hostilemakeover's review against another edition
4.0
This started slow for me, but... by the last third, I really found myself enjoying it more than I ever expected. Absolutely looking forward to more.
littlepanda's review against another edition
4.0
This book gave me pause. At first, when I started reading I was taken aback by Will’s way of thinking… I might say the wolf/sheep concept is not one that I favor especially since for me it is connoted with religious innuendos. As for the buccaneers and the historical dimension of the novel, well I didn't know anything about it before reading it. Sure, I knew bits of things on planters but not on the rest. And although I know their way of life was not a conventional one I don’t know a thing on their actual relationship to their peers. Perhaps it was something that I really liked in the novel, the fact that they came across love or a sort of friendship/love through adversities and I thought that Striker and Pete were a best example of that. Especially when Pete says that if Striker dies he will die too, thought it was sweet but at the same they fit like two pieces of puzzle, and that explanation was even more, I won’t say romantic, beautiful.
However, I think that after he leaves Spain, the character of Will starts to unfold a bit more and there I came to like him. What I did not understand at the beginning was how he could be in love with two people at the same time, them being women or man who cares, but I thought it was interesting to see that with retrospection, when he gets back to what he was feeling he admitted that it was not really love. Although I agree with Pete, he thinks to much!
Will as a character is very interesting, and he tends to grow on people, not only in the book but to the reader too I think. He is very literate and smart, he can turn a situation to his advantage just with words and that is what I enjoyed the most. His relationship with Gaston is not as conventional as one could expect. I mean by that, that it is a bit a paradox that Will loves the only man in the entire buccaneer ship who don’t want that sort of relationship. However I think it is a proof that their story will be very serious because it takes time. At the same time, the sort of develop Plato’s ideal relationship, a platonic one and I think it was hinted at through the book over which they met (it was one of Plato). I think a start like this gives Will some grounding and some confidence and trust in Gaston.
I really enjoy reading this book, it has every elements of a good pirate’s story but I just thought it was a bit too much concentrated on Will and Gaston’s love life and tended to foresee the whole buccaneer experience. But as it is explain in the book the whole matelot idea is part of a buccaneer’s life.
However, I think that after he leaves Spain, the character of Will starts to unfold a bit more and there I came to like him. What I did not understand at the beginning was how he could be in love with two people at the same time, them being women or man who cares, but I thought it was interesting to see that with retrospection, when he gets back to what he was feeling he admitted that it was not really love. Although I agree with Pete, he thinks to much!
Will as a character is very interesting, and he tends to grow on people, not only in the book but to the reader too I think. He is very literate and smart, he can turn a situation to his advantage just with words and that is what I enjoyed the most. His relationship with Gaston is not as conventional as one could expect. I mean by that, that it is a bit a paradox that Will loves the only man in the entire buccaneer ship who don’t want that sort of relationship. However I think it is a proof that their story will be very serious because it takes time. At the same time, the sort of develop Plato’s ideal relationship, a platonic one and I think it was hinted at through the book over which they met (it was one of Plato). I think a start like this gives Will some grounding and some confidence and trust in Gaston.
I really enjoy reading this book, it has every elements of a good pirate’s story but I just thought it was a bit too much concentrated on Will and Gaston’s love life and tended to foresee the whole buccaneer experience. But as it is explain in the book the whole matelot idea is part of a buccaneer’s life.
claudiereads's review against another edition
5.0
When I saw that Raised by Wolves is one of TJ Klune’s favorite m/m romance series, I knew I had to read it. And sure enough, this is historical romance/adventure at its finest. It’s a lengthy read, and a first installment in a reeeaaally long-ass series. I like long books, but considering the genre and my sometimes not-so-great attention span, I was afraid I might get bored halfway through. WRONG! There is not one boring moment in this book.
Will (aka John Williams) and Gaston are two extremely scarred people who are still dealing with the aftermath of their past experiences. They're beautifully complicated characters, and they work so well together - they’re like two pieces of a whole, complimenting each other in many different ways. I liked that there’s no insta-love in this. The way their relationship progresses - the gradual build-up of trust and affection and the deepening intimacy - is just so freaking genuine. It’s definitely one of the highlights of this book.
This isn’t an easy read by any means. It addresses some serious issues, and is one of the angstiest and slowest burns I’ve ever read. It’s not all so dark as it may seem, though, and the plot is actually super entertaining. Will is an excellent narrator with a very interesting worldview and I loved being in his head. All the pirate shenanigans provide an excellent balance to the complex character & relationship development, and the dynamics among the Brethren are something else entirely!
Let me just say that before reading this, I had no particularly strong feelings about pirates, one way or another, but now I want to become one.
Will (aka John Williams) and Gaston are two extremely scarred people who are still dealing with the aftermath of their past experiences. They're beautifully complicated characters, and they work so well together - they’re like two pieces of a whole, complimenting each other in many different ways. I liked that there’s no insta-love in this. The way their relationship progresses - the gradual build-up of trust and affection and the deepening intimacy - is just so freaking genuine. It’s definitely one of the highlights of this book.
This isn’t an easy read by any means. It addresses some serious issues
Spoiler
such as past rape & abuse, PTSD, etcLet me just say that before reading this, I had no particularly strong feelings about pirates, one way or another, but now I want to become one.
ladyspooksjc's review
5.0
Likely to re-read. 5 stars
"Unfortunately, my years of experience since his idealized tutelage had taught me all too well that not all men are educated enough to make their own decisions, much less decisions for others."
"Unfortunately, my years of experience since his idealized tutelage had taught me all too well that not all men are educated enough to make their own decisions, much less decisions for others."
hamb0rgler36's review against another edition
2.0
The author has been perhaps a little too liberal in the usage of the word "amusing" in her writing, but oddly enough, it's the only word I can think of to describe my overall thoughts. I think we got a little slap-happy with the innuendo (It's a gay romance. We get it. MOVE ALONG.) and more than once I was completely lost as to what the Hell was happening. Still, I will say this much, there was plot enough to keep me interested. Working around the general grammatical and context errors, there was still story enough that compelled me to read from cover to cover. I am curious as to how Will and Gaston fare in the sequel, but if it's much of the same style as Brethren, I may count my losses and abandon ship, so to speak. So, two out of five stars. Not a complete bus wreck, but not something I'd be overly eager to reread. But hey, at least it isn't Twilight. ^_^
meggiemine's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
“So you feel you possess the proper mien to become a buccaneer?” Morgan asked.
“From all that I have heard, aye.”
“There are no women on the ships, and we do not offer commissions.”
“Excellent and excellent.” His gaze narrowed and I felt all eyes upon me.
“It will be interesting to hear your opinion this time next year,” he finally said.
“It is always interesting to see who Dame Fortune favors over time.”
Brethren is the first of four volumes in Raised by Wolves, a M/M, historical, romantic, adventure series about buccaneers in the 17th century. I chose to read it this month because it fits my nautical/aquatic reading theme for August. Though I was hesitant to start a new series, especially since each book is over 500 pages, I became engrossed and finished Brethren much quicker than I anticipated. Despite the intimidating length, the prose is not too dense and I found the historical setting and characters fascinating. For those who appreciate an author who does their historical research, Hoffman includes a selected bibliography of 13 books about pirates/buccaneers during this time period. 9 of the books are available to borrow either on Hoopla or archive.org (listed below) and I’m hoping to read at least one from the list this month.
One of the most prominent elements of this story is matelotage, a social practice amongst buccaneers where a man chooses another man to be his partner, or matelot (pronounced mate-low). The partnership may or may not have a sexual and/or romantic component. Will and Gaston become matelots days after their first meeting. For them, and many others, matelotage is akin to marriage. They fall in love rather quickly so the romantic aspect of their partnership is established early. The sexual aspect of their relationship is much slower to develop. Both men are dealing with past trauma which has affected them each sexually and they have to work around their triggers. Queer sexuality is explored within the book through the depiction of Will and Gaston’s matelotage and various other matelot partnerships. I appreciated that the characters’ actions, thoughts, identities, and beliefs were always portrayed as stemming from their particular backgrounds and experiences. At times I was confused, but that’s just because I was trying to shoehorn each character’s sexuality into modern categories that don’t necessarily fit neatly in this historical context.
While reading Brethren, I was frequently reminded of the Outlander book series by Diana Gabaldon and would recommend it to fans of the series (especially fans who wish Outlander was more queer). Like Outlander, Brethren is long and full of historical detail. But whereas Outlander gets into the minutiae of everyday life, Brethren gets into the minutiae of thought processes and ideas. The story is told in the 1st person perspective of Will and we see every twist and turn his thoughts take. Will is so introspective that he is teased by other characters for thinking too much. Like Outlander, Brethren features a romantic relationship at the center. Will doesn’t meet Gaston until nearly a quarter into the book, but once he’s introduced their relationship becomes a major focus. In both Outlander and Brethren, the main couple is partnered fairly early (marriage of convenience for Jamie and Claire; matelotage for Will and Gaston) and they are forced to get to know each other gradually, with lots of hurdles and challenges along the way. Gaston, like Claire, is a physician whose methods are ahead of the time (e.g., he insists on boiling their drinking water). Gaston, like Jamie, bears gruesome scars on his body from having been whipped near-to-death. I’m sure there are more similarities I’m forgetting about.
Overall, a very worthwhile read that I would recommend if you’re looking for something queer, romantic, well-researched, introspective, dark, and adventurous. I’m looking forward to following these characters as they continue to battle their demons in the next 3 books.
Notes
Series: Raised by Wolves #1
Genres: M/M Historical Romance
Setting: September 1666 to August 1667 (Stuart period) in the West Indies (mostly Jamaica)
Hero: John Williams (goes by Will among the buccaneers), Viscount of Marsdale, blond, blue eyes, age 26/27, in modern terms would likely be considered bisexual
Hero: Gaston the Ghoul, French, buccaneer, physician, dark red hair, green eyes, age 27
Point-of-View: Will in 1st person, past tense
Tropes/Themes: marriage matelotage of convenience, forced proximity, hurt/comfort, pirates, traumatic pasts, slow burn, gay for you, scarred hero
Format/Edition: Kindle ebook (borrowed from BPL via Libby)
Published: December 2007, copyright 2006
Length: 784 pages (long novel)
Read Date: August 4, 2022
Heat Index: 1.6 of 5
Spoiler
This is a slow burn. Gaston has trauma-related impotence which hinders the progression of Will & Gaston’s sexual relationship. There are a handful of on-page sex scenes between them that end in an orgasm for Will, but not Gaston—I bookmarked 4 scenes (the first at 62%) and I think I missed a couple more. Sex acts include masturbation, hand jobs, and grinding. However, the scenes are brief (< 1 page) and not detailed. There are also a few scenes where sex between secondary characters is heard or witnessed by Will and there is fairly frequent on-page discussion about sex. Overall, I’d say the sexual content in this is moderate. If, like me, you’re used to reading steamy romance, I think this will likely feel Low Heat.Further Reading
This list of books is taken from the author's bibliography at the end of the book. I have included only the titles which are available to borrow from Hoopla or Internet Archive. An introductory note from W. A. Hoffman:
The following titles do not represent the entirety of my studies; but they were the most useful, and the ones I would recommend for anyone interested in doing their own reading about the buccaneers and this period of history. To that end, they are ranked in order of usefulness to my research.
- The Buccaneers of the West Indies, Alexander O. Exquemelin, translated by Alexis Brown (Hoopla)
- The Buccaneers in the West Indies in the XVII century, Clarence Henry Haring (Internet Archive)
- History of the Buccaneers of America, James Burney (Hoopla)
- Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean, B. R. Burg (Internet Archive)
- Pirate Port: The Story of the Sunken City of Port Royal, Robert Marx (Internet Archive)
- Sugar and Slaves: The Rise of the Planter Class in the English West Indies 1624–1712, Richard Dunn (Hoopla)
- Terror of the Spanish Main: Sir Henry Morgan and His Buccaneers, Albert Marrin (Internet Archive)
- Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates, Howard Pyle (Hoopla)
- Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates, David Cordingly (Hoopla)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Death, Murder, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Dysphoria, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Confinement, Blood, Colonisation, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Rape, Biphobia, Medical content, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, War, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Vomit
swarmofbees's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
___tamara___'s review
4.0
I have no idea how to review this, but I want to give it a try because I promised myself I'll start reviewing books I loved at the same rate I review those I don't like. So here goes.
The main character (and the one whose POV we're in throughout the book) is Will, an adventurer and a mercenary. He is from a noble family, but ran away from his home in England as a teenager and did odd jobs as a mercenary across the Continent. When he had to flee Florence because he killed a noble's son in a duel, he decides to return to England. He is sent by his father to tend the family's property in Jamaica to the English town of Port Royal.
There he meets Gaston the Ghoul, a French buccaneer of some ill repute. They form a fast friendship and Will is quickly thrown into an adventure on a privateer ship set to rob the Spanish galleons. The rest of the crew assumed Will and Gaston are matelots (pairs of buccaneers committed to each other in all things - practical and romantic alike; matelotage is a marriage in all but name).
Will and Gaston are aware there's something between them and they don't try to set the record straight, and they continue to deepen their (mostly platonic) relationship.
It is my understanding that the writer did extensive research into the ways of 17th century buccaneers, and I always enjoy reading fiction with a historical setting backed by facts. I have no doubt the setting has been romanticized a bit but it doesn't seems excessive, and I have no trouble believing things were exactly as represented in the book (though I am by no means an expert).
The writing is also contemporary to the setting, which added to the general feel of reading a personal account or maybe an adventure novel written at the time.
Will is a languid narrator prone to philosophizing. I personally enjoyed his voice but I've seen some reviewers who didn't. By MM romance standards, this story moves at a glacial pace. Slowest of the slow burns. There is little to no sex and a few action packed scenes. You have been warned :D
Do not start this book if you're not in it for the long haul. This book could arguably be read as a stand-alone (I have done it the first time I read it 4 years ago), but it is not a finished story. It doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but be ready to want to read the entire series in one go.
I encourage anyone who enjoys historicals to give it a try!
The main character (and the one whose POV we're in throughout the book) is Will, an adventurer and a mercenary. He is from a noble family, but ran away from his home in England as a teenager and did odd jobs as a mercenary across the Continent. When he had to flee Florence because he killed a noble's son in a duel, he decides to return to England. He is sent by his father to tend the family's property in Jamaica to the English town of Port Royal.
"That remark, coupled with the name of the Chocolota Hole, visited upon me the realization that I may have landed in a town full of armed sodomites."
There he meets Gaston the Ghoul, a French buccaneer of some ill repute. They form a fast friendship and Will is quickly thrown into an adventure on a privateer ship set to rob the Spanish galleons. The rest of the crew assumed Will and Gaston are matelots (pairs of buccaneers committed to each other in all things - practical and romantic alike; matelotage is a marriage in all but name).
"If we fight alongside men we love, we do not fight for our lives or gold or glory or kings, but for each other. Death is less painful than watching a loved one die; and no fear is as great as being alone after the battle. And no man would appear as a coward in his lover’s eyes."
Will and Gaston are aware there's something between them and they don't try to set the record straight, and they continue to deepen their (mostly platonic) relationship.
"I may be embarrassed that others consider me to have a lover, but I am honored that it is you."
It is my understanding that the writer did extensive research into the ways of 17th century buccaneers, and I always enjoy reading fiction with a historical setting backed by facts. I have no doubt the setting has been romanticized a bit but it doesn't seems excessive, and I have no trouble believing things were exactly as represented in the book (though I am by no means an expert).
The writing is also contemporary to the setting, which added to the general feel of reading a personal account or maybe an adventure novel written at the time.
Will is a languid narrator prone to philosophizing. I personally enjoyed his voice but I've seen some reviewers who didn't. By MM romance standards, this story moves at a glacial pace. Slowest of the slow burns. There is little to no sex and a few action packed scenes. You have been warned :D
Do not start this book if you're not in it for the long haul. This book could arguably be read as a stand-alone (I have done it the first time I read it 4 years ago), but it is not a finished story. It doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but be ready to want to read the entire series in one go.
I encourage anyone who enjoys historicals to give it a try!
childofmongreldogs's review
2.0
Didn't enjoy the prose or the dialogue - the latter really unfortunate since 90% is dialogue. Will's weird obsession with classifying everyone as wolves or sheep is also just offputting and rarely seems significant. It's not really an interesting character quirk and comes off annoying to read. Kind of expected more. Won't read the second part - probably.