Framed as a diary written after the fact, this novella is the story of Harry's first command as a captain, developing feelings for his handsome lieutenant, meeting a nasty storm and shipwrecking with the said lieutenant. I always enjoy Alex Beecroft's eye for the detail, and this was no exception. ( )

Oh my god, what a beautiful book. Emotionally engaging and powerful, delivered with elegantly crafted prose and a wealth of rich detail. I loved every word of it. The narrative device of having the two men collaboratively write their history works wonderfully in the hands of a writer this skilled; Harry and Garnet have distinct voices and consistently different takes on what matters, and the moments where they react to the other's summations of an event are so charming. The disasters that befall them on the way to their happy ending are vivid and terrifying. Their voices manage to be emotional and poetic without the prose going purple. I even enjoyed the at-first-sight moment, which I'm generally not fond of at all; it was just that well written. I finished this book feeling so *satisfied* with it, I'm afraid to pick up anything else until the warm glow fades.

(I will note that if you read m/m for sex scenes, you will be disappointed here -- the sex is glossed quickly, never described in detail. It makes a tremendous amount of sense given the way the story is structured! But this is not the book to pick up when one is looking for a steamy read.) ( )