Happy Saturday book lovers!
Only 100 days left to shop for Christmas!!! Just thought that might brighten your day!😏
Excited today to be part of the blog tour and share my review for this fun book! Thank you so much to Rachel for my invitation and Victoria Cooke for this fantastic story!😍
The Holiday Cruise
As if it weren’t enough to be cheated on by her husband of ten years, Yorkshire lass Hannah Davis is losing her beauty salon business too. Luckily, her big sister is there to pick up the pieces, but Hannah is desperate to find some independence.
Impulsively, Hannah applies for a spa job…on a cruise ship! Christmas in the Caribbean, springtime in the Mediterranean, what’s not to like? But, despite being in her thirties, Hannah has never done anything on her own before, and she’s terrified.
As the ship sets sail, Hannah has never been further from home…or closer to discovering who she is and who she wants to be.
My Thoughts
Fun! Fun! Fun!
Wow! This book was quite the unexpected gem! This was a book all about discovering who you really are…. A book filled with fabulous characters, strong friendships, and a blooming romance… and the best part it was all set on a cruise ship, that took me on a virtual cruise to places I probably will never go… The entire time I kept thinking about one of my favorite childhood television shows “The Love Boat“ I kept expecting Isaac or Gopher or Doc to pop up any minute…. anybody else watch the show? It was exciting and new! Come on board they’re expecting you??? Ring any bells, anyone… anyone….
Hannah loses her husband, her business, and her home in about a weeks time… fortunately her sister is there to help her pick up the pieces, but Hannah needs to reallydiscover who she is and assert her independence for the very first time in her life… prompted by a chance encounter Hannah decides to apply to work in the spa on a cruise ship… The thought of Christmas in the Caribbean and summer in the Mediterranean sounds simply irresistible…. but after she gets the job reality and fear set in, how will she be able to survive all on her own?
I thoroughly enjoyed the depiction of life working on a cruise ship… i’d venture to guess the close quarters and the amount of time you spend with others leads to fast forming strong friendships… I loved reading about Hannah and her friends and would have loved to spend a day or two with them… also loved all the visits into all the Ports, I felt as though I got to go on a cruise from my couch…. I have been on a couple of cruises and thoroughly enjoyed them but never in the Mediterranean or the Caribbean rather the Atlantic and the Pacific….
The character growth in Hannah was so wonderful to watch and it made the second half of this book so much better…. had this book started off with a romance I think it would have detracted from a lot, especially Hannah’s character… it’s nice to see a woman rediscover herself on her own before a man enters the picture… having said that though, I would really enjoy a sequel to this book!
A wonderful story filled with fun, friendship, love, self discovery, beautiful sights, and did I mention fun? Absolutely recommend if you enjoy books that allow you to escape from reality when you pick them up….
*** many thanks to HQ Digital for my copy of this book ***
Purchase Links – mybook.to/TheHolidayCruise
Author Bio –
Victoria Cooke grew up in the city of Manchester before crossing the Pennines in pursuit of a career in education. She now lives in Huddersfield with her husband and two young daughters and when she’s not at home writing by the fire with a cup of coffee in hand, she loves working out in the gym and travelling. Victoria was first published at the tender age of eight by her classroom teacher who saw potential in a six-page story about an invisible man. Since then she’s always had a passion for reading and writing, undertaking several writers’ courses before completing her first novel, ‘The Secret to Falling in Love,’ in 2016
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaCookeAuthor/
https://twitter.com/VictoriaCooke10
https://www.instagram.com/victoriacookewriter/
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