WhiskeyintheJar Romance

Jane has lived a very sheltered and quiet life but she also lives a shocking secret, she is the mind behind J.E. Burkes the renowned conchologist, not her father. When an opportunity to go on a 2yr expedition comes up and her father declines, she decides to go in his place. Even with her voice and hands shaking Jane is able to convince the other members of the expedition to accept her presence, with the subtle support of Lt. Charles Dance. Dance has been a sailor without a ship since the ending of the war has decreased many opportunities so when he is assigned as First Lieutenant to the Tenacious he is ready to go, the ship and her crew not so much. Battling the forces of a drunken captain, lazy crew, mutinous under dealings from the Bosun, and surprising attraction to a shy bluestocking with a spine of steel, Dance may just be on his most dangerous post yet.

First off, I loved both Jane and Dance separately and together, which doesn't always happen for me in romance books. Jane's first appearance to the reader and Dance is one of a shy, bumbling, petite spinster but with a strong backbone. Jane's determination to be recognized for her talent and thirst to live and experience life will have many women hoping and cheering her on. Dance's calm, strength, leadership, and support for Jane will make you sigh wistfully. The man has a lot on his plate with making sure the ship runs smoothly and yet, he is always there and present with Jane when he needs to be. Their courtship is slower moving with the outer story details moving the story along but when they are together, they are felt. Their back and forth teasing and charmingly realness make Jane and Dance such a heart melting pleasure to read about.

The beginning of the book and for a lot of it, the story focuses more on the dancing around ship politics and Dance having to deal with the disgruntled crew. I'm a big fan of nautical stories, you're going to have to be somewhat of a fan to enjoy this, so I didn't mind but there is a heavy focus on Dance's work and responsibilities for running the ship. I enjoyed how Dance was basically the captain but had to be ever weary of not being accused of mutiny, the mini focuses on crew members titles and their responsibilities, how life is lived on a ship, and how a ship is its own world when out to sea. Each descriptive detail the author provided created a world and scenery that I not only felt but was wholly engrossed in. Dance and Jane definitely have their moments of growing closer but it wasn't until the second half of the story that the focus on their relationship ramped up.

I did feel that the ending wrapped up a little too quickly and the main villain was given a weaker reason for all the problems he caused, he fell flat at the end. Also, the cursing in this book was definitely over the top for what you typically see in a historical, Dance's favorite word seems to be "fuck" and he is not shy about using it, so if that bothers you, beware. Ultimately, this story's strength was the gentle and sweet romance between Dance and Jane. For the responsibility Dance takes on and how he gives Jane due respect, how he is weighed down with responsibility but still lighthearted and for Jane's shyness, awkwardness, but ability to snap her spine straight, I adored this book. Elizabeth Essex has become an author on my radar and I can't wait to read the other books in this series.