Flight into Fantasy

Title: Bo Crusoe
Author: Carla Kelly
Genre: historical romance
Reason for Reading: It’s time once again for Avid Reader’s TBR challenge The theme for this month was tortured heroes and heroines, and this fit the bill beautifully.

Synopsis:

Shipwrecked!

Stranded alone on a desert island, he had lived to tell the tale. A triumphant return to the ton saw James Trevenen hailed as Beau Crusoe—a gentleman of spirit, verve and action. But only he knew the true cost of his survival! Scandalous!

Susannah Park had been shunned by Society. She lived content with her calm existence—until Beau Crusoe determinedly cut up her peace! The beautiful widow wanted to help him heal the wounds of the past—but what secrets was this glorious man hiding?

Other Thoughts:

• All About Romance

• Janine at Dear Author
• Jayne at Dear Author

My Thoughts: Carla Kelly is an author that a lot of romance fans have sited as doing amazing stuff with the Regency time period. This is the first book of hers that I’ve read, and if they’re all this good, it certainly won’t be the last.

I love the premise, which fits the tortured hero aspect of the TBR challenge perfectly. They don’t come any more tormented than James, who has not had an easy life. I liked the fact that, though he went through some pretty hellish experiences, he was still capable of joking around, having fun, and in other ways not wallowing in his own inner torment. It seemed to me that Ms. Kelly really thought through what the consequences of life on an uninhabited island would be, such as James’s need for basic human contact, and the visions that he still saw.

I really liked Susannah as well, and I totally bought their romance. Susannah is also a refreshing historical heroine. She’s not a virgin, she knows about sex, and she has more than two brain cells to rub together. She was furthermore exactly what James needed. Sure, she was extremely maternal, but I kind of liked that about her, and I could see her being a tempering influence on James over the years ahead of the couple. I also adored that Susannah had such a good relationship with her son, Noah. Noah comes across as a real kid here, and not overly precious.

Some of the other characters don’t fare quite as well. Loisa, Susannah’s bitter older sister, who blames Susannah for Loisa’s own lack of marriage prospects, comes around far too quickly to be entirely believable. Sir Percival, a fop who James lets believe was saved from a fire, was not nearly as funny as Ms. Kelly clearly thought he was, and Lady Audley… well… Can we please just take the evil slut ex-girlfriend romance trope outside and shoot it?

I loved the details about James’s life at sea, and his adventures on the island. Some of the stuff that happens to him is quite gruesome, but I have a strong stomach, and as some of the things that James went through shaped the person he became after the island, I thought they were completely necessary.

I don’t think the end of the book works for me, exactly. After such a promising three quarters of the story, I was hoping for something a little less tidy. But still, this book earns my complete seal of approval, as I was in an area where I had both good wireless Internet connection and the book, and the book won out over the Internet.

Final Thoughts: This is yet more proof that Harlequin doesn’t have to equal horribly cheesy romance. Highly recommended.

Grade: B+