Happy Thursday and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Rough Passage to London by Robin Lloyd! Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours and Get Red PR for the invitation and to the author for the book.
My Thoughts:
Rough Passage to London: A Sea Captain’s Tale is the second book I’ve read by Robin Lloyd in the past month! That should speak volumes as to my thoughts on his writing!
By the way, before I get started, Robin Lloyd discovered that he is related to Elisha “Ely” Morgan and that is where his interest in this story began. In the early 1800s in Lyme, Connecticut, Ely Morgan is a young farm hand who unfortunately was not immune to the War of 1812 happening right before his eyes. His home life is hectic, and his father rules with an iron fist, which pushes his older brothers to leave home to seek life at sea.
A letter arrives to the home announcing that one brother is dead while the other is lost at sea. Ely saves every penny he has to leave on a ship to look for his brother, Abraham. One day his ship literally comes in, and he is on his way from New York to London learning the rough life of a sailor. His mission is only to find his brother, but a much bigger mystery unfurls in front of him.
Ely never gives up and climbs the ladder of success to captain, rubs elbows with Queen Victoria, and meets Charles Dickens! What a life! What an adventure.
Yes, what a thrilling adventure this story of Ely Morgan is. Steeped in the history and atmosphere of the time, I thoroughly enjoyed Ely’s discovery of life at sea, his endless search for his brother, and his devotion to his new career. The mystery is fun to piece together and left me guessing with some nice tension, and Ely’s chance encounters are extraordinarily fun. I never forgot the personal connection the author has to Ely, and that just added to the fun. I would love to have had such an adventurous relative to research. Well-done, Robin Lloyd! I hope you are already at work on another adventurous historical novel.
Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours and Get Red PR for the invitation to the blog tour, as well as to the author for the copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:
Lyme, Connecticut, early nineteenth century. Elisha Ely Morgan is a young farm boy who has witnessed first-hand the terror of the War of 1812. Troubled by a tumultuous home life ruled by the fists of their tempestuous father, Ely s two older brothers have both left their pastoral boyhoods to seek manhood through sailing. One afternoon, the Morgan family receives a letter indicating that one brother is lost at sea; the other is believed to be dead. Scrimping as much savings as a farm boy can muster, Ely spends nigh every penny he has to become a sailor on a square-rigged ship, on a route from New York to London a route he hopes will lead to his vanished brother, Abraham. Learning the brutal trade of a sailor, Ely takes quickly to sea-life, but his focus lies with finding Abraham. Following a series of cryptic clues regarding his brother s fate, Ely becomes entrenched in a mystery deeper than he can imagine. As he feels himself drawing closer to an answer, Ely climbs the ranks to become a captain, experiences romance, faces a mutiny, meets Queen Victoria, and befriends historical legends such as Charles Dickens in his raucous quest.
Have you read Rough Passage to London, or is it on your TBR? Do you have any favorite adventure tales? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR
Ely Morgan sounds heartwarming character.
i love reading historical fiction will check the book out.
This is new to me thanks for sharing.
And wonderful review. Keep reading and reviewing more books!
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Thanks, Ashi! You are always so kind to me. ♥️ I hope you find this book enchanting like I did if you end up reading it. Thanks so much for stopping by. Xo
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What a great story about how the book came to be written! You know I will love this one, so I’m adding it, lol! I just need to let you start adding books to my Goodreads account, Haha! 😂 Happy Thursday my friend! I hope you start to have some melting today. We’re having 60 degree temps all weekend, are you too? Only in NC can you have all 4 seasons in the same week! Great review! 💕
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Thank you, Stephanie! I could let you do the same- add books my GR account. It’s a given! I reviewed another of this author’s books on GR and instagram recently, Harbor of Spies, and you should check that one out, too. 😉 It takes place in Cuba during the American Civil War, and I found it fascinating! We are having a tiny bit of melting today, but the snow/ice is still so thick, it’s going to take some time. I think the rain tomorrow will help, but they are worried about flooding due to the rain with the snow melt on top of it. I hadn’t looked ahead to the temps this weekend, but that is wonderful! Our roads are mostly one lane right now with giant snow piles on either side from plowing. Hard to believe we are in NC! ♥️ xoxo
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You’re welcome! Haha! Yes, I think so! I will check both of them out!! Goodness! Most of ours melted today with the sun and warmer temps. It’s a watery mess though. I did get an alert on my phone about possible flooding from the rain,so that’s not good! Oh no! I haven’t left my house since it snowed so I only know that my hubby said they look fine when he’s gone to work up at RTP. My oldest son’s exams finished at State last week, so he’s been home since the storm hit and driving in it for no good reason and said they were clear. My other son still had exams at UNC until yesterday, some were postponed because of the weather, but he said the roads in Chapel Hill were worse than they were driving into RDU/Morrisville last night, so I’m glad he made it home safely! I’m such a baby about driving in the snow! It really is! I feel like we’re up north. My husband was stationed at McGuire Air Force Base when we dated and married, and I visited him one Christmas and it snowed 36 inches!! I was hysterical, lol 😂 I’d never seen that much snow in my life and was afraid I’d never get back to NC 😅. Obviously I did, but it scarred me for life. Stay safe, and here’s to warmer temps!! ❤💚
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Awesome review, Jennifer. Cannot wait to read this intriguing adventure and set in London. Happy Thursday.🌷💕📚
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Thank you, Virginia! It was a real treat of a read! So much good history to think about! ♥️ 🥰
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Haven’t heard of this book before. I am so glad to come through your post! And your writing is beautiful as always!
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Thank you, Celine, for the sweet comments! I really appreciate it. ♥️
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Amazing review, Jen! This one sounds so good and the cover is just beautiful. It sounds very unique as well. ❤ Will add it! 🎄🎅💚 xoxo
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Thank you, favorite M! That cover is so pretty- I agree! And the story inside is just as captivating! Happy Thursday, my friend! 🥰 xoxo
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Wow this one sounds really good Jen! Great review! Happy Thursday!😊💕🎄🎄
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Thanks, Sus! I loved this book! Maybe this weekend we’ll get rid of this heavy, frozen solid ice/snow?! ♥️ xoxo
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How interesting, I love the author’s connection to the character! And sea adventures, well, how can you NOT love them?😁
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So true, Tammy! There’s always whimsy and danger awaiting on the sea! The author’s connection to the main character was also fun.
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I love when authors take inspiration from their own relatives in their stories!
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It really adds something, doesn’t it, Angela?! 💕
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Fantastic review, Jennifer!
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Thank you so much, Darinda! ♥️
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I am a fan of seafaring stories so this one caught my eye. Thanks for featuring it and your wonderful review, Jennifer!
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Thanks, Jonetta! It is a full-on seafaring adventure- so, so good!
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This one definitely has my name on it. Thanks for alerting me and a terrific review!
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Adventurous historical fiction sounds fabulous!
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It was terrific, Chrissi! Heart
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Sounds like a great romping adventure and how interesting that the author has based it on a real relative! I wish some of my relatives had ever done anything exciting… 😉
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It was a wonderful adventure, and I felt the same way! Though I am rumored to be related to Tarzan. 😂 I can hear you laughing at me from Scotland, but it’s true!
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Hahaha – I must know more!!! Tell!!! I thought Tarzan was fictional – was he based on a real person? I’m due to read Tarzan early next year…
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Supposedly a Lord from England was visiting Africa and lost a child there…and supposedly he was found again later…I bought my father a book that had research into it, but he said the book was very boring and gave it back to me. 😂 And because it was boring, I haven’t read it. 😂
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Haha! But how interesting! Well, if you suddenly get a desire to swing from trees, please ensure it’s caught on video…
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This looks most fascinating! Thank you for sharing!💕💕
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Thanks, Berit! I loved it! ♥️
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I’m always kind of mesmerized by stories at sea. I love your review! It sounds wonderful, Jennifer!
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Thanks, Mack! Me, too. The adventure calls to me! I must have lived a life at sea in another life. 😂 ♥️
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I love all the historical references in this!
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They really add a lot to this one, LP! Such good storytelling too!
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Great review, Jennifer! Sounds like a great book full of adventure and escapism, and I’m glad you like it.
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Thanks, Stephen! If was a great adventure!
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This one sounds like great fun – what a wonderful premise. Thank you for sharing, Jennifer.
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Thank you, Sarah! I enjoyed this adventure tale!
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Glad that this was such a thrilling adventure 🙂 Awesome review!
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Thank you! Adventure reads are always so much fun!
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This really sounds fascinating. Historical non-fiction or fiction based on what is known of the facts? I am a fan of Civil War stories so I might like the one you mentioned above. Also it is now perfect weather after the snow last weekend, here in Cary, almost 60. I lived in MN over 30 years so snow is not a problem except no one else here knows how to handle it.
Excellent review. Anne – Books of My Heart
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Hi Anne, it’s historical fiction. Oh, yes, I think the other would be interesting because it’s such a different take on the Civil War being set out of Havana. Yes, the weather has been lovely. Where I live, we have many transplants from the north and midwest who think they know how to handle the snow, but it’s difficult when the infrastructure is not set up to handle a foot of snow. We don’t have the plows – public and private – needed to remove that amount, and I don’t see it changing because we get so few snowfalls. Also, the plows weren’t able to remove all the snow here because of the ice. The ice part underneath remained on the roads making it even more dangerous and the salt couldn’t get down to the street to make any difference due to the inches thick ice. Our tax money goes towards different things. Most of us don’t have snow tires and the snow tends to not be the powdery kind (but the icy kind due to melting and freezing), which is much harder to drive on. I lived right on Lake Erie during a record breaking winter, and I learned a lot about why snow is harder in North Carolina. ♥️
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Reblogged this on LIVING THE DREAM.
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Thank you, China!
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