Brethren: Raised By Wolves, Volume One

When I saw that Raised by Wolves is one of TJ Klune’s favorite m/m romance series, I knew I had to read it. And sure enough, this is historical romance/adventure at its finest. It’s a lengthy read, and a first installment in a reeeaaally long-ass series. I like long books, but considering the genre and my sometimes not-so-great attention span, I was afraid I might get bored halfway through. WRONG! There is not one boring moment in this book.

Will (aka John Williams) and Gaston are two extremely scarred people who are still dealing with the aftermath of their past experiences. They're beautifully complicated characters, and they work so well together - they’re like two pieces of a whole, complimenting each other in many different show more ways. I liked that there’s no insta-love in this. The way their relationship progresses - the gradual build-up of trust and affection and the deepening intimacy - is just so freaking genuine. It’s definitely one of the highlights of this book.

This isn’t an easy read by any means. It addresses some serious issues such as past rape & abuse, PTSD, etc, and is one of the angstiest and slowest burns I’ve ever read. It’s not all so dark as it may seem, though, and the plot is actually super entertaining. Will is an excellent narrator with a very interesting worldview and I loved being in his head. All the pirate shenanigans provide an excellent balance to the complex character & relationship development, and the dynamics among the Brethren are something else entirely!

Let me just say that before reading this, I had no particularly strong feelings about pirates, one way or another, but now I want to become one. show less

This review was originally posted on Hot Stuff for Cool People.

I can’t for the life of me remember why it was I wanted to read this book to begin with. Something about it must have struck me, though, because I had it on a list of things to read, and, when I had enough money, decided to buy it. I got it home and still couldn’t remember why I’d wanted it- I usually read fantasy, so this was not really up my alley. And, frankly, after reading the back of the book, I thought it sounded dull. But I had it, so I started in.

Oh. My. God. I am so, so thrilled that I bought and read this. This is definitely one of the finer things I’ve ever read. The writing is so beautiful and thrilling that I was immediately sucked in. The characters show more are so wonderfully developed, through their actions and the eyes of other characters, that I saw each one as interesting and unique. All of them, including the many supporting characters, are troubled and flawed and so lively and gorgeous. Even the most minor of characters had a distinct, complex personality.

The story of strong yet damaged men, roaming about on the sea, caring for each other, fighting battles, and living as they want to live, is quite captivating and entertaining. What I really loved, though, was the writing. I’m not sure exactly what it was about it except that it was so amazingly good. Each scene was wonderfully touching, or dramatic, or exciting, and exactly the right length. Satisfying, never dragging- this is how the entire book worked. The interactions between the characters were so heartfelt that I would find myself reading a page, then immediately reading it over again. For pages and pages. I raced toward the end of the book, it was so exciting, but I didn’t want to finish it, either.

After I did finish it, I was kind of in a slump. I didn’t want to be anywhere except in that book. I picked up several other books and tried reading them, but nothing (even books that have been highly praised) would measure up to the spectacularness of this story. This is a very unusual state for me, as I read all the time, from one book to the next. I thought I might be ruined, it was so good. And maybe I am. I always hold other books up to this one, and I’ve found very few that measure up. show less

I have no idea how to review this, but I want to give it a try because I promised myself I'll start reviewing books I loved at the same rate I review those I don't like. So here goes.

The main character (and the one whose POV we're in throughout the book) is Will, an adventurer and a mercenary. He is from a noble family, but ran away from his home in England as a teenager and did odd jobs as a mercenary across the Continent. When he had to flee Florence because he killed a noble's son in a duel, he decides to return to England. He is sent by his father to tend the family's property in Jamaica to the English town of Port Royal.

"That remark, coupled with the name of the Chocolota Hole, visited upon me the realization that I may have

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landed in a town full of armed sodomites."

There he meets Gaston the Ghoul, a French buccaneer of some ill repute. They form a fast friendship and Will is quickly thrown into an adventure on a privateer ship set to rob the Spanish galleons. The rest of the crew assumed Will and Gaston are matelots (pairs of buccaneers committed to each other in all things - practical and romantic alike; matelotage is a marriage in all but name).

"If we fight alongside men we love, we do not fight for our lives or gold or glory or kings, but for each other. Death is less painful than watching a loved one die; and no fear is as great as being alone after the battle. And no man would appear as a coward in his lover’s eyes."

Will and Gaston are aware there's something between them and they don't try to set the record straight, and they continue to deepen their (mostly platonic) relationship.

"I may be embarrassed that others consider me to have a lover, but I am honored that it is you."

It is my understanding that the writer did extensive research into the ways of 17th century buccaneers, and I always enjoy reading fiction with a historical setting backed by facts. I have no doubt the setting has been romanticized a bit but it doesn't seems excessive, and I have no trouble believing things were exactly as represented in the book (though I am by no means an expert).
The writing is also contemporary to the setting, which added to the general feel of reading a personal account or maybe an adventure novel written at the time.

Will is a languid narrator prone to philosophizing. I personally enjoyed his voice but I've seen some reviewers who didn't. By MM romance standards, this story moves at a glacial pace. Slowest of the slow burns. There is little to no sex and a few action packed scenes. You have been warned :D

Do not start this book if you're not in it for the long haul. This book could arguably be read as a stand-alone (I have done it the first time I read it 4 years ago), but it is not a finished story. It doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but be ready to want to read the entire series in one go.

I encourage anyone who enjoys historicals to give it a try! show less

The first few pages had me wondering if I'd just wasted my money on this book; the language was dense, sometimes awkward, with word and phrase repetitions. I wished a bit of editing would have tightened it up a bit and got me immediately involved in wanting to invest my time in this 500+ page novel. But I soldiered on and was gradually caught up in the incredible adventure! The prose (reminiscent of classic 19thC adventure tales), began to just flow, perhaps as I became more accustomed to it, but more, I think, I was just caught up as the characters were introduced and the story was established.

It's a fabulous picaresque narrative, set in 1667, told in first person by Lord John Williams, Viscount of Marsdale who has been adventuring in show more the capitals of Europe as a duelist, assassin and all around rogue, bedding both women and men in an audacious manner that would give Casanova a run for his money. He's been away from England for a decade, ever since some major unpleasantness between him and his cousin--and total lack of regard from his father. But, weary of his dissolute lifestyle, he returns home, only to find he's still not ready to settle down (he's still just 26 years old). When his father proposes that he act as his agent in his investment in a Jamaican plantation, he agrees to go. Even though he takes his responsibilities seriously, once he arrives he is intrigued by the buccaneers who are based out of Port Royal. When it is suggested that he may find it interesting to go roving with a ship in search of Spanish gold, it doesn't take him long to sign on.

Introduction to the life of a buccaneer through Will's eyes is just fascinating. If you love sea adventure, there's a ton of it here as Will's first trip encompasses raiding pigs, making the dried meat boucan (from which came the term “buccaneer”), careening, taking a galleon and being shipwrecked. He also acquires a matelot: a bunk-mate; Gaston, an aristocratic Frenchman who is said to be mad. But Will senses a kindred spirit in Gaston--or at least a well-read and agile mind in a man of a similar background, whom he can befriend-- although he eventually hopes it will become much more than that. Unfortunately, both of them are scarred by their pasts, Gaston even more than Will, so the course of true love runs far from smoothly.

Aside from Will and Gaston--two unforgettable and intricately drawn characters, there are many others, most amazingly sympathetic given the wild frontier-like quality of Port Royal and the Caribbean, such as the helpful agent, Theodore and the core of friends Will makes among the buccaneers: Striker and Pete and the Bard. The book is full of complex and interesting characters, both good and bad. The historical background seems solid enough, the details feel real. This is a substantial book, with a depth and richness that is not often encountered in most sub-genres. In many ways it is easily classifiable as a historical fiction, with m/m romance elements (although those who enjoy love and sex will not be disappointed).

It's a fascinating read that deserves its accolades. I don't feel I can adequately express how good this book is! It has become one of my favorite books of all time and all genres. I can't wait to read the subsequent books in this amazing series. show less

Lord Marsdale had left his home at the age of 16 and never looked back. Now, over a decade later he is forced to return to face a father who has always been disappointed in him and memories he had desperately tried to avoid. When offered the opportunity to go to Jamaica in the New World he is not sure if he should consider it a blessing or a curse. That is until he finds his life's calling as a buccaneer and a home in the arms of a madman.

If you're looking for a light novel of gay romance with a happy, feel good plot, this may not be the one for you. If, instead, you enjoy epic historical stories with lots of angst, sword fighting, duels and slightly damaged characters this is a very good one. Personally I really enjoyed this novel. It show more is a very character driven and lots of time spent on the open seas which is something I've found I really like. I do get the feeling that the author did her homework historically although I'm not personally familiar enough with the 1600s to really say for sure, but it seemed reasonable. Will and Gaston are both quite interesting. Both are emotionally scarred individuals and I really wanted to see things work out for them. There are also many very interesting side characters (I had to laugh at Tom, Dick(ey) and Harry) which help to round out the tale. However, I did have a problem with losing track of who was who. Near the beginning the story rather reminded me of Swordspoint that I recently read but with one main difference, unlike St. Vier, Will has a conscience that makes him a much more human and, for me, sympathetic character.

Although this is a gay romance in a historical setting it is unlike many I have read. There is much talk of violence and sex but neither were presented in an overly graphic way. This is much more a story of characters dealing with the repercussions of traumatic experiences than of just falling in love and heading to bed.

This is a very good, very long seafaring tale of buccaneers on the tropical seas who live, fight, love and sacrifice for each other and I am certainly interested in reading more in the series. show less

The first in a projected trilogy, Brethren is historical fiction at it's FINEST. A rich epic set in the Caribbean in the late 1600's, this is the story of the roguish William Marsdale. Readers will be hooked from the first page. Will left home to escape an abusive relationship, and to see the world. He becomes an accomplished swordsman and duelist, as well as a seasoned traveller. When he finally returns home to England, he is sent by his father to Jamaica to manage a new sugar plantation. Of course, he promptly puts someone in charge of it and joins a buccaneer crew! Buccaneer's have some "questionable" traditions, such at Matelotage. It is a partnership between two men to support each other in battle, share responsibilities and to show more provide company. These relationships were often sexual, but not always. Will unintentionally finds himself with a matelot. The bitter-sweet love that develops between he and Gaston is believable and has great potential (which is explored in Volume 2).

The cast of supporting characters are all fully developed and help propel the storyline as well as provide humor. Hoffman has done a lot of research into the time period and subject matter and it shows. The dialog and language is representative of the time, and extremely well written. Her descriptions of the world and people are detailed without bogging a reader down. With a a lot of action, and an engrossing plot, this is a fantastic adventure story. I read this massive novel in only two days and can hardly wait for the rest of the trilogy. I can not recommend this series enough!! show less

A very long historical m/m romance wherein our hero, Will, is forced to go to the Caribbean by his father, but once there, he decides to take up Roving (which is much like pirating, indeed), and become a true Buccaneer (which is only the kind of pirate who makes dried salted meat, and not a random pirate). He becomes matelot (basically = married to) with a mad Frenchman named Gaston. Highly recommended.