Captain Easterday's Bargain

I am giving a fair and honest review for this ARC. My goodness what a long, well told story. So many characters and such plot twists! The beginning of the book threw me a bit and I thought, hmm, this is not going to be good because it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. However the story did coalesce into a very readable tale.

Olivia Cantarell had inherited the family business from her father. He was a shipping magnate and now she was in charge. But, women were supposed stay home and run the household and let the men run the business. She was not about to step aside for any man and as she began to be courted, she realized that if she ever wanted to marry, her husband would then own her and her business. There was no way she was going to allow that to happen. She was on the shelf, as it were already because she was older than most women who were of marriageable age.

Captain Marcus Easterday was a gentleman who also ran a successful business. He had been a captain aboard a ship and now was mostly on land. He was known for his honesty and decency. He had been jilted twice by younger, flighty women. He was no approaching 40 years of age and convinced that he would remain a bachelor. He saw a need with Oliva Cantarell and he wanted to help. He could see she was a woman of intelligence and strength, both characteristics that he admired greatly. When he saw an opportunity to help her, he came forward. She began to rely on his help and before long a bargain was struck that would benefit them both.

This story was well written, with well crafted characters. There was drama, suspense, kidnappings and romance. It was a clean story that told about the seedier sides of London commerce but without being a seedy story. I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my review.

The first several chapters in this book had me totally confused, but I pressed on and by the end when I finally caught up to the story I started enjoying it.

My biggest enjoyment in the story was Olivia, I loved her courage and how she stood up to the men, which is unheard of in this time and kept her father’s business running with Captian Easterday help.

Now, let’s get back to my confusion. The first few chapters are of Marcus Easterday and his betrothal Mariah, which I assume it was to help get a backdrop but it ended up being too confusing and I almost quit, but I am glad I didn’t.

If you can press on several chapters until you really get into Olivia’s story and finally the romantic connection between her and Easterday, you just might enjoy this story.

When it comes to women, Captain Marcus Easterday has little luck. He’s been jilted twice in the past, and when he looks at both instances with a rational eye, neither woman was suited to him. Nor is he looking for a possible wife the day he walks into Cantarell Shipping to explore the possibility of exporting textiles to the American colonies and the West Indies. The appearance of a woman from the inner office in this section of London, who asks what she can do for him, stuns him.

The odds are stacked against Olivia Cantarell simply because she’s a woman, but she is determined to take over her father’s business now that he’s deceased. After all, she’s worked half her life with him and knows every facet of the shipping business. But, as Captain Easterday points out, the docks and wharves are dangerous places for a genteel woman. Nor is she permitted to enter alehouses, ordinaries, or even Lloyd’s Coffee House where shipping business is regularly conducted. For that, she requires a competent clerk, but hers tendered his resignation because he could not abide working for a woman. When Easterday offers her a loan of his clerk’s assistant, she agrees.

Aunt Rachel fails to comprehend why her niece insists on going to the office. From her perspective, Olivia needs to marry a potential suitor, which Olivia is reluctant to do since once she does, her husband will own everything, including the shipping business and her. Whatever would she do with herself if she didn’t have her work? To appease her aunt, Olivia agrees to attend an assembly – prime husband-hunting ground, from her aunt’s perspective – but for the purpose of making business contacts. She not only meets Easterday again but also makes the acquaintance of Ambrose Hawkins, an importer who flatters her with attention. Rather than fall head over heels for him, she has a hard time deciding what she thinks of him. As her father once said, “he looks and talks like a gentleman, but has the heart of a pirate.” (63) Nor does Ambrose’s idea of a wife jive with hers.

When two Cantarell shipments turn up missing, Olivia turns to Easterday for help. His investigation leads to the real possibility that this theft was an inside job. In attempting to locate the culprit, he discovers the man also received a sizeable bribe from Ambrose. What information could Hawkins want and how does this knowledge impact Olivia?

Further complicating Olivia’s life is the fact that two strangers keep watch on her office. One of her errand boys is abducted and questioned, and her second clerk is forced into hiding. Hawkins becomes overzealous in his pursuit of Olivia, and then Easterday is forced to make an unusual bargain with her to protect her reputation. When word reaches him Olivia is in grave danger, he questions the wisdom of that bargain and how best to ensure that she comes to no harm.

The cover of this book with its ship, chart, and nautical instruments, all of which suggest this is a story set on the high seas, may mislead some readers. Instead, this sweet historical romance takes place in 1740, and offers readers insight into eighteenth-century shipping industry and occasional glimpses into seamier sections of the city. Buckley vividly recreates a period in time in which a woman’s role was greatly restrained and Olivia is a delightful heroine with pluck and determination to succeed in spite of the odds against her. Marcus is an unassuming hero who is not afraid to bargain with a woman and is willing to admit that first impressions aren’t necessarily correct ones. Captain Easterday’s Bargain is entertaining and adventurous, with some secondary characters who almost steal the limelight from the triangle of Olivia, Marcus, and Ambrose.

I liked this book. The relationships were really nice, and I liked learning more about the culture, and how they had to shape a relationship around it.
It was really charming. I also really like how she managed her fathers business.
This book was a bit slow paced for me, but I really enjoyed it nontheless.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wild Rose Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It took me a while to get into this book. I usually don't push through if the first 100 pages don't grab me but I persevered with this one and I am glad I did.
I really liked the character of Olivia Cantarell - it's hard to get this kind of character right without them becoming a little annoying, but she was really well-drawn. However, it was a challenge to finish and to try and stay engaged - I think it might have been that there times when the story just didn't seem to move along.
It was a solid 3 star book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

This book was not exactly what I expected. I enjoyed it, but I went in expecting a high seas adventure. What it is is more like an Austen-esque romance set on the docks. This is not to say I didn't enjoy it, because I did. Olivia Cantarell has defied societal norms and taken over her father's shipping business after his death. This is unconventional bordering on scandalous given the time period. Her business, and the fact that she is running it, draws attention from Captain Easterday and Ambrose Hawkins. Easterday is a long time trader and sailor, known to be admirable, honest and gentlemanly. Hawkins, while being gentlemanly at times, is quite ruthless, and more of a rogue I guess you could say. I enjoyed Olivia's business sense, and the fact that she refuses to be bullied about anything. She is quite a strong female MC and knows her mind, and what she wants. The relationship, almost love triangle, was interesting. I liked watching the men try and figure out how to help her without overstepping bounds. The slow burn romance was honestly almost too slow for a majority of the book, and then went very fast and abrupt at the end. However, romance didn't feel like the main point of the story and I was glad it turned out the way it did. The characters were strong, if not a bit obvious. Overall it was an enjoyable light read.