#false colors

[hansgutphotography]

© hans gut | 2026

[cklein-studio]

C. Klein. Le temps des vacances, holiday time. The time of excesses.

[useless-unnecessariness]

[cklein-rvb]

[1introvertedsage]

[dbaydenny]

Hypnotized eyes see

glossy colors really gray,

clutching false rainbows.

D W Eldred

[sapphicunicorn]

False Colors by Alex Beecroft (historical fiction/gay?)

1762, The Georgian Age of Sail: For his first command, John Cavendish is given a ship—the HMS Meteor—and a crew, both in need of repair and discipline. He’s determined to make a success of their first mission, and hopes the well-liked lieutenant Aelfstan Donwell will stand by his side as he leads his new crew into battle: stopping the slave trade off the coast of Algiers.

Alfie knows their mission is futile, and that their superiors back in England will use the demise of this crew as impetus for war with the Ottoman Empire. But the darker secret he keeps is his growing attraction for his commanding officer—a secret punishable by death.

With the arrival of his former captain—and lover—on the scene of the disastrous mission, Alfie is torn between the security of his past and the uncertain promise of a future with the straight-laced John.

Against a backdrop of war, intrigue, and personal betrayal, the high seas will carry these men through dangerous waters from England to Africa to the West Indies in search of a safe harbor.

John Cavendish has always been loyal to his country and captains. When he's finally given the chance to command his own ship, he happily agrees. Even though she's beaten by battle and a little rough around the edges, not to mention manned by a ragtag bundle of men, John loves his new boat. He might also feel something for his new lieutenant.

Alfie is young and full of life. He's a bit unconventional with his easy manner and sly grins. He also happens to be in love with his new captain, going so far to stalk him to get a position on the boat.

But the boat is meant to be a suicide mission. No one expects the men to return from their trip, but when they end up taking on a Spanish outpost and winning, John finds his ability to command in hot water--he wasn’t supposed to win.

And then Alfie is kidnapped and tortured in the slave pens. And then John appears to save him and nurse him back to health.

And then, and then, and then...

I'll be honest, nothing in this book made much sense. It lives up to the title of “False Colors.” While the sailing scenes were meticulously researched--and at some points when the technical terms didn't overwhelm you it was easy to enjoy life at sea--the characters had no love put into them. I didn't understand John or Alfie. They're the main characters; I'm supposed to feel something for them, but there was a total disconnect. I couldn't even gather up an ounce of sympathy when Alfie was found in the slave pens because I was trying to figure out what was happening, and then the whole thing was skipped over anyway!

For a man who was tortured and shoved into a hot box, Alfie seems to suffer no psychological side effects. Later on, when John is taken captive and tortured, it's the same story. There’s little trauma for either character for something so horrific. But John’s only concern is what Alfie had told him, that Alfie was gay and in love with him. And Alfie’s only concern at this point is that John had stormed out in a pious rage.

I mean, that's what this book boils down to. John's a God-fearing man, Alfie is gay, there are technical sailing scenes. That's it. That's the whole book! You paid for a historical gay romance and received boats!

Marketing this as a MLM romance is generous. There’s no romance. None. Maybe my brain was fried by the nautical scenes so the later half of the book was more like a fever dream? But seriously. What was this book?

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