Although I am not typically interested in nautically themed books, this one had fascinating historical details about life at sea in Her Majesty's Navy. I was impressed by how impeccably researched it was, and yet it was not heavily laden with extraneous details. This tale felt sweepingly cinematic at times and was both action-packed and heart-wrenching with an immersive narrative. The heroine had a backstory that served to show the ripple effect that repeated abuse, and the fear and avoidance of it, can cause. This story leaned heavily toward the historical fiction genre and was light on the romance. That said, more romance under the unusual circumstances the protagonists were in would not have been believable, and I suppose that's what makes this a truly Proper Romance from this publisher. I tend to have difficulty suspending my disbelief when characters so convincingly cross-dress and nobody seems to notice. However, it was handled with a good amount of credibility in this story. I appreciated the strong, descriptive writing, and although this is the first book I have read by this author, it will not be the last.

i had a lot of fun reading this historical novel, the characters were great and I felt like the main characters romance worked. It was a enjoyable read.

This book was a very entertaining read. I loved learning a little more about nautical terms and how ship life was at that time. I really liked the relationship growth from friendship to more. It was fun to watch it blossom as the story was told. This book had it all- romance, adventures, and action. I definitely recommend this book

This is about a girl who is forced to impersonate a cabin boy on board her father's ship in order to have somewhere to live. It gives a very interesting behind the scenes look at life on board a Navy ship in Regency England.

I'm in awe of the descriptive writing of Arlem Hawks. 'Georgana's Secret' was a difficult book to get through to someone who gets deathly seasick. I was decidedly uncomfortable until the Deborah was back to land. This was not a lighthearted book in any way, with themes of abuse, death and abandonment. A great effort was made to balance that with the joy of a seafarer's heart, but it missed the mark with me. It just seems that even love wouldn't be enough of a reason to choose this hard lifestyle.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

For some reason, I have always been drawn to stories where the main character has to disguise herself as a boy for one reason or another, so the premise of this story drew me in right away.

The author did a wonderful job of bringing all of the characters to life, and giving the reader a taste of what life might be like as a cabin boy who doesn't quite fit in with any group on board.

Every time I read a story that takes place on a ship, I'm always amazed at just how many people are in board. I guess I just can't grasp the size of the ship, because I'm always shocked when there are more than 50 people on board.

Anyway, the reader obviously doesn't get to know everyone, but we do get to know a handful, and I enjoyed getting to know them all, whether it was to love them or hate them.

Definitely a well-written, enjoyable story that I plan on rereading more than once.

This was the first book I had read from this author and it won't be the last. I loved the story and the relationship between the main characters. I would highly recommend this story!

I very much enjoyed reading history woven into the story and explained in an intersting way. Majority of the story took place on a ship. I thought the battle scenes were exciting and description of ship life felt real and natural. I know nothing about brisitsh naval history or life on a ship but I didn't read anything that seemed fanciful. Some bits were an intersting surprise.
The hook in the beginning was great and after 1/2 way into 1st chapter I was wanting to clear my schedule. Throughout I felt there was a nice flow to the story. The H's parents marriage was touched on. I wish I knew more since it seemed to really shape him. As well as his older brother.

I love this book. It is so well written and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the characters. Georgana faces so much hardship and has no one to turn to for comfort. Don't get me wrong her father acts out of protection and love to save her in his own way and that's beautiful. But a girl just needs a hug every once in a while. With all that she faces, I find her so strong.

Now, Dominic is brilliant. I love his reactions to everything!

Reread worthy!

When her mother died, Georgana Woodall escaped her abusive grandmother by disguising herself as a cabin boy and joining her father on his ship. Several years later, she’s of the age to come out in society, attend fancy balls, and find a husband. There’s one problem — everyone believes she’s a boy called “George,” but revealing her secret could ruin her reputation forever.

Lieutenant Dominic Peyton has eyes for one lady only — the sea. He has no time for women. On land, they are nothing more than a distraction and added responsibility, and sailing the oceans is no place for them. So he’s better off alone.

When Dominic witnesses the captain’s cabin boy being harassed, he steps in to aid the “boy.” However, it isn’t long before he realizes that some things don’t add up and before long deduces that “George” is in reality a young woman. To protect her, Dominic keeps the discovery to himself. But keeping quiet becomes increasingly difficult as feelings for her develop.

Combining elements of Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Swiss Family Robinson, this delightful tale of love and adventure emerges. With a lieutenant who thinks that women don’t belong at high seas (does that not sound like Captain Wentworth?!), a woman disguised as a man, privateers, swords, and gunfights Arlem Hawks’ Georgana’s Secret offered me an escape I desperately needed. Maybe it was the marriage between components from two of my favorite childhood stories, but I devoured the story and stepped away feeling light and happy. I’d been granted a respite from everything going on around me.

The protagonists are fun and lovable. The villain, well, you wish they would just toss him overboard. However, then there wouldn’t be a story, so it’s good they didn’t. A beautiful friendship forms between “George” and someone on the ship, but I won’t say more due to spoilers though I wish I could dedicate at least an entire paragraph to it. Watching it progress definitely kept a smile on my face. Actually, the book as a whole had me grinning a lot.

I absolutely loved the setting had me spending almost the entirety of the novel off land. Despite never leaving my landlocked room, I sailed far away on a ship surrounded by the blue expanse of the ocean, inhaling the clean, salty air. But in spite of all that open space, Hawks also knew how to turn the ship claustrophobic in an instant. Just wait until you meet the privateers and villains. The author threw in a few twists and turns along the way which surprised me. At the same time, she set them up so perfectly that they made sense.

Some of the characters do seem to become too active too quickly after incurring horrid wounds. It did pull me out of the story briefly as I wondered how they could do what they were doing in their condition.

If you love regency romances, strapping lieutenants, stories set at sea, and adventure galore, do yourself a favor and pick up Georgana’s Secret.

The book was way more than I was expecting. The story has a lot of depth to it. I was pulled in by Georgana’s and Dominic’s story and I could not stop reading. I stay up late into the night reading to find out how story would go.

I loved this book. The characters are deep and well written. The love story is beautiful and thoughtful with plenty of twists and turns to keep you in the story to the end.

I enjoyed this book. The slow burn friendship to love between Georgana and Dominic was lovely. The “disguised as a boy on a ship” trope always stretches the imagination, but the author made it believable. When her mother dies, Georgana disguises herself as a boy so she can live with her father on his ship (he is a navy captain) - she cannot remain in town. Dominic, one of the ship’s officers, befriends her and ultimately guesses she is the captain’s daughter.

The descriptions of life in the navy, for both officers and families, and life aboard the ship brought the story to life. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Naval Battles, Beautiful Antigua Beaches, and Hidden Love

Georgana Woodall escapes to the sea in disguise to live with her father, the captain, all in an effort to be protected from her evil abusive grandmother. As a ship’s boy, she meets the admirable and handsome Lieutenant Dominic Peyton who befriends “him” (Georgana) and teaches him to fight his battles instead of fleeing. Throughout the book, Lieutenant Dominic finds out her secret, and obviously things happen to make this a beautiful romance.

This book truly takes you through the real life of a navy frigate during the French and English quarrels of the 1810s. Arlem Hawks shows in her book how disease could ravage a ship, how battles destroyed families, and how mutinies occur. I learned so much from reading her book, and truly loved every minute of it! The only thing I would have liked is an image of a naval frigate in the book so that I could understand what each of the decks were. I had to do my own research to understand why the walls of the captains rooms could come off, and where on the boat all of the different things were located.

I enjoyed living through Georgana’s eyes, and the trials she faced living at sea with only men. I enjoyed seeing the beauty of a beach for the first time through her eyes. I enjoyed the love that was built through trust and loyalty. I could not put this book down! Truly one of the best ocean books I have read in a long time!

A special thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Arlem Hawks for the digital ARC provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own and in no way biased.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars for this fabulous read that I literally could not stop reading. This is the first book I've ever read by the author so I had no expectations of the book. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did, it exceeded my expectations. The story felt like an original concept with some Twelfth Night vibes but with a smarter leading male protagonist. The story had two interesting main characters, great chemistry, and great individual growth. The story had a lot going for it, there were lots of events and changes that kept the story fresh and enjoyable. There was growth for several characters and the story was not exclusively about the romance, alyhohgh I loved this romance! This story was so captivating, I've decided I need to read more books by this author very soon! Many thanks to netgalley for a free advanced copy of this book.

Georgana's Secret is one of my most anticipated reads in months. It did not disappoint. I savored it over several days simply because I refused to let it end. I love how much detail and research it entails. Arlem Hawks has a handful of self-published books that I have read and her style is perfect for me.
Georgana has a secret. Her father is a captain in His Royal Navy and she's disguised as a cabin boy. For three years, she's not touched land and is alone in the midst of hundreds of men. When Lieutenant Dominic Peyton joins the crew, Georgana can't help but be enamored with his joie de vivre and his offer of friendship.
I cannot express how much I love this book. I think the bulk of its power lies in the setting. Georgana and Peyton have lovely moments individually and together.
There are so many regency novels to choose from and more published every week. This is one that cannot be missed and I am eager to have a copy on my bookshelf.
Thank you, Shadow Mountain and NetGalley, for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Georgana's Secret
by Arlem Hawks
Shadow Mountain Publishing
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Shadow Mountain
Romance
Pub Date 12 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 26 Jan 2021

This was a truly awesome book. I will be looking for more from Arlem Hawks. Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC.
4 star

I would recommend this book as I very much enjoyed it! I spent one full day reading it with barely a pause. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous!!

The plot is not on the most original ones: a young woman disguised as a boy embarks on a ship and falls in love with a member of the crew - I've already read that kind of story a few times. However, that was unusual was that it was the daughter of the captain which was here to espace her abusing grandmother, and it added an interesting element as she to hide her relationship with the captain and find her place on the ship. Unfortunately, I found it sad that both Georgana and her father were unhappy with their lives - the captain since the death of his dear wife, and Georgana because she regrets being aboard the ship. I regret that she did not enjoy it more (I personally am fascinated with all historic stories aboard ships so I regretted her lack of enthusiasm - thankfully, Dominic made up for it with his love of the sea.). Dominic was a wonderful character, highly likeable, generous, with a interesting back story, a deep love of the sea and the navy. To be honest I'm not really sure why he liked Georgana so much but I understand why she did ;)

As the book was quite long, I felt that the story was quite complete and detailed. I am quite impressed with how much the author has had to research to write such a complete book with so many technical details. The length of the book also allowed for Dominic and Georgana's romance to develop in a credible way, although I didn't find there wasn't a real chemistry between the characters (hence why I found the end slightly bittersweet too).

One last detail that annoyed me all along the book: Georgana's name. I understood in the book that it was supposed to be pronounced "Georgeana" (with a soft 'g', or [ʒ]) so I don't understand which it's spelled "Georgana" (which would be pronounced with a hard 'g', or [g]). This distracted me every time her time was mentioned...
Overall, I really liked this book and will probably read it again in a few years!

*I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest opinion*

Georgana's Secret by Arlem Hawks is a lovely nautical historical romance with a sweet and protective Lieutenant and a brave but frightened third-class cabin boy (actually, a girl).

Georgana was the daughter of a Royal Navy Captain and suffered her whole life the abuse inflicted by her paternal grandmother every time her father was at sea.

Seeing her after a severe beating, her father decided to take her with him to his ship. To keep her safe and preserve her reputation, her father disguised her as a third-class cabin boy.

She stayed on the ship for three years, but things were getting difficult because she was bullied by the other cabin boys that understandably resented the special treatment she received from the captain.

When the second Lieutenant of the ship died, Lieutenant Peyton came in his place.

Peyton saw in Georgana a frightened boy and decided he would help him defend himself from the bullies. He also noticed the boy did not enjoy life at sea and put on his mind to convince the captain to place him somewhere on land after their journey was over.

Slowly Georgana started to open up to Peyton's care and affection, but she knew he only saw a boy while she began to have romantic feelings towards him.

Georgana's Secret is a lovely slow-burn romance. It was so sweet to see them getting to know one another, establish a strong friendship bond, and then connect in the deepest level.

I loved how all the story takes place onboard a ship—the daily struggles, the companionship, the illnesses, the sorrow, the deaths, the pain.

Lieutenant Peyton is the perfect hero. Lovely, sensible, honorable, and kind. Georgana is a person marked by her life experiences, but strong and determined to make a better future for herself.

I loved every page of this lovely tale, and I'm looking forward to reading other books by this author.

Highly Recommended!

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 01/12/2021*

Georgana has a lot of experience keeping secrets. She has had a pretty tough life. Through it all she has tried to keep a fairly positive attitude and a low profile. When she is befriended by Lieutenant Peyton after he sees her being mistreated by some of other boys on the ship, things get a bit complicated. She is drawn to him but she also needs to keep her distance so he doesn't figure out her secret. This is an interesting look into life at sea and the hardships faced. It is also a wonderful story of overcoming a difficult life and thriving. I really enjoyed this book. This is a clean romance.