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NB: I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program, but that has not affected the content of my review.
I curse this book for breaking my streak of writing reviews within about a day or so of finishing the books. This book has singlehandedly caused me to be six reviews behind, and counting. Grrrr.
Mostly I think this is because when I feel so apathetic about a book, neither really liking or disliking it, it’s hard to work up enough energy to actually sit down and think up things to say. And I feel doubly bad about that in this case since I did receive the book for free.
Honor Bound is a historical romance novel set just after the French Revolution, and its heroine, Jeannette Boucher, is the daughter of French nobility who barely escaped the guillotine by fleeing to England. She marries a wealthy English lord in exchange for security for her impoverished family, but on the wedding night she learns that her husband is impotent, and in order to secure an heir for himself, he’s persuaded a few friends of his into their marriage bed. Jeannette flees into the night, ending up a stowaway on an English navy ship, and in the care of Lt. Treynor Crawford, a cynical bastard. She disguises herself as a boy and plans to spend the two day trip to London as quietly as possible. Of course things go wrong, and of course the two of them are attracted to one another, and blah blah you know how this goes if you’ve ever read a romance novel at all.
Before I get to all the stuff I had problems with, I do want to say that I was impressed by the level of historical detail included here. Usually in this kind of book, the violence is toned down, and any connection to actual history is almost non-existent. But Novak actually makes things feel pretty real. The ship smelled and its inhabitants were dirty. When a battle occurs midway through, it has actual stakes. She also had a good grasp on how soldiers of the day might actually behave.
But verisimilitude only extended so far. Her characters and the story they are participating in are about as cliché as you can get for this type of book. Everything was predictable. The hero was tortured by his mysterious bastard past. The jealous rival who acts like an idiot just so our heroes can have someone to play off of. The heroine even had the requisite purple eyes. Sometimes cliché is okay (even welcome!) as long as it’s aware of what it’s doing, but the tone of the thing read like it was taking itself entirely too seriously, and like it was unaware that everything it was doing had been done before ad nauseum. And to make matters worse, it didn’t even give us the one thing we’d been waiting for the entire book. There was NO SEX.
And look, I’ve read chaste romance novels before. Even enjoyed them and list some of them among my favorites! But this was not one of those. There was everything BUT sex here. If you’re going to bother describing almost sex (you know, nakedness, groping, humping, all that fun stuff), and your characters themselves have no moral objection to it, at least do your readers the favor of giving them what you promise and tease throughout and let your stupid characters bone already.
Anyway, I still plan on checking out Novak’s Through the Smoke sometime in the future. I had that book on my to-read list long before I won this one. I really hope it’s a better example of her work than this was. All in all, it wasn’t really bad, but if you’re looking for a great romance novel, I’d definitely recommend other books long before this one.
[2.5 stars]
I curse this book for breaking my streak of writing reviews within about a day or so of finishing the books. This book has singlehandedly caused me to be six reviews behind, and counting. Grrrr.
Mostly I think this is because when I feel so apathetic about a book, neither really liking or disliking it, it’s hard to work up enough energy to actually sit down and think up things to say. And I feel doubly bad about that in this case since I did receive the book for free.
Honor Bound is a historical romance novel set just after the French Revolution, and its heroine, Jeannette Boucher, is the daughter of French nobility who barely escaped the guillotine by fleeing to England. She marries a wealthy English lord in exchange for security for her impoverished family, but on the wedding night she learns that her husband is impotent, and in order to secure an heir for himself, he’s persuaded a few friends of his into their marriage bed. Jeannette flees into the night, ending up a stowaway on an English navy ship, and in the care of Lt. Treynor Crawford, a cynical bastard. She disguises herself as a boy and plans to spend the two day trip to London as quietly as possible. Of course things go wrong, and of course the two of them are attracted to one another, and blah blah you know how this goes if you’ve ever read a romance novel at all.
Before I get to all the stuff I had problems with, I do want to say that I was impressed by the level of historical detail included here. Usually in this kind of book, the violence is toned down, and any connection to actual history is almost non-existent. But Novak actually makes things feel pretty real. The ship smelled and its inhabitants were dirty. When a battle occurs midway through, it has actual stakes. She also had a good grasp on how soldiers of the day might actually behave.
But verisimilitude only extended so far. Her characters and the story they are participating in are about as cliché as you can get for this type of book. Everything was predictable. The hero was tortured by his mysterious bastard past. The jealous rival who acts like an idiot just so our heroes can have someone to play off of. The heroine even had the requisite purple eyes. Sometimes cliché is okay (even welcome!) as long as it’s aware of what it’s doing, but the tone of the thing read like it was taking itself entirely too seriously, and like it was unaware that everything it was doing had been done before ad nauseum. And to make matters worse, it didn’t even give us the one thing we’d been waiting for the entire book. There was NO SEX.
And look, I’ve read chaste romance novels before. Even enjoyed them and list some of them among my favorites! But this was not one of those. There was everything BUT sex here. If you’re going to bother describing almost sex (you know, nakedness, groping, humping, all that fun stuff), and your characters themselves have no moral objection to it, at least do your readers the favor of giving them what you promise and tease throughout and let your stupid characters bone already.
Anyway, I still plan on checking out Novak’s Through the Smoke sometime in the future. I had that book on my to-read list long before I won this one. I really hope it’s a better example of her work than this was. All in all, it wasn’t really bad, but if you’re looking for a great romance novel, I’d definitely recommend other books long before this one.
[2.5 stars]
? Stars - I recommend if you enjoy historical romance with quite a bit of action/adventure... however a caution that the ending may leave you disgruntled...
This story follows Jeanette, a young Frenchwoman living in England. She must marry to secure her family's fate during the war, and she must marry a much older man to do so. On her wedding night, she finds out that her husband has horrible things planned for her, and she flees. Taking refuge on a naval ship, she disguises herself as a boy in hopes of making it to her English relative in London. Lieutenant Treynor was a cabin boy once himself, and takes pity on the boy, but once he discovers that the cabin boy is in fact a woman he must decide whether to follow his instinct, or the rules of his job.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was action packed, it was steamy from time to time... I enjoyed that it took place mostly on a ship, I kind of have a thing for the pirates movies (disheveled Commodore Norrington, anyone?), and even though this is not about pirates.. I liked that setting quite a bit. There was a lot of good detail about life on a ship, duties for the ship's crew, historical details related to the war, etc. which I really appreciated. I liked the characters, though we never found out very much about Treynor's past. I liked Jeanette too, though it has moments where you roll your eyes, and go "Jeannette... why?! That's a dumb thing to do on a ship where you have no idea what's going on...!" - but she was also pretty brave, and tried to stick up for herself. I found the romance to be a wee bit questionable from time to time, mostly I think because the time period is very, "I own you because you're my wife"... but ... it wasn't too terrible. Then it just ended (SPOILER) like a Jane Austen novel, or an "inspirational romance".. they get married, and then the author skips the wedding night...! which I found super confusing... and mildly enraging after you know, 11 hours of reading... waiting for the characters to *finally* be together. To clarify, I love Austen, and I enjoy "inspirational romance"... but when you go to the trouble of describing A LOT of other romantic bits, and then don't give the readers the full thing...? Rude. Oy. I cannot even. So the story was good, but the ending fell flat for me. Blargh. I'm too frustrated to give this a rating.
This story follows Jeanette, a young Frenchwoman living in England. She must marry to secure her family's fate during the war, and she must marry a much older man to do so. On her wedding night, she finds out that her husband has horrible things planned for her, and she flees. Taking refuge on a naval ship, she disguises herself as a boy in hopes of making it to her English relative in London. Lieutenant Treynor was a cabin boy once himself, and takes pity on the boy, but once he discovers that the cabin boy is in fact a woman he must decide whether to follow his instinct, or the rules of his job.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was action packed, it was steamy from time to time... I enjoyed that it took place mostly on a ship, I kind of have a thing for the pirates movies (disheveled Commodore Norrington, anyone?), and even though this is not about pirates.. I liked that setting quite a bit. There was a lot of good detail about life on a ship, duties for the ship's crew, historical details related to the war, etc. which I really appreciated. I liked the characters, though we never found out very much about Treynor's past. I liked Jeanette too, though it has moments where you roll your eyes, and go "Jeannette... why?! That's a dumb thing to do on a ship where you have no idea what's going on...!" - but she was also pretty brave, and tried to stick up for herself. I found the romance to be a wee bit questionable from time to time, mostly I think because the time period is very, "I own you because you're my wife"... but ... it wasn't too terrible. Then it just ended (SPOILER) like a Jane Austen novel, or an "inspirational romance".. they get married, and then the author skips the wedding night...! which I found super confusing... and mildly enraging after you know, 11 hours of reading... waiting for the characters to *finally* be together. To clarify, I love Austen, and I enjoy "inspirational romance"... but when you go to the trouble of describing A LOT of other romantic bits, and then don't give the readers the full thing...? Rude. Oy. I cannot even. So the story was good, but the ending fell flat for me. Blargh. I'm too frustrated to give this a rating.
Title: Honor Bound (galley title The Bastard)
Author: Brenda Novak
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Set in 1794, Jeanette the daughter of a family dispossessed French aristocracy has been married off to regain a bit of wealth for her family, however, her husband is impotent and has made plans to compromise her in the most heinous way in his quest for an heir. Intent on escaping this fate she flees and disguises herself as a boy to stow away on a ship in Her Magesty’s navy. In the same time, Lieutenant Crawford Treynor, the bastard son of a wayward marquise had been raised by a famer and maltreated until he ran away to join the navy. Now, he seeks to captain his own ship, however the presence of Jeanette has him in a quandary. What shall he do? Turn her over or risk everything to save her?
Review: Brenda Novak has spun a stirring tale of intrigue, romance and absolute wonder. The relationship between Jeanette and Treynor is almost entirely typical of all romance novels. However, this story is action packed and absolutely stunning in its imagery.
Jeanette has been married off out of obligation to her family, and having survived France’s Revolution, her family, a member of the dispossessed aristocracy, she is now in England. Still bearing their title, but they are impoverished, Jeanette is determined to relieve the hardships plaguing her family in her marriage to Lord St. Ives. However, there is a hitch in the plan that is over heard by her brother, and causes Jeanette to flee the home of her husband and attempting to get into London where her influential cousin resides.
Lieutenant Crawford Treynor is the bastard son of Lady Bedford, and was raised by a famer who mistreated him and such mistreatment caused him to run away at the age of fourteen and join the Royal Navy. He moved quickly through the ranks from cabin boy to lieutenant, his life had not been easy, but he is a man of honor and has earned the respect of his men. It is while The Tempest is moored in Plymoth that Jeanette learns that it will be sailing for London, she disguises herself as a thirteen-year-old boy and signs on as one of the crew.
Two days on a ship to London is easier and a quicker way to travel than any other right?
Extensive background of naval sailing ships of the late 18th century and lots of historical detail woven into the story made this a very entertaining historical romance, though not entirely certain as to the accuracy of the events but it reads quite realisitically, and the love story is wonderful.
Comments, Concerns, and Recommendations can be sent to me at [email protected]
My reviews can be found in the following locations:
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Idle Musings and Random Things
Cae's Smashwords Review
Goodreads Profile
Author: Brenda Novak
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Set in 1794, Jeanette the daughter of a family dispossessed French aristocracy has been married off to regain a bit of wealth for her family, however, her husband is impotent and has made plans to compromise her in the most heinous way in his quest for an heir. Intent on escaping this fate she flees and disguises herself as a boy to stow away on a ship in Her Magesty’s navy. In the same time, Lieutenant Crawford Treynor, the bastard son of a wayward marquise had been raised by a famer and maltreated until he ran away to join the navy. Now, he seeks to captain his own ship, however the presence of Jeanette has him in a quandary. What shall he do? Turn her over or risk everything to save her?
Review: Brenda Novak has spun a stirring tale of intrigue, romance and absolute wonder. The relationship between Jeanette and Treynor is almost entirely typical of all romance novels. However, this story is action packed and absolutely stunning in its imagery.
Jeanette has been married off out of obligation to her family, and having survived France’s Revolution, her family, a member of the dispossessed aristocracy, she is now in England. Still bearing their title, but they are impoverished, Jeanette is determined to relieve the hardships plaguing her family in her marriage to Lord St. Ives. However, there is a hitch in the plan that is over heard by her brother, and causes Jeanette to flee the home of her husband and attempting to get into London where her influential cousin resides.
Lieutenant Crawford Treynor is the bastard son of Lady Bedford, and was raised by a famer who mistreated him and such mistreatment caused him to run away at the age of fourteen and join the Royal Navy. He moved quickly through the ranks from cabin boy to lieutenant, his life had not been easy, but he is a man of honor and has earned the respect of his men. It is while The Tempest is moored in Plymoth that Jeanette learns that it will be sailing for London, she disguises herself as a thirteen-year-old boy and signs on as one of the crew.
Two days on a ship to London is easier and a quicker way to travel than any other right?
Extensive background of naval sailing ships of the late 18th century and lots of historical detail woven into the story made this a very entertaining historical romance, though not entirely certain as to the accuracy of the events but it reads quite realisitically, and the love story is wonderful.
Comments, Concerns, and Recommendations can be sent to me at [email protected]
My reviews can be found in the following locations:
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Idle Musings and Random Things
Cae's Smashwords Review
Goodreads Profile
I really expected something more, the plot was intriguing and has all the stuff usually required: running away from a marriage dressed as a boy, living hidden in a ship, ships at war and so on, but the main characters where not sufficiently "in love" in my opinion; the man was courting another woman at last! Anyway a nice reading that could have been better...
THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW
THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A good story, adventurous, exciting, and sweet. There were a couple of skip worthy scenes, bumping my rating down a bit.
I've read her books before, and really I would give this book 3.5 stars. I'm not a huge fan of books set on the high-seas, but this was well done.
This book had me anxious and cursing right up to the very last few pages. I have never read this author before and had to have faith that she would eventually grant that all important HEA, which she does... Eventually. I think it maybe could have used an Epilogue, but then, maybe not. All I know is I devoured the book, eagerly flipping pages to see how everything worked out.
Heroine: Jeanette is a feisty French woman who keeps her familial duties first. She’s kindhearted and compassionate and she does things for the good of others. I like that Novak chose to write her character’s dialogue without the accent spelled out. Sometimes, I do find it very distracting when authors write in an accent. I think that a constant reminder of Jeanette’s nationality was enough to make a point.
Hero: I love that Treynor is honorable right down to his actions. There were so many times that he could easily have taken advantage of Jeanette, but he did not. Reading his childhood struggle as an illegitimate child was really interesting and I liked seeing him grow as a character. On a side note, I wish that the book wasn’t named The Bastard. It’s an eye-catching title, but it is so unromantic.
Supporting Cast: I think that the book was lacking most in strong secondary characters. I liked Mr. and Mrs. Hawker but after the beginning, you really don’t read much of them and I felt that their characters fell flat as a resort.
Plot: I’m a complete sucker for pirate/shipsman novels, and THE BASTARD did not disappoint. Stowaways, battle, life on a ship, etc. This one had everything that I typically look for in this kind of novel.
Romance: Novak kept up the tension between the characters all way to the end. It was very satisfying as a reader. Also, for those concerned, this one is definitely more of a cleaner romance than others.
Love Potion Strength:
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Novak’s historical romances in the future.
Hero: I love that Treynor is honorable right down to his actions. There were so many times that he could easily have taken advantage of Jeanette, but he did not. Reading his childhood struggle as an illegitimate child was really interesting and I liked seeing him grow as a character. On a side note, I wish that the book wasn’t named The Bastard. It’s an eye-catching title, but it is so unromantic.
Supporting Cast: I think that the book was lacking most in strong secondary characters. I liked Mr. and Mrs. Hawker but after the beginning, you really don’t read much of them and I felt that their characters fell flat as a resort.
Plot: I’m a complete sucker for pirate/shipsman novels, and THE BASTARD did not disappoint. Stowaways, battle, life on a ship, etc. This one had everything that I typically look for in this kind of novel.
Romance: Novak kept up the tension between the characters all way to the end. It was very satisfying as a reader. Also, for those concerned, this one is definitely more of a cleaner romance than others.
Love Potion Strength:
I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Novak’s historical romances in the future.