When Natalie's dreams of becoming a violinist in an orchestra fall through once more, she finds solace in the familiar decks of a cruise ship, working as a bartender. This time, however, her journey at sea is stirred by the presence of Tara, the newlywed wife of Natalie's best friend, Akshay. Akshay's delayed arrival, held back by work commitments for two weeks, leaves Tara and Natalie to navigate the vast, open waters together.
Despite Tara straying far from Natalie's usual type, an irresistible pull draws them closer, weaving a complex web of emotions. Amidst the endless blue, Natalie battles a storm within—torn between her loyalty to Akshay and the undeniable feelings blossoming for Tara, who illuminates her life in ways she hadn't anticipated.
What do you do when your heart leans towards someone off-limits? Staying away proves difficult as they're drawn to each other with an unexplainable force. Ignoring her feelings becomes impossible for Natalie, as her heart is set on a course to bridge the distance between them, no matter how vast the ocean...
I am your friendly neighborhood Sapphic romance writer, who has a knack for writing steamy romances, that also work as comfort reads. I know, a conundrum! But once you give my books a shot, you'll know what I mean! I live in London, a few streets away from where Sherlock Holmes used to live, so... if I you find me taking too long to publish my next book, I am probably off with Mr. Holmes on an adventure.
I found the character of Natalie intriguing. Having said that, however, she was a bit of a hypocrite, wasn't she? Being extremely upset with her girlfriend for cheating on her with her roommate/friend, she goes and has an affair with her best friend's wife. A little bit of the pot calling the kettle black. Then, you have Tara. She's a big ole flirt. Teasing and enticing until she gets what she wants, and then backing off. Not cool.
Also, I think a bit of a research is needed. The route of the cruise ship has to be the most erratic and inefficient route I have ever seen. Also, knowing people who have worked on cruise ships, they don't get that much time off. I understand creative license, so that part of it I'm willing to forget.
I've read stories by this author before. The author seems to like trying to take on difficult situations. I, personally, thinks she fails. Every time I've had issues and say I'm not gonna read anything else by her. Then I forget and download another book and read it and continue to have issues. I'm obviously in the minority, however, because most of her reviews and ratings are four and five stars. I don't get it, but to each their own.
I think if the author did a bit more research on some of the subject matter, and just a wee bit more editing and proofreading, she would become an exceptional author. But until then, I think I'll pass on anymore by her.
I DNF'd this after the line "He remained her only male friend since high school who had never made an advance on her, a fact that filled her both with pride and a hint of irritation at him".
No woman has ever wanted a platonic male friend to hit on her. Acquaintance, different story, as there hasn't been a long established relationship yet. A friend? Absolutely not. Why would you *want* to implode a multi year friendship and discover the friendship was all a ruse to get in your pants? It's one of the highest forms of betrayal and it is gutting. It especially doesn't make sense for this book given she's a lesbian and he just got married.
All because of homophobic parents, Homophobia should be illegal. Its important to accept children as theu are not force them into a mold thats not them. Either to fit in some religious or cultural mold. The plot revolves around a lavender marriage between a gay man and a lesbian. It takes guys to stand up to homophobia but from parents and internalizedby cultural or religious reasons. You should be able to be who you really are. There is an HEA.
DNF, The description of the book was promising but the books didn’t live up to it. I found the main character Natalie to be a tad bit annoying, the way she talked just seemed a bit fake for me, like the way Disney channel characters talked. The story itself seemed ok but the pacing was a bit off, like it felt super fast paced, and I was a good 16% of the way through and I was super confused at times.
This is one of those crazily improbable tales that a good writer like A. Goswami can bring to life with such clarity that you can feel the passions of the main characters throughout the story.
And the ending? Less dramatic than I expected but by then most of the drama had been played through.
This book was perfectly written and there honestly couldn’t have been a better writer. This book is one of my favorites because i love the angst and the forbidden elements that’s used in this book and all of that keeps me hooked on this book. Also the passion in this book is nothing short of steamy and passionate
Natalie is a hypocrite! Part of her whole thing was she was mad that her ex-girlfriend cheated with her roommate/ friend….then she has her best friends wife cheat with her…. I liked her up until that part was explained. I felt disconnected from the story after that. Tara was a lot of fun getting to watch her character come into her own.
Loved this story. That instant attraction and connection, under impossible circumstances. I loved how magnetic the chemistry between the two MCs was . It was vivid and could be felt , I was hooked and invested in the outcome. One of the best most intense romances I've read. Fully enjoyed the writing!
When your best friend has an arranged marriage and then can't go on the honeymoon due to work, what's the worst that could happen? This is mainly set on a cruise ship - Natalie is working as a bartender - Tara is on her honeymoon alone and her husband has asked Natalie to make sure Tara is ok. How will it all work out? The answer is surprisingly well in the end!
What a sweet love story. The author developed a plot and carefully drew me into a sweet and endearing story of love and the price that many are willing to make to pay to find themselves and to be who they are and to be with who they love. Definitely worth reading this book!
Not everything that happens on a cruise stays on the cruise. These amazing people find each other and in the blending of their cultures find their forever.
This was my first book from this author and certainly not the last.
This was a really moving slow burn(first kiss is around page 270 or so), which I appreciate given the gravity of the premise. I had a wonderful time, all things considered, and will read more from thismauthor.
I’m bad at geography but I’m pretty sure the route made no sense. The first kiss scene was the most unromantic thing I’d ever read and the MC was an absolute hypocrite for being mad her ex cheated and then cheating herself
This author has the potential to be good, great even. I've read a few of their books now, and there are always great sparks of poetic prose, laden with colourful descriptions and detail.
But these are always strung together poorly, with the majority of the book just not flowing well at all. The way the characters talk to each other is not how I've heard any humans interact with each other. Ever.
And the sex scenes always seem a bit male-gaze-based. In this particular book, for example, there is a chapter where a male photographer literally directs them on how to pose for a supposedly sexy picture.
There were also a lot of typos and a frequent reference to a song the author called "Every night in my dreams", which is clearly supposed to be "My heart will go on" by Celine Dion. It doesn't bode well for the research gone into this book that this mistake is missed on multiple occasions.
Ultimately, this was an ok read, a bit overly descriptive, repetitive, and long-winded in places, a bit abrupt and disjointed in others. For example, the random dog attack and Natalie suddenly appearing out of the blue, which isn't fully explained, but conveniently leads to their 1st kiss.
I didn't like Sidney's character enough to warrant reading the next book, and I think I'm going to give this author a miss for a while.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.