Apr 27, 20237 min read

The Cruise by Catherine James. Review

Updated: Apr 30, 2023

Book Description

Three friends set sail on a luxury cruise… will they be able to catch a husband on the open seas?

Leaving behind the heartache, guilt and disappointment of their real lives, three friends decide that now they’re in their sixties, it’s time they finally did something for themselves!

Swapping Christmas turkeys and BBC reruns for crystal waters, white sandy beaches and smooth golden rum, Anne, Jane and Kath throw caution (and tradition) to the wind as they set sail on a luxury two-week Christmas cruise around the Caribbean.

Will the three friends find the comfort and joy they seek aboard the Diamond Star?

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Cruise' by Caroline James

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Caroline James, One More Chapter Publishing and Rachel's Random resources Tours.

Publication date 11th May 2023

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its unique eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being One More Chapter. I have yet to read a book published by One More Chapter that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 36 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based on a Mediterranean cruse ship 🛳

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Jane Bellwood, Anne Amberley and Kath Taylor. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

'The Cruise' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Caroline discusses domestic violence and abuse.

Wow!! Check out this absolutely laugh out loud perfect summer read!!!

This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions and stunning surroundings I was absolutely captivated throughout. The cover and the synopsis work perfectly with the storyline.

I absolutely loved this absolutely fantastic and hilarious feel good book! Caroline's evocative writing skills ensures the reader disappears into the storyline with the are and characters coming ito life all around you. She leaves you smelling the sea air, feeling the sun on your skin and leaves you with a smile on your face and feeling much lighter and happier than before you started. It is one of those books that are rammed with feel good moments, laughter fun, friendship and absolutely everything that you could ever want in an addictive must read! The storyline is realistic and down to earth and the setting is picturesque. I was absolutely sucked in from the first to the last page of this laugh out loud feel good page turner. On several occasions I had to remind myself I was actually in the house and not on a cruise myself as I was that lost in the storyline!! It is one of those books that I just could not put down and I ended up walking around with my kindle glued to my hands. Every time I thought I will just read one more chapter and then get on with some chores it ended in a way that there was no way I could leave it there so I had to read another and then the same happened until I very sadly came to the last page and its absolutely fantastic ending. I genuinely felt like I was on holidays and I was devastated when I came to the end and realised I'd have to pack my suitcase to leave the gorgeous cruise ship and return to rainy Wales after a stunning getaway. I'm hoping Caroline will turn this into a cruise series as I would love to disappear back onto the ocean with her again. I am hoping she is busy writing her next book and I'm looking forward to escaping into more of her past and future successes!!! Each and every one of the characters are strong and realistic and thanks to Caroline's evocative writing skills they all came to life, jumping of the pages and sucking me deep into their lives. Whether I loved them or hated them they all came together to make a perfect story. The festive vibe makes this a perfect Christmas read and The Cruise ship atmosphere makes it perfect to read on the beach while soaking up the sun!!

A stunning story of friendship, romance, second chances and being true to yourself. I absolutely love, love, LOVED it!!

The characters are all realistic, a mix of strong personalities, memorable and larger than life. I loved the beautiful friendships between Jane, Kath and Anne. They had completely different personalities but they compliment each other perfectly. They all decide they want to go on a cruise to celebrate them all being single in their sixties. Anne is in the middle of a divorce with her horrid husband Barry who cheated on her, Kath is a widow after her husband fell down their house steps and died and Jane is single and has extremely low self esteem. Anne is on the cruise to do some husband hunting and catches the eye of dastardly Dickie, Dick by name, Dick by nature!! Dickie is the Cruise comedian and is a slippery snake. Dickie is the only character that I could not abide!! He is one of those men who loves himself and loved to swindle and cheat the passengers however he could. However, I must admit that he did make me laugh on several occasions so really the book wouldn't have been the same without him!! I wont say any more about him as I don't want to spoil the storyline for others but I did laugh out loud when he was subjected to some comeuppance by another entertainer Melissa!!! Jane and Kath are not fans of Dickie and cannot understand how Annie didn't learn after her problems with Barry. However, Kath has a bigger problem with Dickie when he discovers her secret!! Jane absolutely hates her larger figure and has absolutely zero confidence in herself but recently widowed Selwyn is captivated by her. Selwyn comes on the cruise against the wishes of his family and the church and scatters his wifes ashes in all the areas that she would have never gone herself. I thought he was a really sweet guy and I loved watching his and Jane's friendship blossom throughout. Selwyn is a real gentleman with a heart of gold and the difference he makes in janes confidence and personality is wonderful to see. Kath seems to have the strongest personality but also the biggest secret. I loved watching her enjoying herself especially since her horrid sons want to stick her in a home and she has had to put up with her abusive husband for too many years!! There were several other characters that I also loved and are going to stay in my mind for a long time.

The Captain is an eccentric elderly man who seems to be starting to show the signs of dementia. He absolutely loves cruises and has been on it for months. I love his wide variety of tops with cruise slogans on and he made me laugh out loud several times with his cheeky personality. Bridgette loves her plants and gives the cruise passengers several talks on gardening. She has taken it upon herself to become the Captains carer and helps him to spend some time off the ship while spending a lot of time on ship with him. Harold and Nancy are husband and wife who made me giggle on several occasions. they get up to some hilarious activities and it left me bewildered that Harold brought Nancy on the cruise knowing how badly she suffers from sea sickness!!! Each of the characters that came on the cruise had completely different personalities when they left it and I absolutely LOVED IT!! All of these characters and more make this an unforgettable, stunning book that will have you putting on your sun cream, grabbing yourself a cocktail and being whisked away on a gorgeous Caribbean cruise!!! They all came to life before my eyes and I am really hoping we get to meet them all again!!!

Caroline congratulations on an absolutely fantastic novel and welcome to my top author list. Your book is a page turning laugh out loud and soul lifting success and I cannot wait to get stuck into more of your books!

Overall an absolutely gorgeous book that will whisk you off on a cruise ship and lift your heart and spirit. A page turning, addictive compelling novel that will leave you wanting more

Genres covered in this novel include Cruises, Romantic Comedy, Food & Travel Writing, Contemporary Women's Fiction, Aging Parents & Eldercare, Women's Friendship Fiction, Senior Travel, Women's Literary Fiction, Aging, Women's Contemporary Fiction, Love & Relationships, Women's Romance Fiction, Contemporary Lifestyle Fiction, Romance Novel, Travel Guides: Cruises, Contemporary Fiction, Romance Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Friendship Fiction, Literary Fiction and Domestic Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of ReaAnne Thayne, Debbie Macomber, Sarah Morgan, Milly Johnson, Jenny Colgan, Robyn Carr, Cecilia Ahern and anyone needing a gorgeous break away.

320 pages.

This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle and £8.27 in paperback via Amazon,at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Author Bio

Best-selling author of women’s fiction, Caroline James, has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that often features in her novels. She is based in the UK but escapes whenever lockdown allows. A public speaker, which has included talks and lectures on cruise ships worldwide, Caroline is also a consultant and food writer.

Caroline writes articles and runs writing workshops, is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, the Society of Women’s Writer & Journalists and the Society of Authors. In her spare time, Caroline can be found walking with Fred, her Westie and in summer, wild water swimming. In winter, when not working, she relaxes with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.