Man O’ War

Caroline is catapulted into the chaos of a British warship in the worst of circumstances. She has been broken, battered and shamed by the men who ripped her world from its moorings and imprisoned her. She has vowed that she will remain indomitable – even if the independence and dignity she sought are forever irretrievable. No matter what challenges her tenuous future holds, she will not bow in defeat.

Captain Merrick’s many years of sacrifice and tenacity have finally been rewarded. The demise of his superior means he is now the commanding officer of the Boudicca. His captaincy is temporary, held on sufferance from the admiralty. He must prove his competency to gain the permanent appointment. And he cannot allow distractions to deter him. 

From the moment he sets eyes on the woman chained in the hold of the Culloden, she is a distraction. Despite the degradation she has suffered, she is defiant and flouts his authority at every opportunity. Every encounter between them is tinder to a bonfire, with both of them tamping down the smolder of attraction with barbed insults and injured pride. 

When the powder keg is thrown overboard, the destruction it leaves in its wake is unavoidable. The identities and agendas they have concealed are laid bare. They are forced to confront the inevitability and impossibility of what lies between them. 

I became wholly immersed in this meticulously researched novel. I felt like I was standing on the deck of a frigate during a ferocious storm, and witnessed the political machinations that occurred on the fringes of a perfectly executed minuet. 

This was my first novel by this author, but it certainly won’t be my last. I cannot wait to read the rest of the Rebels and Redcoats Saga. 

Five stars.