AMBER WAKE – Gabriel Falling by P.S. Bartlett & Ronovan Hester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I recently finished reading Amber Wake by PS Bartlett & Ronovan Hester and I must say it is such a catching and intriguing storyline. It is set around the classic storyline of a hero trying to right a wrong done to him but it is so much more than that. When Royal Navy Captain Gabriel Wallace finds himself unknowingly tricked into a situation the ruins his career and risks his family he makes the decision to leave England. With the help of his friends and crewmates, they make an escape and become regarded as Pirates. As a reader, you truly get caught up in the need for Captain Wallace to take down Admiral Chambers and all that he corrupts. With drama leaping off the first page, it gets its hook into you straight away. A page-turner from start to finish.
I adore historical fiction novels anyway, but I must say Amber Wake’s storyline is excellent and unlike anything I have read before. I don’t know much about the British Royal navy (and maybe that made it all the more intriguing to me), but felt I could easily have lived through each setting from the British courtroom, the American Colonies, Caribbean ports, and, of course, the ships themselves.
The characters throughout the book were superb. As a reader, you could feel the strength of Captain Wallace, the loyalty of his crew, the difficulties with trust and friendship. All the emotions leapt straight from the page. Of course, there is also moments of strong comradery and humorous touches too. One of my favourite quotes being:
“His face was puffed-up and as red as a drunken Irishman with an empty wages packet.”
For me, the book was totally unpredictable and a real gem of a discovery. The authors writing style, the plot twists, the locations and most importantly the strong storyline all kept me turning each page eager for more. Highly recommended.
For those that haven’t yet discovered it. Ronovan has a great blog right here on wordpress with loads of hints and tips for writing featured, a hiaku prompt, and a weekly flash fiction prompt – Visit for more info. https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/
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