Dear Author » Royal-Navy

REVIEW: Coming Home for Christmas (Anthology) by Carla Kelly

Jayne — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 20:00:14 +0000

Dear Mrs. Kelly,

I know that when I start a Carla Kelly book, I’ll get a certain number of things. An honorable hero, an unflappable heroine, some idiot secondary characters who may bluster and threaten to cause the hero and heroine some problems but who usually are mainly all hot air and dismissed as the pompous stuffed shirts they are and a gentle love story of two people finding each other – often where they least expected. As this is a linked anthology, here I get this in triplicate which makes sense since all three stories involve the military and we know how much the military, the world over and throughout time, loves its paperwork.

1812 Alta California and stranded Navy surgeon Thomas Wilkie wishes he were home in Scotland rather than in the Spanish held San Diego. Here by the fortunes of war and left here as a bargaining chip when his remaining shipmates finally head north to where they hope to eventually find passage home to England via the Americans in Oregon, he tends the people of the Presideo and surrounding area since he’s the only medical man between there and Tucson. When lovely Laura Maria Ortize de la Garza finds herself ostracized due to her father’s embezzling, Thomas also finds himself in the unlikely position of savior and new husband. Can this unlikely pair discover lasting love from such a beginning?

In 1855 Crimea, widowed Lillian Wilkie Nicholls trusted what she was told – namely that this war would be over in 6 weeks. Two years later she’s still Doing Good in a hospital in Anatolia as she and wards full of wounded soldiers await their return to England. With her is American military observer Major Trey Wharton who has somehow ended up as the administrator of the hospital and who, along with Lily, doesn’t suffer fools or nitwit English surgeons gladly. Their year long friendship will be ending soon – as quickly as the wheels can turn in a military environment. Or will they find the courage to speak up before it’s too late?

1877 Fort Laramie finds Army surgeon Wilkie Nicholls Wharton far from his parents in Philadelphia but finally headed home for Christmas and his long delayed marriage to a fellow Main Line Philadelphian. His hopes for a quiet journey are dashed when he’s asked to keep an eye on lovely Frannie Coughlin who’s also headed East and then has to take responsibility for transporting Nora Powell home from her 13 years of Indian captivity to whatever relatives she still has left in Iowa. Then, just as he thinks he might still get some of his medical journals read, yet another female joins them on the train and precipitates Wilkie and Frannie’s discovery of what they really want this Christmas season.

Paying homage to Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegone denizens, in your novels the women are strong, the men are honorable, and the children are usually cute without being annoying. The “villains” are generally just thickheads and idiots who might have a higher rank but who are usually dismissible from the main action by the hero and heroine who are as incapable of intentionally hurting anyone as they are unable to turn their backs on anyone in need. It’s more fantasy than reality but it’s a lovely fantasy to sit down to and drift into for a while as I forget just how awful the latest blaring news headline is. These are people as I would love us all to be.

I enjoyed the way the stories are varied in time and location with a mix of ages, nationalities and – let’s hear it for – experience. Lily Nicholls, who misses the comforts of marriage, and Frannie Coughlin, who earlier anticipated a marriage that never happened, are frank about their wants which delights their heroes no end. One thing I wish had been expanded was the substory of the young woman being returned to white society despite her wishes. There could be a whole book in this. The delightfully devious Sultan was a fun character and Father Hilario an example of pure compassion.

When I finish reading one of your books, I might feel as if I’d had one too many pieces of sugar sweet sheet cake but I also feel happy. These are people I’d like to meet in real life – real salt of the earth sorts.The time just flew while I read about them. And thank you so much for picking varied backgrounds for the characters and locations in which to set your stories here. I still enjoy reading Regency set anthologies but something different every now and then is a real treat. B for each novella.

~Jayne

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REVIEW: Gentleman Captain by JD Davies

Jayne — Tue, 24 May 2011 19:00:04 +0000

Dear Mr. Davies,

Forgive me for not getting to your novel “Gentleman Captain” until just recently even though it was published in the US last autumn. I’ve been a fan of historical naval books for years having started the Aubrey/Maturin series (I’ll finish it one of these days, I swear!) and checking into any romance book which features a naval hero. But, let me be honest, I’m getting a wee bit tired of All Napoleonic Wars, All the Time. So when I saw that your book is set during the Restoration, I was determined to read it. Okay, okay it took me a while but I’m all over Matthew Quinton and his thinning hair now.

It’s 1662 and King Charles II though restored to his throne still sits uneasily on it. As well, the country is slowly and painfully starting to work out how to meld the two sides of the recent bloody Civil War back together again. One area where this is quite evident is in the Royal Navy where young Matthew Quinton manages to lose his first command to an inept ship’s master, terrifically bad weather and his own ignorance of sea craft. Six months later King Charles gives Matthew a chance to redeem himself.

Matthew, who above all else wants a commission in the Horse Guards and who views time in the Navy mere filler, is to command the Jupiter which along with the larger ship Royal Martyr, under the command of a reformed Commonwealth man, is to sail around Cornwall and up to the west coast of Scotland where reports say that a large shipment of arms is to be landed for some people whose loyalties aren’t entirely clear. Charles wants the kibosh put on this as he has no intention of losing his throne and being forced into exile again.

Matthew arrives on the Jupiter backed by the King’s commission but still painfully ignorant of ships, the sea and much else about the Navy. Something which his new crew immediately picks up on. Matthew also has to deal with his new Lieutenant’s endless harping on and investigations into the death of the former captain of the ship – who was also his uncle, a death that more than a few are determined to prove was murder.

As the journey begins, Matthew starts to learn more about sailing and ships, more about the death of the man whose place he took and much more about Scottish politics and clan feuds than he ever dreamed existed. Can he survive the experience which is rapidly becoming far deadlier and more wide reaching than anyone in Whitehall ever had nightmares about?

From the opening line of Chapter 1 I knew I was going to like Matthew. He’s got that wry British sense of humor and sarcasm, he readily admits to his faults and failings, he loves his wife, he gives credit where it’s due and he turns out to be a better man then even he dreamed he could be.

The whole book is a history lesson of not only the Restoration and the Civil War but also of how the modern British Navy came into being. But it’s not boring! It’s not dry or droning. It’s relevant to the story and it’s fascinating to see the evolution of what I already knew a little about. It wasn’t quite “Rule, Britannia” just yet. It’s also presented so that landlubbers have a good chance of actually understanding it all. And as a bonus, I get Corryvrecken! I know Corryvrecken because I know “I Know Where I’m Going.” My goodness I’m getting exited. I hardly ever use this many exclamation points in a review.

One aspect – which I guess is one of the main ones in the book – that caught my interest is the fact that at this time, there were two such different styles of captains. The lower class tarpaulins who through talent and skill rose to prominence during the Commonwealth and the upper-class gentlemen who often didn’t know their nautical ass from their elbows. I also enjoyed reading about the variety in the crew of the Jupiter and especially about the men from Cornwall. I hope we’ll see more of them in the future.

The seeds of what is afoot are sprinkled throughout the narrative in such a way that individually, they remain rather nebulous but when the final piece is fitted into place the scales really do fall and reveal a cunning plot. The final sea battle is riveting even if the Jupiter’s salvation depends on a deus ex machina. It wasn’t a total surprise but it was an awfully big coincidence.

I had a feeling that Matthew would find his sea legs and change his mind about his future. But I hope that some of the questions left unanswered – chiefly what happened between the Dowager Countess of Ravensden and Glenrannoch – are cleared up. And you’ve promised us Pepys – I’ll hold you to that and look forward to it. And maybe Matthew will earn some prize money and repair the Abbey roof before it crashes down on them while they’re eating. B+

~Jayne

REVIEW: The Admiral’s Penniless Bride by Carla Kelly

Jayne — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:10:34 +0000

Dear Mrs. Kelly,

I see a book by you and I’m like Pavlov’s dogs – minus the barking. And the book then automatically goes on my list of “this will be read soon, if not sooner.” And though each one might not always climb the heights of my best reads for that year, you seldom fail to entertain me or move me.

Sally Sophie Paul is literally hanging on by her last threadbare thread. Widowed five years ago when false accusations against her husband drove him to suicide, she’s eked out a living as a ladies companion until, having spent her penultimate coin traveling to Plymouth, she finds her new job eliminated by the death of the elderly client.

Retired Admiral Sir Charles Bright is desperate when he notices the quiet woman in the corner of the Drake. His years of reading his crew and the idiots at the Admiralty have taught him to be a good judge of character and this woman obviously needs his help as much as he needs hers. Unbidden and unwanted, his two older sisters have decided to take on his marriage as a project – whether he wants to get spliced or not – and the woman to whom he proposed in a marriage of convenience hasn’t shown up. So perhaps this young woman will do.

At first, an incredulous Sally declines the Admiral’s proposal but when there are no jobs to be had and the workhouse looms, she finally agrees. And what starts out as a business arrangement swiftly becomes much more. Each feels amazed that it appears love will bloom where neither expected it but just as they’re accepting their good fortune, a secret Sophie has kept threatens not only their marriage but also Charles reputation.

One thing I must comment on, and I know that this isn’t your fault, is the cover. Charles suffered an injury early in his Naval career which is featured throughout the story yet it’s not pictured correctly. If the cover had been flipped, then yeah it’s fine but usually Harlequin is better about stuff like this. Okay, that’s out of the way.

Charles and Sophie are such dear people, such caring people, such responsible people that it’s a delight to watch them find each other and do good, both in their own household and in the neighborhood. They save orphans from abuse, they rescue people from the workhouse and former sailors from begging on the streets. They visit those who were never visited and bring closure to one who grieved over a lost son for years. They’re practically perfect. And just a touch unbelievable in their perfection.

But then Charles does get to throw a wonderful, thunderous rage when Sophie’s secret comes to light. And based on what he knows at the time, I can totally understand his reaction. However, literally overnight, he Sees the Light, totally believes Sophie’s version of events and contritely tries to regroup and attempt a do-over. Bully for Sophie that she sticks to her guns and follows what she told him she’d do in her letter. Until Charles finally gets his act together and they reconcile. But I guess that’s why it’s called unconditional love – you forgive and forget without question.

You do throw a slight change into the book by having what can be considered “an insider” end up being the villain of the piece. And it is nice to see an older hero and (somewhat older) heroine be featured. I also liked the fact that there is no magical justice meted out for the wrong of five years ago. Life sucks sometimes and here is an example.

But oh my, the crying in this book. If someone isn’t tearing up, crying, or sobbing then they’re sobbing in someone’s arms. I lost count. It got to the point where I was waiting for the blubbering to commence. If the whole household ever gets weepy at the same time, there won’t be enough handkerchiefs in the entire county of Devonshire to mop up the tears. Somehow, I just don’t see a bookful of English – and one French – characters getting this publicly emotional, to this extent, in 1816.

So though I enjoyed how amazing Charles and Sophie are and how much they come to love each other and can see them happily sitting out on their terrace watching the sea, I do have some issues with the book. I liked it, it is what I’ve come to – more or less – expect from you but it has a “same old” feel to it. Long time fans will no doubt lap it up as quickly as I did but they shouldn’t look for anything truly new or different in the tone or style. B-

~Jayne

REVIEW: The Surgeon’s Lady by Carla Kelly

Jayne — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:00:46 +0000

Dear Mrs. Kelly,

I’ve been a fan of yours for years. Back “in the day” when the traditional Regency still ruled and I could look forward to a book a year from your pen – or typewriter or hard drive – I was living the good life. But then came the bad years, the years when that line of books was dropped and we Kelly fans had to content ourselves with slowly doling out the few unread books of yours in our stashes. Then bliss! Three books due out this year and the old song “Anticipation” began running through my brain.

“The Surgeon’s Lady” picks up where “Marrying the Captain” left off. It’s a few months later and Nana Worthy has reached out to her two half siblings – all of them the illegitimate daughters of a true slime ball. But where Nana had a home to flee to when daddy dearest offered her to clear his latest gambling debts, Laura, the eldest, had no one to champion her. She suffered through a marriage from hell which was finally cut short when her much older husband died after years of invalidity.

Laura finally has the courage to read Nana’s letter and, before she can talk herself out of it, decides to visit her new found sister. It’s here that she meets Surgeon Philemon Brittle, son of Oliver Worthy’s sailing master. Phil has seen many wounded people during his career as a Navy surgeon but few as emotionally damaged as Laura. Can he persuade her to take a second chance on marriage even as he turns her into a ward matron at the busy Plymouth Naval Hospital?

After reading the first book, I had the impression that the elder daughter had become some man’s mistress however this was quickly dispelled on page one. But though Laura had been married, she still suffered from her husband’s verbal abuse and physical efforts to get an heir on her. I wouldn’t have blamed her for settling into a well deserved widowhood and enjoying the estate and money left to her.

But Laura wants and needs to feel needed. To know that she’s making a difference. And she is offered plenty of chances once Philemon gets his hands on her – so to speak. She can’t say that she doesn’t know what the job will entail after the first afternoon visiting some of the injured men from Oliver’s ship which sank after a run in with a French ship of the line. Lots and lots of body fluids, near death and the heartbreak of seeing men cut down in their prime by war.

Philemon and his fellow surgeons and mates have to deal with what has plagued military medical personnel to this day – too many wounded, too many dying, too little staff, too few supplies, and a bureaucracy more interested in penny pinching and rank pulling then in helping those who answered their country’s call during wartime. The more things change the more they stay the same.

But it’s Laura who helps ease his mind and heart by listening to his venting, by helping on the wards and by slowly, tentatively, returning his love. If she had immediately fallen for him and jumped into the sack, I would have been crying foul given her marital history. As it is, poor Philemon is a candidate for sainthood for being willing to wait out her fears of saying “yes” much less agreeing to be his wife in all senses of the word. But once she’s over her reluctance, wow do these two enjoy themselves. While never depicted in a sordid or purple fashion, we clearly see that their marital relations are rocking the house.

The medical aspects of the book are realistic without being too gory. And I find myself amazed that anyone could survive the horrific wounds of battle given the state of medical knowledge of the time. As Philemon says, his opportunities to deliver babies are a nice and welcome break from pronouncing death at the hospital even if he pisses Nana off by grabbing a few well earned hours of sleep while she waits for her contractions to intensify.

One thing I wondered about is how easily Laura takes to her new job. Sure she has one or two moments when she breaks down crying over the stress but I can’t help but think of the long delayed PTSD suffered by the medical staff of Vietnam who faced similar situations. Okay, okay, this is a romance and I shouldn’t let Lynda Van Devanter’s biography influence me but it does.

And would all of Laura’s servants have been willing to leave their comfy positions at her estate to nurse, cook for and what-not the sailors? All of them? I’ll be honest and say that at one point, I was convinced that someone had replaced all the hardened Navy tars in the hospital with choirboys. The wounded men were just so sweet and kind and grateful to Laura. It felt way too Disney. Then you tossed in a subplot that dispelled this to some degree. Though I hated to see Laura in danger, it added a bit more realism in an age when captains controlled the tougher elements on their ships with the lash.

But as frightening as this event was for Laura, the worst thing for her has to be what Philemon demands of her when the jolly boats finally bring her face to face with her past. I would have hated him for a moment too. And still think that the slime ball got off too easily. But Laura and Nana are at least at peace now which has to help them finally close that chapter of their lives.

As Nana learned that “everything fits” in the last book so Laura learns that “everything can be washed off” in this one. As well, she discovers that she’s met and married the one man she can trust in a world in which she’s never been able to trust anyone to be on her side. Though Philemon and Laura both come off as too noble at times, watching them champion each other felt like a balm and massage after a hard day. Soothing and satisfying. B

~Jayne

This book can be purchased in mass market from an independent bookstore or ebook format from the Sony Store and other etailers.

REVIEW: Marrying the Captain by Carla Kelly

Jayne — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:00:46 +0000

Dear Mrs. Kelly,

I admit right off the bat that I’m a Kellyphile from way back. Once I got back into reading romance years ago, friends of mine praised your trad Regency books and after the first one I read (“Reforming Lord Ragsdale”), I had to have them all. It’s a lot easier, and cheaper, to be able to buy them new. So imagine my delight to learn that you have not just one but TWO new releases this year. Nirvana….bliss…Snoopy happy dance….

Eleanor “Nana” Massie is a hardworking young woman. She really has no choice since the small inn in Plymouth owned by her Gran is her only home in the world. But it’s tucked back from the waterfront, far from foot traffic and the ships of the Royal Navy and times are hard. There’s little leisure traveling by civilians and the blockade being kept up by the warships means they’re not in port except for dire emergencies.

And it’s only such an emergency – actually an idiot fellow captain who accidentally ran his ship into the stern of HMS Tireless – that brings Captain Oliver Worthy back to port. While in London at the Admiralty House, he is asked something strange. Viscount Ratliffe, to whom Oliver reports, asks if Oliver will stay at certain inn and check on Ratliffe’s wayward, natural daughter then send him a report. Oliver’s never liked the man – there’s just something about him – but he agrees and heads towards Plymouth.

When he arrives, two things are apparent to him. One, he’s desperately ill with the throat and ear infections common to deep water sailors and two Nana Massie is the loveliest young woman he’s seen in ages. If he has to stay in port while his ship is being repaired, he couldn’t have landed at a better place. Pete, an old sailor who works there, can mix up a foul concoction that seems to be helping Oliver’s infection, Nana is a delight to be around but Gran takes the time, more than once, to warn him that she’s told Nana all about men of the Royal Navy.

For it was a young lieutenant who got Gran’s daughter in a bad way and she’s determined not to see Nana head down the same path. Oliver is initially fine with this as he’s long sworn never to marry and risk his wife becoming a widow. Sea life, even in peacetime, is rough and when England is at war, the risks are monumental. During his enforced stay while his ship is repaired, the feeling that made Oliver wary of Ratliffe’s request begins to bother Oliver even more. He knows Ratliffe is up to something but is it against Nana or England? Or both?

This is a charming, low key book about two wonderful people falling in love. I would agree with Mrs. Giggles that Oliver Worthy is an upright guy, doing a hard job and not asking for huzzahs or recognition for it. It’s a job, he does it and that’s the end of it. Given what he knows about the current situation in Spain, his impatience to get back to it drives him day and night. Nana Massie is the type of woman who sees a need and then quietly takes care of it. She’s no drama queen or prima donna demanding special handling. If anything, these two are sometimes almost too self effacing but in modern terms, they’d both be the “go to” type of person sought out when the boss needed something difficult done yesterday.

The details of life on a ship in the Navy add a lot to the ‘feel’ of the book. I’ve always thought that your stories about military men were among the best that you’ve written. These are iron men in wooden ships who tirelessly work day after week after month under horrible conditions to do what they’re ordered to do. I was rather surprised about the shore leave aspect. I guess Oliver’s men really do love him as a commander and source of riches. I vaguely recall reading that men in the Navy usually had a better life than the Army grunts. Regular food, crappy as it was, the chance of prize money and better odds at surviving.

Gran seemed more of a marshmallow for someone who’d been raised in Plymouth and had to work all her life. She did have A Talk with Oliver about Nana but I just expected her to act a little tougher instead of blubbering on about the dried up old governess who never took dinner with them.

I enjoyed the kind of earthy humor and ease with day to day life that we see. Nana starts out a bit shy in their marriage bed but quickly warms up and insists on getting her full share. You don’t veer away from the fact of chamber pots, nausea inducing hackney travel or clothes washed in sea water. While a full bore presentation of historical life would probably not be pleasant to read, these little touches make the story feel more real and less “dress up.” But I have to wonder – would Nana have heard of Scheherazade?

The spy aspect of the plot was hinted at for a lot of the book. It made me think of the age old dilemma of what to do with people living in your country who originated in the country of your enemy. Unfortunately, it’s something we still haven’t totally resolved. Though I was glad that the spying took a back-seat to the main action of the relationship between Oliver and Nana, I did laugh at the justice meted out to the spies. Oliver shows a delicious dark streak here and willingness to fight to protect those he loves.

As I said earlier, Oliver and Nana are basically good, decent people. But have they no faults? No maddening habits? No knuckle cracking or leaving wet towels tossed on the floor, even?

Mrs. Giggles also brings up a good point that much ado seemed to be made about Nana’s bastardy but in reality, she appears to suffer very little for it. The people of Plymouth obviously adored her, it didn’t seem to affect the custom of the inn, and Oliver brushed it off with little thought.

But for all my nitpicking, this book is classic Carla Kelly. We see into the thoughts of Nana and Oliver almost to a first person POV. I think this helps your readers watch Oliver and Nana fall for each other. There’re no “out of the blue” declarations of love here. No “why is this character suddenly acting like that” moments to contend with. And for me, this is wonderful.

Readers new to your work will be happy to know that you have a substantial backlist for them to search for – even if the search could prove a bit expensive. Long time fans can look forward to the kind of story they’ve come to love. And I plan on buying a copy of the book, even after Harlequin provided me with a reading copy for free. And I think that says it all. B+

~Jayne

This book can be purchased in mass market from Amazon or ebook format.

REVIEW: Beau Crusoe by Carla Kelly

Janine — Thu, 24 May 2007 22:00:19 +0000

Dear Ms. Kelly,

I have enjoyed several of your books in the past, so I rejoiced to hear that you had a new book coming out. Beau Crusoe is the story of James Trevenen, a naval officer shipwrecked on a deserted island where he spent five years in isolation. To hold on to his sanity, James began observing a subspecies of crabs that he named the Gloriosa Jubilate, and wrote a treatise about them.

After his rescue by missionaries, James returned home to find his mother had died. He retired to his estate in Cornwall, but when the Royal Society wanted to award him the Copley medal for his treatise on the crabs, James decided to come to London for a two-week stay, during which he will receive the medal.

Beau Crusoe begins when the eccentric (some might even say kooky) Lord and Lady Watchmere prepare to host James in their London home at the request of Sir Joseph Banks of the Royal Academy. Lord Watchmere wants his daughter, Susannah, to act as James's escort. Years earlier Susannah ran off to Gretna Green with her father's secretary. The two of them then sailed to India, where Susannah's husband died in a cholera epidemic, leaving the pregnant Susannah to return home.

Now, Susannah and by extension her young son Noah are persona non grata to the ton, and Susannah's family has not forgiven her for the scandal she caused. Susannah's sister Loisa is particularly angry at Susannah, whom she blames for depriving her of the chance at finding a husband of her own. Loisa's anger is directed not only at Susannah, but even at Susannah's child.

At the same time, James is on his way to London when he helps a dandy, Sir Percival, put out a minor fire. Sir Percival is convinced that James saved his life and he dubs James "Beau Crusoe–? and determines to repay the favor. James meanwhile is haunted by the ghost of one of the men he sailed with before his shipwreck. He literally sees the specter who reminds him of a painful and traumatic time.

When James arrives in London, he is drawn to Susannah but taken aback when her godfather, Sir Joseph Banks, charges him with three tasks to accomplish in his two weeks in London: Get rid of the toucans in Lord Watchmere's foyer, do something about Loisa, and marry Susannah.

Between them, James and Susannah agree that two weeks is far too short a time to fall in love, but it isn't long before James releases the toucans and does something about Loisa– and before Susannah realizes that underneath his capable exterior James suffers deeply, and that she wants to help him cope with that pain.

As usual, you write with the clarity, precision and smoothness that make reading your words a pleasure. You also create sympathetic characters in both James and Susannah. James' struggle to hold on to his sanity is portrayed with psychological insight and I shared Susannah's desire to see him overcome the torment his past caused him.

Susannah's young son, Noah, was a delightful character and the bond between mother and son came across beautifully. I was less delighted by Loisa; her quick transformation from a woman who had spent years angry not only at her sister but also at her sister's child to a loyal advocate to Susannah was not convincing to me.

I liked the character of Sir Joseph Banks and enjoyed the inclusion of the Royal Academy and the Admiralty in the story. These are aspects of the Regency that I haven't seen portrayed very often.

My least favorite character was Lady Audley, with whom James had a fling on board ship on his way back to England. There were no shades of gray in this character, and I really would have liked some. I couldn't help but feel that Lady Audley was being condemned for being sexually active and assertive.

The details of James' past trauma were extremely disturbing, and even though I sympathized with James I did not enjoy reading about what had happened to him. I did like the details of his survival on his island and the ways he kept himself sane, such as reciting the articles of war. I would have liked more details of life on that island, not only because it would have been interesting, but because I felt that those five years should have been more prominent in James's mind.

Some of humor involving Sir Percival and his mother was quite funny, but I also felt that other attempts at humor, such as a scene involving a cat, fell flat for me. The humorous elements did not always mesh well with the gritty ones.

The relationship between Susannah and James did not feel as romantic as I had hoped it would. I had the impression that Susannah was mothering James much of the time, and that he was seeking comfort from her more than true love.

Lastly, I felt that James and Susannah made a very hasty decision at the end of the book about how to live out the next few years, something that would have required more thought and discussion for them given all that they had been through. The ending of the book left me with some doubts about James’s ability to recover from the truama that haunted him.

The writing itself and some of the characterization in Beau Crusoe is truly superior, but I did not enjoy the book as much as I wish I had. Back in March Jayne reviewed this book and gave it a B, and I regret that my own grade for Beau Crusoe is lower, a C+. Still, I am very glad to see you writing again, and look forward to your next book.

Sincerely,

Janine

REVIEW: Beau Crusoe by Carla Kelly

Jayne — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 10:00:24 +0000

Dear Mrs Kelly,

I was upset when I learned Signet wouldn’t be publishing any more of your delightful regencies. Then elated to hear the news that you’d been picked up by Harlequin Historicals. Then pissed when that line was due to close. Then happy when they reversed that decision then frustrated to learn the wait for “Beau Crusoe” would be 6 months, then a year. In other words, I’ve been waiting for this one. While it ends up not being one of my favorites, it’s still well worth the wait.

Lt James Trevenen gets his first command when HMS Orion splits open on a coral reef somewhere in the South Pacific. Out of the total ship’s complement, only 5 men make it into the long boat and only James is an officer, hence it’s his command. After two weeks with no food or fresh water, things get desperate. After three weeks James alone makes it alive to the small island he will call home for the next five years. To save his sanity, he begins to study and document the small crabs that live in the tidal pools of the island. After five years of solitude, missionaries find him. Upon his return to England, his treatise is published and he finds himself journeying to London to receive the prestigious Copley medal from the Royal Society. Yet darker things than just being shipwrecked haunt James.

Susannah Parks is also a woman who’s known solitude though hers was inflicted upon her by society. Seven years ago she shocked the ton by eloping with her father’s secretary. After traveling to India to join the East India Company, she was quickly widowed by cholera. After the birth of her son Noah, she traveled back to England to find doors closed not only to her but her family as well. Now she spends her days painting flora specimens brought back to the Royal Society and enduring her unmarried older sister’s anger and her flighty parents’ neglect. When her godfather, a Society Fellow, requests that the Alderson family host James for the two weeks before his presentation, Susannah is apprehensive of the snubs she may endure since she is Not Received yet allows that since she is a) widowed and b) has more sense than her parents, she is the only one capable of doing so.

And so two solitary souls find each other. But is two weeks enough time to uncover all their deeply buried pain much less decide if a HEA might be in their future?

I can immediately see the difference between the shorter more circumscribed books that Signet published and this longer HH book. Some authors haven’t made the transition to longer books as well as you have. I’ve seen complaints about the bawdier scenes in this novel as well as the secret horror that haunts James. Not me. I felt the scenes showing James’ return to civilization fit with the fact that he’s basically been in solitary confinement for five years in addition to being an otherwise healthy young man who’s been in the Navy since he was eight. Would many single men balk at being presented with the opportunity for no strings sex? And to his credit, James quickly figures out that he regrets what he’s done and at the first chance, he leaves temptation behind. And while the later scenes between James and Susannah can’t hold an erotic candle to some ebooks I’ve read lately, they are held until after there is an emotional bond between the two making them that much more moving for me.

I also like the scenes between Susannah and her young son and sometime champion, Noah. They are pretty much all each other has had for six years and their closeness shows. And James’s interactions with Noah show us what a good father he’ll be instead of you just telling us. I like that James is portrayed as a man of action keeping character with how Navy men would be. There’s no time for group meetings or soliciting opinions when a ship is going down. Thank goodness you have the Susannah’s elopement actually causing repercussions. So often, romance characters flout conventions then are never shown suffering any consequences from their acts. How often can these accepted rules be ignored or crossed without somebody paying the price?

The tension with Tim scenes are great. I had an idea based on what people were saying about the book as to what had happened but you kept the emotion mounting and ratcheting higher with each scene. In addition, I loved the confrontation scene in the Admiralty and feel that it’s a bit more realistic than the one in Miss Whittier. Loisa is great here. I did wonder if James could have seen the apparitions as much as he did and not have it be noticed. Well, since most of the time they showed up at night and in his dreams, maybe.

Yet even with all the things I enjoyed about the book, I had some niggles. Loisa changes too quickly for me. Yes, there are signs that, after six years, she’s not sustaining her anger at Susannah for ruining her marriage chances but to go from still hateful to a caring, loving, nurturing woman that fast strains my credulity. And there’s lots of stuff that happens and gets changed in such a short amount of time (2 weeks).

Then after surviving the shipwreck and five years of island living, would he be able to risk this again for himself much less the woman he loves and her child? Really?

Why would Loisa agree to eloping to Scotland? Why not just have a small, private marriage ceremony and avoid the exact same scandal her sister had instigated years ago and then endured? Loisa and her chosen groom are going to face enough problems without adding to them.

The story is nice mixture of dark and light, horror and humor. Your style gives us added insight into the characters and their thoughts but perhaps each main character is too intuitive while some secondary ones are thick as bricks? James and Susannah often astound me with how much they can read of the other and the quick understanding they have of each other’s hidden anguish and problems. While it avoids misunderstandings, it’s like watching psychologists delve into a patient’s problems and immediately know what’s wrong.

While “Beau Crusoe” isn’t flawless, it’s still wonderful to see a new book of yours. I hope that the wait for the next one isn’t as long and look forward to what you have in store for us.

~Jayne