Title: Captain’s Surrender
Author: Alex Beecroft
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Historical M/M, Action/Adventure, Age of Sail
Length: Novel
Rating: 5 stars out of 5
THE BLURB
Love? Might as well ask for the moon. But a man can dream…
Despite his looks and ambition, Midshipman Joshua Andrews hides urges that, in his world, makeh im an abomination. Living in fear of exposure, unnecessary risk is something he studiously avoids. Once he sets eyes on the elegant picture of perfection that is Peter Kenyon, though, temptation lures him like the siren call of the sea.
Soon to be promoted to captain, Peter is the darling of the Bermuda garrison, with a string of successes behind him and a suitable bride lined up to share his future. He seems completely out of Joshua’s reach.
Then the two men are forced to serve on a long voyage under a sadistic commander with a mutinous crew. As the tension aboard the vessel heats up, their unexpected friendship intensifies into a passion neither man can rein in.
Intimacy like theirs can only exist in the shadow of the gallows. Both men are determined their “youthful curiosity” must die before it brings disaster down on them. Yet neither man can root it from his heart. Warriors both, they think nothing of risking their lives for their country. In the end they must decide whether love, too, is worth dying for.
THE REVIEW
The year is 1779 and if you are serving on a ship in this era the Captain is God, or at least he thinks and acts like a deity. The Nimrod’s tyrannical Captain is pretty horrible by all accounts. He wants every man on board ship to know he controls their very lives by terrorizing and beating his crew into submission; if any of them fail to give him the absolute obedience he demands they pay the ultimate price. The first scene in the book is horrific – a hanging that the Captain makes everyone watch, even the youngest members of the crew who are barely into their teens. The sin for which the poor sailor is hanged is sodomy, which is punishable by death. But fear not, the story gets a little more upbeat from here on with the arrival on board the Nimrod of the new First Lieutenant, Peter Kenyon.
When Peter meets midshipman Josh Andrews for the first time it is not earth shattering lust immediately and they start out as friends, but Josh does fall hopelessly in love with his roommate whom the Captain very cleverly puts in Josh’s sights as bait. He suspects Josh’s sexual orientation and hopes to catch him in the act so that he can have the pleasure of another hanging. The relationship between the two men starts off very slowly as both are afraid of the consequences, if caught, and in addition, Peter does not believe that he is gay while Josh is absolutely sure of his own sexual orientation. There is no action between the sheets until half way into the book and for me to become so immersed in a story about men at sea is testament to the writer’s skill in weaving such a wonderful tale. The unspoken understanding and caring between Peter and Josh with just heated glances as they embark on their romance was wonderfully done and for Peter it was a step into unchartered waters.
In the masterful telling of this tale Alex Beecroft made me believe that I was actually on the Nimrod riding the waves with those unhappy midshipmen. The sustained beatings for minor misdemeanors may have been brutal but I suppose they were historically accurate for the era and made the story authentic. What really impressed me was the amount of painstaking detail in the book about every aspect of life on board the Nimrod, and I found it remarkable that the writer did not shy away from the blood and gore. Since I’m not an expert on the period I could not judge its accuracy but it seemed real to me – Alex Beecroft must have done an incredible amount of research to make this book feel as genuine as it did.
It is difficult to believe that this is Ms Beecroft’s first book as she is a mistress at the art of world building and she set the stage wonderfully for our two protagonists. WOW! I have lost my ability to articulate, or to put it simply, words fail me. Captain’s Surrender shattered any preconceived biases or notions I might have had about historical romances, particularly those involving men at sea, as I was absolutely captivated and transported to the Age of Sail. The characterizations were very realistic although I loved Josh more than Peter who seemed a bit dim and selfish when it came to matters of the heart. The author also uses the minor characters in a way I have seldom seen and they add to the story rather than detract from it, as at times I was able to glimpse the action through their eyes.
There is not much sex in the book, instead this is a true action adventure and a “romance” in every sense of the word – from the first meeting between Peter and Josh, through their fumbling attempts at sex, separations, war, serious injury and ultimatums.
Captain’s Surrender surpasses genre – it is a superb story that would rank up there with any mainstream book, and the story is what drew me in and kept me enthralled until the very last page.
Run, don’t walk to your nearest bookstore or e-book retailer to purchase a copy of Captain’s Surrender.
For those readers who would like a bit more sex in the book there is a free story called Insubordination on Ms Beecroft’s website which details the further sexual adventures of Josh and Peter.
Captain’s Surrender has been reissued by Samhain Publishing and is available October 2nd. I have updated my original review of this book (written in July 2008) to celebrate the new cover.:)
Sigh. This is yet another story I bought as an e-book, because Amazon Canada didn’t sell it on stock, and because it’s a long e-book I still haven’t read it. *bangs head on desk* Note to self: check publisher’s site faster next time (they sell for 16$ shipping included). Still, I am glad to head this story is good. Jen recommended it to me because she knew I’d been flabbergasted by Lee Rowan’s Ransom. Ransom was similar in that the sex was a very small part, history and plot being predominant in the first half, the relationship truly kicking in only midway. Anyway, at least I already have this story for when I finally find the time to read it. It’s next in line after I finish Chris Owen’s GEMINI (started 2 weeks ago). I actually made a list of which e-books I would read first, based on how interested I am in their main topic/genre/time period right now and the lenght.
Hm. I disgress. But anyway, thanks for the review and I’ll let you know when I read this one too! By the way, love the new Anne Cain covers you added in your sidebar. She makes such gorgoeous artwork.
Hi Mary
I’m so glad you stopped by. I really enjoyed this book – it’s only 196 pages (Not that long and well worth it. I have Gemini in my cart at Torquere along with a few other books.
Yes, Anne is such a talent. For her interview we’re planning to have a bunch of her book covers as an attachment that’s downloadable (she’s going to set it up for me), plus she’s going to offer a few really good door prizes (I have a post coming up in a week about it). It’ll be great.
Sigh. I’m prone to headaches whenever I stay at the computer too long, so 196 pages is long enough to make me feel like postponing the read to another day… about every time I think about it. Too bad. But I will read it. Even before your review, it sounded way too good for me not to want to, and it’s even stronger now. Just not really enough to make me actually sit for three-four hours in front of the PDF. Not yet 😉
Can’t wait to see the downloadable attachment of Anne’s covers!! And prizes? Yum! :-D. I like prizes a lot. 😉
Hi Mary
Do what I do with really long books – read them for a few hours on different days until you’re finished. I read one e-book recently that was HUGE, about 780 pages on the medium small setting in Microsoft Reader(which would make it almost 1200 pages in the larger print setting where I normally have it)and it took me over a week to finish it LOL But I think this book is worth it. It’s available in print from amazon.com (I’m thinking of getting the print copy as well – I do that with books I really like) if you want to get that version.
Hello Jesse! Thank you so much for such an awesome review 🙂 I dithered a while over whether I should thank you in public or not, but then decided that if I wasn’t sure of the etiquette, I would just do what I wanted to 🙂 So squeeee! that you liked the book so much, and thank you. You’ve definitely made a rather nasty week (husband’s operation, illness etc) worth it with this 🙂
Alex
Hi Alex
I’m really glad you liked the review. I don’t think the “etiquette” matters that much. I have already done the review so anything you say is “after the fact”. A number of other authors have expressed thanks on the blog while others do it by email. (Gee, I wonder if any author has ever thanked me for a bad review? LOL
Alright that’s it *sigh* is it in print? b/c now I want to have it. LORD help me I don’t think I will ever be able to eat a decent meal again *drops head*
Sarai
Should I ask Alex Beecroft for a gift certificate for you at amazon so that you can buy Captain’s Surrender LOL? I figure that I either buy food OR books – can’t do both, and I made my choice years ago – it’s books!! Captain’s Surrender IS in print sorry.
Oh wave if you could I would appreciate it *g* I have seriously been without solid food for a week although my friends have taken pity on me and bought me meals *g* and of course mac and cheese ROCKS so I’m not complaining to much other then my ass is blowing up but *shrugs* what can ya do *g*
I have it marked on the wishlist *g*
Captain’s Surrender is one of my all-time favorites, and I think Alex may be our finest m/m historical author. I’m so glad that the book now has a gorgeous Anne Cain cover!
This is too spooky for me. I just now finished Alex’s “Insubordination” (Free Read @ ARE with these characters). Opened up Wave’s site, because I was pretty sure she had reviewed “Captain’s Surrender”. What is the 2nd thing I see on the home page? That is what I call being on the same “Wave” length 😉
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Per comment above: I love e-books passionately, but I have just this week for the 1st time been reading some in the PDF format. I think if it had been my 1st experience or only choice in reading e-books then I would never have started.
I love Alex’s writing. Captain’s Surrender is terrific and False Colors is wonderful, too. As a heads-up (to get the excitement going), Alex will have a new novella, Blessed Isle, in the anthology, Hidden Conflict: Tales of Lost Voices in Battle, which is due to come out on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2009. It will be published in print by Cheyenne Publishing and the ebook will be published by Bristlecone Pine Press. You can read more about the book here:
http://www.bcpinepress.com/upcoming_releases.php
As the publisher, I don’t think I am giving too much away if I say that Blessed Isle is really, really great. 🙂
L
Leslie
Thanks for the heads up about Alex’s new releases. I’m sure I’ll be hearing from you closer to the release dates:)
I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted, Wave!
L
I liked Captain’s Surrender, the only thing that frustrated me was that I wanted it to be about twice as long! I don’t mean continuing on, just that there’s a lot going on for that number of pages and I felt some interesting events flashed by a bit faster than I’d have liked. The research and period detail are great. I’m very into historical romance right now, so I can’t get enough of that stuff! 😀
JFM
This book was such an excellent study in the period details in addition to the wonderful characterizations. I love, love this book.
It’s great to see Alex’s books in print…and with lovely covers, too!
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I have the same problem as Mary M: no e-reader (at least, I assume that’s what the problem is). Getting through longer books at the desktop is just too tiring after a day of writing.
Val
I used to tease Alex about the cover and as a matter of fact when I posted this review on amazon last year I mentioned how bad the cover was and that it didn’t do justice to the story. Now she has her heart’s desire – a cover to match the contents.
Cathleen
Yes this is spooky! I moved up the review because the book is being re-released by Samhain in a couple of weeks now that they have taken over Linden Bay. I bought CS as a print book with the ugly cover.:)
I’m with you re the formats. I don’t like pdf – my favourite is .lit
Hi K.Z
I ended up buying this book in print and I’m doing that more and more with longer books. I’m looking at investing in an ereader – the new one by Sony seems great I just have to find out if I can convert my .lit files
Fab review, Wave. I agree totally. Loved the book, hated that horrible cover. In fact, I passed it up for months because of it before I caved. I’m with everyone else that this cover is gorgeous and so perfect. Alex is a master, indeed.
Wave:
The short answer is yes, you can read your .lit files on the Sony (as you know, I have the now discontinued 700). The longer answer is that they need to be converted to PDF first, and there is a free software that can easily do it for you. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll tell you what to do.
Hi Lynn
I used to make fun of Alex about the cover and I think she is a happy camper now.*g*
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Re the new Sony eReader. That’s great to know although not so great that I have to convert first to pdf and then to .lit, but it makes it an attractive buy now. Thanks for the information and I’ll definitely be begging for help as soon as I buy it.
Oh, thanks so much, Wave, for re-releasing the review to match the re-releasing of the e-book 🙂 The new version – ever so slightly longer and with the new fantabulous cover – should be out on the 2nd of October in ebook form, but unfortunately there won’t be a new print version for another 10 months.
*g* I have to say that I am over the moon with this cover. It’s so nice to be able to be able to show it to people and not have to say ‘it’s not quite what the cover would make you think’ 😀
Thank you ever so much! EEEeeee!
Hi Alex
You know how much I love this book which was my first Age of Sail romance.
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I guess the Anne Cain cover doesn’t hurt in the re-release.:) I had a lot of fun with the old cover which I will miss … oh, I just remembered, I won’t miss it because I have it in print. *g*
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Too bad that the Samhain policy of releasing its print titles 10 months after the ebooks will delay me and other readers from buying this book again so that we can admire the beautiful new cover. Maybe we should start a petition for an early reprieve from the old ghastly cover!!
*g* I’d be all for that 🙂 OTOH, I think that the delay is necessary for the book to go through the acquisitions process at brick and mortar bookshops. So hopefully at the end of the 10 months it will be available in print in people’s local bookshops, not just on Amazon. In which case (from my POV) it’s worth the wait 🙂
First I`d like to say I really love historical novels and I am very happy that I`ve read your novels. The writing is great and everything sounds quite right, the dialog, the environment. I am not so good with the naval vocabulary since I still hadn`t time to read all the Patrick O`brian books. But I used to read the Sharpe Series by Bernard Cornwell and did some reading around myself. I was especially interested in military medicine in the 18th century. The mortality rate with soldiers in war and especially with shot wounds was appallingly high.
And if they survived the first day the rate of often deadly infections was even higher.
And then it takes a long time to recover even for such young and resillient strong men.
So I think your heroes were either very lucky or they had very very good doctors (that would be my preference, as a colleague).
But that is maybe just me nitpicking and. I really love your books and hope for more soon
Thanks for so much really good books
Thanks for the comment Kawol! I’m really glad you’ve been enjoying the books 🙂 And yes, I agree, the mortality rate was very high and the medical treatment at the time was not exactly ideal. But then I think about people like Admiral Nelson, who managed to survive amputation with no painkillers and no antiseptics, and I think “well, it clearly was possible.”
So I agree that one of the necessary qualities for a hero of the time is the ability to heal quickly and cleanly, and I give my heroes that ability as a matter of necessity. (Though in varying degrees.) It may well be one of those places – like giving my heroes good teeth – where the needs of fiction come first. Heroes get good genes as a matter of course 😉
I’m glad it works for you nevertheless. Thank you!
Alex