RANSOME’S CROSSING is the second installment in the Ransome Trilogy. The book begins where Ransome’s Honor leaves off. RANSOME’S CROSSING furthers the story of Julia and Commodore William Ransome but centers on Charlotte Ransome, Williams’ precocious young sister who devises a plan to impersonate a midshipman on one of the ships in Williams’ convoy so she can rendezvous with her secret fiancée in Jamaica. Once aboard the Audacious, midshipman Charles Lott (Charlotte) finds himself the target of the vindictive midshipman Kent. Trying to blend with her crewman until arriving in Jamaica, Kent’s antics puts her front in center and under the watchful eye of Captain Parker.
When a surprise attack against the Audacious kills Captain Parker, First Lieutenant, Ned Cochrane is brought aboard as acting captain, a fate almost worse than death for Charlotte. Charlotte, though engaged to another, finds herself struggling with the growing feelings for the honorable Cochrane. Unbeknownst to her, Cochrane has pined for Charlotte, but never pursued her because of the unfairness his line of duty would bestow on a wife.
Cochrane keeps an eye of Midshipman Lott, knowing there is a familiarity there that he can’t quite explain. When he finally realizes that Lott is Charlotte, he is beside himself, not knowing what to do. To expose her, the sister of a commodore, would surely ruin her reputation and her brothers, but to allow her to continue her masquerade puts her in inevitable danger.
RANSOME’S CROSSING was a book I looked forward to reading after enjoying Ransome’s Honor. Though I enjoyed the antics of Charlotte’s plight, I was mildly disappointed with the storyline between William and Julia. There standoffish attitude towards each other seemed out of place. We ended Ransome’s Honor with William expounding on what it is to finally have the woman he has loved for over twenty years. Yet, his behavior throughout the book does not express that. I understand his pull and tug regarding his duties to his wife and his duties to his men, but it seemed over emphasized. And though I know this book was centered on Charlotte, I was hoping for so much more from Julia and William’s storyline. I also felt the ending of RANSOME’S CROSSING was a bit unoriginal, and immediately made me think of M.L. Tyndall’s The Blue Enchantress that ends much the same way. Overall, a good read and I look forward to finishing the series. I just hope the next book doesn’t withhold what I feel readers want to see.
Book provided for review purposes.
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