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Worse Things Happen at Sea
Described by one reviewer as Bridget Jones meets the Navy, Worse Things Happen At Sea is a quirky lighthearted romantic comedy that will, at the very least, leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy...
Beverley Wilkins promised herself when she started working at Britannia Royal Naval College, the Royal Navy's premier officer training establishment, that she would eventually become that most envied of creatures - an officer's wife.
She might be divorced and in her mid 40s, but it doesn't mean she's given up on romance - after all, she's seen 'An Officer and a Gentleman'...
The only problem is that so far, the only man in her life is her dog Nelson who unfortunately has a mind of his own - not for nothing is he named after Britain's greatest hero.
But it's a new term which means new officers... Anything could happen...!
Praise for the Worse Things Happen At Sea:
"Eye-wateringly funny romantic comedy, it's very clever and a very easy read"
"A well written and funny insight into the life of a civilian lady in a position of authority in a Royal Naval training establishment. Nelson, her dog, has half a mind of his own, (the other half is hiding somewhere) loved by all, causes her some problems, wonderful.."
"This irreverent story is a mixture of vulnerable femininity, delinquent dog and an irrepressible sense of fun in a setting of stuffy tradition at one of the world's most famous naval training establishments. It's well-written, fun and funny."
Beverley Wilkins promised herself when she started working at Britannia Royal Naval College, the Royal Navy's premier officer training establishment, that she would eventually become that most envied of creatures - an officer's wife.
She might be divorced and in her mid 40s, but it doesn't mean she's given up on romance - after all, she's seen 'An Officer and a Gentleman'...
The only problem is that so far, the only man in her life is her dog Nelson who unfortunately has a mind of his own - not for nothing is he named after Britain's greatest hero.
But it's a new term which means new officers... Anything could happen...!
Praise for the Worse Things Happen At Sea:
"Eye-wateringly funny romantic comedy, it's very clever and a very easy read"
"A well written and funny insight into the life of a civilian lady in a position of authority in a Royal Naval training establishment. Nelson, her dog, has half a mind of his own, (the other half is hiding somewhere) loved by all, causes her some problems, wonderful.."
"This irreverent story is a mixture of vulnerable femininity, delinquent dog and an irrepressible sense of fun in a setting of stuffy tradition at one of the world's most famous naval training establishments. It's well-written, fun and funny."
242 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 5, 2012
About the author
Beverley Watts
79 books313 followersBeverley spent 8 years teaching English as a Foreign Language to International Military Students in Britannia Royal Naval College, the Royal Navy’s premier officer training establishment in the UK. She says that in the whole 8 years there was never a dull moment and many of her wonderful experiences at the College were not only memorable but were most definitely 'the stuff of fiction.' Her debut novel An Officer And A Gentleman Wanted is very loosely based on her adventures at the College.
Beverley particularly enjoys writing books that make people laugh and currently she has four series of Romantic Comedies, both contemporary and historical, as well as a humorous cosy mystery series under her belt.
She lives with her husband in an apartment overlooking the sea on the beautiful English Riviera. Between them they have 3 adult children and two gorgeous grandchildren plus 4 Romanian rescue dogs of indeterminate breed called Florence, Trixie, Lizzie and Aggie.
Until recently, they also had an adorable 'Chichon" named Dotty who was the inspiration for Dotty in The Shackleford Diaries.
You can find out more about Beverley’s books at www.beverleywatts.com
Beverley particularly enjoys writing books that make people laugh and currently she has four series of Romantic Comedies, both contemporary and historical, as well as a humorous cosy mystery series under her belt.
She lives with her husband in an apartment overlooking the sea on the beautiful English Riviera. Between them they have 3 adult children and two gorgeous grandchildren plus 4 Romanian rescue dogs of indeterminate breed called Florence, Trixie, Lizzie and Aggie.
Until recently, they also had an adorable 'Chichon" named Dotty who was the inspiration for Dotty in The Shackleford Diaries.
You can find out more about Beverley’s books at www.beverleywatts.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 9, 2014
Finding Mr Right …
I want to marry Bev … Mr Right, is over here. It’s me. Writing from first person point of view, I feel I know Bev and I like what I know. She has a great personality which is very attractive. Her use of language, her turns of phrase, descriptions—sufficient but not overly long—coupled with great wit and insights into her life, plus expressions of her feelings and desires drew me in. I was hooked.
There are many laugh-out-loud moments - Swallowing an insane urge to burst in to tears, I try to find a non-sticky bit of tissue in an effort to wipe underneath my eye without getting bits of gobbed up biscuit in it. Okay, out of context but … well you need to read the book for yourself. All in all, a very easy, enjoyable pool-side read with no extreme profanity, sex or violence: very refreshing.
I want to marry Bev … Mr Right, is over here. It’s me. Writing from first person point of view, I feel I know Bev and I like what I know. She has a great personality which is very attractive. Her use of language, her turns of phrase, descriptions—sufficient but not overly long—coupled with great wit and insights into her life, plus expressions of her feelings and desires drew me in. I was hooked.
There are many laugh-out-loud moments - Swallowing an insane urge to burst in to tears, I try to find a non-sticky bit of tissue in an effort to wipe underneath my eye without getting bits of gobbed up biscuit in it. Okay, out of context but … well you need to read the book for yourself. All in all, a very easy, enjoyable pool-side read with no extreme profanity, sex or violence: very refreshing.
August 26, 2025
I so love this author’s humor
It’s a quirky tale of a mid 40s professional women of the world. She’s accident prone because of her mis behaving dog Nelson. She’s the star of the book as she tries to romance an officer in the RN 10 years younger than her. She volunteers for physical activities that she is not qualified for and deals with middle eastern teens entering the academy’s language school and their antics. There are many funny scenes as you progress through the book. I believe this is her first book and you can see where she cultivated her other characters from. I highly recommend reading All this authors books in order. I haven’t laughed this much!
It’s a quirky tale of a mid 40s professional women of the world. She’s accident prone because of her mis behaving dog Nelson. She’s the star of the book as she tries to romance an officer in the RN 10 years younger than her. She volunteers for physical activities that she is not qualified for and deals with middle eastern teens entering the academy’s language school and their antics. There are many funny scenes as you progress through the book. I believe this is her first book and you can see where she cultivated her other characters from. I highly recommend reading All this authors books in order. I haven’t laughed this much!
February 9, 2024
Hilarious Diary
Move over Bridget Jones, there’s a new diary detailing the professional and romantic exploits of a Professional Woman of the World. The descriptions of life in the naval training college are rich in detail and provide the perfect backdrop to the story of our heroine’s quest for love.
Move over Bridget Jones, there’s a new diary detailing the professional and romantic exploits of a Professional Woman of the World. The descriptions of life in the naval training college are rich in detail and provide the perfect backdrop to the story of our heroine’s quest for love.
February 11, 2025
So funny
Absolutely !ove this story. I appreciated the way it made me feel !one I was standing beside her as she get bravely represented herself in a sea (pun intended) of men. Beverly and her farty dog make quite the hysterically funny team. I needed the laugh and this really hit the mark. Thank you.
Absolutely !ove this story. I appreciated the way it made me feel !one I was standing beside her as she get bravely represented herself in a sea (pun intended) of men. Beverly and her farty dog make quite the hysterically funny team. I needed the laugh and this really hit the mark. Thank you.
February 1, 2024
I bought it so i carried on reading. The trouble, i think, is because I read the Victory books first. I didn't like the time and date and how long she waited for the ferry. Didn't really seem to have that much story to it. Seemed to be drinking an awful lot well over the average.
June 27, 2024
Love all your books !!!!need more please
I absolutely loved all your. Books !!! Funny and each is so.interesting with little mystery!!! Please finish Some more of the children from the daughters and Anthony !!!! As well as the admiral I laughed so much !!
I absolutely loved all your. Books !!! Funny and each is so.interesting with little mystery!!! Please finish Some more of the children from the daughters and Anthony !!!! As well as the admiral I laughed so much !!
October 3, 2024
I love Beverly Watts books, but his one was a bit of a letdown. Granted it was based off of her experiences working for the Royal Navy, but it just didn't keep my interest. There was more writing about her getting drunk than anything else.
February 5, 2024
One star, enough said!
October 27, 2024
Had a hard time staying in touch with this. Did not hold my attention
May 4, 2025
Surprise!
This was a totally different style from the Shackelford Sisters but yet I thought the same sense of humor was evident. It was an entertaining read. I enjoyed it!
This was a totally different style from the Shackelford Sisters but yet I thought the same sense of humor was evident. It was an entertaining read. I enjoyed it!
May 29, 2025
The Sign!
An Officer and a Gentleman Wanted will have you cackling , snorting and wishing the book had a longer epilogue. Not my favorite Beverley Watts but a decent read.
An Officer and a Gentleman Wanted will have you cackling , snorting and wishing the book had a longer epilogue. Not my favorite Beverley Watts but a decent read.
December 4, 2025
Laughter!
Love this author. Stories are great but the humour made me laugh out loud all the time. Have read them all now and have to wait for next in the series. Can 't wait!
Love this author. Stories are great but the humour made me laugh out loud all the time. Have read them all now and have to wait for next in the series. Can 't wait!
January 20, 2014
This book was okay, but I would have liked it more had Bev (the main character) been more likeable. I realize that this was supposed to be a humorous book, but Bev's alcoholism and insecurity weren't really humorous. She was so busy worrying about her weight and whether every little thing was a "sign", that I just couldn't like her. And we're halfway through the book before she says one thing about Rob liking her for who she really is, rather than who she pretends to be. She says, "There is only one way to find out," but as far as I could tell, she never did bother to find out. She didn't change any of her behavior, and continued to hide her true self from him.
It wasn't horrible, and I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it, I just prefer a more likeable heroine - not perfect, but someone I could stand to be friends with. Also, a little proofreading wouldn't go amiss.
It wasn't horrible, and I don't feel like I wasted my time reading it, I just prefer a more likeable heroine - not perfect, but someone I could stand to be friends with. Also, a little proofreading wouldn't go amiss.
December 15, 2014
Hang in There
Finishing a book once started is the very least a reader should do, after all something prompted us to begin the read and something inspired the author to complete the work. In this case, the cover and genre, nautical and humorous, respectively drew my attention. I was expecting a light hearted tale of life onboard a cruise ship. It was not. And the preceding sentence aptly described my feeling about its comedic content; until precisely the midpoint of the read when our protagonist steps out of her comfort zone into several hilarious adventures. When a reader's spontaneous, out loud laughter disturbs others it is 'a sign' something funny is going down. Hang in there until the second half of the book, I'm happy I did. My three star rating reflects my view on the entire book, but with respect to the latter half five stars.
Finishing a book once started is the very least a reader should do, after all something prompted us to begin the read and something inspired the author to complete the work. In this case, the cover and genre, nautical and humorous, respectively drew my attention. I was expecting a light hearted tale of life onboard a cruise ship. It was not. And the preceding sentence aptly described my feeling about its comedic content; until precisely the midpoint of the read when our protagonist steps out of her comfort zone into several hilarious adventures. When a reader's spontaneous, out loud laughter disturbs others it is 'a sign' something funny is going down. Hang in there until the second half of the book, I'm happy I did. My three star rating reflects my view on the entire book, but with respect to the latter half five stars.
November 24, 2013
Beverley Watts has written a first person narrative in almost diary format of a woman hoping to meet her second husband while teaching English to foreign nationals (mostly from Middle Eastern oil countries) at the British Royal Naval College. Having lived in the Middle East with five and a half years in Saudi Arabia I found her portrayal of some of the students and her trip to Saudi Arabia of interest. This book gave an interesting insight into what work as a civilian at the BRNC would be like. For me the book was a bit dry but it might be that I need more of a British humor gene to fully appreciate this book.
September 20, 2016
Too funny. The diary of a woman who is the head instructor for the English Language Department at the British Royal Naval Academy. Her primary duty is to facilitate instruction of English language to members of foreign navies so that they can interact with their British counterparts for naval training. Fourteen weeks to find out if they know any English and why the students have to remain on campus when they misbehave!!!
May 6, 2014
Loved Beverley Wilkins personality. Loved learning about the Royal Naval College. Suck a fun book about a gorgeous over forty professional woman and the very unusual environment in which she works, loved e romance and look forward to Ms. watts next book. Definitely different from my normal read.
May 18, 2014
This took me a whole month to slog through this book. Writing stilted, characters not well developed and the two main characters took too long to get to know each other. Seriously? Why wait til the end of the book to develop a romance?
December 29, 2013
I truly enjoyed this book! It was witty, whimsical and the main character was someone I could entirely relate to! I truly hope there will be more installments to this story!
January 16, 2014
Only got to 15% but just couldn't get MY head in to this style of writing.
May 17, 2014
cute light read, good antidote for work stress
March 3, 2016
Funny
This book has plenty of humor. Very well written romance. Nice change of pace that it's not a college age romance
This book has plenty of humor. Very well written romance. Nice change of pace that it's not a college age romance
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews