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Captain's Surrender

by Alex Beecroft (Goodreads Author)

3.75 of 5 stars 3.75 · rating details · 255 ratings · 43 reviews

Love? Might as well ask for the moon. But a man can dream…

Despite his looks and ambition, Midshipman Joshua Andrews hides urges that, in his world, make him an abomination. Living in fear of exposure, unnecessary risk is something he studiously avoids. Once he sets eyes on the elegant picture of perfection that is Peter Kenyon, though, temptation lures him like the siren c...more

ebook, 242 pages

Published October 2009 by Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (first published 2007)

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Apr 16, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This contented sigh of happy gooshy romantic squooshiness has been revised and can now be found at Exendable Mudge Muses Aloud.

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Nov 15, 2012 Reni rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: age-of-sail, romance, historical-fiction, e-book, read-in-2012

I was a bit disappointed by this one, after having enjoyed False Colors by the same author quite a bit.

Yet, I had a lot more problems with the treatment of naval protocol in this one. Captain Walker is nothing but a cartoonish, moustache-twirling super-villain. He is constantly over-stepping his authority. Not in small matters, but in ways that make you wonder why no one had him removed from active service by court martial, yet, or (view spoiler)...more

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Aug 03, 2010 Elisa Ramblings added it · review of another edition

When I was young I read a lot of classics and enjoy them very much. Strong stories with well written characters and able to take you awake till late and eager to read more. Sometime romance, cause there were a love story on them, but not erotic cause there were no sex on them. But I didn't miss the sex, cause I could imagine in my mind what happened behind the closed door of a bedroom, usually between a married couple. Captain's Surrender is a such story? in some way yes. In an epublished world...more When I was young I read a lot of classics and enjoy them very much. Strong stories with well written characters and able to take you awake till late and eager to read more. Sometime romance, cause there were a love story on them, but not erotic cause there were no sex on them. But I didn't miss the sex, cause I could imagine in my mind what happened behind the closed door of a bedroom, usually between a married couple. Captain's Surrender is a such story? in some way yes. In an epublished world where sex is the easiest way to drawn the reader (and I'm first in line to it, as I always say I like my sex scene...) Alex Beecroft has chosen the hardest way, writing a very good story, with wonderful but very human characters and giving us a lot of love but very few sex, barely some hints. I'm accusing her for it? Oh, no, not at all. Cause her book is right like it is and one of that book I will read again and again, to find every time something new in the very rich prose she has used.

Josh is a midshipman in a ship under the command of a crazy captain. A man who has no problem to beat to death a sailor who has spoken aloud his believes, unfortunately not the same of his captain, and who will have no problem to hang a man framed with sodomy (and in that time he has also the right to doing it). So Josh, who judge himself an abomination to crave the touch of another man, tries to do his work and not react to the captain's wickedness. But he knows that the captain has read into him and soon or later he will hang. And then Peter enters his life: a young lieutenant, third son of a nobleman, but with no money of his own, Peter his the epitome of grace and cavalry. To Josh's eyes he is like an angel, someone he can't dirty with his sin. But Peter his like a magnet, and soon Josh finds himself to surrender to this man, with body and soul.

Josh is a wonderful character. He is the real "noble" man, and even if he is younger, and less cultured than Peter, he is more wise and I think also more brave. He first of all thinks to the better of whom he beloved and then maybe to his desire. Peter instead is like you can imagine a nobleman and a spoilt son: sure he is good, full of his own idea of what is right and what is wrong in the world, but he is also sure that he is like a gift to Josh. He never say it aloud, but sometime his behaviour let me think like he is doing a favour to Josh. Oh, yes, he loves John, no doubt in it, but at what he renounces to stay with Josh? Nothing, and when he has to take a decision, what do you think he will do? So in the end I like a lot Josh and I think he maybe deserves someone better of Peter, and to regain my sympathy, Peter has to behaviour very good.

As you see, every book that manages to awaken in you such strong feelings is for sure a good book. Due to the matter, historical fiction setting in the sea world, I was exepcting it to be maybe a little bit demanding, and instead I have read it in a session, without grown tired neither for a moment, and eager to turn the page to see what would be happened to my heroes (yes even to Peter, cause I wanted to see if he made amends for his selfishness :-) )

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1605047821/?...(less)

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Jan 06, 2013 Steelwhisper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-authors, erotic-lit-erotica, georgian-era, not-finished

This is at that stage (roughly 60%) more like 2.5* than 3*. Possible spoilers ahead!

Pros

This was edited above average, it had sizable stretches which showed a very engaging prose and the entrance scene certainly was a truly well-written whopper.

Cons

Apart from very short passages I never felt truly immersed in the correct time.

Huge, truly enormous main cause of this was the treatment of the female protagonist Emily. She was a modern woman transposed into the 18th century, effectively grumbling...more This is at that stage (roughly 60%) more like 2.5* than 3*. Possible spoilers ahead!

Pros

This was edited above average, it had sizable stretches which showed a very engaging prose and the entrance scene certainly was a truly well-written whopper.

Cons

Apart from very short passages I never felt truly immersed in the correct time.

Huge, truly enormous main cause of this was the treatment of the female protagonist Emily. She was a modern woman transposed into the 18th century, effectively grumbling and whinging away at facts which for a middleclass woman of that time would have been entirely normal and not at all noteworthy. Breeches and hopping around in the rigging? Certainly not that either. Alone with a male suitor? Even though the 18th century was less uptight than the 19th I think not at that age and stage in life. In short--Emily was a feminist manifesto screeching consistently at me. I dislike them already in modern fiction, but in a historical? Heh. No.

Second contenders for distraction from immersion certainly are the two men. Either life in the Royal Navy was as hazardous to the health of the average gay man as Josh made it out to be, then Peter would logically have to have been at least rather like him. Or it wasn't, then Josh comes over as a bit unhinged. Given that but 15 years or so later indeed a boy of barely 17 serving in the Navy was publicly hanged, I'd say Peter ought to have been far more conscious of matters and shows an uncharacteristic (for the time and place) unconcern.

Something which really keeps bugging me in gay historicals: penetrative anal intercourse was a real rarity prior to roughly 1910 (when the percentage of PIA among gay men was lower than 10%!). So when in historical romance after historical romance couples have oil at the ready and bugger each other as if it were nothing to them, then my suspension of disbelief evaporates and I begin to wonder whether I mayhaps am actually reading m/f in disguise. It's heteronormative women who see penetration as "real sex".

The saying is "less is often more", however if you leave it almost all out, that's really not so nice. I missed quite a few scenes which would have helped show bonding between the two men, scenes of import (e.g. Peter's flogging, the keelhauling), action was often left either too early or told instead of shown. Unlike other reviewers I discerned but minimal UST and found nothing a turn on, by the way.

On the whole there was too much pulling me out of this story, and too little drawing me into it. I never got a connection with any of the characters and suspect this has to be one of those Marmite books one either likes or dislikes.(less)

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Nov 25, 2012 Jaya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: okay, slashreaders

SlashReaders: I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I did not expect it to be as good as it was. To the point that I would be willing to give another book by this author a try. It was for the most part well written, with a story line and not just sex though not all the sex was left out either. :)

Personally I found the lead in on the back of this book deceptive. Joshua doesn't come across as being ambitious at all in the beginning. However his ambition takes over a good third of the story if n...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Charly rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alex Beecroft, Captain’s Surrender
Well written, but too tense and depressing for me

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 5/10

PROS:
- Beecroft is a good writer. Her sentences are crisp and her phrasing is creative, which makes for fast reading that flows well and is interesting to read.
- The story seems well-researched and includes (for me) the right amount of details about the historical time period: enough to give a good picture of various settings in la...more Alex Beecroft, Captain’s Surrender
Well written, but too tense and depressing for me

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 5/10

PROS:
- Beecroft is a good writer. Her sentences are crisp and her phrasing is creative, which makes for fast reading that flows well and is interesting to read.
- The story seems well-researched and includes (for me) the right amount of details about the historical time period: enough to give a good picture of various settings in late-18th-century England without making the book seem like a history textbook.
- Although I wasn’t a fan of the FACT that Joshua is so paranoid about his sexual orientation being discovered, I did think that his paranoia was well portrayed. He wages a constant mental battle: one moment he’s longing after Peter and the next he’s berating himself for his illegal desires.
- Another thing I think is explored particularly well is each man’s moral struggle over desiring another man when they’ve been told their entire lives that homosexuality is the worst of depravities.

CONS:
- Almost the entire story is tense and stressful. Joshua starts out struggling with what he believes is unrequited desire for Peter, but even when the two men begin a physical relationship, there isn’t a single moment when they’re entirely relaxed because they’re always looking over their shoulders, expecting at any moment that their illegal relationship will be discovered and they’ll be hanged for it.
- The book contains almost-constant violence and/or danger and/or angst that have nothing to do with the romance. Although Beecroft doesn’t depict the story’s various atrocities in much detail, she doesn’t shy away from describing unpleasantness, either. Here’s one example early on: “They threw Hare’s body over the side along with a boy of thirteen called Joseph Zacharias, guilty of falling asleep on watch, who had been given the choice of starving to death or being thrown out to swim home. He was alive when the sharks got him, but the prevailing opinion was that it was still the better choice.”
- I couldn’t make myself believe 100% in the strength of the men’s connection. The book isn’t very long (190 pages), and I’d guess that at least 30% of it details occurrences in the lives of secondary characters rather than the lives of Josh and Peter. In addition, it takes Peter a while to recognize/admit to his desire for Josh, and then the two men are apart for several chapters in the middle of the story.

Overall comments: This is certainly a well written story, but I didn’t enjoy it all that much. The book’s romance receives limited attention because we simply don’t see the two heroes TOGETHER very much, and when we do, they’re constantly worrying about being caught and put to death. It does contain a few sex scenes, but they’re not graphic at all; they’re basically fade-to-black.(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 SA rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

All I needed was a passing reference to the Age of Sail, and my hind brain went YES YES READ NOW. I'd been wanting to read Beecroft for awhile--I'd heard nothing but good things--and oh, how I'm glad I finally did decide to read. She's a wonderful author and has clearly done significant research into the time period, which is appreciated from the likes of me.

Another reviewer said that Beecroft took "the hard way" by choosing to write an in-depth, character-driven romance novel with a number of...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Yvette rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book reads as a historical novel with a plethora of characters, that just happens to have a M/M romance as well. The other characters suffer fortune and misfortune throughout the book, as Josh and Peter come together, separate, and lose each other only to later find each other again.

If you are hot for the British Royal Navy, you might check it out.

I must say that after reading The Matelot, by Ariel Tachna, which dealt with the whole gay men of the seas genre very differently - in her book,...more

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Sep 28, 2010 Hortencia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-or, author-beecroft-a

An action-filled story of love - sensitively written, with well-thought-out main characters. Even the secondary characters (Walker aside), who could have been painted in black and white, were layered. My one complaint is that I wish there had been even more character back story and relationship development, i.e., I wish the book had been longer! I wanted to know more and didn't want it to end. A lovely read.

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Nov 21, 2009 Lou rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, 2009-fall-challenge, setting-historical, lgbtq, romance

I enjoyed this a great deal - it was well written and the friendship and romantic relationship between the two heroes seemed equally as strong, which I particularly liked. Josh is the more positive gay character of the two (what with Peter being emotionally clueless for most of the book!), and Josh's inner journey regarding his sexuality was really interesting. There was never any doubt, either, about the danger of being in a gay relationship; nor were the prevailing moral and religious opinions...more

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Mar 24, 2008 Stevie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had read a few very positive comments about this book and was keen to read it, and it did not disappoint at all. If anything it was even better than I hoped. Alex had a wonderful feel for the time she is writing about and the characters 'felt' so right. I certainly hope that she writes more stories in the Age of Sail!

Highly recommended!

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Mar 20, 2013 Marion rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-and-i-love-it

3.5 stars.
A good book, especially in the middle-end of it. It's not a book who idealizing the treatments of homosexual in this time, no, it's cruel, it's crude, it's harsh. I really love Peter and Andrew.
But I can't give it 4/5 stars because of the strange choice of narration in the beginning of the story. I mean, you started with the heroes Peter and Andrews (in the two first chapters) but after that and for a very very long time (too long) you have to handle Emily and her father (who are civil...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Kay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks

4 Stars ~ Joshua Andrews had always known what his true nature was, and serving in the Royal Navy in 1794 that meant he had to keep that nature secret for fear of being hanged. When young Lt. Kenyon joined their crew and he was forced to accept him as a cabin mate, Josh also knew he was in trouble. Just one look into Peter's blue eyes and Josh was lost. When he reveals his attraction to Peter, he's amazed that Peter doesn't report him but instead he admits that he's curious and would like to pur...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Meike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m

There are only two things about this book that irritate me somewhat.

1) The development from two strangers forced to share their space, to friends, to lovers. I can see them becoming friends. But Peter's decision to take this relationship further doesn't make sense to me. I'd have liked to read more about their friendship first and how they grew closer over time, because it seems that there's an important part simply missing.

2) Josh's time with Giniw and Opichi. I don't know why, but... well, may...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

So much fun! An exciting tale of adventure on the high seas and a romance between the captain and his first lieutenant. I love the Hornblower books but always thought the relationships with Maria and Barbara were by far the worst part. Here the love story is given the same attention as the battle scenes. The very likeable characters had some realistic inner struggles with their sexual orientation given the times and the rules of the navy, so much so that I wondered what would constitute a happy...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, military-romance, november-2010, read-in-2010, m-m, 5-star

Wow. The almost sweet friendship to romance set against the horrific realities of the time both in terms of war and punishment of infractions. So well done.

I find myself torn between wanting to research the particular tribe of Indians to see if they were truly so accepting and wanting to just believe there were such wonderfully accepting people in that time.

This definitely isn't an erotic romance but a sweeping historical that happens to have at its heart, two men. Additionally the secondary ch...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Julian Griffith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: age-of-sail, historical, m-m, reviewed

Now this is what a romance is supposed to BE.

I will admit, Age of Sail is my home ground. And I can't get enough of the forbidden-love trope, so historical m/m is perfect for me, because it's an organic part of the setting, and not achieved by contrivances. But, that said...

Josh and Peter are both engaging, realistically flawed, sympathetic characters. The plot goes along at a crisp pace, with plenty of action, nail-biting tension, and strong emotions, not all of which are related to the develop...more Now this is what a romance is supposed to BE.

I will admit, Age of Sail is my home ground. And I can't get enough of the forbidden-love trope, so historical m/m is perfect for me, because it's an organic part of the setting, and not achieved by contrivances. But, that said...

Josh and Peter are both engaging, realistically flawed, sympathetic characters. The plot goes along at a crisp pace, with plenty of action, nail-biting tension, and strong emotions, not all of which are related to the developing romance. Okay, I'm also a sucker for crazy-tyrant-captain and floating-hell scenarios, because of reasons, but they're scenarios that come up a lot in Age of Sail fiction, because of probably the same reasons (look, do I have to be delicate about it? Mutiny and Retribution are masterworks of storytelling) and I've seen them done abysmally as often as I've seen them done well. This was done with consummate skill: I could feel every shout, every flinch, every tremble. The historical detail, as far as I could tell, was flawless -- I'm more at home about twenty-five years later, but I couldn't see a single error. Do you have any idea what a relief that is? And a joy? The details of shipboard life, and of battle... if I could do them even half as well, I might feel more confident including them, instead of sticking to drawing rooms and inns and cottage kitchens. My hat's off.

And the romance! The unbalanced nature of it, the way the characters' emotions build and shift, the frustrating misunderstandings that were completely plausible instead of making me want to shake them and say "just TALK to each other, for God's sake" -- no, they talked to each other, but they still managed to talk past each other in ways that were utterly believable and heartbreaking. And the final resolution was glorious.

And not ONCE did this story make me uncomfortable by presenting non-consent as acceptable or romantic. These men CHECKED. Even when they were being passionate and fierce, there was never a time when either of them forced the other or ignored a sign of discomfort. This shouldn't HAVE to be a relief, but it was, and I am most thoroughly grateful.

THIS is a romance. THIS is what I want from my stories. I cannot speak too highly of it. Go forth and read.

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May 25, 2012 Sophia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

I found it hard to believe this was a first time effort after I read it. It was good stuff. The characters drew my empathy- I loved the heroes and hated the villain; I cheered the heroes' friendship and bit my nails over their miscues; and I held my breath through the naval battles and confrontations with their own version of Capn Bly. The pace of the battles and the ship and port backgrounds were well described. I cringed over a few descriptive scenes of the villain's cruelty like having a sail...more

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May 13, 2011 Josephine Myles rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, m-m, romance

A beautifully written and gripping historical novel from a writer who's an expert in the era. If you're not sure about trying historicals because you think they might ramble on like a nineteenth century novel, fear not. If anything, Captain's Surrender is almost too fast-paced, concentrating on key events in the lives of the protagonists: the punishments, sea battles, duels, captures and seductions, rather than dwelling too long in the details of everyday life. I'd have loved there to have been...more

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Aug 12, 2010 M. Kei rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-adventure, nautical-fiction, ebooks

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A soap opera in uniform in which the ships are props. Oddities--like the sprit topsail on what is presumably a British vessel circa 1800, judging by the details on the uniforms--and the mechanical way in which orders are given, as if the author had copied them out of a reference manual--undermine the nautical aspects. A tall ship sailor myself I tried to figure out what she was talking about before concluding that she didn't know and letting them go by the wayside. Besides, I'm pretty sure the a...more A soap opera in uniform in which the ships are props. Oddities--like the sprit topsail on what is presumably a British vessel circa 1800, judging by the details on the uniforms--and the mechanical way in which orders are given, as if the author had copied them out of a reference manual--undermine the nautical aspects. A tall ship sailor myself I tried to figure out what she was talking about before concluding that she didn't know and letting them go by the wayside. Besides, I'm pretty sure the average reader is not picking up this book for nautical adventure. The nautical details are merely window dressing.

The romance is well-written and has some elegant turns of phrase. Beecroft is a good writer. However, the story follows well trod ground for historical gay fiction. Josh and Peter are naval officers and become lovers. They torment themselves and each other with guilt over their abomination. They get promoted, get their own ships, split up, but are in convoy together, get ambushed by the French in Hudson Bay, and Josh commits suicide by setting his ship alight and steering it against the overwhelming French force. Except, he doesn't die. The author doesn't give us any explanation for the extraordinary feat of our hero surviving. He gets rescued by some Native Americans who teach him that men like him are holy because God made them that way. Self-esteem repaired, Josh goes back to Bermuda, finds Peter, who hasn't married the young woman who occupied so much of the first part of the book, Josh proposes marriage to Peter, they suffer great angst, then agree to live together forever. They have some more fabulous sex. The end.

I found Peter Kenyon's character interesting in the beginning when he was curious and not suffering the knee jerk reactions of his culture--it's rare that any author explores how a character might have a positive or non-judgmental attitude about homosexuality in the period. The assumption is that all gay men of the 18th century were horribly tortured by guilt and misery. Josh certainly is. Alas, Peter learns to be ashamed. He got a wee bit interesting again at the ending where he had to decide whether to turn Josh in because it was the right thing to do according to his society.

If he had, it would have been a much more interesting book because it would have departed from the usual formula of the m/m romance genre. But, this is one of the popular examples of that genre, and Alex Beecroft is one of the most popular authors in the genre, so what we get is something that should make fans of the genre very happy No tragedy of Shakespearean proportions here; it all ends happily.

This is an early Beecroft; she revisits the same theme with greater maturity and nautical detail in False Colors. For readers new to the genre or to Beecroft, False Colors is the better starting point because it is the better book. For those who are already fans, it is an enjoyable meander through a well-known country.(less)

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Jun 18, 2010 Heidi Cullinan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Alex Beecroft is an author I sip, and even when I finish the wine, I like to sit and hold the bottle a few days before I write my review. This alone makes her work a treasure to me, because by nature I like to suck books down in one sitting. So someone who I need to read slowly and carefully is a treat for me.

What I love about Alex's work is that you are safe and you are not. She shies away from nothing, and she is true to her period in time (and she knows her RN, thank you, thank you), but she...more

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Apr 28, 2010 Harper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of historical fiction with a bit of romance

Shelves: pick-it-for-me-challenge, m-m-romance, gay-fiction, historical, historical-romance, romance, books-i-own, read-in-2010

Enjoyable read, good writing. I did think the story felt a bit rushed and due to the fact that it was under 200 pages, I thought maybe the author shouldn’t have switched the POV so much - at one point or another we saw the story from not only Josh and Peter’s eyes, but also Adam, Emily, Summersgill, and even Captain Walker. Also, I didn’t think there was enough focus on the actual relationship. They had a few scenes together, but their romance didn’t even start until over a 3rd of the way into t...more

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Feb 03, 2010 Kassa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Joshua Andrews is a young Irishman full of equal parts ambition and shame. His love of the sea is surpassed by nothing except perhaps his self-loathing at his sexual orientation. Although he’s come to terms with the direction his desires lie, he lives in the perpetual shadow of the consequences. Those consequences vividly set an engrossing backdrop as the novel opens with a gruesome and riveting scene of a man executed for the heinous crime of being a sodomite. The specter of such cruelty is sti...more Joshua Andrews is a young Irishman full of equal parts ambition and shame. His love of the sea is surpassed by nothing except perhaps his self-loathing at his sexual orientation. Although he’s come to terms with the direction his desires lie, he lives in the perpetual shadow of the consequences. Those consequences vividly set an engrossing backdrop as the novel opens with a gruesome and riveting scene of a man executed for the heinous crime of being a sodomite. The specter of such cruelty is still fresh when Josh sees Peter Kenyon, a new officer on their ship and within that one glance; Josh gives both his heart and his secret away.

From that first glance on, “Captain’s Surrender” is a non-stop journey traveling oceans and cultures, featuring romance, honor, expectations, action, dishonor, and finally acceptance. Although described as gay historical erotica, the best description I can give this book is historical fiction. Certainly all of the above elements exist and the romance between Josh and Peter is integral to the storyline, yet that romance barely plays more than a passing interest for almost half the book. Instead, the author delivers a dynamic account of life at sea in all its honest cruelty and purpose.

Without being too gruesome or ineffectual, the power structure aboard a Royal Navy vessel is described and the cruelty of its petty tyrant. The reality of life is not always pretty or easy, a theme repeated throughout the book. The rich imagery of the naval battles allowed me to easily imagine the scenes and fights, complete with the sounds and smells associated. Adding in well-defined characters with a quick moving plot, this story delights on many levels.

Joshua is easily charming with his insecurities and inner melodrama. His belief that he is damned and equally strong belief that he is somehow not worthy of Peter paint a picture of a complicated yet loving young man, struggling against the deep need of what he wants and what he feels he deserves. He’s long come to the conclusion that he will not marry, yet struggles as his lover so blithely discusses an anemic and almost passionless marriage to the daughter of a local wealthy man. This kind of casual cruelty is the backdrop for Josh and Peter’s illicit love affair dictates by Peter’s whims yet supported by the depth of their mutual need and desire.

Peter has the arrogance and ease of a man who has lived an almost charmed life and privileged life, with little real tests to his ideals and convictions. He has an innocence regarding his beliefs that would be more suited to a much younger man. Through the course of the book, those ideals are repeatedly tested up until his final decisions regarding his life and needs. It takes Peter a long time to accept the truth of his actions and desires, longer than it should have and to realize his own complicity in his affair with Josh. The final realization of his actions and his motivations is a perfect description of the sometimes confused and passive man. Yet above all, his dedication to Josh even in the face of societal standards, danger and his own beliefs, is a remarkable testament to his character.

Although Peter and Josh are the most compelling of the vast cast of characters, they are by far not the only well-written and beautifully drawn ones. The various secondary characters from Captain Walker to Comptroller Summersgill, Onichi and Giniw to name a few, all add a depth to the story amidst the historical setting. Each character has a very real and defined purpose giving a warmth and honesty that adds yet another layer to a complex and well-written tale. Josh’s time with Giniw especially is very refreshing and the necessary catalyst to provoke Peter and Josh out of their safe, yet confining expectations.

While there might have been one or two missteps along the way, they were entirely minor and the lovely prose and story more than made up for any area that was found lacking. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of Josh with Giniw and Onichi. Their interaction was vital to Josh’s redemption of his own self worth that it would have been nice to expand on that, his decision to leave and how ultimately he returned to Bermuda. However, these and other slights are small within the vividly lush setting that creates a wonderful story.

As I said at the start of this review, “Captain’s Surrender” reads more of a historical fiction book with elements of action, romance, culture, bigotry, and honor set across the oceans in a stunning tale that delights from the beginning to the end. The lack of explicit sex only adds to the satisfying romance and story of two handsome and stubborn men determined to live their lives together within the British Royal Navy. The author had delivered a wonderfully crafted historical that is sure to please romance lovers. (less)

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Jun 11, 2010 Erastes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-historical

Now this is what I’m talking about. If you want a taste of what floats my boat when it comes to gay historical fiction, (no pun intended), then this is it.

I’m not mad on the cover, but that won’t be a surprise to any regular reader of this blog. It doesn’t sum up any part of the book (so readers – don’t expect nakedness on a beach somewhere), doesn’t look like the characters and doesn’t explain it’s a historical. I would find a detail of a naval captain (oo all those lovely brass buttons) to be...more Now this is what I’m talking about. If you want a taste of what floats my boat when it comes to gay historical fiction, (no pun intended), then this is it.

I’m not mad on the cover, but that won’t be a surprise to any regular reader of this blog. It doesn’t sum up any part of the book (so readers – don’t expect nakedness on a beach somewhere), doesn’t look like the characters and doesn’t explain it’s a historical. I would find a detail of a naval captain (oo all those lovely brass buttons) to be much more sexy and more in keeping with the era – so if I hadn’t read the blurb I wouldn’t buy this.

But don’t let that stop you, for God’s sake.

There are so many reasons why I liked this book. The writing is formal enough to give more than a flavour of the era, but not so formal that you are tied up in huge run on sentences. If, like me, you are not an expert in the Age of Sail, it matters not. With Beecroft you feel that you are in a “safe pair of hands” right from the word go. In every scene there is enough detail to paint the pictures needed, and she paints them richly, but not so fussily that you roll your eyes and shout “enough about ropes and knots already, just cast off!” The blurb says “let yourself be transported to a time…” and that’s just what Beecroft does.

But be warned, this is accurate. Shipboard life was no picnic. Although in the main, English sailors were well looked after on good ships, even in good ships the discipline was unforgiving. The Captain of Peter and Josh’s ship is a tyrant of the first water and the punishments he metes out are over the top but historically correct and are described in some detail. At times it’s hard to read but I found it fascinating and illuminating to see such barbarism in a so-called age of enlightenment.

But what I liked most is that this is a story; granted yes, there is a romance at the heart of it, a coming of age romance if you like – implicit by the title; but the romance is not the mainstay of it all – there’s a lot going on and the threads work well together. There’s enough yearning and forbidden love to keep a m/m lover happy, but please note – this isn’t an erotic romance and if you are looking for more sex than plot you won’t find it here. The sex is present, not it’s not often, not graphic but it’s beautifully written. The second kiss for example is one of the best kisses I think I have ever read in an m/m book so far.

The author does some clever things with characterisation – she uses the minor characters to observe what’s going on and I really appreciated this. There’s one scene when a character is watching the goings on on deck and it’s truly nerve-wracking – I was right there with the watcher and was (almost) as worried as he was. I had (as had the character) been given the choices of what might happen but there was no way to know which way it could go. It’s a scene that wouldn’t have worked so well from either of the main protagonists point of view because they would have been thinking completely different things from the layman watching on. It’s hard to believe that, with this level of skill, that this is Beecroft’s first book.

Peter and Joshua are such excellently drawn young men, as different as can be – Joshua has experience and knows what he is, and although comfortable with that, he’s petrified of the very real danger that puts him in. The Navy at this time were generally less forgiving than the land-based justice system, and men could be hanged on the say-so of sodomy, rather than requiring any evidence.

Peter, however, has only had experience of women and his reasons for succumbing so readily to Joshua’s advances begin with friendship and then work rationally and logically to a passionate conclusion. Peter reminded me a little of Carrot in Discworld; “Personal is not the same as important” says Carrot and it could well be Peter’s motto. Without spoiling you for the plot, all I can say is that there’s a section just toward the end where the Peter is working all this out in his head and the decisions that he nearly makes made me hate him. I hated him merely for being able to consider the things he was considering, but it’s a necessary right of passage for him as he moves towards the reason for the book’s title.

If I have one quibble it’s that the middle section seemed rushed, and I had the distinct feeling that perhaps the book had been edited for length, and if so, that’s a shame. Again, without spoiling you for a very vital plot point, all I can say if that there is a lot dealt with in one chapter that, for my money, should have been given more time to mature and develop from all sides. I felt a little cheated after the wonderfully rich build up for the first half of the journey.

But, altogether a very good book, a definite keeper and one I shall read and re-read. It’s absorbing, well written and exciting. The only thing that stops it hitting five stars is the slightly rushed middle section. Any lover of historical fiction should love it, whether an afficianado of homosexual romance or not, and I look forward to Alex Beecroft’s next book with anticipation.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 21, 2012 Darkm rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, historical

Very interesting book.
I both liked and dreaded how accurate it was regarding the costumes of that period. How hard it was for everyone to live, and especially for those who were different. Regarding the characters, I liked Josh, his strength and his altruism. Peter I didn't like too much.(view spoiler)...more

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Dec 06, 2009 Caryn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Here's an author I heard a lot about in m/m. So I picked up this and one other book. I was surprised to find that I didn't like them! Other people who I liked had reviewed and recommended them but I found this and False Colors disappointing. I thought the characters actions were inconsistent and unexplainable. These are romance books and if I don't believe in the characters there's really no story for me. I would not recommend either book.

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Aug 04, 2009 Matimate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, m-m

Tall ships, damper men in British navy uniforms and threat of noose are things which made this genre of gay literature for women the most intriguing. This book was written by woman to women readers who like adventure spiced with two males making it out out of their uniforms. Oh yes in 18th century they made so nice uniforms and ugly laws that being gay in navy means gallows. That is the threat, the major one and masterfully put in the plot.
Joshua Andrews and Peter Kenyon were meant for each oth...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 25, 2009 Becky Black rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 14, 2013 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbt, historical, romance

Ignore the horrible cover, this is a high quality read with tight prose, likeable characters (and hooray for non demonised female ~love rivals~) and a believable love story (the plot in some places was not quite so believable however), I'll definitely be checking out other books by this author!

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Aug 25, 2012 Da'ad rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-romance

Painful to read and tragic on many levels, but the romance in it is sweet, and the ending is good. the non descriptive sex the guy has with the tribe member is hot hot hot! My favourite part of the whole thing. Mmm. That bastard asshole monster first captain sure had an easy end. I hated that most of friggin all!!!!

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About Alex Beecroft

Spaceships and galaxy spanning empires, conversations with angels, viking villages, haunted mansions and forbidden love in the Age of Sail... I love a good strong plot in an exotic setting, with characters you can admire, and a happy ending.

If you make a venn diagram of genres, including historical, fantasy, gay romance and mystery, I occupy the space in the middle where they overlap.

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