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Love in Napoleon's War #1
A Different Sort of Perfect
a clean Regency novel with lots of high seas adventure... but no pirates
Lady Clara Huckabee stows away by accident. But she's not sorry to sail aboard HMS Topaze, leaving England behind. It's a chance to search for her charming French suitor from the Amiens peace, the man she's determined to marry despite the war and her dominating uncle's disapproval. All she has to do is convince the Topaze's handsome captain to see things her way, and everything will be perfect.
A French frigate has evaded the Royal Navy blockade of Brest. Captain Alexander Fleming sails the smaller, elderly frigate Topaze in pursuit, but what he's supposed to do with a silly stowaway debutante for seven thousand miles wasn't covered in his orders. In the doldrums, during a South Atlantic storm, and with French t'gallants spiking the horizon, his first responsibility is always to his ship, his crew, his assignment... not his growing attachment for the woman doubling as his captain's clerk. Perfect; just perfect.
Before disaster strikes, before the cannons open fire, will Lady Clara and Fleming learn that the perfection they longed for isn't the one they really want?
Lady Clara Huckabee stows away by accident. But she's not sorry to sail aboard HMS Topaze, leaving England behind. It's a chance to search for her charming French suitor from the Amiens peace, the man she's determined to marry despite the war and her dominating uncle's disapproval. All she has to do is convince the Topaze's handsome captain to see things her way, and everything will be perfect.
A French frigate has evaded the Royal Navy blockade of Brest. Captain Alexander Fleming sails the smaller, elderly frigate Topaze in pursuit, but what he's supposed to do with a silly stowaway debutante for seven thousand miles wasn't covered in his orders. In the doldrums, during a South Atlantic storm, and with French t'gallants spiking the horizon, his first responsibility is always to his ship, his crew, his assignment... not his growing attachment for the woman doubling as his captain's clerk. Perfect; just perfect.
Before disaster strikes, before the cannons open fire, will Lady Clara and Fleming learn that the perfection they longed for isn't the one they really want?
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2013
15 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Vivian Roycroft
21 books20 followersVivian Roycroft is a pseudonym for historical fiction and adventure writer J. Gunnar Grey. And if she's not careful, her pseudonymous pseudonym will have its own pseudonym soon, too. Plus an e-reader, a yarn stash, an old Hermès hunt saddle, and a turtle sundae at Culver's.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 2, 2016
$0.99 cent Kindle bargain bin.
A different sort of Regency (sorry, I couldn't resist). Our heroine, Lady Clara, impetuously stows away on a ship during the conflict between England and France, trying to get to her True Love, a French captain she'd met in England before the Napoleonic war. The captain of the English ship she's on actually puts her to work (!) as his clerk/secretary. Of course there will be an attraction between them, but will the English captain win out over the French one?
This is a humorous and well-written novel with an unusual setting (almost all of the action is on board the ship) that manages to avoid most of the annoying Regency tropes. There's quite a bit of detail about the ship, and life on the ship, which I thought was interesting but might bore readers who are in it only for the romance.
The author writes well, with a rather tongue-in-cheek tone, and appears to know her British naval history very well, as far as I can tell (<----not a history stickler). In any case, this is a fun read if you enjoy the Regency genre, with a little more meat to it than usual, so you won't have to feel your brain cells expiring of malnutrition while you're reading it.
A different sort of Regency (sorry, I couldn't resist). Our heroine, Lady Clara, impetuously stows away on a ship during the conflict between England and France, trying to get to her True Love, a French captain she'd met in England before the Napoleonic war. The captain of the English ship she's on actually puts her to work (!) as his clerk/secretary. Of course there will be an attraction between them, but will the English captain win out over the French one?
This is a humorous and well-written novel with an unusual setting (almost all of the action is on board the ship) that manages to avoid most of the annoying Regency tropes. There's quite a bit of detail about the ship, and life on the ship, which I thought was interesting but might bore readers who are in it only for the romance.
The author writes well, with a rather tongue-in-cheek tone, and appears to know her British naval history very well, as far as I can tell (<----not a history stickler). In any case, this is a fun read if you enjoy the Regency genre, with a little more meat to it than usual, so you won't have to feel your brain cells expiring of malnutrition while you're reading it.
July 2, 2013
When I first saw the cover of this novel I had reservations; it looked rather sultry and a bodice ripper wasn't what I had in mind. However, one reviewer compared the story to Jane Austin meets Master and Commander and what can I say, I was intrigued!
'A Different Sort Of Perfect' becomes a humorous adventure on the high seas when an impetuous girl of society stows away on a Man of War (unintentionally) to escape an arranged engagement with a lecherous old man. As it so happens, she's in the right place cos the crew are all perfect gentlemen so the lady need not worry. But there is where Jane Austen ends and Master and Commander begins...
What I loved about this book was the adventure of it. The author paints a vivid seascape and you can feel every lilt of the vessel and taste the salt breeze (or did the author call it a zephyr?) . The characters are portrayed with realism and individuality. No one is perfect (including the H/H and no one is completely horrible either.
Its a clean read with no cussing or sex. There is one kiss at the end and some admiring of physique throughout. The only slight "lewd-ity" was in the shape of three parrots singing a ditty about "Lubricious ladies". (yup. I had to look that up) and a "near swear" at the end when you think the parrots are going to pair a cuss word with another that rhymes but then it doesn't happen making you feel rather dirty for even thinking it. ha! But that was the intention. So you may approve you may not. "fornicating" is also used as an insult, like, "fornicating slime bag" or something similar.
Speaking of lubricous, I wanted to mention that one of the great things about this novel was that I learned some new words! I consider myself fairly well read but this novel had me making good use of my kindle's internal dictionary. I love that! (both the new words and my one click dictionary:)
Great read!
'A Different Sort Of Perfect' becomes a humorous adventure on the high seas when an impetuous girl of society stows away on a Man of War (unintentionally) to escape an arranged engagement with a lecherous old man. As it so happens, she's in the right place cos the crew are all perfect gentlemen so the lady need not worry. But there is where Jane Austen ends and Master and Commander begins...
What I loved about this book was the adventure of it. The author paints a vivid seascape and you can feel every lilt of the vessel and taste the salt breeze (or did the author call it a zephyr?) . The characters are portrayed with realism and individuality. No one is perfect (including the H/H and no one is completely horrible either.
Its a clean read with no cussing or sex. There is one kiss at the end and some admiring of physique throughout. The only slight "lewd-ity" was in the shape of three parrots singing a ditty about "Lubricious ladies". (yup. I had to look that up) and a "near swear" at the end when you think the parrots are going to pair a cuss word with another that rhymes but then it doesn't happen making you feel rather dirty for even thinking it. ha! But that was the intention. So you may approve you may not. "fornicating" is also used as an insult, like, "fornicating slime bag" or something similar.
Speaking of lubricous, I wanted to mention that one of the great things about this novel was that I learned some new words! I consider myself fairly well read but this novel had me making good use of my kindle's internal dictionary. I love that! (both the new words and my one click dictionary:)
Great read!
August 16, 2014
4.5/5.0
Vivian Roycroft creates a thrilling love story at sea.
Full review in April 2013 issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Vivian Roycroft creates a thrilling love story at sea.
Full review in April 2013 issue of InD'tale Magazine.
April 2, 2016
Definitely a different sort of Regency romance! It's set almost entirely at sea, aboard a Royal Navy frigate - not a drawing room or a ball in sight. The author is a Patrick O'Brian fan, and her love for the Aubrey/Maturin books is joyously evident throughout. The details of life aboard a man o' war are generally sound, with only a few clunkers (eg. frigates didn't have wardrooms; the officers messed in the gunroom) and some of the sailing scenes are lovely, very vivid and thrilling. Roycroft also manages to strike a nice balance with the technical jargon - enough to be authentic, but not enough to be bamboozling.
But - and this is a big "but" - I found that there was a real imbalance between the nautical detail and the romance. Age of Sail junkie that I am, when I read a romance I'm looking for a definite focus on characters and character interaction, which was sadly missing here. The hero and heroine had barely any meaningful conversation until well towards the end, so it was impossible to believe in their chemistry. We got more of the heroine's interaction with the midshipman and the old fo'c'sle hand than we did of her interaction with the hero. Which is a bit of a problem in a romance! And I felt that the leads - particularly the hero - were lacking inner lives, which kept me from getting very invested in them.
On a more positive note, though, the book is nicely written, with a good sense of the fun - the parrots were a hoot! Secondary characters are well-drawn, and there's some adventure and derring-do as well. And I have to give points for a scene where the heroine takes her place as part of a gun-crew during an action (yes, we have evidence that some women did help fight the guns!). That was cool in my book.
In a nutshell, then, this is one of those books that I wish I could've liked more than I did, but if you're an Age of Sail fan, and/or a fan of Regency romance who's looking for something a wee bit different, I'd say check it out.
But - and this is a big "but" - I found that there was a real imbalance between the nautical detail and the romance. Age of Sail junkie that I am, when I read a romance I'm looking for a definite focus on characters and character interaction, which was sadly missing here. The hero and heroine had barely any meaningful conversation until well towards the end, so it was impossible to believe in their chemistry. We got more of the heroine's interaction with the midshipman and the old fo'c'sle hand than we did of her interaction with the hero. Which is a bit of a problem in a romance! And I felt that the leads - particularly the hero - were lacking inner lives, which kept me from getting very invested in them.
On a more positive note, though, the book is nicely written, with a good sense of the fun - the parrots were a hoot! Secondary characters are well-drawn, and there's some adventure and derring-do as well. And I have to give points for a scene where the heroine takes her place as part of a gun-crew during an action (yes, we have evidence that some women did help fight the guns!). That was cool in my book.
In a nutshell, then, this is one of those books that I wish I could've liked more than I did, but if you're an Age of Sail fan, and/or a fan of Regency romance who's looking for something a wee bit different, I'd say check it out.
February 4, 2013
This is sweet clean historical fiction story that stakes place during the Napoleonic wars. Most of the story takes place on the "Topaze", a ship belonging to the British Royal Navy. I found myself bogged down in all the technical terms and details of sailing during that time. Thankfully I was on my e-reader and had quick access to a dictionary. Still, many of the words were not readily available in my dictionary. The author has notes at the end that explain how to learn many of the technical terms. While I have always loved historical fiction, this one might have been a bit too technical for me. I liked the story itself. I particularly liked that the characters didn't just instantly fall in love, but really had to examine their feelings. I enjoyed watching the main character grow and seeing her overcome the challenges she faced.
March 25, 2013
3.5 stars.
VR’s research on the naval Napoleonic Wars and all things Royal Navy of the time is truly impressive. A clean and sweet traditional regency novel, ADSOP is heavy in details thus a slow read. For those readers looking for a gentle romance set on the seas with loads of naval technical terms, this would be an excellent read. For other lovers of traditional regencies, the wealth of naval detail distracts from the story such that the h/h become the supporting cast to the frigate and the seas, who are the real heros. VR writes well and gives us well fleshed out characters who’s struggles one can associate with. I reduced half a star as I’m one of those traditional regency fans who like the characters and their conversations to take centre stage.
VR’s research on the naval Napoleonic Wars and all things Royal Navy of the time is truly impressive. A clean and sweet traditional regency novel, ADSOP is heavy in details thus a slow read. For those readers looking for a gentle romance set on the seas with loads of naval technical terms, this would be an excellent read. For other lovers of traditional regencies, the wealth of naval detail distracts from the story such that the h/h become the supporting cast to the frigate and the seas, who are the real heros. VR writes well and gives us well fleshed out characters who’s struggles one can associate with. I reduced half a star as I’m one of those traditional regency fans who like the characters and their conversations to take centre stage.
August 26, 2013
Full Review at: What's Beyond Forks?
Lady Clara is a little spit fire, and her personality meshes well with Captain Flemings' understated humorous nature. They are faced with challenges along the way, both expected and not expected, but they are good together. This story gave you some humor and drama along with the romance. It was a pleasant little mix, and all around fun to read.
September 7, 2015
Wonderful Story!
This was a very good story of a girl coming into her maturity on a hopeful of men during war times! She ran away from a forced marriage a silly girl with girlish dreams! But in her travels aboard the ship she stowed away on she becomes wise in that what you thought you knew never really was and what's important is believing in yourself! Good story!
This was a very good story of a girl coming into her maturity on a hopeful of men during war times! She ran away from a forced marriage a silly girl with girlish dreams! But in her travels aboard the ship she stowed away on she becomes wise in that what you thought you knew never really was and what's important is believing in yourself! Good story!
Want to read
July 22, 2014Similar reads/plot: Swept to Sea
May 5, 2013
I did find the first half a slow paced read. I enjoyed reading of her journey and her maturity.
December 2, 2014
I found this book really slow until the last quarter of the book. I would have liked the book so much more had it been faster paced and not so slow.
March 31, 2020
Lady Clara and Captain Fleming
an enjoyable engaging story with a wonderful HEA
an enjoyable engaging story with a wonderful HEA
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews