Title: Captain Seadog
Author: Jefferson Cooper
Read copy: Mass Market Paperback
Published: May, 1959
Publisher: Pocket Books
These were the rewards Michael Goddard dreamed of when he returned to England with a treasure taken at sword's point from the proud galleons of the Spanish Main.
But instead, Goddard was falsely accused of treachery to Queen Elizabeth. He was left to rot in a dungeon.
Then, suddenly and mysteriously, he was helped to escape. His rescuer was a ravishingly beautiful woman he had never even seen before. And the mystery deepened when Good Queen Bess herself ordered him to perform a service upon which hung the fate of all England.
Was this just another trap baited by and English beauty? Or was it the way for this lusty swordsman to regain his honor and his glittering fortune? What was Goddard to believe?
My rating:
Upon his return from the Spanish Main, his ship heaving under the weight of the gold taken at sword's point, Captain Michael Goddard is arrested under charges of high treason against Queen Elizabeth and England.
Escaping the leader of the Spanish party, he meets Meg, a tavern maid, who helps him escape his pursuers, leading him safely to the rendezvous with Queen Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Regina thus entrusts him with the mission to expose the members of the Spanish party, the real traitors who would see Philip, King of Spain, on the English throne, and Michael and Meg embark on an almost impossible mission of unmasking the traitors within and battling the Spanish invasion from across the Channel.
This was a swashbuckling spy story set in Elizabethan era England. It had it all...treachery and deceit, duels, cloak-and-dagger (literally) adventure, (star-crossed) romance, love, and a massive sea battle in the last couple of chapters.
I liked the spy elements of the story as Michael attempted to gather enough proof to hand over to Queen Elizabeth. The adventure and suspense were gripping and intense as both protagonist and reader tried to think and plan ahead, wondering just what might happen next.
Compared to that, the romance element was more or less relegated into the background, resurfacing only to draw the spotlight onto the fact Michael and Meg could never really be, thanks to the disparity between their stations in life. But since this was an adventure story, the author never lingered overmuch on the romance aspect.
It was a wonderful story, an exquisitely written tale of perils and breathtaking romance.
It's definitely a must read, though quite a feat to obtain.
4 stars, elizabethan, favorites, historical, historical romance, Jefferson Cooper, re-read, suspense/mystery/adventure/thriller
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