#Review: The Cruise by Caroline James @CarolineJames12 @0neMoreChapter_ @rararesources #blogtour #newrelease #romcom #laterlife #RespectRomFic

It’s a real pleasure today to be joining the blog tour for the latest romantic comedy from the wonderful Caroline James, The Cruise: published as an e-book by One More Chapter on 20th April, the paperback will follow (available for pre-order) on 11th May. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).

I know I’ve mentioned before (but when did that ever stop me?) that I’m a tremendous fan of Caroline’s writing. I’ve been enjoying her books since the early days, when she was one of the very few authors who wrote so entertainingly about the lives of women of a certain age – you’ll find reviews here on Being Anne of some of her early books like Coffee Tea The Caribbean & Me and Jungle Rock (links are to my reviews), but also the more recent The Best Boomerville Hotel (you’ll find my review of that one here) and its sequel, Boomerville at Ballymegille (review here – it was one of my Books of the Year in 2020).

But I think my personal favourite (so far…) might just have been her first book with One More Chapter, The Spa Break – a wonderful fun-filled story of female friendship, and of sheer bravery as each woman took the opportunities and chances they were offered, gained a different perspective on their lives, and realised what they had been missing (you’ll find my full review here – and yes, of course it was one of my 2022 Books of the Year!). Could there be any better way of spending a wet Saturday afternoon than curling up with her latest?

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?

At the Garstang Grammar School for Girls reunion, three friends in their sixties – Anne, Jane and Kath – hear about the joy of cruising, and decide it’s just the holiday they all need. Anne, a former air hostess, now single and contemplating her future after her pilot husband proved to be a philanderer, is attracted by the idea of finding a new husband – well, it certainly worked for Sylvia Double-A, she’s already found four. Kath is becoming a little forgetful – recently widowed, after a long marriage that certainly had its secrets, and fearing that her sons have their own plans for her future. And Jane, after a career behind the scenes in the world of celebrity cookery, remains resolutely single – overweight, lacking in confidence, and convinced that she’ll remain that way. And that’s how they find themselves escaping Christmas – never the easiest time for any of them – on a fortnight’s cruise to the Caribbean, with all the delights it has to offer.

This book was just the most perfect escape, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment I spent with these three lovely ladies, so enjoying their special friendship as they rediscovered themselves and their zest for life, and proved that it’s never too late to have some fun. And as well as the fantastic locations they visit – this book is a real whistle-stop tour around the Caribbean, each new destination really brought to life and quite wonderfully described – the people they meet on the Diamond Star have a lot to do with that too. There’s the lovely Selwyn who’s recently lost his wife Flo – but she really wouldn’t have enjoyed a holiday like this – and, while on his own personal mission, hopes to bring Jane out of her shell and bring some joy into her life. Anne’s choice of companion is less well-judged – Doncaster comedian Dicky, an entertainer on the cruise, ducking and weaving and with an agenda all of his own – and it seems she learned little from her time with husband Barry. And, as the story builds, it looks like he might rather prove to be Kath’s nemesis too – she has some hidden secrets that really can’t be allowed to surface.

And there’s a wider cast of characters who really made the book for me – Bridgette (who readers may just have met before… what a treat!), on board to deliver talks on gardening, and caring for the elderly and eccentric Captain, an old sea dog who props up the bar in a selection of appropriately captioned T-shirts. Yorkshire couple Harold and Nancy are great fun too – providing many of the laughs along the way. And all the book’s humour is just perfectly judged – slapstick at times, but I thought it was dialled down just a little from some of the author’s other books and that hit just the right note for me. There’s a lot of poignancy too – the author really does have the perfect emotional touch – especially with Jane’s touching story, and she was the individual who really won my heart.

The whole cruise experience is just wonderfully done – in fact, when I finished the book I spent the evening planning one of my own, with an eye on my seventieth birthday. I already know that age is no barrier to new experiences and living a little – and this book only reminded me how much fun a cruise could be. And the ladies themselves – they’re just so perfectly drawn and, at times, I identified with every one of them really strongly. Second chances and a lot of fun aren’t just for the young – and this whole book really captured that feeling. This really was the loveliest read, my favourite from the author so far, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to all – perhaps slathered in sun cream, with a cocktail in hand, reggae music playing in the background, but just as thoroughly enjoyable on a rainy afternoon in Yorkshire.

About the author

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 Novelists’ 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.

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