Southern Star

by Phyllis A. Humphrey, Carolann Carmillo

Marilee Shaw's inheritance, the yacht Southern Star, is in default to the bank. To save it from the auction block, she decides to honor a Caribbean cruise planned for two couples. But with no captain available, she's forced to approach Gary Pritchard, a man she once loved but refused to marry. He agrees to skipper the cruise, but only if she comes along as crew. In addition to the danger of succumbing again to Gary's charm and good looks, she has other problems. Trying to sell the yacht, the discovery that her customers are not what they seem, and the appearance of an unexpected visitor make the excursion anything but seaworthy. Will the romantic but rocky voyage rekindle their love or scuttle it forever?

185 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2010

About the author

I was born Phyllis Ashworth in Oak Park, Il., went to Morton High in Cicero and then Northwestern. Got married and divorced a couple of times, had three great kids, then moved to California where my "real" life began.

As a child I read everything I could get my hands on and I knew then that I wanted to be a writer. But life got in the way until I reached California and settled down with my third husband...the perfect one. We lived in the Bay Area for many years, then moved to the San Diego area for a while, but now live in a beautiful community in Palm Desert.

Here I write and am active in our local performing arts club. But mostly I write. I'm a member of Romance Writers of America as well as Mystery Writers of America and have recently formed a local writer's group in my community, dedicated to helping aspiring writers to network.

My credits include eight romance novels, the latest being ROMAN HOLIDAY, which was published in print in July 2009. I have also published a mainstream novel and a memoir of my husband's aunt. A member of Romance Writers of America, one of my books was a Golden Heart finalist and my romantic suspense novel won the San Diego Book Award. I was also a finalist in the 2009 St. Martin's Press Malice Domestic "Best First Traditional Mystery" contest. And I've sold a few short stories.

My non-fiction book, Wall Street on $20 a Month, was published by John Wiley & Sons, and I have sold many articles to such magazines as MS, Thin World, Savvy, Fact, Indianapolis, Campus Life, O-T-C Review, South Bay Accent and others. I have ghost-written three books, one published in the religious field and two self-published by a businessman client. Finally, I have had two radio scripts produced by American Radio Theater. My article, "Two-Part Harmony," was published in The Writer Magazine. The article, "Critique Groups, A Writer's Best Friend," appeared in San Diego Writers Monthly.

I have been on radio and television (for my non-fiction book), have participated in book signings in stores, plus book fairs, and have been featured in national and local magazines.

Finally, I am a member of Mensa and am listed in Who's Who in American Women. Oh, I should mention that my husband and I have a total of seven children and twenty-one wonderful grandchildren. But we don't have a lot of spare time!

Reviews

[Lanelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The MC was very inconsistent. Drove me crazy. Or the author didn't keep her facts straight.

[The Project · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marilee comes back to take care of her father's yacht that he left to her. She is trying to save it from going to auction when she notices there is still a cruise scheduled on the books, for which she has to find a skipper, and fast. The one person she needs she doesn't want to go see. Gary was taught everything he knows from Marilee's father. She knows he is the best out there, but she doesn't know if her heart can take seeing him again after she turned down his proposal. Marilee has to be part of the crew in order for Gary to skipper the yacht. They start off on a 10 day cruise that leads to strange things that can mess the whole plan up, and something happens that shocks Marilee and Gary.

I enjoyed this read except for Marilee's indecision about Gary. It's like watching a tennis match, as much as she goes back and forth in her mind. Other than that, the story was good. There's a twist I did not see coming, but I had a feeling something had to happen. The characters worked well with each other and I liked how opposite Gary and Marilee were.

The writing style is really good and the authors have great potential with further books. I, for one, will be looking for more.

--Babs, The One Hundred Romances Project

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This romance novel was an easy and quick read. Although romance novels are not meant to be literary feats, I have to admit that I've read better novels written in this genre. Although there wasn't necessarily anything completely wrong with it--the writing was well done and there were a couple of moments that were funny--the story itself felt contrived. Much of it has to do with the "mystery" of the cruise passengers' actions or motives that promised readers a bit more than what was actually executed. Chemistry between the two main characters (Gary and Marilee) didn't make one swoon--it felt like an average love story. Plus, Marilee's reasons for being ambivalent toward Gary and for refusing to marry him prior to coming back to the Bahamas didn't feel like a compelling reason to make her so ambivalent about their love for one another--perhaps drawing out Gary's and Marilee's history a little bit more in the beginning might have helped make the love story a more exceptional one.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read for a snowy winter evening.

[Sherri Huntley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice story, very predictable but a quick read you will enjoy.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only appealing thing about this story was that it was in a tropical location and on the sea. Ridiculous, far-fetched, and honestly, the characters weren't even that appealing.

[Emily Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Predictable story line. A lot of foreshadowing happens. Read it free on my kindle over one flight. Quick, easy read.

[Babs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Watch for my review at 100 Romances Project