Gah, this was such a painful book to read! Not because it was bad or anything. Quite the opposite. It was good in the same way that something like “Fried Green Tomatoes” or “The Philadelphia Story” was good. It hurt to watch as the two main characters, John and Alfred, must endure not only the horrors of naval warfare and being captured and tortured by the enemy, but also the brutal anti-gay laws and attitudes of their age, in 1762. In fact, though books generally don’t make me cry, this one came close.We forget in these modern times, what things must have been like for those who weren’t born into the majority “breeder” population. This book brings it all back to reality and deals with not only the real danger that homosexuals were in, facing death for the crime of “sodomy” but also the religious attitudes and how difficult it could be for these individuals to even accept themselves. And then on top if it, misguided people trying to “cure” their disorder. We have to remember that they only removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses in 1974 by the American Psychiatric Association. And you can still find people on Yahoo boards who claim it IS a mental disorder.So anyways, the book was great. Great action, great love story, very true to history, and it flowed well. If you like sweeping historical romance, this is definitely a book to consider. I picked this up because I love Age of Sail and Royal Navy tales.I was drawn to the cover because I figured that it would focus more on the adventure and a slow romance rather than bawdy. I was not disappointed. The book does more than nod at historical accuracy and background though not quite in the class of a Patrick O'Brien. The pace of the adventure scenes and the descriptions of the dangerous stuff left me biting my lip and reading faster to 'find out what happens'. The misunderstandings that pile up between the heroes made me want to smack them both in the back of the head, but then again, that's pretty authentic too when it comes to most relationships at some point.There is one scene with the pirates that can make one pretty queasy so prepare yourself to read with one eye shut if you have a weak stomach. There are sex scenes, but they don't take over and run loose throughout the book. And if you haven't gotten your literary passport yet you should because the book takes you all over the world it seems- the Med, the Caribbean, the North Atlantic, and good old England.I thought it was good stuff and recommend it.
Do You like book False Colors (2009)?
M/M lovestory in the fast lane. Well written and keeping you on the edge of the chair.
—mich5678
Enthralling maritime adventures, plus a satisfying romance. A fine historical novel.
—rhan
