A Sci-Regency Novel When Intergalactic Navy Captain Nathaniel Hawkins goes undercover to investigate the theft of an IN weapons stash, the mission raises painful memories from his past. Using a title he fled nearly two decades earlier, Nate once again becomes the Earl of Deverell, heir to the Duke of Hawthorne, in order to navigate the ins and outs of a Regency world. But planet Regelence—where … Regelence—where young lords are supposed to remain pure until marriage—has a few surprises for Nate, not least of which is his attraction to Prince Aiden.
A talented artist, Prince Aiden Townsend isn’t interested in politics and the machinations of society gentlemen, and he adamantly rejects the idea of marriage and a consort. Aiden wants the freedom to pursue his art and determine his own future. But the arrival of the dashing and mysterious Deverell awakens feelings of passion and longing the young prince can’t deny.
As Nate uncovers a conspiracy reaching far beyond the stolen weapons, his future is irrevocably altered by the temptations of a life he never thought he could have. Drawn into the web of intrigue, Aiden is in danger of losing his life… and his heart.
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Scifi space opera and Regency romance? What a blend! I was absolutely bowled over by the world-building, the cultures, the familiar elements lifted from Regency romance and meshed perfectly with scifi political shenanigans and spaceships! The premise is fantastic and I love the romantic pining and yearning and the SCANDAL. Yummy. Absolutely yummy.
One of my blogger friends Sophia had great things to say about this series. And eventually I decided to give this series a try and bought a copy of the first book. The combination between sci-fi and regency romance seemed like such an interesting combination.
My Fair Captain start off with a prologue that I couldn’t quite fathom the importance of at first, but later it turns out to have some relevance to one of the main characters backstory. After that it moves to the current day and age and we meet the two main characters. Aidan is the son of the king on a regency planet called Regelence. Regency planets are like the regency time period in England, but then there are whole planets who live like that. Then add in some technological advancement like spaceships, guns, AIs and more. Only on the planet where Aidan lives there are mostly men and it’s based on some Greek traditions if I understood correctly. Their society is extremely patriarchal and especially the nobility, they create their sons to be be male if possible and change their DNA so they prefer other men. The other main character Nate comes from a regency planet as well, but on his planet same sex relationships are frowned upon. He has long since left his home planet and is now a captain in the space fleet, his latest mission sends him to Regelence to find out who is behind a stolen cache of weapons.
This is a gentle paced story with the focus on the romance. When Nate and Aidan first meet there is immediately a mutual attraction which builds into more. There also is a plot line regarding the stolen weapons, but this is clearly just a way to bring the characters in contact with each other as it mostly functions as a side plot line, but it’s still interesting enough. And I actually think it will be a continuing plot lien throughout the series and it’s obviously not fully resolved by the end of this book.
I liked the romance between Aidan and Nate. It does get steamy quite fast with little getting to know each other before that, but I still thought their romance was well done and especially once their romance progressed I could really feel the depth of their feelings for each other. It’s quite the steamy romance with plenty of sex scenes throughout the book. It’s refreshingly free of drama, although at times it almost seemed to go a bit smoothly, these two hardly have any disagreements or any stumbles on their road to a happy ending. There are a few topics they disagree on, but they work their way through those. I did like how some topics which could’ve been left to fester and lead to bigger issues were resolved quite quickly, it was nice to see.
I liked how Aidan has this obsession with art and wanted to further his art and didn’t care about marrying until he lands in the arms of Nate, quite literally. Where Nate was this capable captain, although we don’t see him often in his captain role. Some people fear him, but he also has a good reputation. His focus is on his career and his adopted son. They fit together quite well and I liked how they were both willing to change parts of their plans for the other so they could be together.
One thing I really struggled with is how everyone has multiple names, it made it so hard to remember who was who at first. Everyone has a title, a name, a surname and a nickname if not more. Add in that there are a lot of characters in this book, with some only appearing in a few scenes. It made for a difficult reading experience at times. When the big reveal was there about who was behind something I didn’t even realize who it was until at a later point where they referred back to an earlier event where that character was present. And earlier in the book I was happy when they have some in character conversation about why Raleigh’s kids call him Cony as I really couldn’t figure out where that nickname came from. Half of the time the nicknames are used more often than the real name and then suddenly their real name is used. And in many cases the nickname isn’t related to their real name, like Cony for Raleigh, Trouble for Jeremy and Muffin whose real name I can’t even remember.
Due to the large amount of side characters and limited amount of page time for most of them, it is hard to really get a good feel for anyone. And the focus mainly seems to be on the main couple and those closest to them. I didn’t really like Jeremy/ Trouble at first, who is the adopted son of Nate. He did act like a believable teenager, but his behavior was a bit annoying. I also found it a bit weird how Nate called him “the pest” at first, but it eventually becomes clear that they are in fact quite close and all their bantering is actually good natured. There also is an interesting twist relating to him toward the end. And he’s one of the side characters we almost get to know the best.
There isn’t as much world building as I would’ve liked, but I did find the world interesting. The mix between sci-fi and regency elements is interesting. I would’ve liked a bit more understanding about how thee planets developed this way and why these planets that are I presume all got settled by the same humans all differ so much in customs.
To summarize: I am glad I gave this series a try. It has an interesting mix of genres being a MM sci-fi regency romance set in a universe where some planets follow regency customs. The main focus is on Nate and Aidan’s romance, which heats up and progresses quite quickly, but I liked how it is clear these two care about each other. I liked them together and I thought it was refreshing how low on the drama this book is. It is on the steamy side with quite some sex scenes and talk of sex. There also is a plot line regarding the stolen weapons, which I think will be a continuing plot line throughout the series. There is a large amount of side characters, most who have a small role and it was difficult to remember who was who at first with everyone having at least 3 different names (a title, name, surname and nickname). I would’ve liked a bit more world building and explanation of how these planets got to be this way, but I thought the blend of genres and elements was well done and I liked reading about this world. All in all I had fun reading this one and hope to continue this series when I can.
This book is a delicious blend of my favorites – good old Regency time and Sci-Fi! I so enjoyed it! Yeah, it was full of humor, mystery, romance and hot studly men in britches! Yeah, love them men in britches!
Nate is a IN captain of the Lady Anna ship. He is loyal, hot and intimidating. He is that kind of guy you are scared to talk to but secretly have fantasies about at night. He is tasked to become a spy in the royal household and it’s all fun and intriguing but Nate didn’t expect to fall head over hills in love with one of the princes! Bummer!
Aiden is a royal prince. He is handsome and innocent. Apart from being slightly rebellious he is an artist of great talent so his head is always in the clouds. Nothing interests him but his sketches but that all changes when he tumbles into the hands of the hunky space captain.
The chemistry is explosive. Nate and Aiden dance around each other but nothing works. They want each other so much that in the end it all ends in marriage. The first time together is sexy as f*ck! I loved Nate and how he manhandled Aiden. Those two were hot and beautiful!
The mystery of the book was not that exciting but the royal family made up for it with their shenanigans and humorous conversations. The whole idea of male/male regency and virginal men guarding their virtue appealed to me – the chaperones, virtual butlers and hover carriages made for an exciting read. I totally loved the book and I will continue on with the series.
While I hadn’t read the first edition, I can assure you that J.L. Langley’s My Fair Captain is polished, provocative, and perfectly paced. With an exciting mystery, a unique and creative story, and a smokin’ hot romance, what more could you want? Well, whatever you’re looking for, My Fair Captain delivers.
This is the first J.L. Langley book I’ve read and I’m so impressed! She sets the stage perfectly, presenting both characters’ current state of contentment so thoroughly that their spark of attraction made me a bit giddy. I was also happy to discover that Langley writes a mighty enticing sex scene. Not wanting to miss anything I went back and read a few of them again… in the interest of writing a comprehensive review, of course.
Estranged from his family on his home planet Englor, Intergalactic Navy captain Nathaniel Hawkins has made his ship his home and its crew his family. While he has a few lingering regrets over the way he left, he’s basically a happy man.
Likewise, Prince Aiden Townsend is thoroughly wrapped up in his art and participating in his brothers’ mischievous deeds. Stories of the young princes’ playful misbehavior, sneaking out of the castle and creatively ditching their dance cards, are sweet and funny. It’s a good way to demonstrate Prince Aiden’s youth and naiveté, not to mention his innocent and beguiling nature.
When the prince literally falls into Nate’s arms, their powerful connection takes them both by surprise. Nate knows he can’t pursue Aiden. Debauching the virginal young prince is out of the question. Aiden also recognizes that any liaison with the handsome Captain will leave him ruined. But he’s intrigued by the feelings his attraction brings to light.
As the men continue to cross paths the sexual tension increases to spectacular proportions. Langley builds it up beautifully, and I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but this is one I’ll remember *wink*.
Still, My Fair Captain isn’t all sex and romance. There’s also an intriguing mystery. In fact, it’s the reason Captain Hawkins is bound for the planet of Regelence to begin with. While I wouldn’t technically call it a cliff-hanger, since we get our happy ever after with Nate and Aiden, the mystery isn’t resolved at the end of the book. I have my fingers crossed that we will be treated to what promises to be a darn good mystery.
There are so many clever and creative ways both the Sci-Fi and Regency romance aspects are woven into this story. As a fan of both genres, I’ve just discovered my new favorite series. Although publication dates aren’t available yet, on her website J.L. Langley states that reissues for the two previously published Sci-Regency books are on the way. She also promises several new novels in this addictive series. So while I’m late to the party with My Fair Captain, my timing turns out to be excellent.