Reviewed by Dan
This is a Series Review of the Clash at Sea Series (Book 1 & 1.5)
AUTHOR: A.E. Kendall
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
SERIES REVIEW:
This is the type of series that presents a quandary to me as a reviewer. I really liked one of the two books, and the other was just OK, in my opinion. I’ve detailed both below, and explained what I liked or didn’t like about each book. In my opinion, the novella which came out second is unarguably the winner between the two. I felt engaged and didn’t put my Kindle down once while reading it. The 464 Page book that proceeded it though, was another matter. I felt it was overwritten and too detailed…and way too long. I liked the story in the book, but it dragged out and the longer it was, the more annoyed I got with it. There is another book coming in the series. My quandary is…do I pick it up, hoping it is more like Alain & The Duke, or do I forego it thinking it is more like The Quartermaster & The Marquis’ Son? It might well depend on the length of that next book.
SERIES RATING: 
TITLE: The Quartermaster & The Marquis’ Son
LENGTH: 464 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2015
BLURB:
A brash young nobleman…. What’s not to love? Michel Laurent du Montbron is the 3rd son of the Marquis d’ Sevigne-Chambord. Pampered and a little naive, he runs off to Jamaica to join his brother. But just days shy of starting his new life, his ship is violently overrun by pirates and he is taken captive by Galen, the marauders’ ruggedly handsome quartermaster. With his entire world turned upside down, Michel struggles to survive amongst the Brethren of the Coast, the men who rule the Caribbean seas. But contrary to appearances, Michel is no damsel in distress and he manages to hold his own. Before long, he finds himself falling hard for the handsome yet mysterious Galen. But Galen is an angry and hardened man with a past and secrets of his own. For the last three years, he’s been hell bent on seeking revenge for wrongs done to him in the past. Will Galen be able to return Michel’s affections or will his single-minded obsession for revenge derail any chance they might have together in this romantic saga of danger, lust and love on the high seas.
REVIEW:
I’m not even sure where to start on this first book. I grabbed the book from our available to review list because the blurb looked like it might be an interesting read. I remember when I was a kid reading books about pirates and sailing ships and Impressed American sailors forced to serve on Royal Navy ships. I thought I was in for a more adult version. I was incorrect.
At the beginning of this very long book, we’re introduced to a young man named Michel. Michel is the third son of the Marquis d’ Sevigne-Chambord in France and when his favorite brother is sent off to Jamaica, Michel plots his escape and steals away, headed to join his brother.
Unfortunately, as they near their destination, his ship is overtaken by Rovers, or pirates, or privateers, whichever term you prefer. His ship is captured and Michel is taken prisoner when he catches the eye of the Quartermaster of the pirate ship, Galen.
What follows is a long drawn out play between the two men as they develop greater and greater feelings for each other. I found the “matelot” term interesting as it was used to describe two men who were a team, guarding each other’s backs during boarding of other vessels, but also in many if not most of the cases in this book, as lovers as well. I did some Google research and didn’t find any particular references to this, so assume it was the writer’s poetic license.
I have to say that this was probably not the book for me. I liked the beginning of it. I’d go so far as to say that maybe the first 25% or so of the book was really good. But then it got bogged down and repetitive. As the book went on, I went from sympathizing for Michel to finding his character to be one of the most annoyingly written characters I can remember reading in the m/m genre. After a certain point, Michel could as easily have been a Michelle in my opinion. Most of Michel’s actions, timidity, and just general naiveté could almost be a female character from one of those old bodice ripper hetero romance novels that treated women like lesser beings. I didn’t like that at all. Michel’s character was made lesser by it.
In my opinion, the story was vastly overwritten and drawn out. I truly believe it would have been a much better book at 264 pages then it was at 464. I’m waffling somewhere between it was OK, and it was Good, based on that first part of the book. I’m going to round up in this case and say it was good, with the caveat that there are about 200 pages in the middle of the book that are just plain annoying. The end of the book was back to the Good end of the spectrum, and might…I repeat might…entice me to read the next book.
RATING: 
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TITLE: Alain & The Duke
LENGTH: 64 Pages
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2016
BLURB:
Alain Tristan du Montbron, the 2nd Son of the Marquis d’ Sevigne-Chambord, is in a hell of a lot of trouble. After spending a blissful night in the arms of his lover, the Duke of Atelier, he is on his way home when he is picked up by the king’s forces. In his pockets the soldiers find evidence pegging him a spy in the ongoing clash between the king’s forces and the Resistance that could lead him to the gallows. With his life on the line, Alain is forced to choose between keeping his visit and ultimately his relationship with the duke a secret or coming clean and incriminating them both to save himself. Will his love for the duke and loyalty to the man who stole his heart lead him to make the ultimate sacrifice leaving the duke to wonder what happened to his lover? Or will he redeem himself in this short novella by AE Kendall from the critically acclaimed Clash at Sea series.
REVIEW:
Alain & The Duke is what I had hoped that The Quartermaster & The Marquis’ Son would be. I really enjoyed this short novella and the characters portrayed.
In this novella, we are given the background on the second son of the Marquis d’ Sevigne-Chambord, the older brother of Michel from the first book above. We briefly met Alain at the beginning of that prior book, and learned of his father’s displeasure with his sordid affair with the Duke of Atelier, the King’s younger brother.
In this story, Alain is captured while on his way home from the Duke’s estate to Alain’s father’s estate. Suspected of being a spy, he cannot tell the soldiers the truth and risk implicating his lover Augustin. Punishment for sodomy at this time was death, so Alain needed to keep it secret. I was moved by the character of Alain and his willingness to die to protect his love.
I also enjoyed in a round-about way the characters of Roget and Etienne. I would really like to see more of their story in the future. And I’d really like to know what happened between this story and the beginning of the prior book. For example, how did the Duke feel about Alain being shipped off to Jamaica?
I really liked this one. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone interested in a short fast read about the French nobility and the issues they faced for being gay.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: