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Not Wanted On Voyage
Not Wanted on Voyage by Kay Harlequin Romance 1609. It was a great mistake when Doctor Tracy Redfern found herself aboard the Antarctic Star. The Atlantic Star had been going on the West Indies run, but the Antarctic Star was going whaling in the Antarctic. The Captain was hardly pleased. To put it bluntly, you represent a distraction the crew can do without, he said. the distraction was going to have bigger consequences than he foresaw!
Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
About the author
Kay Thorpe
185 books65 followersKay Thorpe was born on 1935 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK. An avid reader from the time when words on paper began to make sense, she developed a lively imagination of her own, making up stories for the entertainment of her young friends. After leaving school, she tried a variety of jobs, including dental nursing, and a spell in the Women's Royal Airforce from which she emerged knowing a whole lot more about life - if only as an observer.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 20, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up because the whaling ship setting was so unusual.
The setup: doctor heroine boards the wrong ship on a foggy night. She thinks she’s on the Atlantic Star and she’s really on the Antarctic Star. She doesn’t meet the captain (hero) until the next morning when it’s too late to turn back to England. Hero’s plan is to let her off in Cape Town, South Africa and pick up another doctor for their five months in the Antarctic hunting and processing whales.
That doesn’t work out because the hero can’t find another doctor, so he reluctantly asks the heroine to stay on. The hero doesn’t think women should be on ships and heroine looks like his fiancé who ran off with his bank account while he was at sea. So she has two strikes against her.
The romance in this story is minimal. A couple of kisses and conversations while looking at: icebergs, aurora borealis, huge waves, whale pods, etc . . This is really about the heroine adapting to an all male environment and showing her plucky, competent personality.
The H/h fall “in love” before the voyage is over and make plans for how they will accommodate the H/h’s careers once children arrive. I wish that had been an epilogue to show it actually working.
There is a side story about the third mate whose fiancé has given him an ultimatum – give up the sea or me. That isn’t really resolved, either. So the ending feels more HFN rather than HEA.
Also, the whale hunting/processing might be triggering. The author does explain how it’s done. I’m no Greenpeace activist, but it does give me pause to read about killing six whales in one day.
FYI: This is the last story in the compilation volume, Wayaway / The Way Through the Valley / Not Wanted On Voyageon Open Library. I recommend all of those stories for lovers of vintage travelogues.
The setup: doctor heroine boards the wrong ship on a foggy night. She thinks she’s on the Atlantic Star and she’s really on the Antarctic Star. She doesn’t meet the captain (hero) until the next morning when it’s too late to turn back to England. Hero’s plan is to let her off in Cape Town, South Africa and pick up another doctor for their five months in the Antarctic hunting and processing whales.
That doesn’t work out because the hero can’t find another doctor, so he reluctantly asks the heroine to stay on. The hero doesn’t think women should be on ships and heroine looks like his fiancé who ran off with his bank account while he was at sea. So she has two strikes against her.
The romance in this story is minimal. A couple of kisses and conversations while looking at: icebergs, aurora borealis, huge waves, whale pods, etc . . This is really about the heroine adapting to an all male environment and showing her plucky, competent personality.
The H/h fall “in love” before the voyage is over and make plans for how they will accommodate the H/h’s careers once children arrive. I wish that had been an epilogue to show it actually working.
There is a side story about the third mate whose fiancé has given him an ultimatum – give up the sea or me. That isn’t really resolved, either. So the ending feels more HFN rather than HEA.
Also, the whale hunting/processing might be triggering. The author does explain how it’s done. I’m no Greenpeace activist, but it does give me pause to read about killing six whales in one day.
FYI: This is the last story in the compilation volume, Wayaway / The Way Through the Valley / Not Wanted On Voyageon Open Library. I recommend all of those stories for lovers of vintage travelogues.
August 2, 2019
So, I wouldn't say this is strictly speaking a 4-star vintage romance read, but as an insight to a way of life that no longer (thankfully) exists it's pretty interesting. As other reviewers note; you could never pen a modern M&B set on a whaling boat and refer to said boat as a 'factory' so there's definitely an antiquated angle to this particular title. That said, the heroine isn't too old fashioned - she's a young qualified doctor - although the usual uncontested reference is made early on in the story to her ambitions comprising 'husband, home and children' in that order. (As an observation; having now read a number of vintage medical romances - wherever the heroine is a competent doctor or nurse - the author always makes it clear the heroine has these'home and hearth' values - as though by way of apology to the reader for featuring a female with a successful career.)
In terms of the plot-line, the title of the book sums it up succinctly - the heroine, Dr Tracey Redfern (the name sounds like a character from The Young & the Restless) is NOT WANTED ON BOARD the 'Antarctic Star'. The Captain, and hero of the piece, Leigh Garratt, does not want the delectable blonde Tracey as his Medical Officer - he's expecting a male doctor and it doesn't help that Dr. Redfern resembles his fraudulent ex-fiancee. Of course, poor Tracey is only there by virtue of boarding the wrong ship - she was meant to be on the 'Atlantic Star' heading with regular passengers and cargo for the tropics. By the time she's met the Captain however, it's too late to turn back to England and the new plan becomes to offload her in Cape Town and procure a replacement (male) doctor. Of course this isn't what happens...
The relationship between the protagonists is reasonably credible - lots of mutual antagonism - but they reconcile very abruptly in the final chapter, after the heroine makes a daring crossing in icy waters to tend to an injured young Norwegian crew member. Her pluck effectively seals it for the cool-eyed Captain who, immediately upon her return, advises;
"You've chosen the wrong time to start being afraid of me. It's too late, Tracey. I'm not going to let you go now. We belong together."
At least though, the gruff Captain does offer to give up whaling to marry the heroine. She, however, won't hear of it; "And spend the rest of your life secretly pining for all this" (presumably she's thinking of all the barrels of whale oil stashed below deck - ew!) Eventually it's settled that Dr. Tracey will spend only one further season as M.O. on the Captain's ship. Even she has to acknowledge that a whaling vessel isn't a convivial environment for the pitter-patter of little feet; "Well, alright so I might have to give it up...but...we'd have the summers together. Six whole months! That's more than most can count on."
This book certainly doesn't lack novelty factor and I'm planning on looking for more titles by Kay Thorpe (although I'm rather wondering if the hero of the next one will be in the ivory trade or something else equally unpalatable...)
In terms of the plot-line, the title of the book sums it up succinctly - the heroine, Dr Tracey Redfern (the name sounds like a character from The Young & the Restless) is NOT WANTED ON BOARD the 'Antarctic Star'. The Captain, and hero of the piece, Leigh Garratt, does not want the delectable blonde Tracey as his Medical Officer - he's expecting a male doctor and it doesn't help that Dr. Redfern resembles his fraudulent ex-fiancee. Of course, poor Tracey is only there by virtue of boarding the wrong ship - she was meant to be on the 'Atlantic Star' heading with regular passengers and cargo for the tropics. By the time she's met the Captain however, it's too late to turn back to England and the new plan becomes to offload her in Cape Town and procure a replacement (male) doctor. Of course this isn't what happens...
The relationship between the protagonists is reasonably credible - lots of mutual antagonism - but they reconcile very abruptly in the final chapter, after the heroine makes a daring crossing in icy waters to tend to an injured young Norwegian crew member. Her pluck effectively seals it for the cool-eyed Captain who, immediately upon her return, advises;
"You've chosen the wrong time to start being afraid of me. It's too late, Tracey. I'm not going to let you go now. We belong together."
At least though, the gruff Captain does offer to give up whaling to marry the heroine. She, however, won't hear of it; "And spend the rest of your life secretly pining for all this" (presumably she's thinking of all the barrels of whale oil stashed below deck - ew!) Eventually it's settled that Dr. Tracey will spend only one further season as M.O. on the Captain's ship. Even she has to acknowledge that a whaling vessel isn't a convivial environment for the pitter-patter of little feet; "Well, alright so I might have to give it up...but...we'd have the summers together. Six whole months! That's more than most can count on."
This book certainly doesn't lack novelty factor and I'm planning on looking for more titles by Kay Thorpe (although I'm rather wondering if the hero of the next one will be in the ivory trade or something else equally unpalatable...)
October 24, 2020
The best part of this is the setting, on a whaling ship in the far southern, iceberg-laden seas. Author makes us feel the cold and the tension and the hard, dangerous work. The romance was not up to par though, as we never really see why the two fall for each other beyond the obvious physical awareness that turns to attraction.
October 10, 2022
A grumpy captain and a whaling ship you say? Good stuff.
October 12, 2025
If you try to forget the pretend whales killed to make this story, it's bloody good! The heroine is one of my favourite ever. She's 25 and a doctor that no-one really wants because she's a girl in a man's world. He's a surly - once bitten twice shy - captain of the whaling vessel who falls against his will. It's told from her point of view, and she's humble and yet confident and yes, rather wonderful. The chemistry between them in subtle, but almost tangible. I absolutely loved it! One star knocked off for the sad use of the whales.
May 9, 2022
It was a great mistake when Doctor Tracy Redfern found herself aboard the Antarctic Star. The Atlantic Star had been going on the West Indies run, but the Antarctic Star was going whaling in the Antarctic. The Captain was hardly pleased. To put it bluntly, you represent a distraction the crew can do without, he said. the distraction was going to have bigger consequences than he foresaw!
Want to Read
December 20, 2007inspiring and interesting
May 25, 2013
I enjoyed this, although it is very dated - I don't think a romance written nowadays would get away with being set aboard a whaling ship, and I'm as against the hunting of whales as the next person!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews