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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs
*** 3.5 Stars ***
[b:On a Lee Shore|16757396|On a Lee Shore|Elin Gregory|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1355538066s/16757396.jpg|23005302] has likable characters and an interesting story, but the book is heavier on plot that it is on romance (and that wasn't really what I was looking for). I was ultimately disappointed that the characters spent little time on page together and that the "L" word was never declared.
[b:On a Lee Shore|16757396|On a Lee Shore|Elin Gregory|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1355538066s/16757396.jpg|23005302] has likable characters and an interesting story, but the book is heavier on plot that it is on romance (and that wasn't really what I was looking for). I was ultimately disappointed that the characters spent little time on page together and that the "L" word was never declared.
An uptight young naval officer meets a pirate captain... A lot of fun: great sense of place and a nice slow-burn romance. On the minus side, the resolution was a little pat and, after the amount of build up that takes place, the sex scenes feel perfunctory.
adventurous
emotional
tense
This book is mostly a queer pirate adventure novel with a m/m romance that slow burns its way to the forefront over the course of the book. The adventuring itself is excellent, I'd honestly read a whole book of just their pirate adventures, and the burgeoning romance slots in neatly when Kit's feelings start to collide with his background and morals.
I love a romance where a repressed historical boy is slowly drawn out of his shell by his large, handsome, intelligent captain. Some of the kissing is a little bodice-ripper style dubcon (not a critique just a heads up for those who need it) but the slow burn was excellent for me and I was very into the main pairing.
I did find Kit's switch from "gay sex is inherently immoral" to "actually it's fine" to be a little inexplicable. Not abrupt, exactly - there are pains taken to show Kit good things, and he does slowly on page become more and more aware of the ways in which queer shipmates are good, moral people who love each other, and more and more OK with his own feelings, but it was like one moment he's conflicted by his feelings and then next time he's not.
Similarly, the very end of the book drops a major revelation that impacts....all the previous events of the book and left me very much wanting an explanation I didn't get. It wasn't bad, just, suddenly "all this time [ ] was [ ] ?? what?? explain!!" and there was no explanation!
But those were really very minor disruptions in my enjoyment of this book. I basically didn't put it down until I'd finished it. The naval battles are gripping, the characters are all very well drawn. I recommend it and I'm glad I finally picked it up!
cw: past sexual abuse (mostly not of the main character/on screen), not sexy flogging, near death experiences, genre typical dubcon kisses
I love a romance where a repressed historical boy is slowly drawn out of his shell by his large, handsome, intelligent captain. Some of the kissing is a little bodice-ripper style dubcon (not a critique just a heads up for those who need it) but the slow burn was excellent for me and I was very into the main pairing.
Spoiler
At one point the captain has to have Kit flogged in order to maintain order and the captain making sure Kit was tenderly taken care of after and feeling real bad about the whole situation was great for me.I did find Kit's switch from "gay sex is inherently immoral" to "actually it's fine" to be a little inexplicable. Not abrupt, exactly - there are pains taken to show Kit good things, and he does slowly on page become more and more aware of the ways in which queer shipmates are good, moral people who love each other, and more and more OK with his own feelings, but it was like one moment he's conflicted by his feelings and then next time he's not.
Similarly, the very end of the book drops a major revelation that impacts....all the previous events of the book and left me very much wanting an explanation I didn't get. It wasn't bad, just, suddenly "all this time [ ] was [ ] ?? what?? explain!!" and there was no explanation!
But those were really very minor disruptions in my enjoyment of this book. I basically didn't put it down until I'd finished it. The naval battles are gripping, the characters are all very well drawn. I recommend it and I'm glad I finally picked it up!
cw: past sexual abuse (mostly not of the main character/on screen), not sexy flogging, near death experiences, genre typical dubcon kisses
An enjoyable, fun pirate yarn. Put your feet up, get a drink and sit back and enjoy a ride with Kit as he goes from disgraced Navy man, to being kidnapped and reluctant pirate, to less reluctant pirate, a captured man and eventually back to England as a crab fisherman.
The additional characters of Davy, Lewes & Protheroe, Val, Saunders and others, all made for extra colour.
Kit's relationship with Griffin developed slowly and for those readers wanting lots of sex scenes, then you may be disappointed. I enjoyed the story and didnt mind the off page element of their relationship.
With recent pirate films in mind, it was easy to picture the action in the book.
The author made some of the issues of being on a boat full time come alive. And I did enjoy Griffin moaning about having 2 baths inside of 3 months!
The additional characters of Davy, Lewes & Protheroe, Val, Saunders and others, all made for extra colour.
Kit's relationship with Griffin developed slowly and for those readers wanting lots of sex scenes, then you may be disappointed. I enjoyed the story and didnt mind the off page element of their relationship.
With recent pirate films in mind, it was easy to picture the action in the book.
The author made some of the issues of being on a boat full time come alive. And I did enjoy Griffin moaning about having 2 baths inside of 3 months!
I liked a lot about this, and for a while I thought it was going to be a big winner. But it's way too long to have such a barely developed romance. It doesn't drag, because the focus is very much on the action/adventures of day-to-day pirate life, which is entertaining (and bloody and brutal) on its own, but I kept waiting for a real moment of connection between the MC and his love interest, and it never really happened. And you really need to buy into it for the last part of the book to land.
And in retrospect, the parts of the book that didn't make sense in the moment now make sense, but it doesn't make sense for none of that to make sense until the very end of the book...if that makes sense??! I know it doesn't, but suffice it to say: [b:Honeytrap|55135062|Honeytrap|Aster Glenn Gray|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598478534l/55135062._SY75_.jpg|85889122] got me in the mood for historicals with some action/adventure. None of them have lived up to Honeytrap (unsurprisingly, since it was the best book I've read all month), but this one did manage to scratch the action itch for long stretches at a time. Go into it for the ship talk (these dudes have a well-developed romance with navigation and the sea, if nothing else :) and pirate politics/plundering, and you should be satisfied.
And in retrospect, the parts of the book that didn't make sense in the moment now make sense, but it doesn't make sense for none of that to make sense until the very end of the book...if that makes sense??! I know it doesn't, but suffice it to say: [b:Honeytrap|55135062|Honeytrap|Aster Glenn Gray|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598478534l/55135062._SY75_.jpg|85889122] got me in the mood for historicals with some action/adventure. None of them have lived up to Honeytrap (unsurprisingly, since it was the best book I've read all month), but this one did manage to scratch the action itch for long stretches at a time. Go into it for the ship talk (these dudes have a well-developed romance with navigation and the sea, if nothing else :) and pirate politics/plundering, and you should be satisfied.
Oh my god, pirates. Which my phone tried to capitalize three times. Dear god, everything Gregory writes is a delight.
What a labor of love. Beautifully plotted and very satisfying swashbuckler.
Excellent evocation of the period too (and I am very hard to please on that score).
Excellent evocation of the period too (and I am very hard to please on that score).
3.5 stars
There were a lot of things that I liked about this book, but also some things that stopped me from rating the book higher. The nautical and historical aspect seemed well researched which was good since the biggest focus of the story is the pirate plot rather than the romance. The book was a bit slow, but I enjoyed the pirate drama.
Unfortunately I struggled a bit to connect with the characters. I felt that the book didn't always convey Kit's thoughts and feelings that well, so it was sometimes hard to understand his choices, motivations and opinions, and how/why he changed as a person throughout the book. It also made the buildup to the romance somewhat underwhelming to me, especially since we never got to know that much about Griffin so I didn't really feel the connection between them. I didn't love the ending either, it felt very sudden after such a long, sometimes quite slow, book, and I would have liked more explanations and denouement.
There were a lot of things that I liked about this book, but also some things that stopped me from rating the book higher. The nautical and historical aspect seemed well researched which was good since the biggest focus of the story is the pirate plot rather than the romance. The book was a bit slow, but I enjoyed the pirate drama.
Unfortunately I struggled a bit to connect with the characters. I felt that the book didn't always convey Kit's thoughts and feelings that well, so it was sometimes hard to understand his choices, motivations and opinions, and how/why he changed as a person throughout the book. It also made the buildup to the romance somewhat underwhelming to me, especially since we never got to know that much about Griffin so I didn't really feel the connection between them. I didn't love the ending either, it felt very sudden after such a long, sometimes quite slow, book, and I would have liked more explanations and denouement.