Review: A Glorious Mess by Kennedy Sutton

Title: A Glorious Mess

Series: Silver Locket Origins: Book One

Author: Kennedy Sutton

Length: 278 Pages

Category: Historical Romance

Rating: 4 Stars

At a Glance: Despite the complications and serious implications of Mickey and Hugh’s romance, A Glorious Mess is a gorgeous book. I happily wallowed in all the turmoil Kennedy Sutton spilled out on the page.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurb: Mickey Compton’s life trends towards disaster, always. When Helena Digby offers him a place to stay in Alouett in exchange for doing odd jobs around her inn, he thinks luck might finally be on his side.

Helena’s son, Hugh, has always done what’s best for everyone and it’s worked out well for him. He’s the master’s mate on the naval brig, King’s Glory, and will soon become a sailing master in his own right.

Every time King’s Glory anchors, Hugh and Mickey find themselves drawn towards one another, something that is definitely not in Hugh’s plan. While Mickey is busy falling for Hugh, the master’s mate keeps Mickey at arm’s length. All the while, Louisa Digby, Hugh’s sister, is quickly falling in love with Mickey.

Nursing a broken heart is so much easier when there’s someone else to fill the void, so when Hugh’s ship sails once again, Mickey uses Louisa as a balm on his heartbreak. When he finds she’s in the family way, he does the only honorable thing he can think of. He marries her and takes a respectable job.

A job aboard King’s Glory with Hugh.

Hearts are fickle things and fates aren’t done with Mickey, yet. From parenthood to transformation from respectable sailor into pirate, the twists of Mickey’s life never really go as he expects, or hopes, but one thing remains true through it all… Hugh holds the keys to Mickey’s heart. Maybe someday Hugh will forgive Mickey enough to realize it.

Maybe.

If the troubles that follow Mickey throughout life don’t catch up with him first.

Review: Mickey Compton and Hugh Digby never intended to fall in love with each other. But, as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Kennedy Sutton borrows an abundance of heartache and drama from a past in which Mickey and Hugh’s love affair was as much a burden as a blessing. Oftentimes, more a hardship than happiness. A Glorious Mess is a fitting title for this lovely book.

The story takes place eight years prior to the start of the Silver Locket series and its first book, The Sneaky Lass. Mickey and Hugh’s origin story begins on dry land, secretive by necessity, and ends on the high seas. Or, rather, the To Be Continued takes place onboard the King’s Glory. How Mickey and Hugh got there is a whirlwind of mistakes, poor judgment, a broken heart, a decidedly unplanned pregnancy, and a hasty wedding that means Mickey and Hugh are now related by marriage. This book is far from their end.

There is an imbalance of emotion between the two men: Mickey wears his heart on his sleeve. Hugh is rarely so transparent. Mickey yearns. Hugh deflects. Mickey gives. Hugh takes. Mickey is left behind when Hugh ships out. When Hugh returns, he expects Mickey to be gone—as instructed. Instead, Hugh comes home to a pregnant sister and a Mickey who still desperately loves his now brother-in-law. Betraying Louisa is the hellish road they pave with their questionable intentions. It doesn’t speak well of their character, but it screams eloquently of the pain of loving someone society says is a sin. How Louisa fairs and how Mickey and Hugh’s infidelity will be met and handled remains to be seen.

Despite the complications and serious implications of Mickey and Hugh’s romance, A Glorious Mess is a gorgeous book. Mickey suffers, he pays a high price for loving Hugh Digby, and all signs point to him suffering more before the series ends. I happily wallowed in all the turmoil Kennedy Sutton spilled out on the page. There are some standout secondary characters as well, one very messy Bennett Holt in particular, who I can’t wait to see more of, to the point I’d read a spinoff series written for him.