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    Beau Crusoe
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    Beau Crusoe
    Unavailable
    Beau Crusoe
    Ebook360 pages4 hours

    Beau Crusoe

    By Carla Kelly

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Shipwrecked!

    Stranded alone on a desert island, he had lived to tell the tale. A triumphant return to the ton saw James Trevenen hailed as Beau Crusoe: a gentleman of spirit, verve and action. But only he knew the true cost of his survival! Scandalous!

    Susannah Park had been shunned by Society. She lived content with her calm existence...until Beau Crusoe determinedly cut up her peace! The beautiful widow wanted to help him heal the wounds of the past, but what secrets was this glorious man hiding?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin Historical
    Release dateDec 27, 2010
    ISBN9781426887437
    Unavailable
    Beau Crusoe
    Author

    Carla Kelly

    Carla has always said that she only writes the books that she wants to read, which has made this whole writing business extra fun. She wrote her first book at age six. It was called The Old Mill, and she wrote it on her mother's Olivetti-Underwood typewriter. It had a cover (she spent more time on the cover than the narrative), and consisted of two sentences. But Carla said it had a plot. Carla was always writing something. She admits to going through that awkward, poetry-writing phase. Luckily, it passed. In high school (A.C. Jones High School, Beeville, Texas), she got involved in journalism, which was a great thing, since JHS had an exemplary journalism teacher, Jean Dugat (Miss D), the meanest teacher alive. To show how mean, she insisted that her students learn A LOT. She was the only teacher Carla ever knew who never needed a substitute when she was gone. "We wouldn't have dared not complete what she had assigned us," Carla said. Miss D was a wicked hard taskmaster, but it occurred to Carla that if she did what Miss D said, and paid attention, she'd be a writer someday. Brigham Young University was a great place to go to college. Papers were a breeze (refer to Miss D in the above paragraph), and Carla graduated with a degree in Latin American history. She was married by her senior year, and eventually Martin and Carla had five interesting children. Martin, retired now, was a university professor, teaching theatre courses, English courses and speech, plus directing plays. Carla says she began writing in earnest (i.e. selling stuff) when she lived in Ogden, Utah. She started out with short stories about the Indian Wars, reflecting academic interest, plus several years as a National Park Service ranger at Fort Laramie NHS. Great job. Carla said they paid her every two weeks for what she would have done for free… The result of those short stories were two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America and eventually the anthology Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army, which remains her personal favorite book of those she has written. In 1983 or 1984, Carla wrote her first novel, Daughter of Fortune (she called it Saintmaker), inspired by an incident in New Mexico history. After that, her then-agent suggested she might want to try her hand at Regency romance, which turned out to be a nice fit. Carla had written mainly for Signet and now Harlequin, with occasional academic works and state and Park Service–funded history projects thrown in to keep life interesting. She has two RITA® Awards for regencies, plus a Lifetime Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews. She doesn't belong to any writing groups because they take up too much time, and she's too cheap to pay dues. Carla likes to write, but she does other stuff, too. More years in the Park Service meant a greater understanding of the American fur trade and Indians on the Northern Plains. She likes to read, focusing on police procedurals for her escape reading (John Harvey is her favorite such author) and whatever academic history interests her. She is currently researching coal mine history in Utah, because the Kellys moved to Wellington, Utah, in 2009, after Martin retired. Wellington is in Carbon County, well-known for coal mines. She has plans for a history of one 1900 mine disaster, and probably a novel on the same subject (she's a great one for using research many times—re: the Channel Fleet). Also in the works is a biography of Guy V. Henry, a well-known cavalry officer of the Indian Wars, Carla's primary history field. She's been known to present academic papers here and there, and never misses the Indian Wars Symposia at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. There will always be time for fiction, though. Carla recently sold a novel that reflects her years in southeast Wyoming and her Mormon background to a Utah publishing company. She anticipates more books in this vein, partly because she has always been a bit squeamish about bodice ripping, and she's always up for new ventures. Other than reading, Carla's only bona fide hobby is crocheting baby afghans. She does it while she watches television or rides shotgun in cars, and she's well on her way to making a gazillion. Years ago, one of Carla's friends and fellow authors made the perceptive observation that Carla is only writing herself in her books: someone practical, down-to-earth, not Too Stupid To Live, who solves her own problems. And she writes about stalwart, caring men and women because she personally knows a lot of stalwart, caring people. She was also told by a friend, a certified graphologist (handwriting analyst), that her handwriting indicates she hasn't a creative bone in her whole body. Sigh. So it goes.  

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    Reviews for Beau Crusoe

    4/5

    89 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Another great Carla Kelly love story! And unlike many romances, the story is told primarily from the hero's point of view. James is haunted by his experiences after being shipwrecked and stranded five years on a deserted island. He studied the native crabs on the island, wrote a treatise, and now has returned to London to be awarded a medal by the royal society.

      Through a series of humorous adventures, he becomes known in society as Beau Crusoe, and all of London wants his company. He, however, would rather spend time with Susannah Park, his London host's goddaughter. That host is in ill health and has fobbed off James on Susannah's family. (And here the real-life renowned botanist Sir Joseph Banks plays a major role.)

      Both James and Susannah are damaged, yet both are brave, resilient, and full of good humor. The secondary characters are deftly drawn, and each one serves a definite purpose in the overall plot.

      This is a beautiful love story between two very real people. Highly recommended.
    • 2/5
      Beau was stranded on a desert island, and finally rescued by missionaries & brought back the England. Now he's to receive a medal for his story about hermit crabs, and a local family pawns him off on another family with an eligible daughter. Neither has an intention of marrying, but are thrown together by circumstances
    • 4/5
      The story of the hero's survival is dark even for a Carla Kelly novel but it makes for a good change to read someone who deals realistically and sympathetically with such issues.
    • 1/5
      I adore Carla Kelly's books, in general ... but WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING???All I can assume is that she had a drunken bet with someone, that she could sell the most tasteless book imaginable and STILL find a publisher. And if that really happened, then more power to her.
    • 5/5
      One of the most beautiful romances I've ever read. I've never come across a book quite like it - so full of humor and life, but understated, subtle, and sympathetic in its wit, its full, wonderfully layered character development, and its treatment of the darker horrors of the hero's past. It tells of ordinary people capable of the extraordinary, bound together in a compelling, moving love story. Don't pass this one up.
    • 4/5
      One thing I always like about Carla Kelly is that she writes about the other 99% of the population--nary a duke or prince or marquis to be found. And she doesn't flinch from writing some of the harsher realities of life. In this case, James has pretty much been through a "worst case scenario" in the all-too-common occurrence of a shipwreck. And "Beau Crusoe" is mostly his story, to be sure, although Susannah is a lovely heroine, with her own broken pieces as well that make her well suited to him. The softer moments blend well with the grittier bits. Although the love story itself is gentle and low-key, this is definitely a darker story than your usual Regency "shunned by the ton" faux-angst. It's a romance, and--gasp! a Harlequin--but it's lovely, well-written stuff.
    • 5/5
      Excellent read. Enjoyed it just as much the second time through. I love her unconventional characters -- formerly shipwrecked naval officer. PTSD is like a theme running through some of her books, in this case not for a military veteran but for another kind of deeply disturbing experience. Twenty heads above most romance writers.
    • 4/5
      I have mixed feelings about this book. Firstly, I think it was published in the wrong genre. I would classify it as historical fiction. It is very dark and there is a lot of sex in it that is not very romantic (although it is necessary to the character and plot development). There is some violence and discussion of a taboo subject that is quite disturbing. On the other hand, it's a wonderful story of a wounded man that must overcome a traumatic experience. I would have given this five stars if the graphic descriptions of the sex and taboo subject were toned down a bit. In the end, it was just a little too uncomfortable to be a satisfying romance novel. I would compare it to Kelly's first work, Daughter of Fortune.
    • 4/5
      She smiled, and James felt his heart turn.

      Lt. James Trevenen spent 5yrs marooned on an island.
      Susannah Park married below her station, had her husband die before she even gave birth, and has been ostracized ever since.

      Maybe because I recently read one of her books, this felt like a Balogh with some Milan. Y'all, the tongue-in-cheek humor and wit is top notch here. This is also told mostly from the hero's pov, which helped to give it a fresh spin.

      "Maybe it's this way, son---when we have no choice, we may as well be brave."

      James has PTSD from what he had to do to survive and thinks he is haunted by another survivor of the original shipwreck. James' story of survival is spread out throughout the story until we get the ultimate grizzly details of how he became the lone survivor. It's rough, disturbing, and courageous stuff to read and I enjoyed how the author didn't shy away from James' emotions. He was a hero who was witty, courageous, strong, utterly capable, and kind; he's a sexy one.

      Susannah plays a little bit of second fiddle to James but her calm, vulnerable, and solid demeanor made her a perfect complement to him. Her family dynamics were a secondary character that wonderfully filled this story with even more emotions and relationship nuances. I'm also not the biggest fan of children in stories but Susannah's son Noah was a fun character and their relationship and the one that develops between Noah and James was delightful.

      The romance between James and Susannah started off as smoke that slowly but surely was tended into a sparking burning pleasing fire. They were such a lovely engaging couple to follow along with. The wit provides a lighter tone while James feeling haunted and Susannah coming back from scandal with society and her family (Susannah and her sister's relationship brought a tear to my eye at the end) provide the heavier emotional load. The secondary characters here add a lot and show how much a story can be enhanced when giving attention to the details. This was a refreshing, engaging, and just plain lovely story.

      As she stood watching, he turned and blew her a kiss. You're a rascal, she thought.