She’s been sent across the world to marry a stranger. When a rugged captain steals a kiss, he also begins to steal her heart.
What’s it About?
Captain Gibb MacGalloway might adore women, but he does not allow them aboard his ship…
Females are too distracting for his crew—and too distracting for him, truth be told. But when his brother, the Duke of Dunscaby, asks him to provide safe passage to Miss Isabella Harcourt, the daughter of an old family friend, Gibb has no choice but to bend his rules. However, it is not until the lass comes aboard that he realizes Miss Harcourt is the lovely wallflower he’d tricked into giving him a wee kiss only the day before.
Isabella Harcourt expected to spend her days as a spinster…
Until her father announces he has arranged her marriage to an American silver miner who is over twice her age. She might be disappointed at the news, but she accepts her fate and boards the ship, her life in tatters. Worse, things grow even more daunting when she meets the blue-eyed stare of the man who’d imparted her first kiss only one day prior—a very passionate, bone-melting kiss. Now they must make a voyage across the Atlantic, pretending there had never been an attraction between them, pretending they’d never met. After all, she is promised to another, and he is married to the sea. By the time the ship arrives in Savannah, will this star-crossed pair be able to say their goodbyes?
First Impressions
This book went down super smooth. An intriguing, low-angst historical romance to bring along on your next beach vacation. The chemistry between Isabella and Gibb was held on something of a low simmer throughout most of the book, but as their journey continued across the vast expanse of ocean, the dial on that frisson of energy moved up and up. By the time they arrive in Savannah we’ve had our gluttonous fill of longing looks, hair touches, and countless whispers of lips along necks. Consider me in regency romance heaven. Beyond the mere romance of Gibb and Isabella, the premise and setting of the novel was an interesting one.
The closest thing we ever get to a villain is Isabella’s father, but even that is a bit of a stretch. It seems their relationship was close enough, and you never get the sense he pressured her to find a suitor by any means. Which makes his matter-of-fact declaration that she is to set out on the morrow for the other side of the world to marry a total stranger all the more shocking. There didn’t appear to be any malice in his heart at this decision, but almost rather a means of logistics to ensure they would both live comfortably as he got on in years. Nevertheless, I still would have loved to see one major confrontation scene between Isabella and her father. She’s an intelligent, strong-willed woman, yet this is the primary instance of where we see her wallflower persona and filial piety come to the forefront. Her father has deemed she must wed, and so she feels honor-bound to fulfill her daughterly duty, no matter how enticing she might find the captain of the ship transporting her to her new fate.
In the Belly of the Boat
I’m sure many of us romance fans have come across a historical romance at some point involving a ship’s captain and a beguiling passenger, and let’s just say the monotony of the enclosed vessel and endless expanse of water can try one’s patience. With this read though, the author deserves praise for balancing the time spent on and off ship, both before and after the penultimate journey, as we’re never worn down by the scenes spent on the actual boat. The ship proves to be a multi-purpose tool in forwarding the movement of the plot, including quite literally bringing Isabella and Gibb closer together in terms of tight quarters and emotional connection, while also heightening the tension as their bond grows stronger while the shore grows nearer. For waiting on shore is Isabella’s betrothed. We question if this newfound affection between her and the captain is strong enough to contravene the duty she feels towards honoring her father’s wishes.
Their Roman Soldier
Unexpectedly, this story is not just about Isabella and Gibb finding their way across the ocean together, and into each other’s hearts. There’s another tale unfolding in the background which proves to be just as important, and that involves Isabella’s restoration and translation of ancient clay tablets found on her father’s estate. They detail the story of a Roman soldier sent off to another land as a prisoner, and he writes to his beloved wife back home about his fervent wish to make his way back to her and their son. The stories mirror each other so beautifully, especially as we see Isabella setting off for a new land, just as she uncovers the details of her Roman soldier also making a new life for himself abroad.
These tablets also bring Gibb and Isabella closer together, as he becomes just as enamored as she is to discovering the truth of what happened all so many years ago. These tablets were always something she enjoyed on her own, so to find someone else with just as much passion towards the difficult task at hand was an added element that brought them closer together. To have a historical tale built within our historical tale was also a uniquely entertaining feature. There were some details that seemed a bit far-fetched with this Roman tale, especially towards the conclusion of the book in that things were almost tied up too neatly, but overall it was still an enthralling aspect of the read.
Series: The MacGalloways, book 3. This is the first book I’ve read in this series, as well as by this author. I must say I was thrilled with both! This is definitely a stand-alone within the larger series, and you’ll have no trouble jumping right in without any context of the previous books. I could see myself revisiting this world at some point in the not too distant future.
Would I befriend the heroine? We have a shared love of history that would probably make us fast friends. Although she seemingly has a wallflower personality, there’s a woman within who goes after what she wants. We might be long-lost twins.
Would I date the hero? With that sexy brogue, you better believe it! I don’t care if the dude is married to the sea, just read me the phone book when you’re back on land and we’ll have plenty of fun.
Final Impressions: This was a delightful historical beach read. We essentially have two distinct stories woven together: the one between Isabella and Gibb, and the other involving the Roman soldier from her tablets. There’s a delicate balance between the two where they ultimately end up complimenting rather than combatting each other. Towards the end I do think there was probably a bit too much focus on uncovering the truth of the Roman’s history rather than diving deeper into Isabella’s undoubtedly fractured relationship with her father, or Gibb’s evident post-war traumatic stress. That being said, their story captures your heart and keeps you guessing along every twist and turn of their journey towards a happily ever after.
Smut Level: For the most part this is a fairly low-heat book. Towards the end we do get a few steamy snippets, but nothing too blush-inducing. A fair bit of description of them…tasting one another though.
Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $4.99 Kindle Price. Oliver Heber Books. 302 Pages.