The Holiday Cruise by Victoria Cooke (Romance, 9/10E)

Go sail away!

 September 2017, HQ Digital, 384 pages, Ebook, Review copy

Summary from Harpercollins UK 

The high seas are calling!

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 jobon 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 homeor closer to discovering who she is and who she wants to be.

Nayu's thoughts

As someone who hates large bodies of water, and hate being on any boat, it may seem strange that I'm absolutely fascinated about cruise ships. I learnt all the small details I'd been curious about, and got a few new ones I'm none the wiser about just yet. I sensed that if she hadn't been so broken Hannah might have taken the cruise job on her own steam, which is why it was so important her sister pushed her into doing it-and later in the novel pushes her to take action on something else. I loved the friendship the siblings have, Hannah had her back covered whatever she did, even when her sis (& myself) didn't approve. 

Having known people in almost exactly the same circumstance I was instantly emotionally attached to her situation, even though I didn't always agree with her choices. I liked that she made a friend in cruise veteran (sort of) Kristy straight away-Kristy is crazy, sweet but crazy in a way that happened to be good for Hannah. Hannah needed the dramatic change of pace working on a cruise provides, and she managed to mend her heart too, although not always in the best manner in my view. I like that she made good friends who helped rebuild her confidence, showed her fun and who really cared about her as a person, and will continue to do so even though their paths in life end up in different directions. 

It was fun how she enjoyed so many different destinations, although from what I'd heard about cruise staff she seemed to have an incredible amount of free time to explore the ports she stopped at. I still don't understand why officers are a law unto themselves, or why staff are forbidden from drinking in front of guests, but I love how Hannah built herself a new life on her own, being adventurous and rediscovering life after such heartache. 

It was sweet how some of the passengers became attached to her (not just Ben), it shows she is a good person, unlike her ex. I was a bit sad that she didn't spend more time in her home village, because a few of the villagers rallied round and gave those dissing her quite a dressdown, but for her sanity Hannah needed to leave it. Maybe there will be a sequel...The grade isn't for anything in particular, it just wasn't quite a top grade read, just a very good one! 

Find out more on Victoria's website.