Ransome Trilogy #1
“I am a great crusader for people marrying for love rather than for duty or money.”
Mrs. Hinds
Ransome’s Honor has a lot in common with one of my favorite books, Persuasion by Jane Austen. The main characters are both older with the maturity experience brings. The navy plays a large part as it is central to both Julia and William’s families. A close-knit group of family and friends are easy to fall in love with, and an engagement that never happened is in their past. It’s truly a pity that Julia and William were such frustrating characters who acted the opposite of their established backgrounds.
William is a competent, seasoned captain who has weathered battle and brought himself and his men back to Britain alive. But, any time he’s alone, he agonizes over every aspect of his personal life to the point of going without sleep because of it. I don’t mind the occasional inner monologue, but give me something other than just angst.
Julia has single-handedly run a large sugar plantation in Jamaica, which would take a lot of nerve and spirit. Yet, she can’t stand up to or protect herself from her aunts’ machinations. There’s respecting your elders, and then there’s foolishly putting yourself in the power of someone you know is not looking out for your best interests.
Despite my disgruntlement with the main characters, I did find a lot to enjoy with the book. The byplay between the different strata of society was fun to watch play out. I also liked that the villain was a victim of his own choices. The side characters were all uniquely written and stood out from each other, especially the servants that played crucial roles.
I bought this book as part of a trilogy set, so I will be giving the second book a try. Hopefully, with a change in the main characters, I will like it better.
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