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Royal Navy #1
Ransom
It’s 1796 and not only is love between men taboo, it is punishable by death. Lt. David Archer is an officer in His Majesty’s Navy and a gentleman of Regency Society. He is also hopelessly in love with his shipmate, Lt. William Marshall. David is certain that his feelings, if expressed, would be met with revulsion. Afraid of losing the strong friendship that he has forged with William, he vows to never speak of or act on his desire, promising himself to take the secret to his grave. Although William is young, his innate talent has allowed him to quickly rise above his humble background and gain a reputation as a promising officer. The Royal Navy is his world, and in that world there is no room for anything as frivolous as romance. Then, in a twist of fate, the two men are abducted by a ruthless pirate who finds pleasure in toying with his captives. Thrown together in close quarters and wondering if they will survive, they’re are faced with some difficult choices. William struggles with his growing feelings for David and, try as he might to dismiss them, he can’t. When David makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect the man he loves, the reason for it is clear and the passion that the men have denied for so long is realized for the first time. Before the lovers can have any sort of life together, they must first escape. After that, they face an even greater challenge—is their love strong enough to survive a clandestine life under the ever-present threat of the Navy’s implacable Articles of War?
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
January 11, 2018
4 Stars
Fans of M/M historical romances should enjoy this story, which features an atmospheric 18th century setting and a sweet, yet forbidden, friends-to-lovers romance between two young English naval officers.
The year is 1799 and midshipman David Archer is in love with his shipmate, Lieutenant William Marshall. Understandably, due to the time and circumstances, Davy has kept his longing for Will close to his chest for years, fearing not only Will’s reaction but also fearing potential dismissal from a service he loves, or worse, possible death at the gallows for feeling what he feels for another man.
At the onset of the story, Davy, Will, and their awesome Captain, Captain Smith, are abducted by a gang of pirates while conducting some navy business on shore. Spirited away and held hostage on an unidentifiable ship, the three men must use their wits and bide their time as they (mostly separately) plan an escape.
Absconding is easier said than done though, particularly because their captor – the self-titled Captain of this group of rebels, known only as Adrian – is a vicious, tormenting and abusive bastard, who quickly sets his sights on poor Davy, coercing him into unwanted attentions by threatening the safety of both Will and their Captain.
For weeks Will and Davy share a cramped cell, planning tirelessly for a potential escape while also trying their best to keep each other safe and in positive spirits. Eventually, their proximity and their heightened emotions result in an explosive encounter that leaves them both feeling raw and exposed, but also filling them with more tenderness and affection than either man has ever known.
The men are held captive for most of the story and I’ll admit a lot of their experiences were angst-filled, with distressing scenes of physical mistreatment, forced separation, and ongoing (off-page) sexual abuse. I found all of this fairly upsetting, but not insurmountable to overcome as a reader. The fact that most of what was happening to Davy occurred off-page helped make it easier to handle, but I just felt so sorry for the poor kid, sacrificing his own safety and wellbeing for that of his dearest friend and respected Captain. What made it worse was that for a good portion of the story Davy was suffering alone, with Will assuming Davy was just dining with the Captain whenever he was taken from their shared cell. But Will’s ongoing support and unwavering friendship (and eventual realisation of love) never faltered, even when he knew of the atrocities Davy had endured, nor once they themselves had moved their relationship past the boundaries of friendship.
I’m seriously shocked more people haven’t read this book, but it sounds like some readers have taken issue with the fact this story was originally a P2P fanfiction story from the Hornblower TV series – a fact I only stumbled upon post-read. Never having watched the show, this apparent point-of-contention didn’t bother me in the slightest, and I was able to enjoy the story as if it was an original piece with an engaging plot, featuring fresh, lovable characters that I happily rooted for.
I enjoyed this immensely; Davy and Will's (beginning) love story was a joy to read. I'll most certainly be reading further with the series as time permits.
Fans of M/M historical romances should enjoy this story, which features an atmospheric 18th century setting and a sweet, yet forbidden, friends-to-lovers romance between two young English naval officers.
The year is 1799 and midshipman David Archer is in love with his shipmate, Lieutenant William Marshall. Understandably, due to the time and circumstances, Davy has kept his longing for Will close to his chest for years, fearing not only Will’s reaction but also fearing potential dismissal from a service he loves, or worse, possible death at the gallows for feeling what he feels for another man.
At the onset of the story, Davy, Will, and their awesome Captain, Captain Smith, are abducted by a gang of pirates while conducting some navy business on shore. Spirited away and held hostage on an unidentifiable ship, the three men must use their wits and bide their time as they (mostly separately) plan an escape.
Absconding is easier said than done though, particularly because their captor – the self-titled Captain of this group of rebels, known only as Adrian – is a vicious, tormenting and abusive bastard, who quickly sets his sights on poor Davy, coercing him into unwanted attentions by threatening the safety of both Will and their Captain.
For weeks Will and Davy share a cramped cell, planning tirelessly for a potential escape while also trying their best to keep each other safe and in positive spirits. Eventually, their proximity and their heightened emotions result in an explosive encounter that leaves them both feeling raw and exposed, but also filling them with more tenderness and affection than either man has ever known.
The men are held captive for most of the story and I’ll admit a lot of their experiences were angst-filled, with distressing scenes of physical mistreatment, forced separation, and ongoing (off-page) sexual abuse. I found all of this fairly upsetting, but not insurmountable to overcome as a reader. The fact that most of what was happening to Davy occurred off-page helped make it easier to handle, but I just felt so sorry for the poor kid, sacrificing his own safety and wellbeing for that of his dearest friend and respected Captain. What made it worse was that for a good portion of the story Davy was suffering alone, with Will assuming Davy was just dining with the Captain whenever he was taken from their shared cell. But Will’s ongoing support and unwavering friendship (and eventual realisation of love) never faltered, even when he knew of the atrocities Davy had endured, nor once they themselves had moved their relationship past the boundaries of friendship.
I’m seriously shocked more people haven’t read this book, but it sounds like some readers have taken issue with the fact this story was originally a P2P fanfiction story from the Hornblower TV series – a fact I only stumbled upon post-read. Never having watched the show, this apparent point-of-contention didn’t bother me in the slightest, and I was able to enjoy the story as if it was an original piece with an engaging plot, featuring fresh, lovable characters that I happily rooted for.
I enjoyed this immensely; Davy and Will's (beginning) love story was a joy to read. I'll most certainly be reading further with the series as time permits.
April 28, 2018
3.5 stars!
Whoo! This is why I don’t read historical m/m very often. So much anxiety regarding the need to hide just kept me on constant edge - which really was the least of my worries.
Basically, David and William are up and coming naval officers. When their ship stops to get repairs after a skirmish with the French enemy, they are suddenly caught up in a long standing game of being kidnapped for ransom. It seems the notorious pirate Adrian, seized the opportunity to capture them and their captain in the hopes for a higher prize, but it starts to backfire as these 3 men are no meek prisoners.
Underlying the plot is the strong friendship between David and William. Admiration, care, camaraderie - all have been slowly growing, where David resolutely and understandably, keeps the fact that he’s in fallen in love with his best friend hidden. When the sadistic Adrian plays on David’s soft heart to do his depraved bidding, he’s determined to keep William safe no matter what torture is in store for him. Eventually, David’s sacrifice is revealed to the last person he wants it known to and this unexpectedly forces the stressful situation into bringing about some comfort neither he nor William anticipated.
For me, this had great suspense that kept my interest, the bad guy gets his due, and these two sailors triumph and find in the other something they dared not think, dream, or hope for. So yes, this delivers on the action, the hurt comfort and the sexy. Regardless, both David and William are great characters to root for, and though I hesitate to go further knowing the inevitable nail biting worry I’ll suffer through, I do want to see their ultimate happy ending.
Whoo! This is why I don’t read historical m/m very often. So much anxiety regarding the need to hide just kept me on constant edge - which really was the least of my worries.
Basically, David and William are up and coming naval officers. When their ship stops to get repairs after a skirmish with the French enemy, they are suddenly caught up in a long standing game of being kidnapped for ransom. It seems the notorious pirate Adrian, seized the opportunity to capture them and their captain in the hopes for a higher prize, but it starts to backfire as these 3 men are no meek prisoners.
Underlying the plot is the strong friendship between David and William. Admiration, care, camaraderie - all have been slowly growing, where David resolutely and understandably, keeps the fact that he’s in fallen in love with his best friend hidden. When the sadistic Adrian plays on David’s soft heart to do his depraved bidding, he’s determined to keep William safe no matter what torture is in store for him. Eventually, David’s sacrifice is revealed to the last person he wants it known to and this unexpectedly forces the stressful situation into bringing about some comfort neither he nor William anticipated.
For me, this had great suspense that kept my interest, the bad guy gets his due, and these two sailors triumph and find in the other something they dared not think, dream, or hope for. So yes, this delivers on the action, the hurt comfort and the sexy. Regardless, both David and William are great characters to root for, and though I hesitate to go further knowing the inevitable nail biting worry I’ll suffer through, I do want to see their ultimate happy ending.
April 12, 2015
This was kind of terrible, to be honest. I stuck with it because I love the setting and there were good scenes here and there, but I should have given up on this book when I figured out where it was going. The protagonists start off as interesting, but there's no character development at all. Instead, one of the characters is turned into a woobie and has all kinds of abuse piled up on him, just so the other character can ~heal~ him. With his cock. Also they spend most of the book locked up in a cell so yes they're on a ship but they might as well be anywhere. If I pick up a book about the Age of Sail I'm kind of, you know, expecting to find a bit of sailing in it. The ending was also very abrupt, but I doubt I'll pick up the next book.
Also, I'm 90% convinced that this is Hornblower fanfiction with the names changed. Terribly OOC fanfiction, at that. I have confirmed it is indeed Hornblower fanfiction with the names changed. I guess that explains why I liked the characters in the beginning, before they went all OOC.
December 10, 2015
EDIT: Not only is it p2p fanfic, but it also lifted dialogue scenes directly from the movie scripts that it's fanfic for in more than one instance. This is plagiarism and should not be supported in any way or form.
Original review:
I think this could have been a much better novel if the author hadn't just reworked parts of the original fanfiction and added in a couple of new scenes, but if she had kept the plot, the basic character constellations and then rewritten the whole thing (including the dialogue).
The published product, as it is now, is still too deeply steeped in common early-2000's fanfiction tropes to make for enjoyable reading for any audience that isn't into that kind of thing.
In other words, Ransom is pretty cheesy.
I thought I’d try this one since I love Age of Sail adventure novels, and was willing to try another AoS m/m-romance. I have previously made good experiences with Alex Beecroft’s False Colors in this genre, which gave the adventure plot as much if not more room than the romance plot. Since I’ve heard this series compareed to Beecroft’s work I thought I’d check it out.
Plus, I love kidnapping stories, so I had to really love this one, too, right?
I don't even want to review it properly right now. I'm just so glad it's over.
It started out fine, I liked the beginning. I liked the duel, I liked the foreshadowing at Davy's secrets right after. Even the kidnapping itself was mostly fine barring minor holes in the characters' logic. But quickly you'll find the book's fanfic roots are showing. The book kinda loses the plot and focuses on Davy's inner turmoil instead. Something I simply wasn't very interested in.
But I get it: Davy is a poor woobie with no way to access his own self-worth. He is only there to angst prettily and to cry like a sweet, frightened child, so he can be pitied and cuddled.
Never mind that he led a boarding party onto a French ship. He shot people dead, skewered them on his sword. He ordered his gun crews to throw hundreds of pounds of metal into an enemy vessel and drilled them until he could be sure to order them to continue their tasks as their shipmates were cut to pieces around them by shot and flying splinters. He saw friend and foe killed and mangled. He stood the noise and the heat and the rush of battle, of cannons going off all around him – for hours and hours – and the dangerous rain of sniper musket fire. At the beginning of the novel he is commended for bravery during a recent action.
NEVER MIND all that. No one wants to read about a man with nerves of steel. He needs not to be able to think about anything but of what a failure he is, despite all he has accomplished, so the fangirls – or, by proxy, his brave heroic love interest – can tell him that he’s actually a good boy, and did well and deserves all the sexual rewards. Yay!
Thankfully, the book initially makes a decent job of having the reader empathise with Davy's feeling like there is something wrong with him personally for constantly getting victimised by ever new bullies. I really liked this piece of characterisation and was routing for the guy.
But in the second half of the book his self-worth issues are taken to such extremes it’s simply a chore to read. And then Will learns about what the Big Bad has done to his friend and it gets even worse, because now even in Will’s PoV chapters we get to read little else but what a poor, sweet, pitiable person Davy is, and how Will is going to do everything to protect him from future harm.
Eventually they both admit that they have feelings for each other, and finally they can angst about that too. Apart from sodomy being a hanging offence in the navy back then, Will, of course, fears, he might hurt Davy like his abusers have done, while Davy fears he might infect Will with his abnormal sexuality and spoil his innocence. And then they admit their fears to each other and talk about it, and angst together instead of separately.
And this goes on for ages without the actual plot moving forward one bit. To trick the reader into thinking anything of interest actually happened we get occasional reports from the search parties. Reports that basically tell us that meanwhile "NOTHING HAPPENED (but we're trying real hard, ok?)"
By the end of the book I wouldn't have minded if the villain had actually shot Davy dead. At least the melodrama would have been over. I went from routing for the poor guy to wanting to strangle him myself within a hundred pages, which is quite impressive.
So, Davy really could have had a little more agency of his own. The book lets Will gather the means to escape from their cell and Captain Smith persuades some of the kidnapper’s crew into helping them escape (or, well … he shouts them into submission, rather. Which makes him the best character in this novel, really). While the most useful thing Davy does is throw up on the villain’s shoes once.
I did love the captain though -- for the most time. Eventually he too is overwhelmed by a need to express his worry for Davy by ranting for what felt like 20 pages straight. Also, he really loves the navy. Obsessively so. Simply won't shut up about it -- I love how he is, from the moment they are abducted, in a constant state of indignation, not resting one moment from working on their escape and telling people all the lovely painful things that await him once he's in a position to take them to trial. What a fun character! Plus, he actually gets shit done instead of angsting about his fragile love life. Why couldn't the book have been more about him instead?
Original review:
I think this could have been a much better novel if the author hadn't just reworked parts of the original fanfiction and added in a couple of new scenes, but if she had kept the plot, the basic character constellations and then rewritten the whole thing (including the dialogue).
The published product, as it is now, is still too deeply steeped in common early-2000's fanfiction tropes to make for enjoyable reading for any audience that isn't into that kind of thing.
In other words, Ransom is pretty cheesy.
I thought I’d try this one since I love Age of Sail adventure novels, and was willing to try another AoS m/m-romance. I have previously made good experiences with Alex Beecroft’s False Colors in this genre, which gave the adventure plot as much if not more room than the romance plot. Since I’ve heard this series compareed to Beecroft’s work I thought I’d check it out.
Plus, I love kidnapping stories, so I had to really love this one, too, right?
I don't even want to review it properly right now. I'm just so glad it's over.
It started out fine, I liked the beginning. I liked the duel, I liked the foreshadowing at Davy's secrets right after. Even the kidnapping itself was mostly fine barring minor holes in the characters' logic. But quickly you'll find the book's fanfic roots are showing. The book kinda loses the plot and focuses on Davy's inner turmoil instead. Something I simply wasn't very interested in.
But I get it: Davy is a poor woobie with no way to access his own self-worth. He is only there to angst prettily and to cry like a sweet, frightened child, so he can be pitied and cuddled.
Never mind that he led a boarding party onto a French ship. He shot people dead, skewered them on his sword. He ordered his gun crews to throw hundreds of pounds of metal into an enemy vessel and drilled them until he could be sure to order them to continue their tasks as their shipmates were cut to pieces around them by shot and flying splinters. He saw friend and foe killed and mangled. He stood the noise and the heat and the rush of battle, of cannons going off all around him – for hours and hours – and the dangerous rain of sniper musket fire. At the beginning of the novel he is commended for bravery during a recent action.
NEVER MIND all that. No one wants to read about a man with nerves of steel. He needs not to be able to think about anything but of what a failure he is, despite all he has accomplished, so the fangirls – or, by proxy, his brave heroic love interest – can tell him that he’s actually a good boy, and did well and deserves all the sexual rewards. Yay!
Thankfully, the book initially makes a decent job of having the reader empathise with Davy's feeling like there is something wrong with him personally for constantly getting victimised by ever new bullies. I really liked this piece of characterisation and was routing for the guy.
But in the second half of the book his self-worth issues are taken to such extremes it’s simply a chore to read. And then Will learns about what the Big Bad has done to his friend and it gets even worse, because now even in Will’s PoV chapters we get to read little else but what a poor, sweet, pitiable person Davy is, and how Will is going to do everything to protect him from future harm.
Eventually they both admit that they have feelings for each other, and finally they can angst about that too. Apart from sodomy being a hanging offence in the navy back then, Will, of course, fears, he might hurt Davy like his abusers have done, while Davy fears he might infect Will with his abnormal sexuality and spoil his innocence. And then they admit their fears to each other and talk about it, and angst together instead of separately.
And this goes on for ages without the actual plot moving forward one bit. To trick the reader into thinking anything of interest actually happened we get occasional reports from the search parties. Reports that basically tell us that meanwhile "NOTHING HAPPENED (but we're trying real hard, ok?)"
By the end of the book I wouldn't have minded if the villain had actually shot Davy dead. At least the melodrama would have been over. I went from routing for the poor guy to wanting to strangle him myself within a hundred pages, which is quite impressive.
So, Davy really could have had a little more agency of his own. The book lets Will gather the means to escape from their cell and Captain Smith persuades some of the kidnapper’s crew into helping them escape (or, well … he shouts them into submission, rather. Which makes him the best character in this novel, really). While the most useful thing Davy does is throw up on the villain’s shoes once.
I did love the captain though -- for the most time. Eventually he too is overwhelmed by a need to express his worry for Davy by ranting for what felt like 20 pages straight. Also, he really loves the navy. Obsessively so. Simply won't shut up about it -- I love how he is, from the moment they are abducted, in a constant state of indignation, not resting one moment from working on their escape and telling people all the lovely painful things that await him once he's in a position to take them to trial. What a fun character! Plus, he actually gets shit done instead of angsting about his fragile love life. Why couldn't the book have been more about him instead?
March 23, 2010
For a young Englishman in 1796, the Navy is a way to move beyond his humble origins and seek a chance at greatness. Captured by accident when their Captain is abducted, Archer and Marshall become pawns in a renegade pirate’s sadistic game. To protect the man he loves, David Archer compromises himself-trading his honor and his body for Marshall’s safety. When Will learns of his friend’s sacrifice, he also discovers that what he feels for Davy is stronger and deeper than friendship. The first challenge: escape their prison. The second: find a way to preserve their love without losing their lives.
I found this book, completely by accident and I was intrigued by the blurb as it was a a Regency Gay Romance, which made me beam, because there are just Not Enough of those, but more excitingly, it’s a nautical tale, set in the same time period as Master and Commander and Hornblower – so if any of you have ever slashed Archie and Horny or Horny and Pellew – you are going to LOVE this. It’s 1799 and not only is homosexuality on land punishable by prison and death – on His Majesty’s Ships the Articles of War give an automatic death penalty for it – and very little proof was needed – if a man of a higher rank gave evidence against one of a lower, that man would hang.
But it’s more than just “oh whoopee another historical homoerotic romance do buy” This is excellently written. It could easily be Forrester on a Slashy day, and I’ll stick my neck out and go further to say that the writing surpasses Forrester. It’s also immaculately (as far as I can see) researched and what brings it alive to me is that the language is in the tone of the TIME.
Nothing jars me more than reading about 21st century men who just happen to find themselves on a 18th century warship.
The sex is beautifully described and perhaps some readers won’t find it as graphic as they’d like, but it is all there, it’s just written so beautifully and so lightly that it’s inferred rather than explicitly shown.
Anyway – HIGHLY recommended especially for all of your who moan that there’s no historical slash out there.
Don’t miss her sequels – Winds of Change and Eye of the Storm and coming soon - Home is the Sailor
I found this book, completely by accident and I was intrigued by the blurb as it was a a Regency Gay Romance, which made me beam, because there are just Not Enough of those, but more excitingly, it’s a nautical tale, set in the same time period as Master and Commander and Hornblower – so if any of you have ever slashed Archie and Horny or Horny and Pellew – you are going to LOVE this. It’s 1799 and not only is homosexuality on land punishable by prison and death – on His Majesty’s Ships the Articles of War give an automatic death penalty for it – and very little proof was needed – if a man of a higher rank gave evidence against one of a lower, that man would hang.
But it’s more than just “oh whoopee another historical homoerotic romance do buy” This is excellently written. It could easily be Forrester on a Slashy day, and I’ll stick my neck out and go further to say that the writing surpasses Forrester. It’s also immaculately (as far as I can see) researched and what brings it alive to me is that the language is in the tone of the TIME.
Nothing jars me more than reading about 21st century men who just happen to find themselves on a 18th century warship.
The sex is beautifully described and perhaps some readers won’t find it as graphic as they’d like, but it is all there, it’s just written so beautifully and so lightly that it’s inferred rather than explicitly shown.
Anyway – HIGHLY recommended especially for all of your who moan that there’s no historical slash out there.
Don’t miss her sequels – Winds of Change and Eye of the Storm and coming soon - Home is the Sailor
December 9, 2010
Very interesting historical romance. When I was a child, I read my share of books about privateers and pirates, that's why I probably felt so cozy while reading this book. I can't tell if the terminology was accurate, but it was enough to make me feel like I was there with Davy and Will.
The love story is really beautiful. Even if there's a lot happening (especially Davy's abuse perpetrated by the pirate Adrian, a true sociopath), the angst never reached my limits, probably because the worst part happens off the page.
Davy is more sexually aware than Will and he's an unwilling magnet of attraction. He truly loves Will and he's ready to sacrifice himself for the welfare of his mate. The way Will discovers his attraction for Davy is pretty casual, but Will surrenders to his lust with no second thoughts. This is a little bit unbelievable, but Will is a practical and honest young man, he doesn't fuss over his feelings and that's why I liked him.
On the other hand, I loved Davy very much, because I am always rooting for the weaker ones, the designated victims. Davy is often self-deprecating but he's never whiny and I think he is much stronger than he thinks.
I really liked Captain Smith, he is a wonderful character, just and sympathetic.
The sex scenes were very passionate and not overly graphic and I think they really expressed the emotional connection between the main characters, the trust they had in each other and ultimately their love.
Both the characters have always in mind the risk of being lovers at a time when homosexuality could get you hanged and this aspect adds an additional layer to the depth of what Davy and Will feel for each other.
I really enjoyed this book and I'm going to read the second installment of the series, I'd like to know where Will and Davy are heading. Ahoy!
The love story is really beautiful. Even if there's a lot happening (especially Davy's abuse perpetrated by the pirate Adrian, a true sociopath), the angst never reached my limits, probably because the worst part happens off the page.
Davy is more sexually aware than Will and he's an unwilling magnet of attraction. He truly loves Will and he's ready to sacrifice himself for the welfare of his mate. The way Will discovers his attraction for Davy is pretty casual, but Will surrenders to his lust with no second thoughts. This is a little bit unbelievable, but Will is a practical and honest young man, he doesn't fuss over his feelings and that's why I liked him.
On the other hand, I loved Davy very much, because I am always rooting for the weaker ones, the designated victims. Davy is often self-deprecating but he's never whiny and I think he is much stronger than he thinks.
I really liked Captain Smith, he is a wonderful character, just and sympathetic.
The sex scenes were very passionate and not overly graphic and I think they really expressed the emotional connection between the main characters, the trust they had in each other and ultimately their love.
Both the characters have always in mind the risk of being lovers at a time when homosexuality could get you hanged and this aspect adds an additional layer to the depth of what Davy and Will feel for each other.
I really enjoyed this book and I'm going to read the second installment of the series, I'd like to know where Will and Davy are heading. Ahoy!
December 24, 2014
It's always refreshing to discover something new...something that doesn't follow that same old formula where everything that happens next in the story is totally predictable. I found this book through a recommendation on Facebook and I don’t even think I read the blurb, but I still should have had some idea what was coming from the title and cover alone. Nope, it was one shocking surprise after another for me.
Ransom tells the story of three naval officers who are abducted and held for ransom on another ship. Two of the men are David Archer and William Marshall, best friends and shipmates. The other is their captain…Captain Smith. The three men must organize and execute an escape plan before their psychotic captor decides they are no longer worth the risk.
OhMyGod! I LOVED this book!!
1. A lot of things were happening at a very rapid pace, but the story didn’t feel rushed at all! Instead, it was a thorough telling of an intense and scary situation. Even the monotony in the daily routines of their seclusion held the purpose of keeping me ensnared with the story: this is what it would BE like to be held hostage by pirates…this is what it would FEEL like knowing it was three against thirty-eight and escape is all but impossible.
2. At first I was thinking to myself “Is this even going to be a romance?” There was a little sexual tension but it all seemed to be one sided, then BAM…OMG William and David were crazy hot together! And I loved how they dove right into each other, but they knew this was something they couldn’t continue once they escaped…of course they didn’t stop there either. It was easy to believe how much they cared and truly felt for one another.
3. There were some dark and horrible things happening to one of the main characters throughout the story and it totally hurt my heart to see him so broken down at one point. I can say that I’m glad that maybe 98% of those things happened off the page, but it was still there, right in the forefront of the story and even “told” in some detail of what occurred. The best part of that whole situation was seeing the tables finally turned on the bad guy…except his punishment wasn’t NEARLY harsh enough!
4. I was completely captivated with the escape plan. The author is a master of only leaking small details here, a little foreshadowing there…keeping me completely hooked, but still doubting that a happy outcome could ever happen. Even fiive minutes before they initiated the plan, I STILL didn’t know the REAL plan!
5. Yep, this is one of those HFN stories that I can’t to see what Will and David get up to in their next adventure! They have sooooo much story left to tell!
I’m gonna knock off half a star because there was no consistent method of name use for the two main characters. One could be referred to as Will, William or Marshall at any given time, and the other as Davy, David, or Archer. And then the villain’s name was Adrian…and I kept confusing him with Archer! Then there was a few scenes near the midpoint of the story where there was back and forth head-hopping between David and Will that I had a lot of trouble following who was thinking and doing what. Luckily, that eventually straightened out and didn’t seem be an issue for most of the book.
I will be diving into Winds of Change and Eye of the Storm VERY soon!
4.5 Stars
Reviewed for The Blogger Girls
Ransom tells the story of three naval officers who are abducted and held for ransom on another ship. Two of the men are David Archer and William Marshall, best friends and shipmates. The other is their captain…Captain Smith. The three men must organize and execute an escape plan before their psychotic captor decides they are no longer worth the risk.
OhMyGod! I LOVED this book!!
1. A lot of things were happening at a very rapid pace, but the story didn’t feel rushed at all! Instead, it was a thorough telling of an intense and scary situation. Even the monotony in the daily routines of their seclusion held the purpose of keeping me ensnared with the story: this is what it would BE like to be held hostage by pirates…this is what it would FEEL like knowing it was three against thirty-eight and escape is all but impossible.
2. At first I was thinking to myself “Is this even going to be a romance?” There was a little sexual tension but it all seemed to be one sided, then BAM…OMG William and David were crazy hot together! And I loved how they dove right into each other, but they knew this was something they couldn’t continue once they escaped…of course they didn’t stop there either. It was easy to believe how much they cared and truly felt for one another.
3. There were some dark and horrible things happening to one of the main characters throughout the story and it totally hurt my heart to see him so broken down at one point. I can say that I’m glad that maybe 98% of those things happened off the page, but it was still there, right in the forefront of the story and even “told” in some detail of what occurred. The best part of that whole situation was seeing the tables finally turned on the bad guy…except his punishment wasn’t NEARLY harsh enough!
4. I was completely captivated with the escape plan. The author is a master of only leaking small details here, a little foreshadowing there…keeping me completely hooked, but still doubting that a happy outcome could ever happen. Even fiive minutes before they initiated the plan, I STILL didn’t know the REAL plan!
5. Yep, this is one of those HFN stories that I can’t to see what Will and David get up to in their next adventure! They have sooooo much story left to tell!
I’m gonna knock off half a star because there was no consistent method of name use for the two main characters. One could be referred to as Will, William or Marshall at any given time, and the other as Davy, David, or Archer. And then the villain’s name was Adrian…and I kept confusing him with Archer! Then there was a few scenes near the midpoint of the story where there was back and forth head-hopping between David and Will that I had a lot of trouble following who was thinking and doing what. Luckily, that eventually straightened out and didn’t seem be an issue for most of the book.
I will be diving into Winds of Change and Eye of the Storm VERY soon!
4.5 Stars
Reviewed for The Blogger Girls
March 16, 2012
A good to very good M/M historical romance concerning two men in the English Navy during the the first year of the Napoleonic Wars. Although set in the time of the wars, very little of the story was related to warfare. Instead, the story revolves around the abduction of two lieutenants, David Archer and William Marshall, and their Captain, where they are held to ransom.
David was in love with William, but as sodomy was a hanging offence at the time, and he was sure William was not so inclined, it remained some thing he had acknowledged though not acted upon. It is their abduction however, where the two men, David in particular, suffer under the hands of their kidnapper, that causes both men not only to fight for their live, but to reassess their relationship.
There is a lot suffering in this book yet to me, it wasn't overly angst-ridden. The time period that the novel is set in was a brutal time, and the situations the men find themselves in seem entirely plausible. I liked the emotional development between the two men, especially as they struggle to straddle the line between duty and their love. Overall, the story was plausible, the pacing pretty even and the characterization good. If you don't mind a historical romance and can handle some violence - sexual and physical - then this novel is worth considering.
David was in love with William, but as sodomy was a hanging offence at the time, and he was sure William was not so inclined, it remained some thing he had acknowledged though not acted upon. It is their abduction however, where the two men, David in particular, suffer under the hands of their kidnapper, that causes both men not only to fight for their live, but to reassess their relationship.
There is a lot suffering in this book yet to me, it wasn't overly angst-ridden. The time period that the novel is set in was a brutal time, and the situations the men find themselves in seem entirely plausible. I liked the emotional development between the two men, especially as they struggle to straddle the line between duty and their love. Overall, the story was plausible, the pacing pretty even and the characterization good. If you don't mind a historical romance and can handle some violence - sexual and physical - then this novel is worth considering.
January 6, 2009
Ransom was really good, but I found some of the parts regarding the planning of their escape and the ship terminologies boring. However, I absolutely loved the relationship between Will and Davy. Davy has been in love with Will for a few years now, but didn't want to do anything to ruin their friendship. When they are captured, along with their Captain, for ransom, things start to get a little dicey. The kidnapper was a very sadistic man who threatened to geld Will to get Davy to voluntarily sleep with him. Because this book is set in the 1700's, Davy had to keep quiet about what was happening to him. If it came out, he could be kicked out of the Navy or worse, hung for sodomy. During a nightmare Davy was having, he and Will become intimate. This intimacy actually helps Davy endure the kidnapper's attentions and opens the door to one of the sweetest romances I have read in a long time. There was passion, love and tenderness between them and it was a refreshing change to the usual conflicts that potential couples face. This is a story that I definitely recommend.
February 22, 2019
This book had a good plot, strong character development, and a sense of place and time that made a reader feel like they were aboard the Morven with all its sights and sounds and undoubtedly questionable smells. But that ending...?
That was some ho-hum HFN bullshit and I am NOT a happy camper.
Honestly, it was like the author had spent so much time building up the realism of the hopelessness and danger of the characters' love for one another (one of the main reasons I always have to work up my courage to read historical romances in the first place) that they didn't know how to end it successfully - so they didn't.
I'm sad that I waited so long to read this book - 4.5 years! - because it was good, but now I'm irritated that I waited this long and then was cheated out of my happily ever after. Not cool, Rowan.
Will I read on in the series?
After this ending? I'm still undecided.
That was some ho-hum HFN bullshit and I am NOT a happy camper.
Honestly, it was like the author had spent so much time building up the realism of the hopelessness and danger of the characters' love for one another (one of the main reasons I always have to work up my courage to read historical romances in the first place) that they didn't know how to end it successfully - so they didn't.
I'm sad that I waited so long to read this book - 4.5 years! - because it was good, but now I'm irritated that I waited this long and then was cheated out of my happily ever after. Not cool, Rowan.
Will I read on in the series?
After this ending? I'm still undecided.
July 28, 2011
Boring and cheesy... When I first saw this book I thought that it would be great to read a slash novel set during the Age of Sail. But there is no great sea battles, no real piracy, no gunshots... There is just a lame excuse for a plot, stupid characters, and some not so interesting sex scenes... A deception.
December 15, 2015
I read this book knowing that it had originally been fanfiction of the Hornblower TV series with the names changed. This didn't bother me, as I enjoyed Naomi Novik's Temeraire, knowing it had also begun life as fanfic. But while Novik successfully reshaped her fic into an original story independent of the source material, Rowan doesn't do the same for Ransom, to the point where the similarities between the book and the TV series are an unwelcome distraction.
That would have been bad enough, but to add insult to injury, the author has retained bits of dialogue verbatim from a significant scene in the TV series, and failed to acknowledge it. This is plagiarism, plain and simple.
So much for the fanfic angle, but it doesn't even work as original fiction. Characterisation is anaemic at best, with the characters defined by one basic trait (Davy is the Woobie, Adrian is the Cheesy Panto Pirate, Captain Smith is the Father To His Men), and the relationship-building between the two heroes is nonexistent - both discover that they're in love with the other between one sentence and the next, without any prior hint. And the plot relies far too much on making the villains incompetent in order for the heroes to get the better of them. Which says much for the heroes' capabilities!
I've read several reviews praising its historical accuracy, but even my inexpert eye caught several glaring errors, and indications that the author doesn't really understand how Nelson's navy actually worked. A few examples: no frigate was reduced to a state of near-sinking by taking on a merchant convoy. Likewise, no frigate would have five lieutenants. Despite what this book seems to think, prize-money wasn't granted automatically on entering port with a prize, but only after it had been "condemned" in the prize-court, a process that could take months. The goodies couldn't possibly have encountered Thomas Cochrane and the Speedy in the Channel in 1799, as he a) was in the Mediterranean, and b) wouldn't be given command of the Speedy for nearly a year. And that's the first few examples off the top of my head.
tl;dr: this is a sloppy, lazy piece of pandering, which fails as either good fanfiction or good historical fiction. The plagiarised dialogue just pushes it right down into the bilge.
That would have been bad enough, but to add insult to injury, the author has retained bits of dialogue verbatim from a significant scene in the TV series, and failed to acknowledge it. This is plagiarism, plain and simple.
So much for the fanfic angle, but it doesn't even work as original fiction. Characterisation is anaemic at best, with the characters defined by one basic trait (Davy is the Woobie, Adrian is the Cheesy Panto Pirate, Captain Smith is the Father To His Men), and the relationship-building between the two heroes is nonexistent - both discover that they're in love with the other between one sentence and the next, without any prior hint. And the plot relies far too much on making the villains incompetent in order for the heroes to get the better of them. Which says much for the heroes' capabilities!
I've read several reviews praising its historical accuracy, but even my inexpert eye caught several glaring errors, and indications that the author doesn't really understand how Nelson's navy actually worked. A few examples: no frigate was reduced to a state of near-sinking by taking on a merchant convoy. Likewise, no frigate would have five lieutenants. Despite what this book seems to think, prize-money wasn't granted automatically on entering port with a prize, but only after it had been "condemned" in the prize-court, a process that could take months. The goodies couldn't possibly have encountered Thomas Cochrane and the Speedy in the Channel in 1799, as he a) was in the Mediterranean, and b) wouldn't be given command of the Speedy for nearly a year. And that's the first few examples off the top of my head.
tl;dr: this is a sloppy, lazy piece of pandering, which fails as either good fanfiction or good historical fiction. The plagiarised dialogue just pushes it right down into the bilge.
April 18, 2015
I've re-read this book many times. It was my introduction into the M/m romance genre. I imagine the historical genre is an entry point for a lot of authors.
In any case, this story showcases Lee Rowan's expertise in historical matters. The plot has a lot of twists, and you can never really tell where people will end up. The book's more than half ways done before any physical sensuality takes place, though emotionally Davy and Will are already involved. But once the flood gates open, it doesn't rain, it pours. Yeah, a mix of metaphors, I know.
The villain is intriguing, a multi-layered personality with dark desires but a certain understanding of how to be an effective bad guy. The way he treats Davy is not as easily interpreted and as violent and sadistic as it seems at first.
The growing affection and sensuality is the key ingredient here. Every time Davy and Will come together, it's pure fiery passion. Loved every minute of it. I highly recommend this story.
In any case, this story showcases Lee Rowan's expertise in historical matters. The plot has a lot of twists, and you can never really tell where people will end up. The book's more than half ways done before any physical sensuality takes place, though emotionally Davy and Will are already involved. But once the flood gates open, it doesn't rain, it pours. Yeah, a mix of metaphors, I know.
The villain is intriguing, a multi-layered personality with dark desires but a certain understanding of how to be an effective bad guy. The way he treats Davy is not as easily interpreted and as violent and sadistic as it seems at first.
The growing affection and sensuality is the key ingredient here. Every time Davy and Will come together, it's pure fiery passion. Loved every minute of it. I highly recommend this story.
June 27, 2011
Didn't feel any connection to the characters. Difficult to deduce their personalities, and no character development.
October 26, 2008
Woww! Just WOW! That was one of the hottest romances I've ever read! Lee Rowan writes so beautifully that I feel Will and Davy's passion so well! The writing just blew me away, especially the way she'll say something happened VERY subtly but enough to make sure you get, or at least go back and read it again to understand it.
I also like the supporting characters like Davy and Will's captain and then the loyal-to-the-captain-but-disloyal-to-Adrian sailors :K
I didn't want it to end, although I admit it was a good ending because you can basically see their life from the ending. It's just that I would have liked to see the anticipated event of his sure-to-be promotional test and to see specifically how the new lovers would deal with that while on ship or if they can stay together on the same ship ... etc. I can guess and probably be right but it would have been interesting and humorous, but that alone can not be a sequel so... okay I'm rambling.
Now it seemed a little slow at first, sorta... I liked reading it all for the most part but when there was descriptions about naval plans that were obviously things you wouldn't have to remember for later, I did skip on them a little. What I did read WAS pretty interesting, though. I would read this book again fully the second time, I was just anticipating reading about the lovers to see what happened. By the end all they are doing is loving rofl
I also like the supporting characters like Davy and Will's captain and then the loyal-to-the-captain-but-disloyal-to-Adrian sailors :K
I didn't want it to end, although I admit it was a good ending because you can basically see their life from the ending. It's just that I would have liked to see the anticipated event of his sure-to-be promotional test and to see specifically how the new lovers would deal with that while on ship or if they can stay together on the same ship ... etc. I can guess and probably be right but it would have been interesting and humorous, but that alone can not be a sequel so... okay I'm rambling.
Now it seemed a little slow at first, sorta... I liked reading it all for the most part but when there was descriptions about naval plans that were obviously things you wouldn't have to remember for later, I did skip on them a little. What I did read WAS pretty interesting, though. I would read this book again fully the second time, I was just anticipating reading about the lovers to see what happened. By the end all they are doing is loving rofl
December 21, 2015
J'ai beaucoup aimé ce roman historique dans la Royal Navy. C'est Master and Commander version gay !
William Marschall, fils de vicaire, a réussi à intégrer la Royal Navy et son courage et sa ténacité lui ouvrent les portes d'une belle carrière. Et une solide amitié avec son sous-lieutenant David Archer, fils cadet de la Gentry. Mais tandis que les deux hommes se retrouvent isolés et enfermés sur un navire après un enlèvement, David a bien du mal à dissimuler ce qu'il ressent. C'est un personnage très touchant ce David, persuadé que son goût pour les hommes, une abomination pour l'époque, doit transparaître dans ses yeux, pour se retrouver la proie de prédateurs sexuels. William l'a débarrassé du premier sans même le savoir, et David va s'offrir au second pour sauver l'homme qu'il aime en secret. Peu à peu, William va prendre consciencieuse du sacrifice de David et de ses sentiment, et tomber lui-même amoureux. Tandis que les deux hommes préparent minutieusement leur évasion, ils se laissent aller à l'amour. L'intrigue est prenante, tout à fait réaliste notamment quand aux difficultés et l'organisation d'une évasion en pleine mer, mais aussi en ce qui concerne la romance entre William et David. Et je n'ai qu'une envie, c'est d'avoir la suite !
(4,6/5)
William Marschall, fils de vicaire, a réussi à intégrer la Royal Navy et son courage et sa ténacité lui ouvrent les portes d'une belle carrière. Et une solide amitié avec son sous-lieutenant David Archer, fils cadet de la Gentry. Mais tandis que les deux hommes se retrouvent isolés et enfermés sur un navire après un enlèvement, David a bien du mal à dissimuler ce qu'il ressent. C'est un personnage très touchant ce David, persuadé que son goût pour les hommes, une abomination pour l'époque, doit transparaître dans ses yeux, pour se retrouver la proie de prédateurs sexuels. William l'a débarrassé du premier sans même le savoir, et David va s'offrir au second pour sauver l'homme qu'il aime en secret. Peu à peu, William va prendre consciencieuse du sacrifice de David et de ses sentiment, et tomber lui-même amoureux. Tandis que les deux hommes préparent minutieusement leur évasion, ils se laissent aller à l'amour. L'intrigue est prenante, tout à fait réaliste notamment quand aux difficultés et l'organisation d'une évasion en pleine mer, mais aussi en ce qui concerne la romance entre William et David. Et je n'ai qu'une envie, c'est d'avoir la suite !
(4,6/5)
February 26, 2008
I read this book, or rather I think I read it, few years ago - as a fan fiction. Names were changed but the title and summary more than fit what I read.
The story got good recs in the fandom so I gave it a go. Considering the plot and the era I hoped to fall madly in love with the story. Alas that didn't happen. The development of the relationship did not always feel believable to me and witnessing the struggle of both characters to get where the author wanted them was painful at times. I thought the story needs a little work in this area but and I can only hope it was polished up a bit before publication.
Overall I would say the story is easily readable and I would recommend it to first-time slash readers.
The story got good recs in the fandom so I gave it a go. Considering the plot and the era I hoped to fall madly in love with the story. Alas that didn't happen. The development of the relationship did not always feel believable to me and witnessing the struggle of both characters to get where the author wanted them was painful at times. I thought the story needs a little work in this area but and I can only hope it was polished up a bit before publication.
Overall I would say the story is easily readable and I would recommend it to first-time slash readers.
October 27, 2011
This story takes place in the late 1770s, when the British navy is fighting the French. The interaction of the main characters is fueled by both their attraction to one another and their fears about being discovered (since homosexuality is a punishable crime). The details about nautical life ring true, and the characters are likable. There's substantial angst as the two lovers try to set boundaries on their attraction. Sex scenes are not gratuitous, but rather serve the plot.
January 11, 2015
Words could never express how good this book is, and how much I adore it.
March 7, 2025
This was a 2025 Sweeps Challenge book. For this challenge, you "promise" to read the books that have been on your shelves the longest.
Ransom was one of the first books I shelved when I first joined the m/m community. But lackluster reviews prevented me from reading it. The chief deterrents were mentions of Horatio Hornblower fan fiction and a prolonged prisoner scenario. The fanfic issue didn't bother me since I'm not familiar with Hornblower. But the prisoner scenario is one of my least favorite tropes.
Turns out the story wasn't as bad as I feared. The protagonists' prolonged prisoner status, along with their captain's, was a bit bothersome, but there was enough change of perspective and scenery to make it tolerable. Except for Will's close-quarters confinement—but I'm claustrophobic, so that likely exacerbated my discomfort.
Thankfully the really icky parts of the story took place off-book.
The characters were well-drawn. Their backgrounds were detailed and important, and their motivations were clear. The precursors that lead to their"first time" felt true to the characters, as did its aftermath. The guilt and fear were understandable.
I give the book 3½ stars, but round it up because I'm nice like that. Nor am I averse to reading the sequel, Winds of Change.
Though there's no full face on the cover, it gets my "wowza" rating. It's mentioned several times that Davy is extremely attractive. The structure of the model's lower face fits that description and it's enough to whet the imagination. Besides, as a Navy veteran, I'm a sucker for a man in uniform.
Ransom was one of the first books I shelved when I first joined the m/m community. But lackluster reviews prevented me from reading it. The chief deterrents were mentions of Horatio Hornblower fan fiction and a prolonged prisoner scenario. The fanfic issue didn't bother me since I'm not familiar with Hornblower. But the prisoner scenario is one of my least favorite tropes.
Turns out the story wasn't as bad as I feared. The protagonists' prolonged prisoner status, along with their captain's, was a bit bothersome, but there was enough change of perspective and scenery to make it tolerable. Except for Will's close-quarters confinement—but I'm claustrophobic, so that likely exacerbated my discomfort.
Thankfully the really icky parts of the story took place off-book.
The characters were well-drawn. Their backgrounds were detailed and important, and their motivations were clear. The precursors that lead to their"first time" felt true to the characters, as did its aftermath. The guilt and fear were understandable.
I give the book 3½ stars, but round it up because I'm nice like that. Nor am I averse to reading the sequel, Winds of Change.
Though there's no full face on the cover, it gets my "wowza" rating. It's mentioned several times that Davy is extremely attractive. The structure of the model's lower face fits that description and it's enough to whet the imagination. Besides, as a Navy veteran, I'm a sucker for a man in uniform.
August 24, 2018
Oh God, why did I read this? Well, it's just been sitting in my ebook library is the answer.
To summarise the story, it is about a whore of a sailor being passed around like the town's bicycle using his body to prevent the death of fellow sailors after being captured by some pirates. He was in love with another sailor, which predictably ended in them falling in love and debauchery. My biggest problem with the book was the language used, we need to remember this was set in the late 18th century but somehow characters would say things like "chill out". Essentially this was a softcore porn disguised as some nautical adventure. What bothered me the most was the random "logs" that no one cares about being inserted into every chapter.
A cute couple doesn't neglect bad writing and anachronism.
To summarise the story, it is about a whore of a sailor being passed around like the town's bicycle using his body to prevent the death of fellow sailors after being captured by some pirates. He was in love with another sailor, which predictably ended in them falling in love and debauchery. My biggest problem with the book was the language used, we need to remember this was set in the late 18th century but somehow characters would say things like "chill out". Essentially this was a softcore porn disguised as some nautical adventure. What bothered me the most was the random "logs" that no one cares about being inserted into every chapter.
A cute couple doesn't neglect bad writing and anachronism.
April 15, 2025
Boring and cheesy... When I first saw this book I thought that it would be great to read a slash novel set during the Age of Sail. But there is no great sea battles, no real piracy, no gunshots... There is just a lame excuse for a plot, stupid characters, and uniteresting "spicy" scenes. A big no-no to me.
November 19, 2018
I think this book would benefit greatly from long hard editing. Thus said, it is kinky af and I'm off to read the next ones.
Read
October 25, 2023Basically boils down to sex on ships. This Age of Sail series is fun, if a bit forgettable.
CW: rape, abuse, period typical homophobia and the attendant anxieties
CW: rape, abuse, period typical homophobia and the attendant anxieties
October 30, 2014
“Love is sacrificing everything for the one you love no matter what the circumstances.” ~ Jeremy Limn
David, of 'Ransom' by Lee Rowan, is in love with his friend and fellow shipmate, William. He greatly values their friendship and has an enormous respect for William. David knows that a real relationship is not possible, but in order to keep William close by, he never even hints at his feelings. To David, William is bright and beautiful and he would do anything to keep him that way, even if it means sacrificing himself. When they are kidnapped by pirates, David has an opportunity to shelter William from humiliation and he takes it.
David comes from a background of privilege, not wanting for anything. He doesn't wish to follow in his father's footsteps and is looking for an opportunity to get away from home. David joins the Navy, hoping to make his own way in life. Unfortunately, he's thrown into the unfortunate position of being preyed upon by a depraved captain who makes his life hell and repeatedly violates him. Although it is not David's fault, he sees himself as tarnished, and it colors his feelings about himself and others. He loves William dearly; David would never do anything to disrespect him in any way; even though it's breaking his heart to hold back his feelings he continues to do so. His physical desire for William is almost overpowering at times, but he buries it deep within himself, thinking that revealing it would lead to earning William's distain and loss of his precious friendship. If they can remain good friends, it will be enough. When he and William, along with their captain, are captured, it creates a situation in which these feelings are revealed. David does everything he can, including lying to William, to protect him from the extent of sacrifice he's making to keep him and their captain safe until they can be ransomed. David stoically endures continuing abuse from Adrian, their captor, until William sees the physical evidence of it and questions him about it. Even then, he tries to play it down. He acts as if it is merely bothersome, but not the dreadful experience it actually is, because he doesn't want William to feel guilty.
Although he comes from a very humble background, William has a brilliant mind and great promise. He is advancing rapidly through the ranks. He loves being at sea and everything it entails. David is William's best friend. They have been through a lot together and, there's not only the camaraderie of being fellow shipmates, but an affection and respect that goes far deeper than that. William is naïve; he doesn’t recognize David's attention as anything but friendship, especially since David never voices his feelings. When the full extent of David's sacrifice becomes apparent, William is overwhelmed by what David is enduring on his behalf, and it becomes apparent to him that David's feelings go far deeper than friendship. William sees David through different eyes. William reaches down inside himself and realizes that he loves David as well. He is not sure what to do with these feelings or whether he should express them. He is torn by what he's always been taught and what he now wants and it is terribly confusing. William wants to be with David, but he doesn't want to disrespect either himself or David in the process. It's a conundrum which seemingly has no answer. The push and pull feelings between them are both endearing and bittersweet. Which is more important? Does William follow the dispassionate rules he's so strictly been taught; or does he follow his heart and make up his own?
This is a wonderful historical romance, written in a lyrical style befitting the time period. It has just enough naval jargon to make it feel authentic, to add to the ambiance, without burdening it. David and William's loyalty toward each other is quite admirable and their love amazingly intense. Their physical relationship, although reluctant at first, is always expressed without guile. Their encounters are so beautifully written that it made my heart ache with joy for then. Each one was a celebration of their love instead of just a physical coupling. The way their relationship is portrayed made it something very special, something to be cherished; it felt so right it made my heart swell with joy. I recommend this historical love story to everyone with a romantic heart, who believes in love and wants it desperately to prevail over any obstacle put in its path. Thanks, Lee, for a lovely, heartwarming story.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
David, of 'Ransom' by Lee Rowan, is in love with his friend and fellow shipmate, William. He greatly values their friendship and has an enormous respect for William. David knows that a real relationship is not possible, but in order to keep William close by, he never even hints at his feelings. To David, William is bright and beautiful and he would do anything to keep him that way, even if it means sacrificing himself. When they are kidnapped by pirates, David has an opportunity to shelter William from humiliation and he takes it.
David comes from a background of privilege, not wanting for anything. He doesn't wish to follow in his father's footsteps and is looking for an opportunity to get away from home. David joins the Navy, hoping to make his own way in life. Unfortunately, he's thrown into the unfortunate position of being preyed upon by a depraved captain who makes his life hell and repeatedly violates him. Although it is not David's fault, he sees himself as tarnished, and it colors his feelings about himself and others. He loves William dearly; David would never do anything to disrespect him in any way; even though it's breaking his heart to hold back his feelings he continues to do so. His physical desire for William is almost overpowering at times, but he buries it deep within himself, thinking that revealing it would lead to earning William's distain and loss of his precious friendship. If they can remain good friends, it will be enough. When he and William, along with their captain, are captured, it creates a situation in which these feelings are revealed. David does everything he can, including lying to William, to protect him from the extent of sacrifice he's making to keep him and their captain safe until they can be ransomed. David stoically endures continuing abuse from Adrian, their captor, until William sees the physical evidence of it and questions him about it. Even then, he tries to play it down. He acts as if it is merely bothersome, but not the dreadful experience it actually is, because he doesn't want William to feel guilty.
Although he comes from a very humble background, William has a brilliant mind and great promise. He is advancing rapidly through the ranks. He loves being at sea and everything it entails. David is William's best friend. They have been through a lot together and, there's not only the camaraderie of being fellow shipmates, but an affection and respect that goes far deeper than that. William is naïve; he doesn’t recognize David's attention as anything but friendship, especially since David never voices his feelings. When the full extent of David's sacrifice becomes apparent, William is overwhelmed by what David is enduring on his behalf, and it becomes apparent to him that David's feelings go far deeper than friendship. William sees David through different eyes. William reaches down inside himself and realizes that he loves David as well. He is not sure what to do with these feelings or whether he should express them. He is torn by what he's always been taught and what he now wants and it is terribly confusing. William wants to be with David, but he doesn't want to disrespect either himself or David in the process. It's a conundrum which seemingly has no answer. The push and pull feelings between them are both endearing and bittersweet. Which is more important? Does William follow the dispassionate rules he's so strictly been taught; or does he follow his heart and make up his own?
This is a wonderful historical romance, written in a lyrical style befitting the time period. It has just enough naval jargon to make it feel authentic, to add to the ambiance, without burdening it. David and William's loyalty toward each other is quite admirable and their love amazingly intense. Their physical relationship, although reluctant at first, is always expressed without guile. Their encounters are so beautifully written that it made my heart ache with joy for then. Each one was a celebration of their love instead of just a physical coupling. The way their relationship is portrayed made it something very special, something to be cherished; it felt so right it made my heart swell with joy. I recommend this historical love story to everyone with a romantic heart, who believes in love and wants it desperately to prevail over any obstacle put in its path. Thanks, Lee, for a lovely, heartwarming story.
NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
October 6, 2014
Anyone who knows me knows that I am not usually a reader of historical romance. I happened to see this book on the review list and realized I had read it a couple years ago, and liked it, so I gave it another read to see how the new version struck my fancy. Not surprisingly, it was just as good as I remembered.
The story begins with a duel. Yeah, a real duel. I believe it was at this point that David Archer began to fall in love with William Marshall. William didn’t realize that not only was he dueling someone who tried to wrong him but someone who had wronged Archer in the past.
The story continues giving us an overview of Archer and Marshall’s naval careers, leading up to them being kidnapped along with their captain. During their captivity Archer and Marshall both do what they have to do in order to survive, and their relationship begins to evolve from more than friendship.
While trying to survive less than stellar living conditions and treatment that no prisoner should have to endure, Archer realizes that his admiration of Marshall had gone beyond hero worship and was actually love. Marshall, in turn, has never had an intimate relationship with anyone, man or woman. When these two men realize there is a mutual attraction, they do their best to follow the rules of the Navy and England, but eventually they give in to the inevitable, and neither one of them can seem to dredge up any regret.
The abuse from Archer’s past, and the abuse he is currently experiencing with the pirate who is holding them, is in the forefront of this story, but the tender care he gets from Marshall seems to be helping him sort through the issues the abuse has caused.
Once the two men are free, Archer is worried that some truths about him will be revealed and cause him to lose his career and best friend. I don’t want to give too much story away, but Marshall comes to Archer’s rescue again, and that leads to the men having an opportunity to explore their feelings for one another.
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Lee Rowan did a fabulous job of putting me right there with the characters, and I feel like I experienced everything right along with them. Archer had his issues and he dealt with them the best way a man of his time could. Marshall helped him as much as he could, through his kindness which eventually leads to a strong relationship growing between the two men. With the laws of the time period, it will be interesting to see what comes of this relationship and how they will find their way to a HEA.
I know that there are other books after this one, and I’m trying to wait patiently to see if they will be re-released, but I may not be able to hold out. I am in so deep with these two men I just have to find out what’s next. I can only say that if you love historicals this is a must read. If you aren’t a huge fan of the genre, give it a read anyway and you might get swept away like I did.
The story begins with a duel. Yeah, a real duel. I believe it was at this point that David Archer began to fall in love with William Marshall. William didn’t realize that not only was he dueling someone who tried to wrong him but someone who had wronged Archer in the past.
The story continues giving us an overview of Archer and Marshall’s naval careers, leading up to them being kidnapped along with their captain. During their captivity Archer and Marshall both do what they have to do in order to survive, and their relationship begins to evolve from more than friendship.
While trying to survive less than stellar living conditions and treatment that no prisoner should have to endure, Archer realizes that his admiration of Marshall had gone beyond hero worship and was actually love. Marshall, in turn, has never had an intimate relationship with anyone, man or woman. When these two men realize there is a mutual attraction, they do their best to follow the rules of the Navy and England, but eventually they give in to the inevitable, and neither one of them can seem to dredge up any regret.
The abuse from Archer’s past, and the abuse he is currently experiencing with the pirate who is holding them, is in the forefront of this story, but the tender care he gets from Marshall seems to be helping him sort through the issues the abuse has caused.
Once the two men are free, Archer is worried that some truths about him will be revealed and cause him to lose his career and best friend. I don’t want to give too much story away, but Marshall comes to Archer’s rescue again, and that leads to the men having an opportunity to explore their feelings for one another.
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Lee Rowan did a fabulous job of putting me right there with the characters, and I feel like I experienced everything right along with them. Archer had his issues and he dealt with them the best way a man of his time could. Marshall helped him as much as he could, through his kindness which eventually leads to a strong relationship growing between the two men. With the laws of the time period, it will be interesting to see what comes of this relationship and how they will find their way to a HEA.
I know that there are other books after this one, and I’m trying to wait patiently to see if they will be re-released, but I may not be able to hold out. I am in so deep with these two men I just have to find out what’s next. I can only say that if you love historicals this is a must read. If you aren’t a huge fan of the genre, give it a read anyway and you might get swept away like I did.
November 3, 2012
A good story, but I was a bit sad upon finishing it
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 8/10
PROS:
- Although there are some unavoidable similarities between this and other Age of Sail stories I’ve read (relationship is strictly forbidden, men are thrown together and must fight off their attraction to each other, secondary characters regard the thought of men in love with disgust, etc.), the kidnapping provides a story element that I haven’t seen before. There’s more to this book than the tedium of sailing and sea battles and shore leave.
- Because of the nature of the men’s situation--that is, any sort of romantic or sexual relationship would have grave consequences if discovered--there’s no flippancy at all to their interactions. No flirting, no teasing that might be misread. They become good friends, and only when they can’t possibly hold back their feelings any longer do the men act upon them. As a result, there’s a heartfelt, earnest quality to the relationship that’s not present in a lot of books in this genre.
- The romance is touching, not just because of how tentative it is by necessity, but also because of how utterly selfless both William and David are. Each one cares about the other’s well-being more than he cares about his own.
- The sex scenes are well done here: they’re tender and passionate, and they’re more detailed than in many other historical m/m stories I’ve read.
CONS:
- I found the book’s subject matter difficult and unpleasant to read on the whole. (Slight SPOILER here) One of the main characters is raped on more than occasion (although there’s no graphic description of the acts), and he is forced to live not only with the reality of that, but also with the memories of having been a repeated victim years before also, when he was a child.
- I’m always a bit reserved about believing in the “happy” endings of historical stories, and these Age of Sail books seem to me to be the worst. If all goes well with the men’s careers, then they’ll be separated, each with his own ship; and if they wind up on the same ship, all they’ll ever have is occasional furtive sessions when they’re worried the entire time about being caught. So the happy ending here doesn’t really seem all that happy to me.
Overall comments: This is a good story, and Rowan is a skilled writer. If you haven’ t read too many other Age of Sail stories--or if you simply enjoy that historical time period and you don’t mind the inevitable similarities--then this is a good choice. There’s more sex in this than in the others I’ve read, and the romance is solid. I didn’t love the book simply because I’ve discovered that I’m not a fan of Age of Sail stories overall because they never feel quite settled to me at the end.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 8/10
PROS:
- Although there are some unavoidable similarities between this and other Age of Sail stories I’ve read (relationship is strictly forbidden, men are thrown together and must fight off their attraction to each other, secondary characters regard the thought of men in love with disgust, etc.), the kidnapping provides a story element that I haven’t seen before. There’s more to this book than the tedium of sailing and sea battles and shore leave.
- Because of the nature of the men’s situation--that is, any sort of romantic or sexual relationship would have grave consequences if discovered--there’s no flippancy at all to their interactions. No flirting, no teasing that might be misread. They become good friends, and only when they can’t possibly hold back their feelings any longer do the men act upon them. As a result, there’s a heartfelt, earnest quality to the relationship that’s not present in a lot of books in this genre.
- The romance is touching, not just because of how tentative it is by necessity, but also because of how utterly selfless both William and David are. Each one cares about the other’s well-being more than he cares about his own.
- The sex scenes are well done here: they’re tender and passionate, and they’re more detailed than in many other historical m/m stories I’ve read.
CONS:
- I found the book’s subject matter difficult and unpleasant to read on the whole. (Slight SPOILER here) One of the main characters is raped on more than occasion (although there’s no graphic description of the acts), and he is forced to live not only with the reality of that, but also with the memories of having been a repeated victim years before also, when he was a child.
- I’m always a bit reserved about believing in the “happy” endings of historical stories, and these Age of Sail books seem to me to be the worst. If all goes well with the men’s careers, then they’ll be separated, each with his own ship; and if they wind up on the same ship, all they’ll ever have is occasional furtive sessions when they’re worried the entire time about being caught. So the happy ending here doesn’t really seem all that happy to me.
Overall comments: This is a good story, and Rowan is a skilled writer. If you haven’ t read too many other Age of Sail stories--or if you simply enjoy that historical time period and you don’t mind the inevitable similarities--then this is a good choice. There’s more sex in this than in the others I’ve read, and the romance is solid. I didn’t love the book simply because I’ve discovered that I’m not a fan of Age of Sail stories overall because they never feel quite settled to me at the end.
August 4, 2007
My dearest, dearest friend katikat gave me book from Lee Rowan Ransom . She knows my obsession for stockings, shoes and navy man of the age of sails as well as my interest in slash and such sort of thing. I was so surprised when I got that book. I am weak to resist to not read it immediately. The plot is narrow and easy going. There is nothing which spoils the reading like stupid plot, stupid characters or deus ex machine.
It was year 1796 and famous Articles of War are in charge. Be in love with your ship mate and let your feelings run and have nice physical relationship with him and you are in the serious troubles and hanging is your only future if you are caught....Author was dealing with this psychological pressure nicely and her characters knew the risk and they went on it as they should. It was romantic and nice in the end but before end there is beginning and that was nasty at least for one of our boys. David Archer was presented as universal victim of every possible brute. He was raped as midshipman , he was raped during the kidnapping and from the text you can guess from whom else. On the other hand his friend and later lover is the ultimate male here, who is confused, angry and at the end compassionate lover. William Marshall is the one who is loved by petite David since the time he ended in duel life of one of David's abusers. Both young gentlemen were friends and it looked like they would never be more until smart author let them kidnap with their captain. The kidnapper was as you can easily guess bad man, rapist and utter villain and he smelled. So called captain Adrian was raping Archer regularly with enthusiasm, which nearly crushed our used to such acts hero. As you can guess he was petted by his dear friend Will and close quarters imprisonment had only one result. Love and nicely written erotic scenes. Ending is sort of happy one and it begs for next part. I hope there will be one, because it was easy to read and well I like my load of erotic literature at least twice a week.
The naval terminology is there but in the same amount as in Kent's novels so you are not forced to think ...what the heck is that. The lack of the terminology is not bother here, because the book is not about naval warfare. Author took some naval novels and movies as inspiration and she is not ashamed of it so there is mentioned the famous lieutenant exam question about Dover cliffs and dismasted ship, which made Hornblower pale. If you like Woodsman Drinkwater's series you found Drinkwater here...no no he is not fucking around like rabbit, but he is mostly used as searcher for the lost officers and log writer.
It was year 1796 and famous Articles of War are in charge. Be in love with your ship mate and let your feelings run and have nice physical relationship with him and you are in the serious troubles and hanging is your only future if you are caught....Author was dealing with this psychological pressure nicely and her characters knew the risk and they went on it as they should. It was romantic and nice in the end but before end there is beginning and that was nasty at least for one of our boys. David Archer was presented as universal victim of every possible brute. He was raped as midshipman , he was raped during the kidnapping and from the text you can guess from whom else. On the other hand his friend and later lover is the ultimate male here, who is confused, angry and at the end compassionate lover. William Marshall is the one who is loved by petite David since the time he ended in duel life of one of David's abusers. Both young gentlemen were friends and it looked like they would never be more until smart author let them kidnap with their captain. The kidnapper was as you can easily guess bad man, rapist and utter villain and he smelled. So called captain Adrian was raping Archer regularly with enthusiasm, which nearly crushed our used to such acts hero. As you can guess he was petted by his dear friend Will and close quarters imprisonment had only one result. Love and nicely written erotic scenes. Ending is sort of happy one and it begs for next part. I hope there will be one, because it was easy to read and well I like my load of erotic literature at least twice a week.
The naval terminology is there but in the same amount as in Kent's novels so you are not forced to think ...what the heck is that. The lack of the terminology is not bother here, because the book is not about naval warfare. Author took some naval novels and movies as inspiration and she is not ashamed of it so there is mentioned the famous lieutenant exam question about Dover cliffs and dismasted ship, which made Hornblower pale. If you like Woodsman Drinkwater's series you found Drinkwater here...no no he is not fucking around like rabbit, but he is mostly used as searcher for the lost officers and log writer.
September 3, 2016
I'm a little torn about this one - on one hand, it wasn't badly written by any stretch of the imagination, but on the other, I found it dragged a bit and I didn't really feel all that invested in the characters.
I think this was because the good guys were just so good. At no point did I think they wouldn't make it, that they wouldn't end up together, that one of them might die, or that the ideal outcome would not eventuate. There was nothing truly flawed about them, and therefore there was no really convincing risk involved. Similarly the bad guy was wholeheartedly bad. He was just a bit too "Dick Dastardly (ha, no pun intended), moustache-twirling, tie-the-heroine-to-the-rails", and I think the lack of any redeeming features whatsoever weakened his menace rather than strengthened it. Of course, I would be hard pressed to suggest how one should handle non-con in the given scenario without making the antagonist completely reprehensible, but I really would have respected the book a lot more if he'd been slightly more three-dimensional, since I think what the protagonists needed most was genuine realistic conflict between them, rather than the two of them presenting the perfect unified front to the conflict battering them from the outside.
Speaking of conflict, I would like to add that the action scenes were pretty well written! I love me a good sword/gun fight, and the moment aboard the ship when the heroes were trying to escape was very much a highlight.
Overall this wasn't what I would call hard to read, although I did get a little bored at times and skimmed paragraphs. Oh, and colour me shocked, this author had a tendency to switch POV mid scene, particularly when things were getting emotionally heavy. This is something that has been known to make me ragequit a book in the past, but in this instance I found it not nearly as frustrating as normally (although still a little odd). I think the author at least had excellent control over what they wanted to say and where they wanted to take the story and the weirdness of a changing POV was less of an issue under those circumstances.
Other readers might really dig this book; for me, I think I was looking for far more emotional and circumstantial complexity than I got.
I think this was because the good guys were just so good. At no point did I think they wouldn't make it, that they wouldn't end up together, that one of them might die, or that the ideal outcome would not eventuate. There was nothing truly flawed about them, and therefore there was no really convincing risk involved. Similarly the bad guy was wholeheartedly bad. He was just a bit too "Dick Dastardly (ha, no pun intended), moustache-twirling, tie-the-heroine-to-the-rails", and I think the lack of any redeeming features whatsoever weakened his menace rather than strengthened it. Of course, I would be hard pressed to suggest how one should handle non-con in the given scenario without making the antagonist completely reprehensible, but I really would have respected the book a lot more if he'd been slightly more three-dimensional, since I think what the protagonists needed most was genuine realistic conflict between them, rather than the two of them presenting the perfect unified front to the conflict battering them from the outside.
Speaking of conflict, I would like to add that the action scenes were pretty well written! I love me a good sword/gun fight, and the moment aboard the ship when the heroes were trying to escape was very much a highlight.
Overall this wasn't what I would call hard to read, although I did get a little bored at times and skimmed paragraphs. Oh, and colour me shocked, this author had a tendency to switch POV mid scene, particularly when things were getting emotionally heavy. This is something that has been known to make me ragequit a book in the past, but in this instance I found it not nearly as frustrating as normally (although still a little odd). I think the author at least had excellent control over what they wanted to say and where they wanted to take the story and the weirdness of a changing POV was less of an issue under those circumstances.
Other readers might really dig this book; for me, I think I was looking for far more emotional and circumstantial complexity than I got.
November 28, 2010
This is the first Lee Rowan work I have read, but after reading Ransom [Bristlecone Pine Press, 2009] it won’t be my last.
Indeed, it takes only a paragraph or two is get the impression that this author is very much in control; both of the story and of the reader’s interest. That’s a good thing, too, because most of the tale involves some fairly complex and prolonged suspense that could very well become unravelled if it were not for Ms Rowan’s masterful writing skill.
The same is true regarding David’s and Michael’s developing romance, which evolves from devoted friends to lovers throughout the first two-thirds of the novel. Consequently, without the strong, guiding hand of the author this gradual pace might have become frustratingly lethargic. Coquettish. As it is, however, apart from a few too many apologies between them, the pace seems quite credible for two navy lads of the eighteenth-century.
The balance of characters is nicely thought-out, as well. Captain Smith, being the most senior in rank, age and experience, represents a “stiff upper lip” example for the two younger lads to emulate, and the somewhat psychotic, pirate captain is the antithesis of Smith and the morality of the day. He is also ‘deliciously’ sinister, and a nice foil for the other characters.
Put all this against a background of intrigue and mystery that is exacerbated by the mounting sexual sadism of the pirate captain, the unfolding escape plans by Davy and Michael, as well as Captain Smith, and the brilliant sleuthing on the part of Lieutenant Drinkwater, and it makes for a page-turner for certain.
Having said all that I felt the story should have ended two chapters earlier than it did. I found the final two chapters anticlimactic, and almost an afterthought to include some graphic sex for the one-handed readers.
I am happy to say, however, that this is only a minor quibble—perhaps not even shared with readers of homoerotic fiction—and otherwise it is an outstanding example of 18th-century, naval historical fiction. Four and one-half stars.
Indeed, it takes only a paragraph or two is get the impression that this author is very much in control; both of the story and of the reader’s interest. That’s a good thing, too, because most of the tale involves some fairly complex and prolonged suspense that could very well become unravelled if it were not for Ms Rowan’s masterful writing skill.
The same is true regarding David’s and Michael’s developing romance, which evolves from devoted friends to lovers throughout the first two-thirds of the novel. Consequently, without the strong, guiding hand of the author this gradual pace might have become frustratingly lethargic. Coquettish. As it is, however, apart from a few too many apologies between them, the pace seems quite credible for two navy lads of the eighteenth-century.
The balance of characters is nicely thought-out, as well. Captain Smith, being the most senior in rank, age and experience, represents a “stiff upper lip” example for the two younger lads to emulate, and the somewhat psychotic, pirate captain is the antithesis of Smith and the morality of the day. He is also ‘deliciously’ sinister, and a nice foil for the other characters.
Put all this against a background of intrigue and mystery that is exacerbated by the mounting sexual sadism of the pirate captain, the unfolding escape plans by Davy and Michael, as well as Captain Smith, and the brilliant sleuthing on the part of Lieutenant Drinkwater, and it makes for a page-turner for certain.
Having said all that I felt the story should have ended two chapters earlier than it did. I found the final two chapters anticlimactic, and almost an afterthought to include some graphic sex for the one-handed readers.
I am happy to say, however, that this is only a minor quibble—perhaps not even shared with readers of homoerotic fiction—and otherwise it is an outstanding example of 18th-century, naval historical fiction. Four and one-half stars.
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