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kaje_harper's review against another edition
I removed the rating for this book, due to catfishing behavior on the part of the author (statement here : https://jaylewistaylor.home.blog/2018/08/18/statement-from-jay-lewis-taylor/ )
4.5 stars, rounded up. This book is about gay romantic relationships, but it's not a traditional romance. The book has three sections, and the common thread through them is John Amery, Surgeon in the Royal Navy, as the book opens prior to WWI. The initial section is in the POV of Pasco Teague, a stoker on the same ship, who happens to be the person to whom a drunk John says "I don't want a woman. I want a man." Luckily for his safety, Pasco's response is "How about me?" And the courage of a bottle wins John his first sexual experience, and the first person he really cares about.
But Pasco is bisexual (refreshingly so, where so many historicals have only straight and closeted gay men.) He is very fond of John, enjoys sex with him, and although duty separates them, they have a relationship based on occasional encounters for years. But Pasco likes women too and still has his eyes fixed on a wife and children and all that kind of life entails. John is not his sole focus. And John, who is strictly gay, socially inept, reclusive and silent by nature, is at a disadvantage, though he has hopes that they will continue to grow closer.
The second section of the book is from John's POV, as we watch the effects of the war, life at sea, and relationship changes on him. He grows more mature, but his aloofness, his self-control, and his caution, don't make life easy. Nor do the things he went through.
In the third section we get a new POV, a shift of focus, and changes in John's life, both good and bad, that will shape the man he is as he goes through his middle years.
I really enjoyed this. It felt very realistic to the times and lives of the men. As a romantic, I wanted things to work out on a more traditional arc. But in life, it is probably more common for even working relationships to frequently be one-sided. One person invests more emotion, more energy, more focus, than the other. Perfect mutual balance is the bread and butter of romance, but this felt real.
The writing is a little sparse. The emotions come through in simple phrases and actions, sometimes a little flatly. It didn't rip my heart as it might have, given some of the notable events in here including a world war. But it's a book I'm glad I read, and do recommend to anyone interested in depictions of gay lives and not just traditional romance. And the ending is a HEA.
4.5 stars, rounded up. This book is about gay romantic relationships, but it's not a traditional romance. The book has three sections, and the common thread through them is John Amery, Surgeon in the Royal Navy, as the book opens prior to WWI. The initial section is in the POV of Pasco Teague, a stoker on the same ship, who happens to be the person to whom a drunk John says "I don't want a woman. I want a man." Luckily for his safety, Pasco's response is "How about me?" And the courage of a bottle wins John his first sexual experience, and the first person he really cares about.
But Pasco is bisexual (refreshingly so, where so many historicals have only straight and closeted gay men.) He is very fond of John, enjoys sex with him, and although duty separates them, they have a relationship based on occasional encounters for years. But Pasco likes women too and still has his eyes fixed on a wife and children and all that kind of life entails. John is not his sole focus. And John, who is strictly gay, socially inept, reclusive and silent by nature, is at a disadvantage, though he has hopes that they will continue to grow closer.
The second section of the book is from John's POV, as we watch the effects of the war, life at sea, and relationship changes on him. He grows more mature, but his aloofness, his self-control, and his caution, don't make life easy. Nor do the things he went through.
In the third section we get a new POV, a shift of focus, and changes in John's life, both good and bad, that will shape the man he is as he goes through his middle years.
I really enjoyed this. It felt very realistic to the times and lives of the men. As a romantic, I wanted things to work out on a more traditional arc. But in life, it is probably more common for even working relationships to frequently be one-sided. One person invests more emotion, more energy, more focus, than the other. Perfect mutual balance is the bread and butter of romance, but this felt real.
The writing is a little sparse. The emotions come through in simple phrases and actions, sometimes a little flatly. It didn't rip my heart as it might have, given some of the notable events in here including a world war. But it's a book I'm glad I read, and do recommend to anyone interested in depictions of gay lives and not just traditional romance. And the ending is a HEA.
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