Beyond the Sea was not an easy book to read or review. At times it was sort of interesting, and at other times it dragged. Its setting was unique, but it was also depressing. I give the author big points for trying something different, but in the end the slow plot and depressing nature of the book made it a difficult read.

When Abigail Palmer’s father died, she was left almost penniless. He had been the owner of several whaling ships, but he lost all his money speculating in textiles. Abby is left with only one possession of real value – the whaling vessel Aquinnah. The ship has always been in Abby’s name, but during its maiden voyage three sailors onboard perished. Tainted by bad luck, the ship has been docked ever since. Then Captain Nathaniel Howland shows up on Abby’s doorstep with a proposition: he wants to fix up the Aquninnah and become Abby’s partner.

Nat has had some bad luck himself. He has a drinking problem, and during one of his bouts of drunkeness he lost his ship in the arctic. His reputation was damaged and no one has hired him since. Abby offers to hire him as skipper of the Aquinnah, but only if she can come aboard for the voyage. At first he refuses, but as he’s about to leave Abby’s home, he overhears another man threatening her. The man is Jared Swift, who was Abby’s childhood friend and Nat’s first mate. Nat doesn’t trust Jared, so he reconsiders and tells Abby they have a deal – she can come aboard.

The rest of the book takes place onboard the whaling ship as it sails on its long voyage of about three years. Abby and Nat start out bickering, and there are a few power struggles between them as the ship makes its way toward the hunting grounds. Before long, however, their attraction grows. Nat is quick to realize he is in love with Abby, but Abby isn’t really sure how she feels about Nat. She wants to spend time with him, but she has a deep-seated fear of intimacy. Meanwhile, Jared Swift is also along on the whaling circuit. They bump into him at several of their ports of call, and his actions become increasingly threatening. Jared’s threats eventually drive Abby into Nat’s arms, and they decide to marry. But even after their marriage they seem unable to trust each other. Meanwhile, they are on a treacherous voyage, and their marriage hasn’t made Jared any less threatening. Can their problems be resolved?

Well, yes, they can – but it takes the whole book. Every book needs conflict, but this one had just a little too much for me. When the hero and heroine are still deciding whether they can trust each other in the last chapter, you know the romance has gotten lost somewhere. They do decide to trust each other at the end, but additional unpleasant circumstances make the ending a melancholy one. If an HEA ending isn’t crucial for you, you may not mind. But be warned: the ending’s a downer.

That wasn’t the only problem. The book was slow from start to finish. It took me forever to get into it, and just when it was finally interesting for a few pages the characters lapsed into their “I don’t trust you” routine.

The setting was interesting and different. It was certainly the only whaling romance I had ever read, and actually the only whaling book I’d ever read with the exception of Moby Dick. The author’s whaling research was painstaking, and it provided plenty of detail. She even managed to maintain a dialogue about the ethics of whaling. Nat had a very nineteenth century attitude, believing whales were there for the taking, so why not kill them? Abby had more of a modern attitude, worrying about the whales dying out and the pain they might be feeling. The problem is that most readers are almost sure to have the modern attitude. I know I did; every time a whale got harpooned I just felt sick inside. Fortunately, the hero didn’t club baby harp seals on the side, because I don’t know if I could have taken that.

And while the author poured her heart into her whale research, she made a few jarring mistakes with the rest of the history. Nat referred to his “libido” about twenty years before the term was coined, and Abby repeatedly mentioned her desire to settle in Oregon Territory. Oregon had been a state for eleven years.

Patient readers who don’t mind a melancholy tone and a slow pace might like this more than I did, but it’s doubtful. Even if you crave unique settings and can stomach the harpooning scenes, the trust issue will still get in the way.