Happy New Year! 

Breaking away from the normal seafaring activities of pirates for this review (and for a few more to come) I have switched sides. This time my reading has seen me join British Navy during the Napoleonic War as I have discovered author’s Katie Daysh’s Nightingale and Courtney series.  Set in the years leading up to British Navy’s finest hour off Cape Trafalgar in 1805, the trilogy is a tale of war, recovery and love. I will review each book separately as I loved the series so much, I want to give each book the attention it deserves. 

The first in the series is Leeward and sees Captain Hiram Nightingale arrive in the Caribbean to take command of HMS Scylla. Nightingale is a hero of the Battle of the Nile and one of Lord Nelson’s celebrated ‘Band of Brothers’. Yet he sees himself as anything but. Despite his celebrated statues Nightingale is tormented by his physical and emotional scars, not just from the battle but from the lifelong bullying of his father and also the terror of the world finding out about his true self. When the novel opens Nightingale has not been to sea for two years when those around him talk him into returning to the sea. However, not all have his best interests at heart.

Sent to the Caribbean to take command of HMS Scylla and track down the mutinous crew of HMS Ulysses, Nightingale tries to put the past behind him. But he soon discovers that his mission is not entirely what it seems and that his new lieutenant, Arthur Courtney may be trouble. As truths and conspiracies start to emerge, Nightingale discovers that he may have to face his past head on if he is to have any chance of a happy future.

Now I first heard of this book from a friend, who happened to meet the author through her job. Telling me how lovely Katie Daysh is and about her writing sent me searching for her book. And I am glad it did, as I absolutely loved this book to the point that I could not put it down, the story had me hooked from start to finish. 

I think what hooked me was that the story was not what I was expecting at all. SPOILER The series is an LGBTQ+ love story between Nightingale and Lieutenant Arthur Courtney, yet, Leeward is not just a from enemies to lovers’ story.  It has politics and intrigue, whilst dealing with the stuffiness and formality of the Royal Navy. More importantly, it is about Nightingale’s journey as he battles PTSD and learns to accept who he is.