4 StarsFans of M/M historical romances should enjoy this story, which features an atmospheric 18th century setting and a sweet, yet forbidden, friends-to-lovers romance between two young English naval officers.The year is 1799 and midshipman David Archer is in love with his shipmate, Lieutenant William Marshall. Understandably, due to the time and circumstances, Davy has kept his longing for Will close to his chest for years, fearing not only Will’s reaction but also fearing potential dismissal

3.5 stars!Whoo! This is why I don’t read historical m/m very often. So much anxiety regarding the need to hide just kept me on constant edge - which really was the least of my worries.Basically, David and William are up and coming naval officers. When their ship stops to get repairs after a skirmish with the French enemy, they are suddenly caught up in a long standing game of being kidnapped for ransom. It seems the notorious pirate Adrian, seized the opportunity to capture them and their captai...

This was kind of terrible, to be honest. I stuck with it because I love the setting and there were good scenes here and there, but I should have given up on this book when I figured out where it was going. The protagonists start off as interesting, but there's no character development at all. Instead, one of the characters is turned into a woobie and has all kinds of abuse piled up on him, just so the other character can ~heal~ him. With his cock. Also they spend most of the book locked up in a

For a young Englishman in 1796, the Navy is a way to move beyond his humble origins and seek a chance at greatness. Captured by accident when their Captain is abducted, Archer and Marshall become pawns in a renegade pirate’s sadistic game. To protect the man he loves, David Archer compromises himself-trading his honor and his body for Marshall’s safety. When Will learns of his friend’s sacrifice, he also discovers that what he feels for Davy is stronger and deeper than friendship. The first chal...

Very interesting historical romance. When I was a child, I read my share of books about privateers and pirates, that's why I probably felt so cozy while reading this book. I can't tell if the terminology was accurate, but it was enough to make me feel like I was there with Davy and Will.The love story is really beautiful. Even if there's a lot happening (especially Davy's abuse perpetrated by the pirate Adrian, a true sociopath), the angst never reached my limits, probably because the worst part...

EDIT: Not only is it p2p fanfic, but it also lifted dialogue scenes directly from the movie scripts that it's fanfic for in more than one instance. This is plagiarism and should not be supported in any way or form.Original review: I think this could have been a much better novel if the author hadn't just reworked parts of the original fanfiction and added in a couple of new scenes, but if she had kept the plot, the basic character constellations and then rewritten the whole thing (including the

It's always refreshing to discover something new...something that doesn't follow that same old formula where everything that happens next in the story is totally predictable. I found this book through a recommendation on Facebook and I don’t even think I read the blurb, but I still should have had some idea what was coming from the title and cover alone. Nope, it was one shocking surprise after another for me. Ransom tells the story of three naval officers who are abducted and held for ransom on...

A good to very good M/M historical romance concerning two men in the English Navy during the the first year of the Napoleonic Wars. Although set in the time of the wars, very little of the story was related to warfare. Instead, the story revolves around the abduction of two lieutenants, David Archer and William Marshall, and their Captain, where they are held to ransom. David was in love with William, but as sodomy was a hanging offence at the time, and he was sure William was not so inclined, i...

Ransom was really good, but I found some of the parts regarding the planning of their escape and the ship terminologies boring. However, I absolutely loved the relationship between Will and Davy. Davy has been in love with Will for a few years now, but didn't want to do anything to ruin their friendship. When they are captured, along with their Captain, for ransom, things start to get a little dicey. The kidnapper was a very sadistic man who threatened to geld Will to get Davy to voluntarily sle...

This book had a good plot, strong character development, and a sense of place and time that made a reader feel like they were aboard the Morven with all its sights and sounds and undoubtedly questionable smells. But that ending...? That was some ho-hum HFN bullshit and I am NOT a happy camper. Honestly, it was like the author had spent so much time building up the realism of the hopelessness and danger of the characters' love for one another (one of the main reasons I always have to work up my c...

Boring and cheesy... When I first saw this book I thought that it would be great to read a slash novel set during the Age of Sail. But there is no great sea battles, no real piracy, no gunshots... There is just a lame excuse for a plot, stupid characters, and some not so interesting sex scenes... A deception.

Didn't feel any connection to the characters. Difficult to deduce their personalities, and no character development.

I read this book knowing that it had originally been fanfiction of the Hornblower TV series with the names changed. This didn't bother me, as I enjoyed Naomi Novik's Temeraire, knowing it had also begun life as fanfic. But while Novik successfully reshaped her fic into an original story independent of the source material, Rowan doesn't do the same for Ransom, to the point where the similarities between the book and the TV series are an unwelcome distraction.That would have been bad enough, but t...

I've re-read this book many times. It was my introduction into the M/m romance genre. I imagine the historical genre is an entry point for a lot of authors.In any case, this story showcases Lee Rowan's expertise in historical matters. The plot has a lot of twists, and you can never really tell where people will end up. The book's more than half ways done before any physical sensuality takes place, though emotionally Davy and Will are already involved. But once the flood gates open, it doesn't ra...

Woww! Just WOW! That was one of the hottest romances I've ever read! Lee Rowan writes so beautifully that I feel Will and Davy's passion so well! The writing just blew me away, especially the way she'll say something happened VERY subtly but enough to make sure you get, or at least go back and read it again to understand it.I also like the supporting characters like Davy and Will's captain and then the loyal-to-the-captain-but-disloyal-to-Adrian sailors :KI didn't want it to end, although I admi...

I read this book, or rather I think I read it, few years ago - as a fan fiction. Names were changed but the title and summary more than fit what I read. The story got good recs in the fandom so I gave it a go. Considering the plot and the era I hoped to fall madly in love with the story. Alas that didn't happen. The development of the relationship did not always feel believable to me and witnessing the struggle of both characters to get where the author wanted them was painful at times. I though...

This story takes place in the late 1770s, when the British navy is fighting the French. The interaction of the main characters is fueled by both their attraction to one another and their fears about being discovered (since homosexuality is a punishable crime). The details about nautical life ring true, and the characters are likable. There's substantial angst as the two lovers try to set boundaries on their attraction. Sex scenes are not gratuitous, but rather serve the plot.

Words could never express how good this book is, and how much I adore it.

Close QuartersThis was a surprise in many respects. First, because I finally decided to buy it after it the Kindle version had gone unavailable for a while on Amazon, and also because some of the reviews seemed to be nasty--I can see that but not for some of the reasons, which I will not get into here.I will readily admit that the first half of the book could be stressful--it certainly is for William Marshall and David Archer, as well as their Captain, Mr. Smith. After all, they have been kidnap...

Oh God, why did I read this? Well, it's just been sitting in my ebook library is the answer.To summarise the story, it is about a whore of a sailor being passed around like the town's bicycle using his body to prevent the death of fellow sailors after being captured by some pirates. He was in love with another sailor, which predictably ended in them falling in love and debauchery. My biggest problem with the book was the language used, we need to remember this was set in the late 18th century bu...

Wow! This was quite the saga. The beginning dragged, though. The capture and ongoing imprisonment of Will and Davy - and the captain, went on for several pages to the point I grew bored wondering when something would happen. Adrian's treatment of Davy was dreadful but, and this will sound very weird, I needed more to show me the effects on Davy. Yes, he came back distant and bruised but I needed more of a reaction. At any rate, the last 40% or so, made up for the lack of action in the first 60%....

I think this book would benefit greatly from long hard editing. Thus said, it is kinky af and I'm off to read the next ones.

“Love is sacrificing everything for the one you love no matter what the circumstances.” ~ Jeremy LimnDavid, of 'Ransom' by Lee Rowan, is in love with his friend and fellow shipmate, William. He greatly values their friendship and has an enormous respect for William. David knows that a real relationship is not possible, but in order to keep William close by, he never even hints at his feelings. To David, William is bright and beautiful and he would do anything to keep him that way, even if it mea...

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not usually a reader of historical romance. I happened to see this book on the review list and realized I had read it a couple years ago, and liked it, so I gave it another read to see how the new version struck my fancy. Not surprisingly, it was just as good as I remembered.The story begins with a duel. Yeah, a real duel. I believe it was at this point that David Archer began to fall in love with William Marshall. William didn’t realize that not only was he d...

A good story, but I was a bit sad upon finishing itWarning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS. Rating: 8/10PROS: - Although there are some unavoidable similarities between this and other Age of Sail stories I’ve read (relationship is strictly forbidden, men are thrown together and must fight off their attraction to each other, secondary characters regard the thought of men in love with disgust, etc.), the kidnapping provides a story element that I haven’t seen before.

My dearest, dearest friend katikat gave me book from Lee Rowan Ransom . She knows my obsession for stockings, shoes and navy man of the age of sails as well as my interest in slash and such sort of thing. I was so surprised when I got that book. I am weak to resist to not read it immediately. The plot is narrow and easy going. There is nothing which spoils the reading like stupid plot, stupid characters or deus ex machine.It was year 1796 and famous Articles of War are in charge. Be in love with...

I'm a little torn about this one - on one hand, it wasn't badly written by any stretch of the imagination, but on the other, I found it dragged a bit and I didn't really feel all that invested in the characters.I think this was because the good guys were just so good. At no point did I think they wouldn't make it, that they wouldn't end up together, that one of them might die, or that the ideal outcome would not eventuate. There was nothing truly flawed about them, and therefore there was no rea...

This is the first Lee Rowan work I have read, but after reading Ransom [Bristlecone Pine Press, 2009] it won’t be my last.Indeed, it takes only a paragraph or two is get the impression that this author is very much in control; both of the story and of the reader’s interest. That’s a good thing, too, because most of the tale involves some fairly complex and prolonged suspense that could very well become unravelled if it were not for Ms Rowan’s masterful writing skill.The same is true regarding Da...

SlashReaders: Okay, despite my various rants during the process of reading this book, it is not a horrible read. If you're looking for something that's fairly fast paced and fun this is a good book. However, here's what I have to say about it.It's written like a half way decently done fanfic, there are loose ends and things that are thrown in and answers that are thrown in at the end of the book. As if the author realized that, no one knew where the lemon juice for the invisible ink to write sec...

I started becoming enthusiastic in reading this after watching "Master and Commander: The Far Side of The World". Boy, was that a wrong catalyst for reasons to red this book. I suppose it made me put high expectations for this one,in this case, and yes, unfortunately it did not reach those expectations. Why is that so? The historical events and world-building was very accurate and interesting enough. Why, it accurately portrayed the warring worlds of Europe against the French very superbly! I ha...