| It’s
1787 and Captain Edward Brazier is fresh from his recent mission
with a large amount of prize money. He has a new and more
personal mission now; to propose marriage to beautiful young
widow Betsey Langridge whom he got to know back in the West
Indies. But once in Deal, he soon discovers that his problems
are just beginning, for not only is Betsey’s brother
dead against the match, but the town is rife with smuggling
and somebody is out to get him…
The author paints a vivid picture of late 18th century Kent
in this series opener. I was sucked in from the beginning,
and although this is not a breathlessly exciting page turner,
I did feel as though I was actually there. From the Tulkingtons’
stately home to the mean streets of Deal, the author gets
the atmosphere of this time and place pretty much how I would
imagine it would have been. The story revolves around the
various smuggling gangs as they vie against each other and
the efforts of the star-crossed lovers to get together. This
is not ostensibly a romantic novel, but the account of a wooing
(among other things) written from the perspective of a man
which makes it seem unusual and consequently rather interesting.
The mystery for Brazier is why Betsey’s brother opposes
the match and also how he can outfox wily William Pitt regarding
the somewhat dubious goings-on in his last posting. It all
ends on a cliffhanger which certainly whetted my appetite
for the next book A Lawless Place. If you enjoyed
Poldark, then this ought to be right up your alley.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Contrandband
Shore I
Lawless
Place II
Blood
Will Out III
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