Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Review - - The Captain

The Captain
by Christi Caldwell
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: October 21, 2025
Reviewed by PJ



Miss Linnie McQuoid Smith has spent a lifetime dreaming of love, but the man she’s always longed for is no longer the one she remembers. Captain Jeremy Tremaine, once a devoted family friend, is now consumed by vengeance, his heart hardened by betrayal at sea.

Lord Culross, on the other hand, offers Linnie the kind of future she ought to want. Yet his quiet devotion and steadfast affection pale in comparison to the intoxicating and undeniable pull she feels toward Tremaine.

But Tremaine’s thirst for power threatens to eclipse their desire for one another, and the demons he carries may destroy them both. As shadows close in, Linnie must decide: the safe path of a love freely given, or the reckless passion that could cost her everything.


PJ's Thoughts:


Having read the earlier McQuoid books in which Captain Jeremy Tremaine is a charming, caring, very likable secondary character, I was not prepared for the changes he had undergone between those books and The Captain. In fact, during the first reading (I've read the The Captain twice), I found him eminently unlikable. So much so that there were points where I wasn't sure if I should be pulling for him or hoping for Linnie (I adored her!) to turn her affections in a different direction (yes, this is a love triangle). But what is evident on the surface does not always match what is churning underneath and in this book, that's a truth for more than one character. 


Throughout the second reading, already knowing the final outcome, I was able to focus more intently on the evolution of the main characters, not only Linnie, Jeremy, and Culross but other members of the McQuoid family who are integral to the events that play out over the course of the book. There are so many layers to explore with multiple characters, layers that Caldwell peels away with care and precision, brilliantly painting a picture of shifting relationships, self-realization, smoldering rage, and unexpected healing while eliciting a variety of visceral emotions within both the characters and me, the reader. I would note here that not all relationships are mended and not all characters are redeemed. I'm hoping that means there are more books within this world on the horizon. 


The Captain is a dark, angst-ridden, explicit story with a distinct old-school romance vibe. Yes, there is humor, heart, and a hard-won happy ending, but there is also danger, betrayal, jealousy, and morally ambiguous characters and events that play out over the course of the book that may not be everyone's cup of tea. The author uses those scenes - and feelings - to allow readers a deeper look into the psyches of the main characters and while explicit and perhaps uncomfortable at times, the interactions never feel gratuitous. At least, they didn't feel that way to me. 


I'm looking forward to more McQuoid and McQuoid Smith books from Caldwell, especially after learning today the identities of the main couple in her next book, The Villain. I can hardly wait! 





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