Sophia Rose Reviews: The Sailor's Rest by Don Jacobson

 

Today Sophia Rose returns with a Jane Austen retelling with a twist. Read on to see what she thought.
Enjoy!

The Sailor’s Rest by Don Jacobson, narrated by Benjamin Fife

Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Don Jacobson

Published:  4.25.23

Time:  13 hours 31 minutes

Rating: 4.5 stars

Narrator: 5 stars

Format: Audio

Source:  Author

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

Two grooms missing at the altar. Darcy & Wentworth kidnapped. Two great loves tried by separation, battle, and deception.

Set on the stage of Napoleon’s 100 Days, relish the mystery, sea chase, and, finally, the satisfying finish as four yearning hearts--desperate to be reunited-- draw closer together. Join the heart-stopping chase with Anne Elliot & Elizabeth Bennet as they search the tattered rooms of a waterfront inn, suffer on board a frigate engaged in a deadly game of naval chess, and then enter the gilded confines of London’s preeminent card room where revenge is riding on one final hand.

Can true love be lost at sea?

The Sailor’s Rest is set in the Persuasion timeline of 1815 but leaves in place the age and plot constructs established by Austen in Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen’s greatest lovers come together to be tested in the crucible of war on the Mediterranean’s blue waters and in the smoky confines of a prestigious London gambling den.

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

An adventure on the high seas for Austen’s top two romance pairs was a source of delicious anticipation.  I couldn’t wait to listen in to the talented Don Jacobson’s Persuasion and Pride & Prejudice crossover sequel as told by now familiar and engaging narrator, Benjamin Fife.

 

The story opens with a chilling gothically-toned prologue from the villain’s perspective and then slips into a story of two gentlemen on the verge of their nuptials getting kidnapped away from the same quayside inn and then waking up in a nightmare situations as pressed sailors aboard a ship captained by a sadistic man eager to administer the whip and make their lives a misery.  Meanwhile, their two ladies recruit able-bodied help and take to their trail in a long-game rescue mission.

 

The actions has good rising and falling between introspective moments, but always the tension draws tighter as the story crescendos to the riveting two-part climax moment involving a danger-fraught sea battle and later a spider-web of a trap for the orchestrator of the troubles.

 

I loved seeing the camaraderie between Wentworth and Darcy in their shared time of capture just as I was touched by the deep friendship that formed among their ladies, Anne Elliot and Elizabeth Bennet.  Further friendships and connections were formed that made the group closer than family.

 

The author demonstrated a well-researched backdrop of Royal Navy life as well as the grander setting of Regency England.  I was satisfyingly immersed in that long ago time.

 

Speaking of immersion, Benjamin Fife’s narration work made a fab story even richer and deeper for the listener with his voice work of the large group of characters and the exchange of narrators among them, but also a mastery of pacing and the feel of the various scenes.

 

All in all, The Sailor’s Rest met my expectations and then some.  However, I’m not surprised because I’ve long since been a fan of both author and narrator.  Those who enjoy well-described situation and getting deep inside the characters with a fabulous drama of romance and action should give this standalone historical fiction a go.

 

Author Bio:

Don Jacobson has written professionally for forty years. His output has ranged from news and features to advertising, television, and radio. His work has been nominated for Emmys and other awards. He has previously published five books, all non-fiction.

He now exclusively writes Austenesque fiction. In 2016, he published The Keeper: Mary Bennet’s Extraordinary Journey which began the Bennet Wardrobe saga.

Subsequent books in the series include:

Henry Fitzwilliam's War (e-novelette) (2016)
The Exile: Kitty Bennet and the Belle Epoch (2017)
Lizzy Bennet Meets the Countess (2017)
The Exile: The countess Visits Longbourn (2018)
The Avenger: Thomas Bennet and a Father's Lament (2018)
The Pilgrim: Lydia Bennet and a Soldier's Portion (2019)
The Grail: The Saving of Elizabeth Darcy (2022)


His entry in the North and South Anthology...Falling for Mr. Thornton entitled Cinders and Smokewas released in November 2019.

In 2018, he also published Lessers and Betters a novel-length Pride and Prejudice variation which contains the paired novellas Of Fortune's Reversal and The Maid and The Footman. These two works examine the same event (the mysterious attack on Kitty Bennet in Hyde Park on Guy Fawkes Day 1815) from two different perspectives: that of the gentry and that of the servants.

Meryton Press published two of his books in 2020--In Plain Sight (June) and The Longbourn Quarantine (August). Meryton Press also agreed to republish his entire self-published catalog (The Bennet Wardrobe series and Lessers and Betters) throughout 2021.

Meryton Press has published new editions of all of the Bennet Wardrobe books.

Jacobson holds an advanced degree in History with a specialty in American Foreign Relations. As a college instructor, Don taught United States History, World History, the History of Western Civilization and Research Writing.

He is a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. He is also a member of the Regency Romance writers' collective Austen Authors.

He lives in Las Vegas, NV with his wife and co-author, Pam ( Roadcookin': A long-haul driver's guide to healthy eating), a woman Ms. Austen would have been hard-pressed to categorize, and their rather assertive four-and-twenty pound cat, Bear. Besides thoroughly immersing himself in the JAFF world, Don also enjoys cooking (Poulet au vinaigre is a particular favorite), dining out, fine wine, and well-aged scotch whiskey (Glenmorangie 18-Year-Old single malt--the water of life).

His other passion is cycling. Most days from April through October will find him “putting in the miles”. He has ridden several “centuries” (100 mile days). Don is especially proud that he successfully completed the AIDS Ride—Midwest (500 miles from Minneapolis to Chicago) and the Make-A-Wish Miracle Ride (300 miles from Traverse City, MI to Brooklyn, MI).

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

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