Standish

by Erastes

Book Overview

A great house. A family dispossessed. A sensitive young man. A powerful landowner. An epic love that springs up between two men. Set in the post-Napoleonic years of the 1820's, Standish is a tale of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1590214277
• ISBN13: 9781590214275
• Release Date: January 2013
• Publisher: Lethe Press
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Standish, a Regal, Historical Romance

Standish is a well conceived historical gay novel set in England during the Regency. It is evocative of a Bronte novel and reading it, I felt like I was part of a Merchant-Ivory production with the addition of sex. Ambrose Standish and his elder sisters are nearly destitute living in the cottage next to the Standish mansion which was lost in a bet by their grandfather before any of them were born. He dreams of regaining his heritage when the current heir to the mansion, Rafe Goshawk comes to live there with his young son. Rafe offers Ambrose a position as his son's tutor and Ambrose accepts despite the contempt he feels for this arrogant, wealthy man. Rafe is immediately drawn to Ambrose and vows to eventually seduce him. Before that can happen, he suffers a tragic riding accident and Ambrose becomes his nursemaid during which he falls hopelessly in love with the unconscious man. Upon recovery a romance ensues and the two of them with Rafe's son go on a tour of the continent. Complications arise that I won't go into, and their relationship is destroyed, sending them along separate paths. The rest you will just have to read for yourself. As I've said in other reviews, I'm not partial to erotica per se, but I have no problem with it if it is integral to the plot, (I'm not a prude, really!) If it is realistically portrayed and essential to the story, I'm fine with if, but if not, then I find it to be obtrusive. Standish walked a fine line for me, but in the end I'm coming down on the side of its being integral and realistic. One area where I must be forgiving is the language. Writers of historical fiction with an erotic element have a unique challenge in describing explicit sexuality in historical terms. This is because frank sexuality was not openly discussed in 1820 and certainly not present in the literature of the time. So modernisms tend to pop up here and there in the erotic sections of the book and usually in phallic references such as "rod" or "member." It's also refreshing to come across a couple of characters who are Christian in the true sense of the word and not relegated to villainous roles. So, overall I was swept up in the high drama and experienced moments of agony, triumph, and joy. The final chapter was especially rewarding. As I closed the book, I just had to sit quietly and contemplate on it for a while. Four and a half stars.

Fabulous Story!

Never does the phrase 'don't judge a book by it's cover' apply more aptly than here! An innocuous title written by an enigmatic name. Onlyafter reading previous reviews did I finally succumb and buy the book. What a story! True love never does run smoothly in this rich novel of murder,rape,infidelity, sorrow, hate and love, brutality,etc. - in the extreme. Ambrose Standish whose family originally owned the house becomes a tutor to Rafe's son (the current owner). Ambrose feelings of hate and resentment toward Rafe grow from a lifetime of looking at the estate house that should have been his. But they fall in love. Then through misinterpretation, miscommunication and misunderstandings the beautiful love between Rafe and Ambrose is gone but not destroyed. The story revolves around the love they had but through a series of unfortunate events is lost through misinterpretation, mis-commincation, etc. I couldn't put the book down because I needed to know if they were ever going to find their love for each other again. Therein, lies the crux of this extraordinary novel. There love for each other was never enough to bring them together because of circumstances whirling around them. Well-developed characters, and such a great descriptive narrative of Standish, the prison and the secondary characters. The brutality of Rafe's upbringing in the lap of luxery combined with the beautiful, innocent Ambrose and their love for each other was nothing short of one of the best love stories I have read in a long time. Everyone loved Ambrose. Totally unpredicatable. Am looking forward to Erastes next book Transgressions.

Flawed But Wonderul Lovers

What a moving novel! The author's characterizations were excellent, as not only the two protagonists but also many of the supporting characters were well developed. The author didn't even need lots of words to make the reader understand what each important (and some of the less important) characters were like. The plot line is rather common: boy meets boy, hates boy, then loves boy; first horror then stupidity and infidelity separate the guys, maybe forever. The continuing series of nightmares the two men then faced (including Ambrose's falling in love a second time) put huge barriers between that I'm still not sure ever completely came down. Though I read the last few pages of the book several times, I'm not sure whether or not the happy ending implied at the end did or didn't happen. If it did, it required much work and interaction between the two lovers to occur after the story ended. Good set-up for a sequel, though I'm not sure what issues could be raised by a sequel that were not touched on in this book. Accurate and graphic portrayal of rape, infidelity (in flagrante, no less), their emotional consequences, the difficulties in overcoming these issues, especially in a day when homosexual activity was a major (in some cases, capital) crime and psychologists, therapists and psychiatrists did not exist to help people deal with deep emotional trauma. Interesting theme: that deeply felt love could find a way to overcome even the most horrendous personal calamities. Well done. I will undoubtedly reread many times, as the writing is excellent, in addition to the plot line and characterizations. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Standish

This book is truely worth the read. It took me just a day to read it because it was so freakin' good. Erastes out did himself with the plot and characters. Even the lesser characters will take you for a ride as you see how they play out. Its so very easy to fall in love with Ambrose and to want everything for him to be happy and good. He's an innocent when it comes to the world around him. Yet, by the end of the book you know that everything that happened has only made him stronger and makes you love him more. Rafe has his ups and downs, he's not the normal perfect hero, he makes mistakes. Thus making him seem far more human and as you move with the story with Ambrose it makes you both love him and hate him at times. This book is one of those books that you laugh, moan, and cry with. If you are looking for a really good romance story that has both ups and downs, that shows love & life in the wonderful detail that it is. Well, then you'll find it in Standish. Truely wonderful.

An engrossing read

I'm not a big reader of regency romance, but was intrigued by the idea of the romance in the story being between two men. But novelty isn't the only thing Standish has going for it. This book is also beautifully written, well paced, and researched with an attentive eye to detail. I found the characters very sympathetic and refreshingly multidimensional. Society's intolerance of homosexuality can't help but be a major theme--it was regularly punished by death in Regency England--at the same time, the issue is explored with such delicacy and consideration, that I didn't feel preached to or hit over the head with it. I also found it refreshing that the two representatives of religion in the story were sympathetic to the protagonists, and struggled to understand and befriend them, despite their strong objections to homosexuality. The sex is graphic and frequent. At the same time, it is so beautifully described, that one would be hard pressed (no pun) to be offended by it. But most of all, this is an excellent, excellent story. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.