5 of the book, all told), and I was interested in where the Striker/Pete partnership was headed, but I am so over Will and Gaston and their emo suicide-pact of a love affair.
February 26, 2022
I’m definitely getting hooked on this series and excited to read the next installment.
October 8, 2021
>>> I am writing this part of the review when I am 81% through the book.
The situation with Agnes and Christine had so much potential, especially with them dressing up as boys and with Agnes being a lesbian. I understand Christine running off, but that was such a waste of a good character. I really hope she shows up again in the series. I know a relatively small part of the books actually takes place in Port Royal so we don't see Agnes much, but her having a relationship would be a great way to lighten the atmosphere of the book a bit and provide a cute subplot. I just see so many missed opportunities in these books.
So Will and Sarah's father didn't protect her from Shane, I'm not surprised, we can all see that Shane is one of the major villains of the book. Bringing Sarah and Rucker and the uncle is unexpected and drives the plot, it's all good. But WHY is Stricker set up with Sarah? Sarah didn't NEED to get married and marrying a guy after she's known him for 2 days is out of character for her.
Aside from Gaston and Will, Pete and Stricker are the primary gay couple. First Stricker married Sarah and then suddenly after a 5min convo, she wants Pete involved? After Siegfried's death with Bradley getting married, and with Will getting married, it seems like the author is breaking up all the gay couples to form straight ones? Who is this writing for? As a gay reader, this is super depressing. I understand that for a lot of them, their relationship with their matelot is situational homosexuality BUT this is fiction and a romance novel, why are you making it so depressing? She easily could have made more of them actually gay and avoided all this BS.
WHY DID IKELA AND PEDRO DIE? I know killing off insignificant characters (who are often minorities, in this case, black slaves!) is common when if furthers the storyline or character development but their deaths served no purpose. We see that Gaston is not ashamed of his sexual behaviour with Will but we already knew that? And we get a chance to see Will be the "mad" one but like really? He's just scared, as anyone would be. The whole thing was nonsense. Pedro is introduced WAY before and Will becomes determined to own him and then give him his freedom; good, sounds like will. Why then when they're so close to obtaining this objective would you kill them?
As I said in the last book, the mental illness stuff is really odd. Tying up someone when they're manic and on a ship makes sense, but most of the other stuff makes little to no sense. I can see why the author gave Gaston the backstory that she did, but I would have much preferred if he'd never slept with his sister or had issues with his sexuality tied to his trauma. If he would have just killed her and then been tortured by his dad and his mental health stuff would have been just as easily set up.
Will overcoming his rape by Shane is definitely more realistic then Gaston's mess but it happens way too fast. And then he LIKES hearing the phrase that triggers him? And he LIKES being "taken by force" because it's all from a man he loves? Super unrealistic. The author is literally fetishizing his trauma.
Will being forced to marry and have kids to keep his title makes sense and his father setting him up to fail makes sense. The actual marriage and preparation felt as awkward as they should but Gaston's reaction didn't feel quite right. Also, the "Damn Bride" was definitely not so drunk that she wouldn't notice he used a dagger handle and not his dick to "take her maidenhood" LMFAO. Also, this is our MC, we love him, why did the author make him such a villain to his wife? I really started to love this guy but the rape by deception is unforgivable to me. Also, I hate any writer who perpetuates the idea that a female has to rip and bleed to lose their virginity. Will has slept around, he knows his shit in bed, he shouldn't have made her bleed.
I'm done venting for now, I'll add more when I've finished the book later tonight.
>>> I've finished the book.
Th BDSM is so ridiculous. Why the fuck Gaston so sexually volatile? Why Is Will suddenly having flashbacks when he hasn't before? This resolving things with Alonso thing is unsatisfying. Not sure if I'l read the next book. I almost always read a whole series once I start, unless something had REALLY turned me off it.
The situation with Agnes and Christine had so much potential, especially with them dressing up as boys and with Agnes being a lesbian. I understand Christine running off, but that was such a waste of a good character. I really hope she shows up again in the series. I know a relatively small part of the books actually takes place in Port Royal so we don't see Agnes much, but her having a relationship would be a great way to lighten the atmosphere of the book a bit and provide a cute subplot. I just see so many missed opportunities in these books.
So Will and Sarah's father didn't protect her from Shane, I'm not surprised, we can all see that Shane is one of the major villains of the book. Bringing Sarah and Rucker and the uncle is unexpected and drives the plot, it's all good. But WHY is Stricker set up with Sarah? Sarah didn't NEED to get married and marrying a guy after she's known him for 2 days is out of character for her.
Aside from Gaston and Will, Pete and Stricker are the primary gay couple. First Stricker married Sarah and then suddenly after a 5min convo, she wants Pete involved? After Siegfried's death with Bradley getting married, and with Will getting married, it seems like the author is breaking up all the gay couples to form straight ones? Who is this writing for? As a gay reader, this is super depressing. I understand that for a lot of them, their relationship with their matelot is situational homosexuality BUT this is fiction and a romance novel, why are you making it so depressing? She easily could have made more of them actually gay and avoided all this BS.
WHY DID IKELA AND PEDRO DIE? I know killing off insignificant characters (who are often minorities, in this case, black slaves!) is common when if furthers the storyline or character development but their deaths served no purpose. We see that Gaston is not ashamed of his sexual behaviour with Will but we already knew that? And we get a chance to see Will be the "mad" one but like really? He's just scared, as anyone would be. The whole thing was nonsense. Pedro is introduced WAY before and Will becomes determined to own him and then give him his freedom; good, sounds like will. Why then when they're so close to obtaining this objective would you kill them?
As I said in the last book, the mental illness stuff is really odd. Tying up someone when they're manic and on a ship makes sense, but most of the other stuff makes little to no sense. I can see why the author gave Gaston the backstory that she did, but I would have much preferred if he'd never slept with his sister or had issues with his sexuality tied to his trauma. If he would have just killed her and then been tortured by his dad and his mental health stuff would have been just as easily set up.
Will overcoming his rape by Shane is definitely more realistic then Gaston's mess but it happens way too fast. And then he LIKES hearing the phrase that triggers him? And he LIKES being "taken by force" because it's all from a man he loves? Super unrealistic. The author is literally fetishizing his trauma.
Will being forced to marry and have kids to keep his title makes sense and his father setting him up to fail makes sense. The actual marriage and preparation felt as awkward as they should but Gaston's reaction didn't feel quite right. Also, the "Damn Bride" was definitely not so drunk that she wouldn't notice he used a dagger handle and not his dick to "take her maidenhood" LMFAO. Also, this is our MC, we love him, why did the author make him such a villain to his wife? I really started to love this guy but the rape by deception is unforgivable to me. Also, I hate any writer who perpetuates the idea that a female has to rip and bleed to lose their virginity. Will has slept around, he knows his shit in bed, he shouldn't have made her bleed.
I'm done venting for now, I'll add more when I've finished the book later tonight.
>>> I've finished the book.
Th BDSM is so ridiculous. Why the fuck Gaston so sexually volatile? Why Is Will suddenly having flashbacks when he hasn't before? This resolving things with Alonso thing is unsatisfying. Not sure if I'l read the next book. I almost always read a whole series once I start, unless something had REALLY turned me off it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2014
Benign, yet devastating. Utterly, amazingly, complexly multi-faceted.
There are sections where it gets bleak and it's amazing, where it explores the deepest, darkest abyss of the soul in a way that is profoundly unsettling and unwittingly thought-provoking. There were times when I though, "There is no beauty in this, and yet, it's such a fundamental truth in part of what it means to be 'human.'"
There's a part that tells of, for want of a better term, new wave of recruits coming to join the Brethren, and that was devastating in its own way, and I finally understood the Somalites in Katie Waitman's The Merro Tree. I could see how some people could argue for abandoning old customs for the sake of new progress, but it just felt like observing the death of an ancient and noble empire as they transcend into - to borrow Waitman's term - celestial status. I sat there thinking, "I'd rather the Brethren be completely abolished than reduced to the Pirates of the Caribbean flavored nonsense; wonderful in its own way, I suppose, but paling completely compared to the nobility of true matelotage and the art of boucaniering."
And of course, I loved mad-Gaston. In fact, I think I like mad-Gaston more than mad-Felix.
As usual, the analogies are wonderfully complex and extremely applicable. Again and again, it has amazing insights and observations interspersed with the plot and characters. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a heart-racing thriller. Its impact is more subtle; it seems rather benign, but has facets, hidden depths, revealed depths, plumbed depths, and is, in a way, effortlessly spell-binding, even if you don't feel like it's ensnaring you.
It's also weird because there are parts that seem like they're conveying/perpetuating common M/M romance tropes, and yet, it's somehow subtly not.
And yes, I hated Sarah, just a little bi- Oh, find. A whole fucking lot. Still, I thought the way it was handled was complex and morally ambiguous and stuff.
I got rather uncomfortable when it started delving into the realm of rather BDSM-y stuff because they saw it as part of their respective madnesses, and I suppose in some way it can be construed that way, as with any and all things people do, but still. It was rather...like it was something dirty, something to be conquered, something that despite it, they still loved each other (or maybe because it, as they could endure even that). It was just the way it was perceived and conveyed.
Blah, blah, blah, something I noticed earlier and am just now pointing out -- each chapter ends with an invocation of the Gods. I believe it was so in bk 1, too. It's interesting, as MC professes to be an atheist. They actually lampshade it a bit in this book, although I don't remember exactly what they say. Something something Greco-Roman something atheist.
This sort of odd reversal of roles towards the end was really fucking weird. Really fucking weird. I basically didn't understand it at all.
There are sections where it gets bleak and it's amazing, where it explores the deepest, darkest abyss of the soul in a way that is profoundly unsettling and unwittingly thought-provoking. There were times when I though, "There is no beauty in this, and yet, it's such a fundamental truth in part of what it means to be 'human.'"
There's a part that tells of, for want of a better term, new wave of recruits coming to join the Brethren, and that was devastating in its own way, and I finally understood the Somalites in Katie Waitman's The Merro Tree. I could see how some people could argue for abandoning old customs for the sake of new progress, but it just felt like observing the death of an ancient and noble empire as they transcend into - to borrow Waitman's term - celestial status. I sat there thinking, "I'd rather the Brethren be completely abolished than reduced to the Pirates of the Caribbean flavored nonsense; wonderful in its own way, I suppose, but paling completely compared to the nobility of true matelotage and the art of boucaniering."
And of course, I loved mad-Gaston. In fact, I think I like mad-Gaston more than mad-Felix.
As usual, the analogies are wonderfully complex and extremely applicable. Again and again, it has amazing insights and observations interspersed with the plot and characters. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a heart-racing thriller. Its impact is more subtle; it seems rather benign, but has facets, hidden depths, revealed depths, plumbed depths, and is, in a way, effortlessly spell-binding, even if you don't feel like it's ensnaring you.
It's also weird because there are parts that seem like they're conveying/perpetuating common M/M romance tropes, and yet, it's somehow subtly not.
And yes, I hated Sarah, just a little bi- Oh, find. A whole fucking lot. Still, I thought the way it was handled was complex and morally ambiguous and stuff.
I got rather uncomfortable when it started delving into the realm of rather BDSM-y stuff because they saw it as part of their respective madnesses, and I suppose in some way it can be construed that way, as with any and all things people do, but still. It was rather...like it was something dirty, something to be conquered, something that despite it, they still loved each other (or maybe because it, as they could endure even that). It was just the way it was perceived and conveyed.
Blah, blah, blah, something I noticed earlier and am just now pointing out -- each chapter ends with an invocation of the Gods. I believe it was so in bk 1, too. It's interesting, as MC professes to be an atheist. They actually lampshade it a bit in this book, although I don't remember exactly what they say. Something something Greco-Roman something atheist.
This sort of odd reversal of roles towards the end was really fucking weird. Really fucking weird. I basically didn't understand it at all.
March 9, 2014
Rating: 4/5
This is a second novel in the Raised by Wolves series, following right after Brethren. Morepirates buccaneers roving and roaming the high seas, drinking and romping around ports, killing and maiming, and having lots of gay sex.
I have no idea exactly what has me so addicted to this story. There are some grammatical mistakes and even though the writing is good, it isn't brilliant or unique. The same criticisms as with the first part are still relevant. The story seems to be turning more complex as it moves along (although soap opera-ish) and in my estimation this second part doesn't have nearly enough pirating and has too much talking about emotions (eesh, they are pirates, male pirates and this has easily surpassed my too-much-talking, not-enough-fucking rule for an m/m romance).
However, somehow I'm still addicted. Will/Marsdale's view on the world is ridiculously hilarious and so are the scenarios they get into. The philosophy is a bit confusing (and uses to much animal metaphors) but makes me want to ruminate on it long after reading. Will and Gaston's relationship is destructive, violent, co-dependent, and possibly even psychotic (with D/s elements). Their romance is ridiculous, and yet entertaining and endearing to watch. The best way I can explain my attraction to this story is that it is like watching a terrible accident, it is horrible yet so fascinating that you can't take your eyes off it. And yes, I will be reading more.
This is a second novel in the Raised by Wolves series, following right after Brethren. More
I have no idea exactly what has me so addicted to this story. There are some grammatical mistakes and even though the writing is good, it isn't brilliant or unique. The same criticisms as with the first part are still relevant. The story seems to be turning more complex as it moves along (although soap opera-ish) and in my estimation this second part doesn't have nearly enough pirating and has too much talking about emotions (eesh, they are pirates, male pirates and this has easily surpassed my too-much-talking, not-enough-fucking rule for an m/m romance).
However, somehow I'm still addicted. Will/Marsdale's view on the world is ridiculously hilarious and so are the scenarios they get into. The philosophy is a bit confusing (and uses to much animal metaphors) but makes me want to ruminate on it long after reading. Will and Gaston's relationship is destructive, violent, co-dependent, and possibly even psychotic (with D/s elements). Their romance is ridiculous, and yet entertaining and endearing to watch. The best way I can explain my attraction to this story is that it is like watching a terrible accident, it is horrible yet so fascinating that you can't take your eyes off it. And yes, I will be reading more.
April 17, 2010
I was worried that this book wouldn't live up to my expectations from Brethren. I was sure that I would enjoy reading it, if for no other reason than it was more of Will and Gaston. I don't think it's possible to read Brethren without falling in love with these characters and wanting to read more. However, it seemed like most of the secrets had already been revealed in the first volume, which made me worry what could possibly be left to cover.
I need not have worried. The relationship between Will and Gaston progresses much further than I ever thought it would. The exploration of their love and it's limits (or lack thereof) is a very interesting topic for this book. Additionally, there is more sex in this book, and Will and Gaston find new ways of dealing with their issues. I still felt as though I was living in their world while reading the book, and found it extremely hard to put down.
I am anxiously awaiting book 3. If you have any doubt if you should buy this book, go buy it anyway, and go ahead and preorder book 3 for yourself. You're going to want it.
I need not have worried. The relationship between Will and Gaston progresses much further than I ever thought it would. The exploration of their love and it's limits (or lack thereof) is a very interesting topic for this book. Additionally, there is more sex in this book, and Will and Gaston find new ways of dealing with their issues. I still felt as though I was living in their world while reading the book, and found it extremely hard to put down.
I am anxiously awaiting book 3. If you have any doubt if you should buy this book, go buy it anyway, and go ahead and preorder book 3 for yourself. You're going to want it.
October 1, 2014
Huh...When I picked this series up, I thought it was testing my boundaries because of the historical feel. Turns out, it tested more than that.
The book is good. I've loved the series. But it will be a while before I pick up the next one.
There were 2 scenes that made me scream wtf?!? Both coming late in the book.
It wasn't the bdsm scene...but rather what came intimately after...OMG WTF?
It wasn't the rape scene...but what came 4 days later. Wait? What?
I don't want to list spoilers...but you'll see it.
It changed the feeling from romantic, to abusive.
I still love Will and Gaston both. But will is to quick to blame the past, than to see that there is abuse now. And Gaston, is a little to uhhhhh...not right in the head, at times, for me to even be angry at him. This is starting to become a story of a couple who enable each other, rather than help each other.
Very good book..I just feel like I've been hit with a bus, and need to heal, before I read on.
The book is good. I've loved the series. But it will be a while before I pick up the next one.
There were 2 scenes that made me scream wtf?!? Both coming late in the book.
It wasn't the bdsm scene...but rather what came intimately after...OMG WTF?
It wasn't the rape scene...but what came 4 days later. Wait? What?
I don't want to list spoilers...but you'll see it.
It changed the feeling from romantic, to abusive.
I still love Will and Gaston both. But will is to quick to blame the past, than to see that there is abuse now. And Gaston, is a little to uhhhhh...not right in the head, at times, for me to even be angry at him. This is starting to become a story of a couple who enable each other, rather than help each other.
Very good book..I just feel like I've been hit with a bus, and need to heal, before I read on.
Read
September 10, 2016This is an incredibly detailed, well researched epic. Not only is there a richness to the information about the historical setting, but the characters are so well developed, and go through such an incredible journey both in terms of actions, emotions and personal growth.
It is very long, but without this length the characters growth would not be so realistic or so well explained.
I love the analogy of the sheep and wolves, especially as this is so true in the world around us, in terms of money & power
It is very long, but without this length the characters growth would not be so realistic or so well explained.
I love the analogy of the sheep and wolves, especially as this is so true in the world around us, in terms of money & power
July 2, 2017
A las 266 páginas (de 609 en mi e-book), aquí acaba mi lectura del segundo libro de Matelots y mi lectura total de la saga de Raised By Wolves. Dentro de lo que cabe, estoy bastante contenta con el final que he elegido para mí, puesto que termina de una forma relativamente feliz y todavía no he tenido que lidiar con ninguna de las cosas problemáticas de las que personas hablaban. Sin embargo, empezaba a ver indicaciones de cosas que podían llegar a disgustarme y, sabiendo esto, prefiero a retirarme a tiempo para poder quedarme con una imagen agradable de dos personajes a los que he llegado a apreciar de todo corazón y de su relación que, hasta el momento, me ha parecido tierna y positiva para ambos.
Brethren fue una lectura que me enganchó desde el primer momento y con la que disfruté muchísimo de como Will y Gaston comenzaban su relación, revelándose los traumas de su pasado y aprendiendo a confiar en el otro. A esto se le sumaba lo interesantes que eran sus conversaciones y la cantidad de referencias filosóficas que ambos hacían (un poco de filosofía, si es del tipo interesante, siempre se agradece ^-^).
La parte de Matelots que he leído ha podido traerme algún que otro disgusto (bueno, puede que fuera más que "algún" disgusto, pero prefiero fijarme en lo bueno xD), pero en general ha sido tierno poder ver como su relación evolucionaba y exploraban nuevos aspectos de esta.
Dicho esto, no tengo ninguna intención de leer el resto del libro en un futuro próximo, puesto que tengo mucho miedo de que las cosas que suceden a continuación arruinen todas las buenas experiencias que me han traído lo que he leído hasta ahora. Si alguna vez llego a conocer a alguien cuya opinión en literatura respete y cuyos gustos sean parecidos a los míos que haya leído este libro hasta su final y lo haya disfrutado, tal vez entonces le de una oportunidad. Hasta entonces, una humilde bucanera (xD) prefiere quedarse con las aventuras vividas hasta el momento y desearles un buen viaje a Will y Gaston. ¡Que los Dioses les garanticen aguas tranquilas y muchos momentos de sanidad mental!
Brethren fue una lectura que me enganchó desde el primer momento y con la que disfruté muchísimo de como Will y Gaston comenzaban su relación, revelándose los traumas de su pasado y aprendiendo a confiar en el otro. A esto se le sumaba lo interesantes que eran sus conversaciones y la cantidad de referencias filosóficas que ambos hacían (un poco de filosofía, si es del tipo interesante, siempre se agradece ^-^).
La parte de Matelots que he leído ha podido traerme algún que otro disgusto (bueno, puede que fuera más que "algún" disgusto, pero prefiero fijarme en lo bueno xD), pero en general ha sido tierno poder ver como su relación evolucionaba y exploraban nuevos aspectos de esta.
Dicho esto, no tengo ninguna intención de leer el resto del libro en un futuro próximo, puesto que tengo mucho miedo de que las cosas que suceden a continuación arruinen todas las buenas experiencias que me han traído lo que he leído hasta ahora. Si alguna vez llego a conocer a alguien cuya opinión en literatura respete y cuyos gustos sean parecidos a los míos que haya leído este libro hasta su final y lo haya disfrutado, tal vez entonces le de una oportunidad. Hasta entonces, una humilde bucanera (xD) prefiere quedarse con las aventuras vividas hasta el momento y desearles un buen viaje a Will y Gaston. ¡Que los Dioses les garanticen aguas tranquilas y muchos momentos de sanidad mental!
February 24, 2019
I'm loving these books, so bad.
I have one niggle that keeps haunting me, so I will start with that, then the gushing begins. You have been warned!
Only issue - fade to black sex scenes.
Like, really? You write a kajillion (could be more, I don't want to go check, I might get caught up in rereading it 😮) word gay romance with morbid stuff like twincest, way too descriptive 16th century medical procedures, and posing dead bodies, but then draw the line at devoting more than a couple sentences everytime they get down?? Sounds legit. 🙄
Ok, that rant took my the wind out of my 'gushing sails' a bit.
I will say that there are very few books that I will let my guard down with and just read. I mean, these books aren't complex thrillers, or suspense filled traveling sagas. They are very simple, heartfelt character driven adventures.
I highly recommend starting this "series" of books.
Just be sure you have a good dictionary with French and Spanish translations.
The music I listened to was a mix of Flogging Molly, The Lumineers and the Dropkick Murphy's. Good stuff.
I have one niggle that keeps haunting me, so I will start with that, then the gushing begins. You have been warned!
Only issue - fade to black sex scenes.
Like, really? You write a kajillion (could be more, I don't want to go check, I might get caught up in rereading it 😮) word gay romance with morbid stuff like twincest, way too descriptive 16th century medical procedures, and posing dead bodies, but then draw the line at devoting more than a couple sentences everytime they get down?? Sounds legit. 🙄
Ok, that rant took my the wind out of my 'gushing sails' a bit.
I will say that there are very few books that I will let my guard down with and just read. I mean, these books aren't complex thrillers, or suspense filled traveling sagas. They are very simple, heartfelt character driven adventures.
I highly recommend starting this "series" of books.
Just be sure you have a good dictionary with French and Spanish translations.
The music I listened to was a mix of Flogging Molly, The Lumineers and the Dropkick Murphy's. Good stuff.
August 13, 2024
Great part two of the adventure. Nice to see further development between Will and Gaston!
April 11, 2020
DNF - I was a fool for thinking the end of the first book was the climax of Will and Gaston's issues. I believed the natural progression from rock bottom would be up, but Hoffman took me by surprise by bringing out a pickax and tunneling so much deeper that I couldn't stomach reading any more. The first rule of minecraft is to never dig directly down. Within the first 100 pages of Matelots I found myself swimming in lava.
I'll admit I overlooked a few of the sketchy topics in the first book because I really wanted to like it, but Hoffman completely retracted any tact or grace or dignity she pretended to have in the first book and all the ugliness jumps out in this one. The perversion really shines with her decision to write Will and Gaston (both 27 year old men) getting hard from the thought of having sex with a 15 year old girl. In that very same chapter Will admits to Gaston he wants to be r*ped by him, and Gaston only gets sexually aroused by the thought of having sex with Will if it's r*pe. And this is supposed to be tragic? or acceptable because they're both traumatized? Fuck off. Fuck right off. It takes a lot for me to not finish a book but this is reprehensible.
I'll admit I overlooked a few of the sketchy topics in the first book because I really wanted to like it, but Hoffman completely retracted any tact or grace or dignity she pretended to have in the first book and all the ugliness jumps out in this one. The perversion really shines with her decision to write Will and Gaston (both 27 year old men) getting hard from the thought of having sex with a 15 year old girl. In that very same chapter Will admits to Gaston he wants to be r*ped by him, and Gaston only gets sexually aroused by the thought of having sex with Will if it's r*pe. And this is supposed to be tragic? or acceptable because they're both traumatized? Fuck off. Fuck right off. It takes a lot for me to not finish a book but this is reprehensible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2013
We go deeper into their madness and into their love. Gaston and Will at least try to talk though their problems which is different from many m/m books. That saves their relationship. Their physical love also develops in this book. They are there for each other as much as their madnesses let them. I hope to follow more of Sarah's relationship also. As much as I want more of her I want the DW to disappear back to England.
It is hard to explain the appeal of this series. The MC are so strong and so flawed and fight their way into my brain and my heart. They will not let me go. I love the physical setting. I love the feeling that I am there as part of the Brethren. It is not an easy story, not a light hearted story, but a compelling one. On to Volume III.
It is hard to explain the appeal of this series. The MC are so strong and so flawed and fight their way into my brain and my heart. They will not let me go. I love the physical setting. I love the feeling that I am there as part of the Brethren. It is not an easy story, not a light hearted story, but a compelling one. On to Volume III.
Read
October 6, 2014The first one was fantastic and I don't understand what happened, but I simply cannot take any more of anything that is happening in the second one, so I'm calling it quits while I still remember how great Brethren was.
Not even one star. Minus ten stars. I'm done with this book and with the series.
Not even one star. Minus ten stars. I'm done with this book and with the series.
March 31, 2016
I give up. It's not badly written per se, but the MC is unlikeable, there isn't really any plot and from what I understood reading previews for the next books, the best things in the novel will be ruined/undone in the sequels. (Romance is dead!!!!)
Gaston is an interesting character but I will not suffer a thousand pages more just for him.
Gaston is an interesting character but I will not suffer a thousand pages more just for him.
dnf
October 13, 2016DNF @ 19%
Unfortunately, I'm DNF'ing this. I don't like where it's headed and a peak at others' reviews confirms my misgivings; and, in fact, all clues allude to another love triangle with a woman. Blech! I'm done. Other gripes: Too much philosophizing and not enough f*cking; verbal diarrhea; and co-dependency disguised as hurt/comfort.
Bottom line: sadly not for me.
Unfortunately, I'm DNF'ing this. I don't like where it's headed and a peak at others' reviews confirms my misgivings; and, in fact, all clues allude to another love triangle with a woman. Blech! I'm done. Other gripes: Too much philosophizing and not enough f*cking; verbal diarrhea; and co-dependency disguised as hurt/comfort.
Bottom line: sadly not for me.
August 5, 2013
This is an amazing saga of the Brethren of the Coast, with our two MC's, Will and Gaston, as the main interest of the story. It's adventure, romance, and a story of true love in the purest sense. I'm in awe.
December 31, 2022
Not quite as good as the first one, as it descends into ridiculous nadirs of hurt/comfort, but still long and wonderfully filled with gay pirates.
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