Beau Crusoe

She smiled, and James felt his heart turn.

Lt. James Trevenen spent 5yrs marooned on an island.
Susannah Park married below her station, had her husband die before she even gave birth, and has been ostracized ever since.

Maybe because I recently read one of her books, this felt like a Balogh with some Milan. Y'all, the tongue-in-cheek humor and wit is top notch here. This is also told mostly from the hero's pov, which helped to give it a fresh spin.

"Maybe it's this way, son---when we have no choice, we may as well be brave."

James has PTSD from what he had to do to survive and thinks he is haunted by another survivor of the original shipwreck. James' story of survival is spread out throughout the story until we get the ultimate grizzly show more details of how he became the lone survivor. It's rough, disturbing, and courageous stuff to read and I enjoyed how the author didn't shy away from James' emotions. He was a hero who was witty, courageous, strong, utterly capable, and kind; he's a sexy one.

Susannah plays a little bit of second fiddle to James but her calm, vulnerable, and solid demeanor made her a perfect complement to him. Her family dynamics were a secondary character that wonderfully filled this story with even more emotions and relationship nuances. I'm also not the biggest fan of children in stories but Susannah's son Noah was a fun character and their relationship and the one that develops between Noah and James was delightful.

The romance between James and Susannah started off as smoke that slowly but surely was tended into a sparking burning pleasing fire. They were such a lovely engaging couple to follow along with. The wit provides a lighter tone while James feeling haunted and Susannah coming back from scandal with society and her family (Susannah and her sister's relationship brought a tear to my eye at the end) provide the heavier emotional load. The secondary characters here add a lot and show how much a story can be enhanced when giving attention to the details. This was a refreshing, engaging, and just plain lovely story.

As she stood watching, he turned and blew her a kiss. You're a rascal, she thought. show less

One thing I always like about Carla Kelly is that she writes about the other 99% of the population--nary a duke or prince or marquis to be found. And she doesn't flinch from writing some of the harsher realities of life. In this case, James has pretty much been through a "worst case scenario" in the all-too-common occurrence of a shipwreck. And "Beau Crusoe" is mostly his story, to be sure, although Susannah is a lovely heroine, with her own broken pieces as well that make her well suited to him. The softer moments blend well with the grittier bits. Although the love story itself is gentle and low-key, this is definitely a darker story than your usual Regency "shunned by the ton" faux-angst. It's a romance, and--gasp! a Harlequin--but show more it's lovely, well-written stuff. show less

One of the most beautiful romances I've ever read. I've never come across a book quite like it - so full of humor and life, but understated, subtle, and sympathetic in its wit, its full, wonderfully layered character development, and its treatment of the darker horrors of the hero's past. It tells of ordinary people capable of the extraordinary, bound together in a compelling, moving love story. Don't pass this one up.

Another great Carla Kelly love story! And unlike many romances, the story is told primarily from the hero's point of view. James is haunted by his experiences after being shipwrecked and stranded five years on a deserted island. He studied the native crabs on the island, wrote a treatise, and now has returned to London to be awarded a medal by the royal society.

Through a series of humorous adventures, he becomes known in society as Beau Crusoe, and all of London wants his company. He, however, would rather spend time with Susannah Park, his London host's goddaughter. That host is in ill health and has fobbed off James on Susannah's family. (And here the real-life renowned botanist Sir Joseph Banks plays a major role.)

Both James and show more Susannah are damaged, yet both are brave, resilient, and full of good humor. The secondary characters are deftly drawn, and each one serves a definite purpose in the overall plot.

This is a beautiful love story between two very real people. Highly recommended. show less

I have mixed feelings about this book. Firstly, I think it was published in the wrong genre. I would classify it as historical fiction. It is very dark and there is a lot of sex in it that is not very romantic (although it is necessary to the character and plot development). There is some violence and discussion of a taboo subject that is quite disturbing. On the other hand, it's a wonderful story of a wounded man that must overcome a traumatic experience. I would have given this five stars if the graphic descriptions of the sex and taboo subject were toned down a bit. In the end, it was just a little too uncomfortable to be a satisfying romance novel. I would compare it to Kelly's first work, Daughter of Fortune.

Excellent read. Enjoyed it just as much the second time through. I love her unconventional characters -- formerly shipwrecked naval officer. PTSD is like a theme running through some of her books, in this case not for a military veteran but for another kind of deeply disturbing experience. Twenty heads above most romance writers.

I adore Carla Kelly's books, in general ... but WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING???

All I can assume is that she had a drunken bet with someone, that she could sell the most tasteless book imaginable and STILL find a publisher. And if that really happened, then more power to her.