Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "highwaymen"

SeaHorse by Michael Aye

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An alert seaman hears the sound of gunfire. Out of the dense fog blanketing Carlisle Bay a fireship emerges. Those aboard HMS Prudent must deal with this threat before they can assist the anchored convoy. Only later is it revealed just how successful the ruse worked. It is but the latest of the daring raids by enemy privateers on British shipping in 1777.

Admiral Lord Gilbert Anthony savors his time ashore in England, getting to know his new daughter, Macayla, and renewing his acquaintance with his wife, Lady Deborah. While they enjoy their rare moments alone, his half brother Gabriel savors his recent promotion to Captain and eagerly awaits his upcoming nuptials with Faith Montique, whom he rescued from her nefarious uncle’s evil doings in South Carolina.

Such idyllic leisure ends much sooner than expected when both men receive new orders. Given a new flagship, Gil is to take up command of the Windward Islands and transport Lord Ragland to his new post as governor of Barbados. Gabe also receives a new, but unhappy, ship. Half of HMS Peregrine’s crew have deserted and the other half requested transfers. Refusing to be left ashore once again, both their wives declare that they will accompany their husbands on this voyage and then take up residence at Lady Deborah’s home on Antigua.

But before they depart, thugs posing as highwaymen attempt to assassinate Gil. A letter from Gabe’s uncle, Dagan, who stayed behind in the Colonies to visit with family and his new lady love, warns of approaching ill winds and that he will rendezvous with them in the Caribbean. Soon after the squadron departs Plymouth, escorting a convoy of merchant ships, the brothers discover just how cocky and daring the rebel privateers are after strange sails are sighted, vanish, and then launch a surprise attack. On their arrival in the West Indies, the news worsens as the war progresses. General Burgoyne surrenders, the British are preparing to evacuate Philadelphia, and the evidence confirms that soon after the New Year the French will join the Americans, which means the Spanish will as well.

The saga of The Fighting Anthonys continues in this fourth book in the series. As always, readers are treated to original poetry (such as “The Forgotten Salt”) from the author. These serve to introduce each of the three parts that make up the story. Unlike previous installments, this one is less even in the telling. What happens after the white flag is hoisted in chapter 15 is never clearly stated. Aside from Gabe’s first boarding of Peregrine, readers never see how he turns an unhappy ship into a happy one. While the scene depicting a lightning strike is astonishing, it lacks sufficient tension and Gil’s recovery is too quickly dispensed with. The ball scene flits from one character to another and Lord Ragland’s comment about not knowing what comes over a minor character’s behavior is one the reader will readily understand. There is no hint of this trait prior to its occurrence; nor does it surface anywhere else in the story. Some readers may also find the occasional interruptions in dialogue and narrative to explain nautical words – such as “sweeps (long oars)” – annoying. The book includes a glossary, where some of these words, but not others, are defined.

On the other hand, Seahorse is fraught with danger both on land and at sea. The assassination attempt on Gil is but the first “ill wind” they encounter; an enemy from the past carries out a vendetta against the brothers and anyone they love is fair game. Then there’s a perilous duel and a suspenseful sea battle. Not to mention a brief cameo by Captain Horatio Nelson. Fans of this series should enjoy this addition to The Fighting Anthonys.




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