A review by lezreadalot
Blessed Isle by Alex Beecroft

4.0

My heart beat twice in silence, the world falling away from our tangled glances, the two of us alone in the pupil of God’s eye.

3.5 stars. Really lovely! A romance between a ship's captain and his lieutenant that blossoms during a long sea journey to Australia in the Age of Sail. They have to contend with their feelings, the risk of societal scorn and disgrace, a mutiny, and being shipwrecked. This was pretty short, and there was a love-at-first-sight aspect that I actually liked, because it took a while for them to act on it. And the language was so beautiful and romantic, and the concept was so good (both of them taking turns writing in a journal years after the fact) that I couldn't help but enjoy it, short though it was. It felt like it was exactly the length it needed to be. Kudos.

Content warnings:

Spoiler

semi-explicit descriptions of illness (typhus), murder and some gore

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