Give me a Fast Ship: the Continental Navy and America’s Revolution at Sea

Give me a Fast Ship: the Continental Navy and America’s Revolution at Sea

By Tim McGrath

Pages 543

In 1775, England sent countless numbers of ships to the colonial coastline to prey on American merchant ships. Reluctantly, The Continental Congress under the consistent urging of John Adams raised a navy. This publication provides a wonderful account of the captains and their crew’s struggles against the world powerhouse of the British Royal Navy. Some of the heroes of the Continental Navy were John Paul Jones, Gustavus Conyngham, and John Barry, to name a few. 

Navy Baby by Debbie Macomber

Navy Baby by Debbie Macomber - 298 pages

Navy Baby  focuses one what happens when a sailor is on leave, meets a girl, and a pregnancy occurs.  Hannah Raymond is reeling after the tragic loss of her fiancee when she literally runs into seaman Riley Murdock.  After he helps her out of a bind, they share a drink, and end up renting a hotel room.  And that is just the first chapter.  After months of attempting to deny what happened, Hannah tells her father and he tracks Riley down and more or less forces them to marry.  The rest of the novel deals with the ups and downs of Hannah and Riley getting to know each other and adjusting to married life as well as the pending birth of their child.

I think Macomber did a good job showing the contrasts between Hannah and Riley's personalities and how they eventually find some common ground.  However, when compared to some of the other stories in the series, I find this one lackluster.  The characters just lack the dynamics that draw one fully into the story.  Plus it seems it was too easy for George Raymond, Hannah's father, to track Riley down when all they had was a name and branch of service in a pre-tech heavy era (the story is originally from 1991).

Navy Woman by Debbie Macomber

Navy Woman by Debbie Macomber - 296 pages

In this installment of the Navy Series, Macomber addresses a tricky issue:  what happens when a navy woman falls for her commanding officer?  Lt. Commander Catherine Frederickson, a JAG lawyer, has been recently reassigned to the Bangor Naval Base in Seattle.  Commander Royce Nyland is the department executive officer.  While at first it seems that Royce dislikes Catherine by assigning her weekly Friday night watches and extra duties, he soon realizes it is because he is attracted to her and her name is the first to come to mind.  Once both figure this out, they tried to deny their feelings (to acknowledge them is to risk a court-martial) but it doesn't work, especially after Royce's daughter Kelly meets Catherine.  Will they find a way to be together?

I'll admit freely as I am typing this, I don't have the book completed but I will by tonight (my next shift is April 1; I wanted this to count for March).  So far, it has been a refreshing change from book 3, Navy Brat, and a return to the style of books 1 and 2.  The story has a heart and is believable.  And it is written in such a way that one feels the characters joys and pains.

Navy Brat by Debbie Macomber

Navy Brat by Debbie Macomber - 297 pages

Navy Brat is the third book in Macomber's Navy Series.  Compared to the three I previously reviewed, this book was less interesting, less realistic, and had a convoluted plot.  Erin MacNamera is a navy brat who is trying to place roots in the Seattle area.  When a much younger friend of her father is asked by her father to check on her while he is in Seattle, the plot begins.  As soon as Lieutenant Brandon "Brand" Davis meets Erin, he knows she is the one.  However, the rest of the book is a back and forth debate over the state and meaning of their relationship.  In essence, she is afraid to commit to a Navy man after her experiences frequently moving and its consequences as a Navy child.  Sure, it has it's good points, but it lacked the heart the other three books thus far have had.

Navy Blues by Debbie Macomber

Navy Blues by Debbie Macomber - 298 pages

Navy Blues picks up a storyline began in Navy Wife. Steve Kyle, sister of Lindy Kyle Callaghan, agrees to meet his ex-wife, Carol,  for the Christmas holiday.  Both have regrets about their divorce.  Unbeknownst to Steve, Carol has an ulterior motive:  she wants a baby and is using him to meet her goal.  The book then follows the ups and downs of their relationship as they rekindle old flames, reopen old arguments, and begin new verbal battles.  We see Lindy do her best to help both sides and how the rest of the first year of her marriage to Rush Callaghan goes.

I enjoyed this book and how it ties in neatly with Navy Wife.  While the situation Steve and Carol find themselves in seems uncommon, their arguments and the passion that still existed between them seemed very real.  I also liked how it also tied up loose ends where Lindy and Rush were concerned.

Navy Wife by Debbie Macomber

Navy Wife by Debbie Macomber - 296 pages

Navy Wife is the first book in Macomber's Navy Series I read another book of earlier this month.  Compared to that book, Navy Husband, this one is much better.  The relationships feel less stiff and more believable and the descriptions flow better (as opposed to repeating the same things in a straightforward manner).

In this novel, Lindy Kyle has just exited a long-term relationship and is looking for a new start.  Taking her brother, Steve, up on his offer, she moves to Seattle and takes over his half of an apartment he shares with a friend while both are on sea duty.  However, Rush Callaghan's carrier has mechanical difficulties and returns to port.  At first upset to find Lindy in his apartment, Rush soon warms to her and romance blossoms.  Eventually, they decide to marry (hence the title) but both soon have regrets about going from meeting to marriage in under a month and an accident aboard the carrier causes more evaluations of the situation.

Navy Husband by Debbie Macomber

Navy Husband by Debbie Macomber - 248 pages

Navy Husband is one of the books in Macomber's Navy Series.  In this novel, Shana Berrie is charged with her niece, Jazmine's, care when her sister is given a tour of sea duty.  Between this, a bad break-up, and the new ice cream and pizza parlor she purchases and is running, Shana believes she has little time for romance.  Upon meeting Jazmine's godfather, Lt. Commander Adam Kennedy, their is instant attraction between both adults, which is helped along through Jazmine's meddling.  Meanwhile, on the U.S.S. Woodrow Wilson, Shana's sister Ali is finally beginning to get over her husband's death in a F-18 crash two years earlier.  While the process began before she boarded the aircraft carrier, meeting the ship's navigator, Commander Frank Dillon, has helped the process along despite both knowing the consequences of a shipboard romance.

In all, Navy Husband was a cute story.  I definitely want to read the other five books sometime soon.