I am not sure how to begin this review. I have tried to give myself a little distance from this book so I could get my thoughts together about it.
This is how I feel every single time I finish a Laura Kinsale book. This is NOT light reading. It does have moments of levity, but overall it covers some very difficult topics and features two beautifully damaged characters.
I also think this might be the best treatment of PTSD that I have seen in a romance novel. EVER. Let me caveat that statement by saying I have not experience PTSD personally, but that have had a good friend who has and I think the layers of pain that Sheridan Drake exhibits seem to do this very complex condition the respect it deserves.
This book was published in 1989. Normally, when I read a historical romance published in 1989, it feel very dated. Th genre has changed a lot since then and the bodice ripper has gotten a really beautiful face lift. The characters tend to be better developed (especially the women) and honestly, I haven't read a pre-1990 historical (work by Mary Balogh and Georgette Heyer being the exceptions) that don't feel like they have yet to catch up.
Laura Kinsale breaks every mold cast when it comes to historical romances. She doesn't write easy love stories. Our characters have VERY serious issues that range from being former child prostitutes The Shadow and The Star to suffering strokes that leave them unable to communicate and being locked in a mental asylum as a result ( Flowers from the storm). Incidentally, Flowers from the Storm is always listed as one of the best romance novels ever written and it is usually in the top 5 on those lists. In fact when I started reading romance novels again, it was the first one I read. I saw it on "best romance novels ever" list that Oprah's magazine put out. Anyway, I recommend that you read all of her work. They are a great mix of humor, drama, mystery and of course romance.
I am reviewing the audio edition, but I also read the kindle version.
This is the publisher's summary: Olympia St. Leger is a princess in desperate need of a knight in shining armor. Sheridan Drake, amused by Olympia's innocence and magnificent beauty, but also intrigued by her considerable wealth, accepts the position of white knight. Unaware that Sheridan is a notorious scoundrel, Olympia willingly allows herself to submit to his protection and his potent embrace. Theirs is a love born in deception. But as they weather storms on the high seas and flee from nefarious villains, the love sparked by lies begins to burn uncontrollably. Taking shelter on a desert island paradise, the princess and the dark knight battle overwhelming odds to keep their adoration burning bright.
I think the blurb is woefully inadequate in its description what these Olympia and Sheridan experience.
Sheridan is the perfect anti hero. He gave me so many laugh out loud moments! The book starts with Sheridan anticipating his retirement from the navy. And from the very first page, we see that Sheridan is someone the world only sees as they wish to. It appears that no one really knows who this man is. And as the story progesses we realize that he has had almost no one who has shown him love, loyalty or affection. His father is a cruel almost sadist whose idea of a prank were cruel, life altering tricks that he played on his own son. We also quickly learn that Sheridan is full of utter self loathing. He doesn't think he is a good person and therefore seeks to make this a self fulfilling prophecy.
"Playing at hero wasn't always so easy; it required a fine hand to strike the right now between truth and fantasy, but Sheridan took a sinful delight in the game. He was his father's son after all, he reckoned- that it pleased him to make a fool of the world in general. And as far as he was concerned, there was nothing more blindly simpleminded than the world that had managed to find a hero in Sheridan Drake."
Olympia is a princess in exile. She lives in coastal town in England with a wicked governess who has filled Olympia with self-doubt and sees Olympia as a pawn in her plans to enrich herself. Olympia. When Olympia decides to embark on a a crusade to bring democracy to her homeland, she seeks out her new neighbor, Sheridan Drake to help her carry out her misguided plans. She, like the rest of England has heard of Sheridan Drake's lauded heroics and has built an image of him in her mind of a brave, but safe hero who she is in love with.
Sheridan and Olympia's meeting is the beginning of a long and painful journey. There is betrayal, disappointment, self-discovery, and thrown into that mix, these two learn what it means to have courage and to love someone enough to trust them. Olympia learns the very hard way that heroes are merely men who survived extraordinarily difficult circumstances. When she finally sees Sheridan as a man, their real relationship starts to grow.
"Stripped of his halo or heroism, he was infamous. He was vile and tantalizing with his soft mockery and his unfamiliar maleness"
At about 30%, I was extremely worried about the trajectory of the book. Sheridan had committed an act so unforgivable, I didn't see how they could come back from it. But not worry good reader, Ms. Kinsale writes a beautiful, if drawn out reconciliation that also has our two lovers REALLY falling in love. Their journey is not a straightforward one. It is not easy, pretty, or pleasant. But, for these two, it couldn't be. They are not easy, pretty, or pleasant people. They are both survivors. Bare knuckle fighters who seem to draw out each others demons. But, they also see the best in each other and their love story is truly epic.
Add this to your "to be read" list. And when you are in the mood for something with a lot of meat on its bones, pick it up and devour it.
Nicholas Bolton narrates all of Ms. Kinsale's work and his voice is DIVINE. Honestly, I think the listening is more enjoyable than the reading in this case and a lot of it has to do with Mr. Bolton's narration.
