A Different Sort of Perfect

Aboard a warship, nothing is more unlucky than the three C’s—cats, clergymen and corpses.  Unless, of course, it’s a woman. Lady Clara Huckabee takes a presented opportunity and stows away aboard the Topaze.  She is determined to marry Captain Phillippe Levasseur before her nineteenth birthday, if she’s to inherit.  The problem: Phillippe is a French captain and she hasn’t seen him in Plymouth since the Amiens peace.  Surely the captain of the Topaze is a gentleman and will help her find her love in time. 

Captain Alexander Fleming can’t believe what he’s discovered in his cargo.  Even though she’s no spoiled debutante, she’s still a woman and he’ll have a devil of a time convincing the crew she’s useful to them.  More difficult still: letting her marry the Frenchman after falling in love with her himself.  

Vivian Roycroft creates a thrilling love story at sea.  The exhilaration of a racing warship, raucous crew and handsome captain, get the blood pumping and heart soaring!  The descriptions are vivid and entrancing, submerging the reader in another time and place.  Technical terms occasionally bump the reader out of the scene but the pacing is quick and lively.  Orders, Captain?  Curl up with this good read!

Sandy Ponton