Seriously what can I say but...wow. I love a well researched book and this was that and more. I can only assume Ms. Beecroft is a traveler from another time transported here with not just knowledge but the experience of living in those conditions. I could practically feel the tang of the salt in the air and the spray against my cheek.
My only complaint would be that I wanted more. A sequel of their time as pirates would make my day.
( )

This one struck me as a more conventional romance novel than the others by Beecroft that I've read—fine as easy reading by bedtime, but didn't hook me in the same way as The Captain's Surrender did. ( )

I have high expectations for Alex Beecroft's work and By Honor Betrayed was no exception. I was surprised though by how much I truly enjoyed this story. I shouldn't be, but I was!

First of all, Alex really packs a punch for such a small word count (25,000 words). Conrad and Tom are two men on the edge. They've been master and servant but most importantly friends for over 10 years. Conrad wants Tom but fears that any overture he makes would be construed by Tom as a demand, and so Tom wouldn't be able to say no. Conrad also fears that any invitation he reads in Tom's eyes is something he wants so badly that he's imagining it. You could say Conrad has some angst. Which is increased when his commanding officer begins to suspect the relationship he has with Tom. And everything Tom and Conrad do to try and stem the suspicions, even amongst the crew, just feeds the flames.

Conrad has a hard decision to make when he realizes that Tom does indeed want him. Sacrifice it all for love or try to deny his feelings and stay safe? And what happens when that decision is torn out of his hands?

By Honor Betrayed was delicious. That's the only way to put it. The desire between Tom and Conrad can almost be felt. Everyday touches between master and servant take on a whole new meaning. This was heady stuff.

Without giving too much away, at one point I actually covered my mouth and gasped at something that happened. It was so surprising and heartbreaking and that's how caught up I was. That's how captivating Alex' writing is, it grabs hold of you and doesn't let you go. Even when I finished, I was still smiling over what I had just read.

The setting is also very richly portrayed in Alex' writing. I can see the ship and even the coastal towns very clearly. If you enjoy seafaring adventures, naval officers and pirates, I highly recommend By Honor Betrayed. ( )

I have high expectations for Alex Beecroft's work and By Honor Betrayed was no exception. I was surprised though by how much I truly enjoyed this story. I shouldn't be, but I was!

First of all, Alex really packs a punch for such a small word count (25,000 words). Conrad and Tom are two men on the edge. They've been master and servant but most importantly friends for over 10 years. Conrad wants Tom but fears that any overture he makes would be construed by Tom as a demand, and so Tom wouldn't be able to say no. Conrad also fears that any invitation he reads in Tom's eyes is something he wants so badly that he's imagining it. You could say Conrad has some angst. Which is increased when his commanding officer begins to suspect the relationship he has with Tom. And everything Tom and Conrad do to try and stem the suspicions, even amongst the crew, just feeds the flames.

Conrad has a hard decision to make when he realizes that Tom does indeed want him. Sacrifice it all for love or try to deny his feelings and stay safe? And what happens when that decision is torn out of his hands?

By Honor Betrayed was delicious. That's the only way to put it. The desire between Tom and Conrad can almost be felt. Everyday touches between master and servant take on a whole new meaning. This was heady stuff.

Without giving too much away, at one point I actually covered my mouth and gasped at something that happened. It was so surprising and heartbreaking and that's how caught up I was. That's how captivating Alex' writing is, it grabs hold of you and doesn't let you go. Even when I finished, I was still smiling over what I had just read.

The setting is also very richly portrayed in Alex' writing. I can see the ship and even the coastal towns very clearly. If you enjoy seafaring adventures, naval officers and pirates, I highly recommend By Honor Betrayed. ( )

The story doesn’t span a long time in the life of Lieutenant Conrad Herriot and Seaman Tom Cotton: when we met them, they are already “together” since when Conrad was a 13 years old boy entering the Royal Army as officer and Tom was assigned to him as a servant, Tom himself a boy of 15 years. They basically grew up together, becoming the men they are without no one intruding between them, no family, no women, no other men. The bond is so tight that Conrad prefers the company of Tom to other officers and this is arising embarrassing questions. They have nothing to hide, not yet at least, but the ship is a nest of gossips and they are condemned before being real sinners.

I like the bond between Conrad and Tom before and after it turns in a romantic relationship; it speaks of ordinary things, of everyday and of brotherhood. Sure there will be physical passion between them, but first of all there is a bond that was born when both of them were developing into men, it was like an imprinting, something that is impossible to break.

I’m not sure they would have arrived so soon to the physical side of the relationship if not for the gossiping of the other men, I can imagine both of them retiring in the country, now more friends than lord and servant, and enjoy a quiet old age far from indiscreet eyes. This was denied to them, but Conrad and Tom will find a way to dramatically change their future, and still be together.

I like that Tom was not so ready to lose his integrity in exchange of the satisfaction of his desires but most of all, of his life. Sure it doesn’t take long to him to reconsider the option, of what he is gaining in exchange of what he is losing, but still, it’s not an immediate decision. In this he is behaving more gentlemanly than Conrad, who should be the real gentleman between them, but I have the feeling that Conrad is also the more romantic… romanticism is something that noblemen can afford wherelse simple men like Tom are usually more practical.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UPRN5U/?tag=elimyrevandra-20