Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "channel-islands"

Treachery by Julian Stockwin by Julian Stockwin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Neither Kydd nor Renzi are in good places when this latest Kydd Sea Adventure begins. Renzi suffers from guilt for abandoning his friend when he needed him most. Kydd wallows in grief at the sudden loss of his beloved. Renzi makes a new vow to help Kydd, but it takes an encounter with footpads and the press gang to draw Kydd sufficiently out of his anguish to at least do his duty as captain of Teazer.

This Thomas Kydd is not the one that his men admire and willingly follow. This is a harsh, unyielding commander who demands immediate obedience. As a result, unease and possible mutiny ripple through the crew, though Kydd is too blinded to see or listen to Renzi’s warnings. It takes another to turn the tide before it’s too late.

Teazer and her crew have been relegated to the isolated station of the Channel Islands, where Admiral Saumarez is in charge. For Renzi, this provides him with new opportunities to continue his research. For Kydd, he is given a chance to show his mettle; Saumerez judges by deeds and courage instead of hearsay and innuendo. Kydd accepts the chance to prove himself worth; in doing so, he draws the ire of those who have been on station longer than he has. Then Kydd receives secret orders, which he successfully carries out. Upon returning to home port, his ship is boarded and he is accused of smuggling, which is against Admiralty rules. And the admiral denies ever giving him secret orders.

Treachery is the tale of what happens when an officer loses his command and must seek employment on land. It is also about backstabbing and vowing to clear one’s name, as well as following paths that go against one’s beliefs. Privateering and espionage play key roles in these struggles. The machinations behind a plot to kidnap Napoleon Bonaparte show the tenuous scheming between the English government, French émigrés, and French royalists. The action is riveting and the emotions are profound. Internal struggles play out alongside external ones. This ninth title in the series is one that fans will enjoy not only for these reasons but also because it delves further into multi-dimensions of character.


This review was originally published at Pirates and Privateers (http://www.cindyvallar.com/Stockwin.h...)




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Token of Betrayal by C.V. Lee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jersey seems like a haven from the turmoil of war until an insider permits the French to seize the island fortress one night in 1461. Sir Philippe de Carteret sends word to the newly crowned English king, but he is too busy dealing with internal and external disputes to lend assistance, and Warwick, Lord of the Channel Islands, ignores all missives. To protect family and tenants, de Carteret pays homage to his new overlord while biding his time. Not everyone is willing to wait. While the French terrorize the islanders, another seigneur and a minister plot to drive away the French. It takes only the claims of a stranger to light their fuse.

Neither child nor adult, de Carteret’s nine-year-old son, also Philippe, finds life exceedingly frustrating. He forms an attachment to his new tutor, who came to Jersey after the House of York dethroned the House of Lancaster. When pirates attack one night, Philippe saves his tutor’s life but doesn’t fully comprehend her sufferings. Nor does he understand a fortuneteller’s prediction or his surreptitious visit to the French dungeons; both become haunting memories.

This first book in the Roses & Rebels series is a fictional rendering of France’s medieval invasion of the Channel Island and the resultant events, as well as a coming-of-age tale seen from the perspectives of father and son over nine years. Occasional word choices pull readers from the story, and one incident in an inn seems a bit contrived. Overall, Token of Betrayal is an interesting read depicting the Wars of the Roses from an unusual angle. The themes of growing up, loyalty, and the effects of war on regular people have relevance to readers today.


(This review originally appeared in Historical Novels Review: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...)



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