Tainted Love Valentine Cruise

Cruise Ship Cozy Mystery #13

by Addison Moore

It’s Valentine’s Day aboard the Emerald Queen of the Seas! A swinger’s convention meets a conservative marriage retreat, and love isn’t the only thing in the air. Some couples swap more than Valentine’s cards—and when a relationship expert takes a fatal dive into the chocolate fountain, someone’s swapping murder for romance.
Trixie and the gang are exploring the British Isles and France—and so is a killer.Join the fun as they enjoy excursions to Stonehenge, Blarney Castle, and beautiful Paris!
Cosmopolitan Magazine calls Addison’s books, "...easy, frothy fun!"A laugh out loud Cozy Mystery by New York Times, USA TODAY, & Wall Street Journal bestseller Addison Moore. A cruise ship cozy mystery!Includes RECIPE!
Book

Nothing says romantic getaway quite like stumbling over a dead body.

My name is Trixie Troublefield Baxter, and I’m setting sail on my much-anticipated Valentine’s cruise with my devastatingly handsome husband Ransom. All I wanted was ten days of champagne, chocolate fountains, and zero corpses. But when a relationship therapist takes a fatal dive into the chocolate fountain on our very first night, my romantic escape turns into homicide investigation faster than you can say till death do us part.

The Emerald Queen of the Seas is hosting two very different groups—traditional marriage counselors preaching monogamy, and progressive lifestyle enthusiastswho believe sharing is caring—especially when it comes to spouses. When these opposing philosophies collide over canapés and champagne, someone decides murder is the ultimate relationship advice.

With my octogenarian sidekicks Bess and Nettie causing international incidents at every port, a ghostly widower offering cryptic clues, and enough romantic drama to sink the ship, I’ve got my hands full. Between dodging swingers, solving murders, and trying to keep my friends from being banned from World Heritage Sites, this Valentine’s cruise is turning into anything but a love boat.

The stakes have never been higher, the suspects never steamier, and if I don’t solve this case before we dock, happily ever after might turn into till death do us part for someone else on board.

Because when love is in the air and inhibitions are checked at the cabin door, murder isn’t the only thing that gets messy.

Midlife on the high seas is proving to be murder.

Genres: Cozy Mystery

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 8, 2026

About the author

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Addison Moore is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of cozy mysteries and romance. Her new book MIDLIFE IN GLIMMERSPELL is NOW available! Read today!
Cosmopolitan Magazine calls Addison's books, "...easy, frothy fun!"
Humor with a side of homicide.


FREE with Kindle Unlimited! Amazon-->https://amzn.to/3AnyVhs Hibiscus Homicide Cruise is here! An impending divorce. An ornery homicide detective. The cruise of a lifetime. And ghosts. Midlife on the high seas is proving to be a real killer.
#Cozymystery #Kindleunlimited #mystery #PWF

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up.
What should be a luxurious and romantic Valentine’s Day excursion becomes a clash between traditional and progressive theories of marriage. The bitter rivalry between therapists Claudette and Lavender, rooted in betrayal, infidelity, and opposing beliefs, kicks off the trip with a bang. Traditional values in Claudette’s Marriage Renewal retreat versus Lavender’s polyamorous Crimson Key swinger’s party equals one big headache for the ship’s crew. Especially when Lavender drops dead at the welcome party. Did Claudette kill her rival to protect her marriage, or is something more nefarious at play?Will Trixie and Ransom open up their marriage after attending a Crimson Key event? Wes seems more than willing to accommodate Trixie’s every need. Meanwhile, Bess has her head turned by a suave silver fox. Will she breakup the three musketeers to live on a Montana ranch? And will Nettie’s antics at Stonehenge get them banned from another historical site?

While still a fun cozy with all the shenanigans one expects from Addison Moore, I found this one to be a bit lackluster. Primarily, there was a lot of repetitious text, especially in the use of descriptions that felt lazy compared to Ms. Moore’s usual prose, ie: “the scent of x mingles with y and whatever z has been slathered on”. Also, Trixie again puts herself in a perilous position when she knowingly confronts the murder without backup, especially as her ghostly guide is mostly ineffectual. I did like the ghost’s infatuation with Nettie as well as Nettie’s response to him. Particularly satisfying was Ransom’s treatment of Bess’s beau when the truth was revealed, and Tinsley falling for the zen guru with questionable ethics was amusing. As a prolific writer with multiple series that I enjoy, I hope that this was just a one-off for Ms. Moore.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mandy]

Trixie and the gang welcome aboard the Emerald Queen two very different groups for this cruise – Swingers and the Ultra Conservatives. It’s Trixie and Ransom’s first Valentine’s as a married couple and they are looking forward to the Valentines Day cruise. A fight broke out between the two groups before the ship even set sail, and of course it wouldn’t be a cruise without someone ending up dead with multiple suspects aboard. Bess spends a lot of time with a man named Rex, who also ends up on the suspect list. Trixie and Nettie question his intentions, but Bess is oblivious. Nettie becomes enamored with the ghost Richard who has come back to represent the victim. Richard has some skeletons in his own closet that complicates things just a little bit in trying to solve the murder. Can Trixie find out who murdered the victim, keep Bess from possibly getting her heart broken, keep Nettie out of trouble, and enjoy her first Valentine’s with Ransom without putting herself in harm’s way? Well, you will just have to read the story, and I promise it won’t disappoint. You will laugh throughout the book at the shenanigans that take place among the Emerald Queen of the Seas.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tainted Love Valentines Cruise is thirteenth book in the Cruising Through Midlife series. This book is part of a series but it can easily be read as a standalone without the feeling of missing what happened before. Trixie and Ransom are celebrating their first valentine together and they are looking forward to the day of love. But this cruise was bound to be crazy from the booking. There are two groups that are looking for love. Just from opposite view points. The ultra swingers and the swingers. The heads of these groups can’t see eye to eye and fireworks start before the cruise takes off. When the leader of one of the groups is poisoned and falls into a chocolate fountain Trixie finds herself in the middle of a new case, besides watching over Nettie at every port and trying to protect Bess from heart ache. With all this will Trixie have time to celebrate with Ransom ? Will she be able to solve the murder without finding herself in harms way? This books is full of love, mystery and shenanigans.

[JulieAnn Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tainted Love is a fun cozy mystery that takes place on a cruise ship—an interesting location and one I’ve haven’t seen before in the genre. Nor have I ever read a cozy with so many yummy descriptions of fancy food! The excursions were especially fun to experience as well. Trixie’s friends are warm, funny, and engaging characters, and their day-to-day interactions often left me smiling.

While I enjoyed much of the story’s forward momentum, there was a fair amount of time spent on moments that didn’t always move the plot along. While atmosphere is something I usually enjoy in a cozy mystery, sometimes it made it a little more difficult to stay engaged.

Overall though, it was an enjoyable and relaxing read!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a Valentine's Cruise to famous European Cities and Historical sites on the Emerald Queen. The ship is full of fascinating people and interesting travel groups. Everything seems to be going well until there is a very unfortunate death. Trixie begins a search to find out why and how the death occurred. She, as well as her husband Ransom, along with their group of friends discovers that a couple of the groups on board are not what they seem. What seemed to be interesting groups dealing with love and relationships are actually not what they seem. At least one of them is a group of swingers! What ensues, in addition to visiting fabulous places, is to find out the truth about the death before the cruise ends and all the suspects disembark.
I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I did while you're trying to figure out just "who did it".

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

'It’s Valentine’s Day aboard the Emerald Queen of the Seas! A swingers’ convention meets a conservative marriage retreat, and love isn’t the only thing in the air. Some couples swap more than Valentine’s cards—and when a relationship expert takes a fatal dive into the chocolate fountain, someone’s swapping murder for romance.'

The characters continue to fascinate and are as quirky and funny as ever. Plot was intriguing and well paced. World building continues to excel and impress. All in all a great addition to the series. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

Grab a copy, kick back and enjoy!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's nothing better than living full time on a cruise ship and that's just what Trixie, Less and Hattie are doing. Of course, Trixie is married to Ransom, head of ship security. It seems that even a Valentine's cruise is not immune from murder and Trixie just can't stay out of the investigation! Amid the overload of all things Valentine related, can Trixie find the killer before the cruise is over and the killer walks off the ship free as a bird? This book is full of quirky characters and hilarious antics especially from octogenarians Bess and Hattie! You'll never look at Valentine's Day the same again! Absolutely wonderful read!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hilarious! I love this series. It is so much fun and the characters are just wild. I mean, obviously, who would not like to hand out with Bess and Nettie - the craziest of the crazy. I really enjoy the side bars about the areas they are visiting - like this time includes Stonehenge - which is on my bucket list! and then off to Paris. Of course, there's a murder so Trixie gets involved again. Overall, an extremely fun read with hilarious characters and situations they get in. So much fun in one book!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trixie, Ransom, and the gang are back in book thirteen of the Cruising Through Midlife series, and this time it's a Valentine's Day cruise. In this book we get a conservative marriage retreat and a swingers' convention at the same time, and the fun begins. When death comes to the cruise ship, Trixie goes into investigative mode, and things take some crazy turns. Tainted Love Valentine Cruise is a great murder mystery and a wonderful addition to the series. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what the author has in store for Trixie. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

[Margery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cruise filled with two groups. Swingers and ultra conservatives. Before they even get aboard there was a huge fight between them on the gang plank. The captain has to step in to break them apart to avoid blows between the groups. The swingers are trying to convert people into their group and the traditionists are raising havoc in protest. The leader of one of the groups is poisoned and falls into a chocolate fountain. Now we all know that is one of our sleuthing team's favorite flavor. Who killed their leader? This was one interesting cruise placed in our cruise ships clan's laps.

[Sandy T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable murder mystery staring Trixie, a lady who sees and talks to ghosts. Set on a luxury cruise ship there are lots of scenes of people eating fancy food described in detail so be prepared to want to eat something, especially a sweet treat while reading.
The book is lighthearted with several quirky main characters, some romance, a murderer loose on the ship and several viable suspects for the reader to consider.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tainted Love Valentine Cruise is book #13 in the Cruising Through Midlife: Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries series by Addison Moore.

It’s a Valentine’s cruise on the Emerald Queen of the Seas. What could go wrong? When you get two very different groups on board, anything can happen. Chaos ensues. There is a murder with many suspects. Trixie has her hands full with her friends and the investigation in this entertaining story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lizz Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trixie has married the man of her dreams and has a career she loves. Everything is great until a strange accident happens to a guest on the ship. Trixie goes into sleuth mode to find answers to the suspicious death. Bess and Nettie were their usual crazy selves, adding humour to the story. This was a fun, quick read.

Trigger warning: some chocolate was harmed on the ship. (Bess and Nettie told me to make sure people knew that)

[Stacie Bucholtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valentine’s Day themed cruise one would think love would be in the air. Unfortunately, love was not the only thing on the agenda as death crept in. It was a swinging time with relationship experts having seminars sharing their take on love. Everyone’s involved on this cruise with Nettie, Bess, Eloise, and even Tinsley finding romance. Can Trixie unravel the clues to find a killer, or will the killer walk free?

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cruise chaos!

This Valentine's cruise comes equipped with dueling relationship gurus, exquisite dining, ghosts, and a corpse that rivals Nettie's talent for chocolate fountain destruction.

OMG! At some point, Nettie will be banned from every tourist destination! Love the yummy recipe included at the end. I received an advance copy, but my review is honest and voluntary.

[LizJ. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tainted Love Valentine Cruise Book 13 of Cruising Through Midlife: Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries by Addison Moore is another fun cozy mystery. It's a well-written story with crazy lovable characters, I'm loving this series!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ilene G> · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story in a good series.

Valentines Day , a singer's group, and a murder make Trixie's next cruise interesting. I like the surprises in the plot. I give this 4 stars because of the scene with an ancient tourist attraction. What was done there was not funny to me. Wish I could have eaten the delicious Valentines goodies in the book. I like this series.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great read, and a fantastic addition to the Cruising Through Midlife series. I love the characters, the stories they tell, and the antics they get up to. I had a great time spending a few hours with them on their adventure, and I look forward to more in the future.

Well done to the author.

[Kandiemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 13 of Cruising Through Midlife: Cruise Ship Cozy Mysteries series is a fun and entertaining read. I love this series and enjoy every time I get the chance to read them. I hope Addison Moore continues writing these wonderful masterpieces. Highly recommend reading.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Phthon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mystery was more convoluted than a Celtic Knot Mobius Strip. What do you expect from a group of swingers? It does make for a difficult case to solve! I quite enjoyed the drama with Bess and Rex. Candy’s reveal made this book! That was Karma. This book was fun to read!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your descriptions of the ship's destinations let you visualize the places. Love reading about all the different places the ship visits.

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

High seas Valentines style but is it cause to smile awhile . Tainted love might be a Soft Cell record but I don’t think this is above board nor what the title means . Is this by nefarious? Well I’d hasten a guess as to yes. No contest . What have they got up to now? The cats miaow you can guess ,they’re not impressed . Great writing and as inviting as ever by Addison Moore who’s weaving of the clues is very clever.