DNF at 32%. It was a bold move to center so much of the story in one setting, that of the ship. I don't think the pacing could hold up under the limitation of the setting. I just don't feel compelled to continue, even though I am curious what will happened if Caroline gets to India. There was also far too much of the "not like other girls" mood for my taste. Even though Caroline may have been unique for the times, the way in which it was depicted seemed harsh and heavy handed in comparing her to all the other women. She honestly wasn't likeable to me at all.

What a satisfying read! It’s a story preconceived notions and staying true to oneself and being able to admit when one is wrong. The leads are delightful, especially our Captain, and the secondary characters are so well-fleshed out, I feel they could each have their own novellas.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Caroline Gray finds herself with no other option but to accept her mother's proposition to sail to India for the sole purpose of a possible marriage match to one Captain Barritt. With three unsuccessful seasons under her belt, it seems to be the only logical choice for her. Even when she is told that if the match does not pan out, there is no way for her to return.

That sounds rather risky to me! I would not want to be stuck in a foreign country I know nothing about and the Captain even less about. What if they don't suit? What a quandary Caroline finds herself in, and she blames no one but herself. If only she could be the coy, complacent lady of society, she wouldn't be in this predicament. But she's much too thirsty to learn about the world & much too curious for her own good. In a time period when it's a curse to be such a lady and even shameful to not make a love match in the first season, she finds herself without any other options. She puts on a brave face & sails to India, thus leaving everything she knows to embark on an adventure that she has no idea what the outcome will be. I love her strong characteristics and her determination; it's what helps her face an unknown future and make the best of a situation.

As for Thomas Scott, Captain of the Persistence, I found him to be likable, strong leader. His love for the sea shows in how he treats his crew and provides for the needs of the passengers aboard his ship. Even though he has a certain disdain for the women who seek passage to India for the sole purpose of marriage, he still treats them with the respect they deserve. After meeting Miss Gray, his heart turns towards the romantic direction....much to his vexation! These two certainly were very stubborn and sparred with words more than once. But that just intrigued the Captain even more. In spite of any effort on their part, a wary friendship develops and eventual love blossomed....even though Caroline has promised to give Captain Barritt a chance. Another quandary in a story already full of unpredictability.

It was interesting to learn about the “Fishing Fleet”, of which Thomas Scott was Captain of. Women were sent from England to India to marry officers, thus the term “fishing” for men came to be...and a title that was very distasteful for the time period. I enjoyed reading the Author's Note at the end and learning a piece of history that I never knew about. Don't skip reading it! It's fascinating, informative, sets the tone for the story and the reason Caroline embarked on her journey in the first place.

In conclusion, I enjoyed A Captain for Caroline for the historical accuracy, the characteristics of each person, the intriguing plotline & the romantic ending. I read an advanced reader copy, but have learned there will be an epilogue at the end in the final copy. This will add even more to the story, in my opinion! Being part of the Proper Romance group, this is a clean historical read that I think any fan of this genre would enjoy.

*I received a complimentary copy and was not obligated to leave a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone. *

1.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I requested A Captain for Caroline Gray as I did all the Proper Romance books, without thinking much about it, however, my concern grew upon reading the blurb, something I probably should have done beforehand, and saw mention of India. I was determined to give the book some benefit of the doubt, while also being wary based on past experience.
And upon starting it, I felt some relief at the primary ship setting, as while the romance did not immediately grab me, I found the book fairly harmless, if a bit mundane. The prose itself was enough to keep me turning pages, even if nothing else fully engaged me, so at most, it might be a 3-star read.
But as the story went on, Caroline failed to engage me, despite all indication she should be a unique bluestocking, and I never felt any interest in Thomas as a romantic hero. I don’t expect grand passion from these, but some chemistry is nice?
As far as history and context, it’s...mixed? I appreciate that the author did her homework on the Fishing Fleet, so it comes through in a genuine way in the story. I also appreciate that she made certain choices for the sake of compassion for modern-day Indians by calling the characters’ destination “Mumbai,” as opposed to the colonial “Bombay.” However, I did still struggle with the portrayal of colonialism in the story. and how it’s more or less glossed over just because of who the POV characters are (the heroine being a sheltered young woman, in particular). There is one comment in protest of racial injustice on the heroine’s part, but it did not lessen my unease to see some of the other aspects that are just dismissed as a factor of life without unpacking it, especially given the colonialist motives of the whole endeavor to begin with, hence my initial skepticism.
I can’t say I’m surprised to come out with such a largely negative opinion, in spite of trying to frame things in the best light possible going in. And with that said, I don’t know if I recommend the book or not. It has a few positives, but they are outweighed by the many negatives, both subjective and objective.

Loved this one. A sweet, clean, historical romance, but I learned a lot about nautical life in this time period too. The ending wrapped up a bit too quickly for my taste (and was just a tad cheesy), but the beautiful balance between scenery descriptions and dialogue and thoughts of the characters makes it worth it. This book makes me want to immediately board a boat and set sail for parts unknown.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own and are unbiased.

Actual rating is 3.5.

A Captain for Caroline Gray was a fun read, but for some reason, it just dragged a little for me. I kept finding myself wishing I could read something else. I enjoyed it, and really liked certain parts, but not so much other parts. Most of the book took place on the ship to India, and besides one storm was fairly mild, but then in the last five percent of the book a lot took place, and even then I feel like the author skimmed over a lot of it to where we didn't see any action, just knew it had happened.

I feel like the romance was a little abrupt and off. Thomas and Caroline had formed a friendship but argued and fought most of the time, then because of a miscommunication Thomas was furious with Caroline and refused to let her explain herself. He hated her, put blame on her, and deemed her bad because of something that wasn't even fully true, and then when he found out the truth he still held to his belief that she had done wrong. Not only that, but he kept going back-and-forth of I like her, I don't like her, oh my gosh I'm so in love with her, ugh she's awful, until the very end where he sees her, they kiss, and the book ends. It was clean though, so that's a plus!

The relationships built over the course of the book made me smile. I love how Caroline drew portraits of the crew and connected to them, gaining their loyalty. And little Tom was so cute! I won't say what because of spoilers, but I really like a certain character's arc and how they ended up being an ally in the end.

All of that being said, I did really enjoy it and am thankful to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An exciting adventure on the high seas from Julie Wright! A Captain for Caroline Gray is romantic and intriguing, perfect for fans of Arlem Hawks or Sarah M. Eden. Although it was a bit repetitive and ended somewhat abruptly, Wright’s style of writing and the life she gives to her characters will delight readers. 3.5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read several of Julie’s contemporary books, but this was the first historic novel of hers that I have read. Reading an author in a new genre can be concerning: Will the story live up to my expectations? Is the author prepared to write in this new setting?
My worries couldn’t have been more unnecessary. While I enjoyed reading Julie’s previous books, I fell in love with this one on an entire new level.
To start off there is Caroline: the smart, independent, and witty heroine that we all dream of being. Not only was Caroline said to be well informed, character’s conversations actually involved her knowledge of political and scientific happenings of the day. This added detail that is often glossed over historic romances, endearing me to Caroline even more.
Then there is the enemies to lovers trope... If you know me, you know that I am a sucker for this trope. Caroline and Thomas’ interactions were perfectly orchestrated and left me smirking each and every time. Their relationship was all I could have hoped for.
One of my favorite aspects of historical romance is when an added theme of adventure, intensity, or mystery is included. This book’s unique setting and circumstances certainly fit that bill.
This book is a new favorite of mine and I can’t wait for you to add it to your shelves!

4.5* I enjoyed reading about the ocean voyage from England to India - Julie Wright did a good job with weaving in interesting details with her strong characters.  The imagery in the narrative is lovely and I appreciated the gems of wisdom and good advice that were presented in the story, as well. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

How frustrating it would be to be a spunky spitfire girl in Regency times! Miss Caroline Gray is synonomous with Belle from "Beauty and the Beast". She is educated and beautiful. After not securing a suitor after multiple seasons, she finds herself on a ship bound for India to meet a possible husband.

Captain Thomas Scott of the ship named Persistence. He was a candidate, but I struggled with some of his character flaws. What he took to be a definition of truth didn't really fit the conflict. I am glad he came to his senses though.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Thank you #NetGalley and #ShadowMountainPublishing

4.5 stars
A Captain for Caroline Gray is the first book that I have read written by Julie Wright and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. This book had such an interesting concept and I had never heard of girls going to India to find husbands before.
Caroline Gray has run out of options, there is no man to marry and she must now travel to India. Caroline has no choice, there is no place left for her to go and she must now sail with the Fishing Fleet to India, where the son of a family friend is willing to consider an engagement to her. Captain Thomas Scoot loved the open sea, but he disliked ferrying young English girls across the ocean; he can’t imagine why families would send their daughters to marry questionable English men in India. However Caroline Gray is different from the others he has ferried, and before he knows it they have created an undeniable attraction. But their relationship is impossible, after all Caroline has obligations to fulfill in India.
Caroline was such an interesting character. She was different from the rest of the ladies around her, she was smart and she said what was on her mind. However she was kind, she didn’t look down on people. I felt so bad for her thought, she was trying to figure out how to be herself. She wanted to be true to herself, but she also didn't want to cause trouble. I felt connected to her and by the end of the book, I was totally rooting for her. I wanted her to find her happy ending and not change herself to fit someone else’s mold. However learning to be oneself is hard, especially when it seems like you could never be enough.
I had mixed feelings about Captain Thomas Scott. He wasn’t a bad guy, but he got on my nerves sometimes. He judged Caroline without knowing her and I wanted to shake him at times. However I liked reading at him growing, seeing the error of his ways and falling for Caroline. He was a kind man, but he was quick to judge and he had to learn to see past first impressions.
Caroline and Captain Scott had to learn how to love each other. They judged each other harshly at first, but as they saw past their first impressions they fell in love. However there are secrets and dangers that could drag them apart, will their love survive India?
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed A Captain for Caroline Gray. The characters grew on me and I was soon engrossed in the story. My only problem is that there was no epilogue, but I have heard from others that the author has added an epilogue. There were so many fun characters and I really enjoyed reading about Tom and Peterson, they really added to the story.
I would totally recommend A Captain for Caroline Gray! It was a clean regency romance and super enjoyable.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

I posted my review on Goodreads and Barnes and Nobles on 02/08/21. I will post on Amazon on release day and on my blog closer to release day.

This was exactly what I needed.

Caroline Gray is forced to take a ship to India, one many women on the ship in search of a husband in another country. Leaving behind everything she knows, Caroline's sharp wit and clever mind is something that seems to not be favorable in a young woman at the time. At least, until she meets the Captain who knows he shouldn't be thinking about her at all. But can't help it.

It's a sweet and total romantic story about one woman's bravery. I love Caroline. I enjoyed her observations and her intelligence, as well as being unapologetically herself. She knows she's not like the other ladies and on some level she doesn't care. I love how she desire to be true to herself and she speaks up about injustices. She reminds me a little of Jane Eyre.

Captain Thomas Scott is determined to have the independence he has wished for all his life. He never wanted to be a captain but he is so close to achieving his goal, he can't let his mind be distracted by this passenger.

And so starts a battle of wills. Caroline isn't interested in Captain Scott (yes she is) because he is so stubborn and arrogant (yep.) and he is not interested in her at all (nope) because she is so stubborn and arrogant (yep.) Sound familiar? P&P anyone?

Anyway, this clean romance is filled with colorful characters and a lot of very tender moments, not only between Scott and Caroline but also between Caroline and the other women on board. I loved seeing how those friendships blossomed over time. Scott too has good scenes with his crew, helping bring out who he really is and also adding depth to the secondary characters.

This book was a welcomed story, sweet and romantic and took me to a far off place with a little danger. The solid writing and easy reading makes this a pleasant and touching romance you'll want to read in one sitting.

I enjoy many of Julie Wright's other books and was looking forward to reading A Captain for Caroline Gray. This regency novel took place mostly on a ship, which could be hard to write a novel that mostly takes place in one location, but it was filled with great characters and storylines that kept the story interesting and moving forward at a steady pace. The story seemed to be factually/historically correct and painted a picture of a time and situation that I previously didn't know much about. Most of the regency novels I read take place in England and ballrooms, etc. But there were many that travelled to India for business and personal reasons and that is a journey that would personally be hard for me to take. This novel sheds light on the long journey, (3 months), living conditions, people's options and prospects of that time period and what life was like in a new place. Caroline was indeed brave to take such a journey and found herself and love in the process. I personally didn't get something about the ending and thought it wrapped up a little too quickly/easily, hence the 4 stars, but it was overall fun to read and would recommend it.

4.5 stars

Such a wonderful, captivating read right from the start. You can’t help but feel for Caroline and the situation she finds herself in. I loved the boat setting. It was such a nice change of pace from the normal regency read. The different characters and personalities on the boat really added to the depth of this story. The building tension between Caroline and Thomas was perfectly paced and there’s turned out to be a beautiful live story. I knocked off a half a star because the story ended so abruptly. I would have definitely enjoyed in a little epilogue.

While there were moments of promise in this book, it ultimately didn’t work for me. The romance was very weak. The story was drawn out, and there were moments of plot craziness.

Caroline is a bluestocking, which was treated like leprosy in this book. It apparently made her unmarriable, so when her prospects are grim, she decides to take a chance to meet a suitor in India after his mother saw her beauty across a ball. She doesn’t have to marry the suitor but meet him, however, if either of them find they don’t suit, she will not have the funds to return to England. This seemed like a big risk and presented as an only option, which felt implausible to me. When she was about to disembark, her cousin heard the intended-suitor’s name, and he seemed concerned because he heard a story once. Oh well, off she goes, along with several other women, who are hoping to find husbands in India.

Most of the story takes place on the journey over, and there is some romantic interest between the Captain and Caroline. Mostly, though, it’s the Captain convincing himself that he can have no interest in women that seek their future by finding husbands in India. Caroline mostly thinks he doesn’t like her. The romantic tension waffles between cool and (at most) tepid. It was mostly non-existent. This being a kisses-only story, I didn’t expect scorching, but I did hope to be convinced theirs was a romance worth rooting for. I was not convinced.

Toward the end, there were some plot craziness that didn’t make sense, with resolutions too neatly wrapped up. The historical context was somewhat interesting. The author obviously put thought and research into this book, and the writing was decent. I did struggle with characterizations. For example, Caroline seemed like she was presented as the only informed, intelligent female in all of England and India. But, I think my biggest issues were with pacing and plotting. That is what zapped any enjoyment I began to feel in reading this.

<I>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. Views are my own.

What a sweet, easy, enjoyable wholesome read this was. I truly enjoyed it. Who would not fall in love with Caroline Gray and Captain Scott. I loved their banter and the descriptions of the ship rolling in the waves was so good you could almost feel it.
Sometimes a person just needs a non-complicated well told story without a lot of drama, murder mystery or WWII, we just want a feel-good love story and this fits the bill. I highly recommend.
I was given the opportunity to read an ARC from Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for my honest unbiased review. This one comes in with 5 stars.

Thank you Shadow Mountain and Netgalley for the ARC of this lovely book. It was a story about a woman on a 3-month voyage to meet her future husband arranged by his parents. I found the stories of the women on this voyage to be interesting. I liked the main character, Caroline, and really liked the Captain Scott’s character, which had you pulling for them throughout this voyage. It was an enjoyable, easy read. One thing that I didn’t like is that I could not find what year this was to be taking place. I don’t think I missed it because I was really looking for it. Would have liked to have know that.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved learning about the "fishing fleet", woman who went to new countries to get a husband knowing they may never return to England. I loved that most of the story took place on a ship. It gave an added element that I haven't seen in many Proper Romance books. It was a clean read and I loved how Caroline was not they typical woman for the times. She had her own thoughts and ideas and tried to speak her mind. The only thing I didn't like was how it ended. I felt it was over too quickly. I would have loved another chapter or an epilogue. I hope Caroline and Thomas make appearances in other books by Julie Wright so we have some closure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for an ARC ebook in exchange for a review.

A CAPTAIN FOR CAROLINE GRAY IS an enjoyable historical romance that really deserves 3.5 stars, rather than 3. It's the first book I've read by Julie Wright. Moves quickly, an interesting glimpse into 1820s British culture, with no heavy lifting.

Caroline Gray has been "out" for multiple "seasons" in London, but despite her beauty, has so far failed to secure ANY proposals of marriage. She is outspoken, intelligent, honest, direct and curious -- not characteristics that appeal to many well-situated, marriageable young men of her day. And now a deadline looms.

The heir to her late father's estate is getting married. That means soon, Caroline and her mother will have to leave their home and find new accomodations. And, at the time, the only acceptable option for a widow or her unmarried daughter was a lifetime of imposing on one relative after another. The prospect of Caroline being a homeless spinster alarms all those around her.

So when another couple offers to underwrite a voyage to India, in the hopes that Caroline will marry their son, Captain Barritt, she can hardly say NO. Caroline winds up aboard a ship with a number of other single women -- all of them looking to find husbands in the smaller subset of British society settled in India, where men outnumber women. A trip to India to secure a husband, according to the author's note, was not uncommon during this period of British colonization.

In charge of the ship is Captain Thomas Scott, who provides well for his guests but makes it a policy to keep a distance between himself and passengers. But when Caroline and a number of other "ladies" are seated at his table for dinner, the Captain finds himself strangely attracted to Caroline's outspokenness. And now you get the book title, right? Two captains, but only one Caroline.

Supplemental drama is added by jealousy and gossip among the ladies, a mean-spirited ship's cook, and a young apprentice at sea for the first time. Some genuine friendships develop among the passengers and even the Captain learns a few lessons from crew members. As readers, we also witness a few potential obstacles to budding romance -- like keeping secrets, making assumptions, and speaking angry words. There's even a suspenseful climax at the end.

If you love historical romance, be sure to pick this one up.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were well written, and the storyline was so entertaining that I couldn't put it down. Caroline is an outspoken woman in a world where men don't care for outspoken women, and Thomas is the captain she meets and befriends on her journey to India to meet a man to marry. The development of both these characters was such fun to read and kept me turning the pages. The author did an awesome job writing this book and I am so glad I was able to read an ARC copy of this book! I look forward to reading more from this author!