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jackiehorne's review
3.0
Had been searching for a copy of this for quite a while, and was pleased to discover my local library had purchased an e-copy recently. Earthy, funny, and quite touching tale of a castaway turned scientist who comes to stay with a family whose members are estranged due to our heroine's having run away and married a commoner a few years back. Would have been four stars except for the deeply offensive (although not unlikely given the time period) slut shaming of the "other woman" character, a woman with whom the castaway had sex throughout much of his journey back to England:
"When they finished, he had tried to apologize for his unbecoming conduct. She only grabbed hold of his retreating organ and rubbed it against her slimy bud until she came again. And again, bucking and panting like a dog on a hot day. He had never seen such a performance." (Kindle loc 2975)
Of course, back in England, she tries to seduce him again, and blackmails him when he refuses...
"When they finished, he had tried to apologize for his unbecoming conduct. She only grabbed hold of his retreating organ and rubbed it against her slimy bud until she came again. And again, bucking and panting like a dog on a hot day. He had never seen such a performance." (Kindle loc 2975)
Of course, back in England, she tries to seduce him again, and blackmails him when he refuses...
tessisreading2's review
3.0
Another touching romance from Kelly with a hero and heroine it is easy to root for. The details regarding shipwrecks were well-done and the heroine's family were obnoxious without being overly so. I think this one was marred by the presence of a stereotypical nymphomaniac villainess, though, which was what kept it to three stars for me - just unnecessary, and out-of-place amidst all the three-dimensional secondary characters.
taramisu's review
3.0
3.5 stars
The premise: Widow Susannah Parks is living on the "kindness" of her family. Her over-the-anvil marriage to the family secretary has estranged the entire family from society...and they most certainly blame her for it. Her life changes as she and her 6 year old son, Noah, act as guides for James Trevenen. James, formerly of the Royal Navy, is in London to accept an award for a paper written about crabs (of all things) while marooned on a South Seas island for 5 years. This island was not a paradise to James, and he is haunted by gruesome hallucinations of another shipmate.
Miscellaneous notes: First off, let me express my undying gratitude that Ms. Kelly has returned to the fold. I believe I read that she lost her will to write romances upon the death of her brother. With this new Regency release, came an awful lot of expectation on my part.
There is a certain mood that I expect from Ms. Kelly: chaste and somber with genuinely good people struggling against harsh realities. She hit very well upon the latter two in Beau Crusoe. It's the former that fails. I'm not a porn reader. I will never pick up a book by Beatrice Small, and I blush at the romance covers featuring half naked men in a passionate embrace with a buxom woman with long, flowing hair. Given my expectations, Ms. Kelly's overt descriptions of some very kinky sexual acts, dongs, male members, STDs and mistresses truly turned me off. Early in the book we are shown exactly what James did during his 6 month voyage back home. While one could argue that the man had been bereft of human company for 5 long years, I still have a very hard time imagining a good man doing what he did. Perhaps this is a change in her personal writing style. I suspect it is pressure from editors and publishers.
That being said, Ms. Kelly delivered very nicely. No BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. No over-the-top evil antagonists. Just two people trying to make their way through the real world. Ms. Kelly works her magic as she gives both James and Susannah something each is missing through love and friendship with the other.
The premise: Widow Susannah Parks is living on the "kindness" of her family. Her over-the-anvil marriage to the family secretary has estranged the entire family from society...and they most certainly blame her for it. Her life changes as she and her 6 year old son, Noah, act as guides for James Trevenen. James, formerly of the Royal Navy, is in London to accept an award for a paper written about crabs (of all things) while marooned on a South Seas island for 5 years. This island was not a paradise to James, and he is haunted by gruesome hallucinations of another shipmate.
Miscellaneous notes: First off, let me express my undying gratitude that Ms. Kelly has returned to the fold. I believe I read that she lost her will to write romances upon the death of her brother. With this new Regency release, came an awful lot of expectation on my part.
There is a certain mood that I expect from Ms. Kelly: chaste and somber with genuinely good people struggling against harsh realities. She hit very well upon the latter two in Beau Crusoe. It's the former that fails. I'm not a porn reader. I will never pick up a book by Beatrice Small, and I blush at the romance covers featuring half naked men in a passionate embrace with a buxom woman with long, flowing hair. Given my expectations, Ms. Kelly's overt descriptions of some very kinky sexual acts, dongs, male members, STDs and mistresses truly turned me off. Early in the book we are shown exactly what James did during his 6 month voyage back home. While one could argue that the man had been bereft of human company for 5 long years, I still have a very hard time imagining a good man doing what he did. Perhaps this is a change in her personal writing style. I suspect it is pressure from editors and publishers.
That being said, Ms. Kelly delivered very nicely. No BIG MISUNDERSTANDING. No over-the-top evil antagonists. Just two people trying to make their way through the real world. Ms. Kelly works her magic as she gives both James and Susannah something each is missing through love and friendship with the other.
noranie's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
ccgwalt's review
5.0
11/8/20 - Just finished rereading this and raised the rating to 5 stars. This book is such a pleasure to read, so full of characters you want to spend time with. There is also real humor here, along with serious subjects and situations without easy answers. I highly recommend it.
Beau Crusoe surprised me by being a serious look at PTSD. James had been shipwrecked on a deserted island for 5 years after being set adrift in a lifeboat with four other men after their ship sank. As the book progresses, the story of what happened to James and the other men is slowly revealed. We do know fairly early on that James is a troubled man, with several idiosyncrasies due to his trauma. There is humor in the book, as well as gentleness, but the book is not a lighthearted historical romance. Susannah makes a wonderful counterpoint to James, and has quiet strength without seeming too perfect.
Beau Crusoe surprised me by being a serious look at PTSD. James had been shipwrecked on a deserted island for 5 years after being set adrift in a lifeboat with four other men after their ship sank. As the book progresses, the story of what happened to James and the other men is slowly revealed. We do know fairly early on that James is a troubled man, with several idiosyncrasies due to his trauma. There is humor in the book, as well as gentleness, but the book is not a lighthearted historical romance. Susannah makes a wonderful counterpoint to James, and has quiet strength without seeming too perfect.
whiskeyinthejar's review
4.0
She smiled, and James felt his heart turn.
Lt. James Trevenen spent 5yrs marooned on an island.
Susannah Park married below her station, had her husband die before she even gave birth, and has been ostracized ever since.
Maybe because I recently read one of her books, this felt like a Balogh with some Milan. Y'all, the tongue-in-cheek humor and wit is top notch here. This is also told mostly from the hero's pov, which helped to give it a fresh spin.
"Maybe it's this way, son---when we have no choice, we may as well be brave."
James has PTSD from what he had to do to survive and thinks he is haunted by another survivor of the original shipwreck. James' story of survival is spread out throughout the story until we get the ultimate grizzly details of how he became the lone survivor. It's rough, disturbing, and courageous stuff to read and I enjoyed how the author didn't shy away from James' emotions. He was a hero who was witty, courageous, strong, utterly capable, and kind; he's a sexy one.
Susannah plays a little bit of second fiddle to James but her calm, vulnerable, and solid demeanor made her a perfect complement to him. Her family dynamics were a secondary character that wonderfully filled this story with even more emotions and relationship nuances. I'm also not the biggest fan of children in stories but Susannah's son Noah was a fun character and their relationship and the one that develops between Noah and James was delightful.
The romance between James and Susannah started off as smoke that slowly but surely was tended into a sparking burning pleasing fire. They were such a lovely engaging couple to follow along with. The wit provides a lighter tone while James feeling haunted and Susannah coming back from scandal with society and her family (Susannah and her sister's relationship brought a tear to my eye at the end) provide the heavier emotional load. The secondary characters here add a lot and show how much a story can be enhanced when giving attention to the details. This was a refreshing, engaging, and just plain lovely story.
As she stood watching, he turned and blew her a kiss. You're a rascal, she thought.
Lt. James Trevenen spent 5yrs marooned on an island.
Susannah Park married below her station, had her husband die before she even gave birth, and has been ostracized ever since.
Maybe because I recently read one of her books, this felt like a Balogh with some Milan. Y'all, the tongue-in-cheek humor and wit is top notch here. This is also told mostly from the hero's pov, which helped to give it a fresh spin.
"Maybe it's this way, son---when we have no choice, we may as well be brave."
James has PTSD from what he had to do to survive and thinks he is haunted by another survivor of the original shipwreck. James' story of survival is spread out throughout the story until we get the ultimate grizzly details of how he became the lone survivor. It's rough, disturbing, and courageous stuff to read and I enjoyed how the author didn't shy away from James' emotions. He was a hero who was witty, courageous, strong, utterly capable, and kind; he's a sexy one.
Susannah plays a little bit of second fiddle to James but her calm, vulnerable, and solid demeanor made her a perfect complement to him. Her family dynamics were a secondary character that wonderfully filled this story with even more emotions and relationship nuances. I'm also not the biggest fan of children in stories but Susannah's son Noah was a fun character and their relationship and the one that develops between Noah and James was delightful.
The romance between James and Susannah started off as smoke that slowly but surely was tended into a sparking burning pleasing fire. They were such a lovely engaging couple to follow along with. The wit provides a lighter tone while James feeling haunted and Susannah coming back from scandal with society and her family (Susannah and her sister's relationship brought a tear to my eye at the end) provide the heavier emotional load. The secondary characters here add a lot and show how much a story can be enhanced when giving attention to the details. This was a refreshing, engaging, and just plain lovely story.
As she stood watching, he turned and blew her a kiss. You're a rascal, she thought.
kobfroggie's review
4.0
I'm never a fan of anything Robinson Crusoe. Fortunately Slow Me didn't realize the implication of the title at first. Otherwise, I might not have picked up the book.
The first part earned more than a few chuckles from me and once or twice LOLs as well. Then things went dark and I hit one of those unputdownable hills and read it all in one swoop. Carla Kelly's books always shine the light on life's harsh reality, which is not typical in Regency Romance. Do not mistake this one as light historical by any chance. The romance is believable and the PTSD mystery well-explained. However, I felt that the book could have been a lot better. But it lacks the something that distinguish a good book from a great book. I wish could have been ...heavier? or lighter? I can't decide. But it didn't hit the nail on the head squarely enough for both aspects.
3.5 stars
The first part earned more than a few chuckles from me and once or twice LOLs as well. Then things went dark and I hit one of those unputdownable hills and read it all in one swoop. Carla Kelly's books always shine the light on life's harsh reality, which is not typical in Regency Romance. Do not mistake this one as light historical by any chance. The romance is believable and the PTSD mystery well-explained. However, I felt that the book could have been a lot better. But it lacks the something that distinguish a good book from a great book. I wish could have been ...heavier? or lighter? I can't decide. But it didn't hit the nail on the head squarely enough for both aspects.
3.5 stars
nononanette's review
3.0
A light, humorous regency about an eccentric family hosting a naval officer who had been shipwrecked for 5 years. Starting with some laugh out loud moments it slowly became more poignant and serious as it dealt with a shocking revelation and the effect it was having on our hero. Historically accurate other than it seemed a bit far fetched to me that eloping to Gretna green could cause such extreme repercussions.
lefthandedbibliophile's review
4.0
I have such mixed feelings towards this book. There were parts in the story which were remarkable while at times I was bothered about a few incidents and their treatment. Nevertheless I am going with 3.5 stars for sheer ingenuity and novelty of the plot.