Man of War

The Rebels and Redcoats Saga Prequel

By: T.J. London

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton, Kathryn Vinclaire, Patrick Zeller, John Hartley, Tara Langella, Jason Clarke, Dryw McArthur, Marnye Young, James Cheatham

The man who wants everything gets nothing….

July 1755.

War is brewing between England and France. Impressed into the Royal Navy, Lieutenant Merrick, against all odds, advanced through the ranks to become an officer, but he is not a gentleman. A man with a tainted past from a traitorous family, cast down by King George—a stain no man can remove. Merrick’s thrust into the role of captain, when the HMS Boudica is attacked by pirates off the coast of Nova Scotia. On a captured enemy vessel, he discovers a king’s ransom in treasure and a woman chained in the hold from a passenger ship that mysteriously disappeared at sea.

Beautiful, defiant, and hell-bent on revenge, India makes a deal with Merrick to uncover the pirates’ scheme, promising him everything he desires: fortune, glory, and the chance to bring honor back to the McKesson name. Now, they race against time to uncover a plot that links those in the highest ranks of the British aristocracy, to a failed rebellion that is once again trying to topple the monarchy, and place an old pretender on the throne. But all that glitters is not gold as passions stir and an impossible love blooms, threatening to undermine all Merrick and India have done to protect their king and a country on the brink of war.

Note: This audiobook contains violence, sexual assault, and graphic depictions of war.

©2020 Tracey Lasak-Myall (P)2022 Tracey Lasak-Myall

Perfection!!

Everything you want in a prequel.
No one does historical fiction as TJ London.
I was really lucky to get an advantage copy of the audio. I've listened to The Tory and The Traitor both outstanding audios but this one might be my favorite. We had a bit on Captain Merrick (our hero) in The Traitor and I was ecstatic when I found out MOW it was going to be next release since I wanted to know more about our Captain. This book started with a bang literally...from how Lieutenant Merrick becomes Captain of the HSM Boudica and continue to discover secrets about him and his family plus his journey full of mystery, war, love, loss, betrayal. We meet Carolina a strong but at the same time broken woman and to me a true heroine. With all she been through it's a surprise how resilient she is at the end.
This book was an epic and the audio an absolutely masterpiece. The way all the actors brought this book to life it was pure perfection and no character was small the way even the pirates were jaw dropping, I swear James Cheatham is brilliant. Nicholas Boulton was perfect as Captain Merrick so was Kathryn Vinclaire as Caroline/India. Patrick Zeller as always was outstanding as the villains as always hands down the best in those roles. Dryw MacArthur was perfection and Tara Langella as the villain was a surprise but a really good one I had not idea how brilliant she is in that kind of role. John Hartley and Jason Clarke were 2 great and perfect addition to the cast. That french accent was pure perfection (John)
I am a huge fan of Lieutenant Gates (Jason) and I think we will get more with him...soo exciting and lastly Ms. Marnye Young she had a few roles in this book but the one role she absolutely magnificent was Celeste even if in MOW she's really young and it gives you a inside on why Celeste is the way she is in The Tory and Traitor.
Man of War is soo addictive I couldn't put it down and we know this is a big boy but soo worth it. Is absolutely my #1 in 2022 and 5 stars all the way around. Worth all the praises and deserves awards.

What a wild ride!

Wow - what a roller coaster ride!

I've been a fan of the audiobooks of TJ London's Rebels and Redcoats saga since I first heard The Tory. The narrative and the world that TJ has built, with respect to the history and the era, is amazing. Each of her books is intricately crafted, following multiple dynamic and engaging characters, and this prequel gives so much of the backstory that now I want to go back and experience The Tory and The Traitor again so I can truly appreciate the character development of characters like Celeste and Roger Delancie.

In Man of War, we get the story of Merrick (aka Dane McKesson), and his love, India. They meet when Merrick saves India, and their relationship blooms from there. India also has a deep friendship with Merrick's brother, Stephen. The contrast between Merrick and Stephen and their other brother, James, is so sharp it's jarring, as it should be.

As with the prior books, the voice acting really sets this work of historical fiction apart. It's true voice acting, not simply narrating, and the casting is simply superb. Nicholas Boulton, Kathryn Vinclaire, Tara Langella, Patrick Zeller, John Hartley, Jason Clarke, James Cheatham and Dryw McArthur gave knockout performances. Patrick Zeller and Tara Langella have been amazing this whole series.

TJ London is my new favorite author!

First, I want to say without good narrators you may as well read the book yourself. A book can be judged by its narration even though its a great book. T.J, you have out done yourself on both. Not only was it realistic for its time frame but the story line kept me listening to where I could not put the books down. I love sequel books and these three did not disappoint. Man of War is actually the first in this three book series but even if you read it out of order you wont be disappointed.

OK, T.J I am waiting for your next novel!!!

An Unexpected Adventure

This story kept me engaged with its complex characters, intriguing plot, and fantastic narration. Merrick and India, the main characters, won my heart with their resilience, determination, and chemistry. The non-stop excitement, suspense, and historical detail made the story feel authentic and kept me guessing. The narration was top-notch, with an entire cast of narrators and immersive sound effects. This book is a thrilling adventure filled with action, intrigue, revenge, and romance. I highly recommend it to historical fiction fans for its captivating storytelling and well-developed characters.

Epic Adventure! Outstanding Production!

This is the prequel to the amazing series The Rebels and Redcoats Saga. The story is full of adventures, action, mystery, twists and turns, and romance. The writing is breathtakingly enthralling. The characters are well developed, and very interesting. Lieutenant Merrick and India are fantastic characters. The supporting characters are great! The storyline is grippingly captivating, complex, and unique. The cast of narrators is impressive: Nicholas Boulton, Kathryn Vinclaire, Patrick Zeller, John Hartley, Tara Langella, Jason Clarke, Dryw McArthur, Marnye Young, and James Cheatham. They did an outstanding job with the narration. The audio effects are well done, and they add more entertainment while listening to this audiobook. This is an excellent audio production, and a fantastic team of author/narrators. Impossible to put it down. The series is a masterpiece! T.J. London's writing is brilliant and magnificent. I love everything she writes. She never disappoints! No other words, just applause!

Amazing story! Gripping performance!

TJ London takes us on a wild and emotional ride in this prequel of the Rebels and Redcoats Saga. In this book, we learn the backstory of the McKesson Brothers. Mostly surrounding Dane aka Merrick and his lady love, Miss India aka Caroline. He saves her and they end up having a bit of a partnership through the beginning of the book, which then evolves into more. India then forms a strong friendship with Stephen McKesson, who is Dane's brother as well as the doctor on the ship. I really enjoyed Stephen and Dane's relationship, but sad that things went so horribly with their brother James. I loved seeing characters from the other books and their lives in this prequel, like Celeste and Roger DeLancie.
I was completely swept away into the story by TJs fantastic storytelling, which combined with every voice actor in this book made this even more epic. I felt every bit of terror, fear, love, sweetness, humor and betrayal from the way Nicholas Boulton, Kathryn Vinclaire, Tara Langella, Patrick Zeller, John Hartley, Jason Clarke, James Cheatham and Dryw McArthur performed each role and they conveyed every feeling TJ wrote about.
The only thing in this entire book I didn't like was the sound effects. I'm not a fan of sound effects in audiobooks unless they are meant to be an audio play. This is not that. They also weren't very consistent throughout. But from listening to the whole book, the voice actors get every point and feeling across without needing sound effects, but don't let that keep you from listening to this audiobook because it truly is worth every minute.

A must read author in a genre I usually avoid

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from Publicity team. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I was surprised to learn there would be an audio version of the new addition to the Rebels & Redcoats Saga . Man of War is a prequel to the series. I truly wish I had read the blurb before reading, so I would know the setting was about 20 years before The Tory which happens right around 1776. I kept trying to figure out how this story fit in and especially characters with the same names to ones I have read in The Tory and The Traitor.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction because then I always want to know what really happened. I do seem to enjoy settings during the Revolutionary or Civil War though. Of course, there are exceptions to this generalization. The typical white male property owners having the power and doing some truly horrible things is very true here. I was in great suspense throughout worrying about characters I cared about being hurt, most likely brutally hurt.

The plot underlying the romance is the supporters of a previous King, using theft and debauchery to raise money to defeat the current King and try to reinstate the previous one. So when the current King, sends his favorite consort's daughter, to America to marry with a large dowry, the ship and dowry are confiscated. She is raped and tortured to try to get her to sign papers saying they are already married so they can kill her and take the money.

The thieves run into an English navel warship which captures them and saves her. She gives her name as India. The captain of the ship is killed, with the new captain being Merrick. The King took all the titles, land and money from his family when Merrick was a teen because his older brother, James, was one of those plotting to go back to the former King. Merrick and his other brother, Stephen, turned in James, but the whole family was punished. Merrick was forced into service in the navy.

India and Merrick have both been treated savagely but Merrick has had time to grow and adjust to his circumstances, worked hard and risen within the naval hierarchy. India's changes have just happened. Merrick recognizes her strength and they had a kindred spirit in survival. They work together to figure out who and why she was hurt.

Merrick keeps trying to protect India, and she wants to be involved in the discovery of the villains. It IS very dangerous and India really takes some terrible chances. Even once the villains are known, evidence must be found and the villains captured. In spite of the villains mostly getting what they deserve, some of them escape and some of the "good guys" die, and both Merrick and India suffer fallout from the whole mess. I was grateful to see their happiness in the end.

Narration:
The large cast did a great job with the narration. Many of the narrators were new to me, but some are in the series going forward. I appreciated the distinct voices for many characters which made it easy to understand what was happening. We primarily have Dane and Caroline's point of view. The voices seem appropriate for the different regions and accents. I was able to listen at my normal 1.5x speed.

5 stars

This is a prequel set about 20 years before The Tory. This mainly follows Dane Merrick and Caroline's (India) story. What an explosive beginning to start out this story. Caroline is a the King's consorts favorite daughter and is sent to America to get marry and has a large dowry, but her ship gets taken by pirates. The ship HMS Boudica that Dane is on defeats the ship Caroline was held captive on and rescue's her but in turn due to events Dane becomes a new captain. So many underlying story threads in this one as we learn more about Dane and his family. Towards a bit by the end we are introduced to some of the characters from The Tory and The Traitor. The writing was very thorough and researched for the book. Loved it. I can't wait for The Turncoat next!

The narrators were perfect for their characters. Very well done and seamlessly done in duet style.

Brilliant & Masterful

The Rebels & Redcoats Saga has quickly become a favorite, so much so that I also grabbed physical copies. London knows how to draw a listener/reader into her world as she delivers rich history with flawed characters. You'll come to love, loathe, befriend, and want to spend time with them. The story is filled with suspense, romance and history in all of its many facets, from humor to darkness. I cannot wait for the next audiobook in this saga.

I loved India/Caroline and our Captain Merrick. London peeled back their layers and secrets and I was truly captivated. I loved seeing characters I've met and learning their backstories.

The world-building & historical accuracy of this story is exceptional, but it's the characters themselves who bring these stories to life and hold me captive.

The narration was absolutely brilliant from newcomers to returning cast members. London's dedication to her characters and their voice shows with each narrator. They voiced each character, allowing listeners to feel their emotions, commitment, fears, and aided in setting the tone the author set.

best performances ever by the best written story

Loved this story made me laugh made me cry made me not want to put it down always wondering what's going to happen next with Caroline / India She sure was a woman to be reckoned with. It was hard to hear some of the sexual / abusive parts I wanted to fast forward them but I loved a story so much between Caroline and Merrick. Love this book did not want it to end did not want their story to end. I'm hoping maybe the next book mentions them