This is still a solid novel, but for me it didn't quite reach the level I had grown to expect.įirstly, my thanks to M. I double-checked several times to see if I had moved to the next page or not. There are a couple of story threads that are either glossed over or remain incomplete, and I found the first few chapters disconcerting as they seemed to start with almost exactly the same text as the previous chapter had ended. While the duty seems to be less prominent in this novel, what there is sees Peter in the heart of it - with life-threatening consequences when he becomes ill on two occasions, one of which causes Peter to re-assess his life, both in his career and his relationships. As he grows more despondent over his lack of success in his search for love, he also finds the ever-present 'Sword of Damocles' which hangs over his head every time he dares to be with a man (sodomy & buggery are punishable by hanging) to be an ever-increasing burden.Ĭaptain Horner continues to turn a blind eye however, well, as much as he can, and the Aphrodite continues to do her duty for the Royal Navy. In this novel, much of the story revolved around Peter's sexual relationships (which now number quite a few) and how his lovers always seemed to leave him, often without warning.

Perhaps because it has been a while since I had read the earlier novels, or perhaps my tastes had evolved, I find this story didn't live up to the standard I had expected. Having loved the previous three novels in this series, I was looking forward to reading this novel, especially as it had previously been unavailable as an ebook.

Heart of Oak by M. Kei