Anne’s First Voyage as a Captain’s Wife

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Author

NOTE: Persuaded to Sail is the third book in Jack Caldwell’s Jane Austen’s Fighting Men series. The first two books in this series – The Three Colonels and The Last Adventure of the Scarlet Pimpernel occur in the same world as this third book, but each novel is standalone. Since Persuaded to Sail is more of a Persuasion sequel than anything else, you could just jump right in and read this book without reading the others. But you may end up wanting to check out the others to see more of Jane Austen’s fighting men and their adventures!

TYPE OF NOVEL: Persuasion Sequel

TIME FRAME: Begins with Frederick’s wedding to Anne

SYNOPSIS: Captain Frederick Wentworth has finally wed his dear Anne, and just as Admiral Croft predicted, his views on bringing women on board naval ships and their ability to live comfortable there has significantly changed. Captain Wenthworth is perparing to command the HMS Laconia on a mission to Bermuda, and he is happily making all sorts of arrangements to bring Anne with him. But their happy honeymoon voyage together (with the entire crew) takes a swift turn into some turbulent and uncharted waters when Captain Wentworth is forced to accept a secret mission from the Admiralty and it creates new complications, tension, and risk.

WHAT I LOVED:

• It’s a Persuasion Sequel: It is still a rarity for an author to publish a Persuasion sequel! One of the things I looked forward to the most and loved about reading this story, was revisiting the world of Persuasion. In Persuasion, there are so many possibilities and so little explored. Any premise or situation feels new and fresh! (Don’t get me wrong, I love P&P! But when it is 80% of what you read, you appreciate the occasional change up!)

• World of Men and Navy Life: By taking readers aboard a naval ship, Jack Caldwell does something Jane Austen didn’t do. He takes us to a male-dominated arena during the Regency era. While Jane Austen featured sailors and discussed some naval activities in her books, she did not portray them in their commands or illustrate life aboard a navy ship. There was so much that was new to learn and understand about the Royal Navy – and as Anne will discover, sea-life is it own world with its own set of rules and customs. With this story, Mr. Caldwell provided a lot of detailed descriptions and edifying explanations to educate any Royal Navy novice (like myself!) with what they need to know about navy life.

• Jane Austen Universe Similar to the other books in the Jane Austen’s Fighting Men series, Jane Austen’s novels and characters exist in the same universe and are cleverly brought together. I loved seeing William Price (from Mansfield Park) serve as Captain Wentworth’s First Lieutenant, and I loved the character (from another Jane Austen novel) that stole his heart! I love all the plausible and interesting character connections Jack Caldwell explores with this series!

• Tension Mounting: With a secret mission from the Admiralty and suspicious passengers on board there is tension enough on this voyage. Add to that a captain and his new wife who are trying to adapt to their new life together and find the balance in their new respective roles! I really appreciated seeing Wentworth and Anne experience this period of adjustment – how they both had struggles, needed to learn from each other, and realize the differences in their situation to other marriages. The conflicts and emotions both characters face were realistic and sensitively portrayed.

• Helpful Aides: Maps, dramatis personae, and a navy glossary! These helpful and handy resources definitely help educate the reader and enhance the reading experience.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• Mission Resolution: It felt like the naval conflicts and dangerous circumstances eventually deescalated and swiftly resolved without much complication. Maybe some more needed to be said or shown about this plot-line to give it a stronger resolution, especially since some of the action started taking place off-page.

WARNING: There is a brief scene of attempted assault.

CONCLUSION:

Persuaded to Sail is an exhilarating and exciting Persuasion sequel brimming with romance, action, and drama! I am beyond delighted to see that there are two more books planned for this series! I adore ALL of Jane Austen’s fighting men (except maybe Wickham) and I love that this series explores their lives, their loves, and their battles.

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