Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

First Watch

by Peter Hansen (Goodreads Author)

3.35 of 5 stars 3.35 · rating details · 57 ratings · 31 reviews

Do you want to live? In the darkness of a WWI battlefield, young Legionnaire Edouard Montreuil lies dying. As teeth nibble his flesh, a voice whispers, Do you want to live? Frightened and desperate, Edouard bargains his freedom for a second chance.

Aboard the Flèche, a grim submarine captained by the nightmare who granted Edouard new life, Edouard pays the price for his sur...more

ebook, 56 pages

Published October 30th 2011 by Riptide Publishing (first published October 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

BDSM Slave-Captive Stories

73rd out of 149 books — 362 voters

Best Gay Romance in Times of War

17th out of 68 books — 72 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 213)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 02, 2011 Experiment BL626 rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-paranormal, mm-romance, mm-historical, reviewed, mm-horror

CAUTION: Spoilers

First Watch is really more of a horror story than a romance because the romance was slim. I felt little chemistry between Edouard and Ruiz. Actually, even the horror part failed to horrify me. FW tried to retain an air of mystery, but instead retained a fog of confusion.

It wasn't the writing that confused me — the writing was decent, it was the plot that confused me. At the end, I was left thinking "What? Is this all there is? Bummer."

FW is told in the 3rd POV from Edouard's pe...more

like 8 likes · see review

Oct 01, 2011 Amara rated it 5 of 5 stars

5+/5

I’m not even sure what to say about this one. Since I finished it, I have been stuck on… OMG THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! A review, this does not make. Honestly, I really had no intention of reading First Watch; tentacles are so vera much not my thing. But I stared at that beautiful cover, and it began to intrigue me. When I finally saw the blurb… it flew to the top of my TBR pile. I’m so glad I didn’t let the tentacles scare me off, I’d have missed out on a fabulous book by an amazing writer.

Peter...more

like 1 like · see review

Nov 25, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it

A strange mix of fantasy and gothic and historical, First Watch was probably not really a romance but more the story of a very special friendship. Edouard made a big mistake when he accepted to “sell” his soul to a monster; he is now paying with his life, and his body, his debt and he is searching in every way to find a way to escape. Farid is his last chance.

The strange thing is that, first of all I feel a little of selfishness in Edouard, true, he is in a very bad situation and alone he has no...more

like 1 like · see review

Mar 28, 2012 Sammy2006 rated it 4 of 5 stars

This little novella by Peter Hansen moves so quickly that by the time you finish it you are hoping the he has plans for a sequel, a prequel and a First Watch.5. It is a taut, action packed story with a creepy and horrifying twist.

Somewhere during World War 1 creatures surfaced from the deep to scour the battlefields of Algiers and make contracts with dying soldiers. These Octopus-like monstrosities carve their contracts onto the chests of the dying soldiers and then begin a sexual, symbiotic rel...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 24, 2011 Cecile rated it 4 of 5 stars

For those of you that know me... and those that don't this is my little statement about short books.... I do not judge short stories on the rush of their relationships, because they are just that - short stories. So, yes the relationships always could have been drawn out more, yea it seems like they fall in love to fast and of course the story could have been made longer... but it is a short story. So with that said.... here is my review... I was given this book for my honest thoughts... So let'...more

like 1 like · see review

Nov 14, 2011 Kassa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I’m not really sure what category First Watch falls into, more sci-fi than anything else with a somewhat vague romantic thread and ending. I quite like the writing and the sci-fi bent with Edouard endebted to some sea creature for his life but the ending feels too easy and the romance feels thrown in and rushed. Despite these stumbles, I think First Watch stands out as unique, captivating, and worth reading. I’m interested to see what else the author has to offer but I’m leery about anything wit...more I’m not really sure what category First Watch falls into, more sci-fi than anything else with a somewhat vague romantic thread and ending. I quite like the writing and the sci-fi bent with Edouard endebted to some sea creature for his life but the ending feels too easy and the romance feels thrown in and rushed. Despite these stumbles, I think First Watch stands out as unique, captivating, and worth reading. I’m interested to see what else the author has to offer but I’m leery about anything with a pseudo romance attached. I think the sci-fi elements are considerably stronger and better executed than the romantic additions.

The story starts with Edouard on his way to report to the captain for “duty.” This of course involves submitting to the many tentacles of the captain with all the various mouths and teeth. It’s immediately creepy, fascinating, and I couldn’t look away. Thankfully the story doesn’t go into too much detail but what it does offer is really well done. From there we eventually learn that Edouard was saved from death by this creature and therefore bound to him for eternal life. The creature uses Edouard for sex (I think) and Edouard calls upon his old friend Ruiz to help him kill the creature.

First off the creature is so creepy and well done that I immediately loved it. The story offers just enough details without giving too many so the captain is shrouded in mystery. It’s the writing equivalent of a dark, scary movie where there is almost never any light but the shadows move enough to scare you and get your imagination going. It’s not gruesome or horrific so much as simply ominous. We never learn exactly what kind of creature the captain is but probably some kind of mutant octopus with a thing for human men.

The plot is pretty basic with a few too stupid to live moments, such as Ruiz’s botched assassination attempt, but for the most part the writing helps make up for any stumbles in logic. The characters are pretty thin and flat as the story doesn’t really waste much time or energy trying to flesh them out. The main focus of the short story is definitely the captain and the situation Edouard is in. There are brief mental forays into the past to explain how Edouard and Ruiz met, but other than that the story stays firmly on showing their actions without a lot of explanation of their character.

Part of this is why the pseudo romance doesn’t really work for me. Because the characters are so thin and not really brought to life, their connection feels more of old time friends helping each other than old lovers trying to reconnect. Edouard and Ruiz supposedly have a romantic past but this is told to the reader and only the last sex scene shows any emotion between the two. This last scene feels tacked on and artificial. I didn’t really feel any chemistry between Edouard and Ruiz and in fact felt more confused emotion between Edouard and the captain.

Overall I liked reading First Watch but definitely more for the science fiction angle than for the romance. The first is well done with some really inspired writing and imagination while the second feels manipulated and added in rather than natural and fitting with the story. I’d be interested to read what the author does next as long as it has a sci-fi bent.
(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Lizzy Lessard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed

I think it took me longer to figure out if I liked First Watch than to read it. This book was a fantastic quick read that held my attention chapter to chapter. It’s a fairly odd book that I think a niche audience will enjoy and the rest of the world will shun. If you like creepy situations with light sex with a sprinkling of romance in an all male cast, then this book is for you. For everyone else, including me, I don’t know. I feel like this book was missing something. But I must say:

An open mi...more

like · see review

Nov 17, 2011 Brie C. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

Confession time! I totally judged this book by its cover and that's the only reason I read it. I mean, how can you look at that and not want to read what’s inside? So I got it and I was ready for a parade of tentacle-sex WTFckery. Instead, I got a very interesting and well written horror story that kept me on the edge of my seat and only freaked me out a bit. Yes, there’s tentacle-sex, but the craziness level is surprisingly low once you get used to...more Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

Confession time! I totally judged this book by its cover and that's the only reason I read it. I mean, how can you look at that and not want to read what’s inside? So I got it and I was ready for a parade of tentacle-sex WTFckery. Instead, I got a very interesting and well written horror story that kept me on the edge of my seat and only freaked me out a bit. Yes, there’s tentacle-sex, but the craziness level is surprisingly low once you get used to the monster.

Edouard Montreuil was mortally wounded during battle when a voice asked him if he wanted to live. He said yes without knowing that the voice belonged to a monster who wanted something in exchange. Ever since then he’s been part of the crew of the Flèche, a submarine captained by the same monster that saved his life, cured his wounds and now demands that Edouard surrenders his body every night. The Captain is an otherworldly creature that disguises itself as human by hiding his tentacles and real appearance under human flesh.

After living like this for over a year, Edouard decides to do something about it. While on shore he calls his old friend, Farid Ruiz, and asks him for help. Ruiz and Edouard used to be Legionnaires and served together under another kind of monster, a human one. They care for each other and even though Edouard doesn’t tell Ruiz exactly what they are about to face, Ruiz decides to help him. But will they succeed? The Captain isn’t the only monster on board of the Flèche and he isn’t the only one who wants a piece of Edouard, so their escape depends on a very weak plan and whole bunch of luck.

As you can probably tell this novella is full of suspense and horror. The whole story is interesting and gripping, once I started I couldn’t stop reading and it was impossible for me to tell whether this was going to end well or not. It isn’t a nice and light read, though, there are uncomfortable subjects like dubious-consent sex and child abuse, they take place off camera but just the fact that they are mentioned was enough to make me feel bad. I don’t think that the violence was gratuitous, but I understand how this isn’t a book for everyone.

The relationship between Edouard and the Captain was complex to say the least. There was something the Captain needed from Edouard, but I’m not so sure exactly what that was. Some things are hinted at but never explained and this became annoying. I’m not sure if the sexual aspect of their relationship was dub-con sex or just plain rape (although, honestly, I don’t particularly get the difference between the two). Edouard was more bothered by the fact that he wasn’t free than by the actual sex, in fact, at times he seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps the dubious nature of their relationship was because Edouard had no choice and after one year he was used to it and was able to tune it out. I’m defining it as rape, because rape isn’t about sex as much as it is about control and power, and that’s exactly what was going on in the book. But again, I’m not sure if the Captain was getting sexual pleasure from the encounters or something more vital to him, maybe he was getting both.

There’s an air of mystery surrounding the book and the author never tells, always shows, so you need to read the whole thing to get the overall picture, and even then, there were things left unexplained. This made the story slightly confusing although by the end of it I had a pretty clear picture of what was going on. So pay attention to the book because you don’t want to miss anything.

My main issue with the story was that I never quite understood what was keeping Edouard from escaping. There’s some contract/spell written on his body that binds him to the monster, at least that’s what it seemed to me, but how does it work? The Captain kept talking about how he will always find Edouard, no matter where he hides, so that’s why I think the contract plays some important part into that, but it’s never explained. So by the end of the book I wasn’t sure how I should feel about the resolution. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it’s more of a happy-for-now story.

The book is dark, and it reads more like a horror story than a romance, in fact, the romance is so scarce that I wasn’t even sure if Edouard and Ruiz had some type of romantic involvement in the past or if they had feelings for each other now. The sex isn’t particularly explicit but I’m giving this one a McBurning just because of the nature of the scenes. I loved both Edouard and Ruiz, there was a lot of chemistry between them, and even though their relationship isn’t really clear (nothing in the book is) by the end of the book I was sure that they truly cared for each other.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It wasn’t what I expected and I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and read it. If you can see past the ick factor of the tentacle sex (and this happens off-camera so don’t worry about having to deal with a graphic scene) then I think you should go for it. I enjoyed it a lot and I can’t wait to read more from this talented author. I also hope there’s a sequel because I have a lot of questions left and I want some answers. As long as you know what you’re getting into then you should enjoy it as well.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 22, 2011 Cole Riann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: brief-encounters-reviews, m-m, m-m-horror, m-m-short, m-m-historical, m-m-pnr, rereads

Review posted at Brief Encounters Reviews

“My dear Farid Ruiz,” Edouard Montreuil writes, “…I beseech you plainly…Come to Tarifa with all speed.” Locked for a year in a dark and stifling submarine, Edouard continues to suffer the bargain he made to a creature of shadow as he lay in pieces on a battlefield. When the whisper asked if he wanted to live, he agreed that he’d do anything not to die. That wish comes back to haunt him as he serves his life sentence, to give of his body nightly until his...more Review posted at Brief Encounters Reviews

“My dear Farid Ruiz,” Edouard Montreuil writes, “…I beseech you plainly…Come to Tarifa with all speed.” Locked for a year in a dark and stifling submarine, Edouard continues to suffer the bargain he made to a creature of shadow as he lay in pieces on a battlefield. When the whisper asked if he wanted to live, he agreed that he’d do anything not to die. That wish comes back to haunt him as he serves his life sentence, to give of his body nightly until his death. He barely hides his revulsion as tentacles slither over and in him nightly. His master splits his skin at any displeasure to show the places he was stitched back together after the battlefield. He has tried to run before, but the creature has time and the desire to search anywhere for him. So Edouard calls on Ruiz, the man who once served at his side and shared his bed, hoping not only for a plan to kill his master, but for a return of Ruiz to his life.

I was very satisfied with the writing in this story, which is dynamic, inventive, plays quite a bit with tone and mood, and really makes you work for the story. Not only are we dropped into a story that seems to be a complex new world that only somewhat mirrors our own (and in the 1920s no less), but there is a breadth of history between Ruiz and Edouard, and even between the two and the creature(s). I like that I was forced to work the put the pieces together — it keeps me from becoming a lazy reader. I was also very happy to see just how much of this story relies on perception in reference to the mood. The tone of the writing is incredibly dark, almost hopeless, yet always seen from the POV of Edouard. Until Ruiz is too far into the plan to turn back, he seems almost happy-go-lucky, only partially touched by the terrible things they’ve seen at war. I thought it was done very well, and along with many other things (i.e. the creature only ever barely being described physically) it certainly made the story suspenseful.

I didn’t feel like I got to know very much about Ruiz and Edouard. Their history is mostly shrouded in mystery, as well as their relationship and personalities, as there isn’t much time during or after the (I will say) somewhat-partial resolution of the story to get to know them well. Some readers might not be satisfied without a tidy ending and with several unanswered questions, but I didn’t mind. I suspect room is being left open for more, which I will be more than happy to read. However, I would probably be more satisfied with a longer story next time around. There is so much detail here that little bits here and there might get tedious and feel like pieces of a long story (that is, of course, if this doesn’t remain a standalone, as it is now).

All in all, a very good story from an author who is new to me. For creep factor alone, I’ll give it a B!(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Nov 02, 2011 Crys Harris rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is hard to review because what was happening was so awful, so gruesome and creepy that it rather affected my enjoyment of the story. That said, the writing was great, with concise, meaningful sentences. There're sufficient allusions and clues to the backstory without much exposition on it. The glimpses into the nature of the creatures was plenty. Somehow, the author managed to imbue the encounters between Edouard and the captain with a fair amount of eroticism, even though I was horror...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2013

This is squarely in the middle for me, because some things I really loved and others I kinda hated.

Love: the tension, the air of something horrible lurking right around the corner. The desolation of a choice made in agony and living with the consequences. The horror of existing like that. The acceptance of those things that live in the dark places and haunt us.

Hated: The general lack of emotional connection. I didn't really feel the connection between Edouard and Ruiz, so the final scene felt......more

like · see review

Oct 28, 2011 SueM rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, horror, 20th-century, paranormal, lovers-friends-reunited, military-mercs, steampunk, ipad-stanza, tentacle-porn

4.5 stars.
Peter Hansen is a new writer in this genre, yet it is immediately apparent that he is not a new author (Peter Hansen is a pseudonym for an un-named established sci-fi/fantasy author) as his writing is smooth, and evenly paced, with snippets of information dropped here and there, luring the reader in as the story unfolds. There is much to admire in this gritty dark story, but I feel that this story is merely the opening salvo for what is to come.

Edouard Montreuil lies dying on a WWI bat...more

like 3 likes · see review

Dec 23, 2011 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: rainbow-gay, glbt, historical, paranormal

I enjoyed this story very much because it mingles the historical genre, that I love, and a horror taste, that I used to read a few years ago, and I think I should begin to re-read again. It reminded me also of Jules Verne's stories. I think if you're looking for romance, this story might not be exactly for you, because the bond between Edouard and Farid is sketched, but not really explored.

I am still curious about a lot of details in the book, because it seems as if there is a popular mythology...more

like 2 likes · see review

Nov 30, 2011 Grandmat rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

Horror, not romance. It has a few plot holes, but still enjoyable. Edouard's body was stitched together by the Captain's will/magic, and when he displeased the Captain, his body began to bleed heavily along the suture lines. What holds Edouard to his untenable position as whore to a monster is that he would die otherwise. So, why didn't Edouard die when he escaped? The Captain was still alive to dissolve the suturing, or as someone here opined, did he have feelings for Edouard and let him go?

like · see review

Apr 29, 2013 Susu rated it 5 of 5 stars

The book was great. Very interesting short read. The reviews were a bit misleading for me. I was expecting a gory horror story. Or some ghastly uncomfortable situations. I had none of that.
The tentacle scenes weren't very graphic (in my opinion). I felt no discomfort at the story content. I was left wondering what caused that reaction in other readers of this book. Than I reminded myself this is the reason I don't read reviews on books or movies often. Everyone has their own opinion and sensitiv...more

like · see review

Oct 28, 2011 Dlee rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book was creepy in a horror story sort of way. The tentacle sex was only hinted at which made it more awful but it wasn't supposed to be sexy so it worked. Ed had to jump to a lot of conclusions to make the story work but somehow he was always right. I blame that on the story being too short for actual explanations or well thought out plans. Not bad for a Halloween read but I'm not so sure I would feel the same way at a different time of the year.

like 1 like · see review

Jan 03, 2013 Laylah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-other, m-slash-m

3.5 stars -- Conceptually interesting, creepy little piece, a deal-with-the-devil story that has a lot of tentacles attached. I would have liked to see more development for just about everything in the story: Edouardo and Ruiz's history together, how much this world is influenced by the supernatural, how many people are making bargains with creatures like the Flèche's captain. What we got was cool but it felt like it wanted to be much more.

like · see review

Jan 29, 2012 To Be Honest Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, alternate-history, m-m

Reviewed by Jocelyn: Decent, fast-paced story, just don't expect a very satisfying ending. Full review can be found at http://tobehonestreviews.wordpress.com/.

like · see review

Nov 05, 2011 Moniqee rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am caught in between. I like the story plot but a number of questions is left unanswered. Isnt E dead?

like · see review

Dec 13, 2011 Roger Kean rated it 4 of 5 stars

Weird and satisfying and a must for those into "tentacle sex".

like 1 like · see review

Oct 19, 2011 Tracy's Place rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

3.5 out of 5

like · see review

May 01, 2013 Liz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, m-m-romance, horror

3.5*

like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Barry Smith rated it 2 of 5 stars

Short.

like · see review

Dec 04, 2011 Nova rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, horror, mm, historical, tentacles

3.5 stars.
Like others mentioned before, there isn't much romance in First Watch, but I didn't mind! The contract between Edouard and the captain, Edouard's past, his friend and lover Farid – the whole story was fascinating. But I would have liked it more if it was longer.
Oh, and strangely enough, at the end of the story I felt sorry for the captain...

like 1 like · see review

Jan 22, 2012 Aija rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, riptide, revved

A peculiar read that draws you in in the strangest way. (view spoiler)

If you like creepy, you will love this! (I did.) :D

like 1 like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Adara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yay for tentacles! This was an awesome read. I wish it could've been a longer story, but it really didn't need to be. I like the world that he created, but I wish that we knew more about how the world came to be that way - where the monsters came from. The attention to detail was amazing, also. I look forward to more stories in this universe.

like 1 like · see review

Oct 31, 2012 BarkLessWagMore marked it as to-read

Only $1.99 until Nov. 1 @ Riptide

like · see review

Nov 23, 2011 Cat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: review, paranormal, m-m, e-books, dark-fantasy

Ok from the cover I had a preconceived notion of what this book was like in my mind and what I read just blew my mind...Not what I though at all... This is my first book by this author I was very pleased.

like 1 like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Brenda Cothern rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: erotica, fantasy, m-m, paranormal

Who knew tentacles could be sexy? Vivid imagery and a creative plot let Peter's suck you in. I am not much of a Sci-Fi fan, but enjoyed this story. Like most stories I complain about, this one was too short!

like 1 like · see review

Oct 28, 2011 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: riptide

Review to come later today...

like 2 likes · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Genres

Romance > M M Romance

25 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

11 users

Fantasy

9 users

Horror

8 users

Science Fiction

5 users

M M Romance > M M Paranormal

3 users

Dark

3 users

Glbt > Gay

2 users

Adult Fiction > Erotica

2 users

Romance

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Peter Hansen

Peter Hansen is a teacher, writer, and former spelling bee champion who lives a stone's throw from the Erie Canal. He got his start in publishing with his college newspaper, where he was forced to write "I will not rake the muck" one hundred times on the chalkboard before they let him write editorials. With that gritty, real-world experience under his belt, he promptly turned to science fiction an...more

More about Peter Hansen...

Books by Peter Hansen

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About First Watch

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: First Watch
avg rating	preview: First Watch Goodreads rating: 3.35 (57 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12315918-first-watch?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1315888539l/12315918.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12315918-first-watch?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]First Watch by Peter Hansen[/url]

First Watch

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Peter Hansen

Books by Peter Hansen

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About First Watch

new topic
Discuss This Book