Winds of Change

Winds of Change follows on directly from Ransom, where Dave and Will along with Captain Smith endured and traumatic kidnap attempt, and where the two young men Dave and Will realised their love for one another. It is now 1801 as we rejoin Lieutenants David Archer and William Marshall and they are about to be advised by Captain Smith of their new commission; their captain is being transferred to a larger ship, HMS Valiant, and he is taking the two men with him as his first and second lieutenants. It is not until they are aboard the Valiant that Captain Smith informs them there is something more to their commission; the Royal Navy believes there is a saboteur amongst the Valiant's crew and part of their job is to flush out this saboteur, and in order to do this Davie and Will ironically are ordered to pose as lovers. So begins their dangerous assignment which among other things leads their ship into an ambush. But while the plot is intriguing, the real story is to be found in the growing love affair between our two heroes. Despite the dangers inherent in their liaison, they find plenty of opportunities to get together and express their passion. The love between them is beautiful; a genuine reciprocated love that is truly unselfish, each willing to do whatever is necessary, make whatever sacrifice to secure the safety and well being of the other. However not all necessarily runs smoothly for them, being Naval officers they are not in control of the own destiny, and as a consequence they have to make some tough decisions that will impinge on their relationship. This is a fitting sequel to Ransom, with plenty of action and drama as well as interaction between the two lovers. The love story is very moving, I found it particularly so when the hard decisions hard to be made, I read for many pages with a lump in my throat. Highly recommended.

What a spectacular follow-up to Ransom!! While Ransom was an adventure story in which a forbidden M/M relationship occurs, Winds is definitely an M/M romance where an adventure occurs. Will and Davy are now a couple, although to protect their lives they must keep it a secret. This makes the relationship especially touching because they have so few opportunities to show their love for one another while on ship. They both feel the strain of it, and have doubts about their future together. But, this is a romance with the prerequisite (thank goodness!) happy ending. Winds opens with Will and Davy being transferred to a new ship along with the heroic Captain Smith. Their new ship, The Valient, has a serious problem though--a blackmailing saboteur. Naval Investigations issues secret orders for Will and Davy to "pretend" to be lovers to draw the traitor out! But such subterfuge will put their lives in danger - both from the traitor, and the possibility that someone else may discover them not knowing of the secret orders. Battles on the high seas, dangerous sexual temptation, and murder all add up to an exciting, action packed novel. As a romance novel, this is way above par. The plot isn't just thrown in as an excuse for hot sex (not that I mind hot sex!) There is a rich backdrop to Will and Davy from the start that gives depth to the characters and the writing is high quality. This is more than love at first sight, and the couple must face more than the standard "angst" and societal prejudice against gays. They could literally be killed for their passion, and that makes their love more credible. There is more sex in Winds than was possible in Ransom, and it is very well done. Will and Davy finally have someone they can trust with their secret and the historical setting makes a wonderful back drop. Finally, their Naval careers offer the potential for many more adventures (hint, hint, Lee Rowan). Highly recommended!

I hope there is another book planned for these two beautiful characters and their blossoming love for each other. Although not as action-packed and gripping as Ransom, I enjoyed the love Will and DAve have for each other. Felt the book was too short. I hope this is not the end for our two lovers!

This sequel to Ransom definitely measures up. The plot on the high seas is gripping and fast paced. At the heart of the story is of course the captivating love story of Will and Dave, which is so well explored here. Romance wise, Winds of Change is definitely better than its prequel. Don't get me wrong. Who could forget the way these two men came together in Ransom. However while Ransom focuses more on the plot, Winds of Change is on their love which is told with such heartfelt passion and intense emotions. And the scenes when they thought they have lost each other is most heartwrenching. Lee Rowan has given us 2 beautiful characters who are so easy to love, as we feel their pain and helplessness in the era they have to live in. But it is the very fact that their love is taboo, which makes Will's and Dave's story so moving and stirring yet credible. My only complaint is Wind of Change is too short! However I am somewhat comforted by the ending which does pave the way for future volumes on our 2 young lovers. Hope Lee Rowan does not disappoint us and deliver soon. This is an excellent sequel indeed!

There are authors whose stories I read just for the sex, skimming the rest. There are authors whose stories I read just for the plot, skipping the sex. Not so Lee Rowan; whenever I dip into her stories for a quick reread, I can't stop till I've read the whole thing all over again -- they're always so good. The plots are exciting, the characters are admirably human, the love scenes are credible. Winds of Change is no different. Now that Will Marshall and David Archer have found their love for each other, they must face the maritime realities that try to tear them apart: new postings to another ship, a tricky new assignment, the Articles that order death for their acts of love, and even the fact of death itself. If you enjoyed Ransom, you have to pick this one up. Just as exciting, just as appealing, just as lovely as the first novel, in what I hope is a protracted series about Will and Davy's long love life.