When the seas of love grow choppy, sometimes the best course is to abandon ship!Two years ago, Ryan Abernathy was too tongue-tied, too introverted, and entirely too nervous to flirt with his hot but presumably straight new roommate. So when Ryan’s sister swooped in and scooped the hottie up for herself, he accepted his fate and kept his crush a secret.Sawyer Muller never meant to find himself in … secret.
Sawyer Muller never meant to find himself in a fake relationship with his sexy roommate’s sister. And how was he supposed to know that Ryan would become his bestie and star in way too many of his dreams?
Things get complicated when Julia Abernathy strikes a deal with Sawyer to upgrade from fake boyfriend to groom, though they only need to stay married long enough for her to get her trust fund. They plan a fun cruise ship wedding with her entire family in tow. Sawyer figures it sounds like an adventure, and when they quietly divorce later, he’ll finally be free of all the fakery.
With Julia and Ryan’s homophobic, snooty family present, the pressure is turned up… especially when Sawyer finds himself jilted at the altar and drowning in a sea of blame. His only life preserver is the Abernathy sibling he can’t admit to wanting… Ryan.
This is an mm romantic comedy set in the Valentines Inc. world. Watch out for an awkward first kiss, a record-making group wedding, and sexy competitive shuffleboard. Before you board this ship, make sure you pack a fan because things are about to heat up on board this vessel!
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Amazing book like every book part of the Valentine’s Inc series! Sawyer and Ryan’s BFFs to lovers story is full of misunderstandings, fake situations, awful family and very awkward moments that finally led to a wonderful HEA. Susan Hawke is a genius converting an apparently simple love story in a page-turner, incredible narration that kept me in my seat until the very end. Funny, witty and entertaining, full of romance and hot scenes this book is one of the best in the series.
4.75 stars
Heat Level: 4
Narration: 5
Such a fantastic, funny and feel-good story!
I’ve been a fan of Susan’s for a while but this one feels different and was the perfect romantic comedy to get you out of your head and into some wonderful, funny and uniquely deceptive family drama culminating in a missed wedding, an accidental marriage and a couple of “stick it to the man” (aka their father) coming out moments! I loved it!!
You can’t help but laugh at some of the sexy time shenanigans and a unique coitus-interruptus in the form of a ‘plastic’, deck-climbing, step mum! I felt this whole story was perfectly well rounded and Susan injects the longing and laughter into the story from the beginning. I loved the MF fake-boyfriend approach that got 2 years out of hand, and almost included a real marriage from their fake relationship! Thankfully both the bride and groom were able to find their true and real happily ever afters and the events that follow will have you laughing at every turn. I absolutely loved this story and it’s definitely going to be added to my feel-good fav re-reads!
Michael is fantastic as always but I must say, he did do a unique and slightly cringe-worthy job for Valentine’s Inc.’s Love Director LOL!
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I absolutely adored Susan/Susi Hawke! Her stories are filled with such humor and joy. Abandoning Ship did not disappoint!! I loved Ryan and Sawyer so much!! There was longing and pining and awkwardness and I loved it all!!! This was a great story!
This was a nice little rom com with heart. I liked Ryan and Sawyer a lot. While Sawyer’s fake romance with Julia was a bit over the top, that is basically a requirement for a good romantic comedy. The follow-up real relationship between Ryan and Sawyer was full of heat and laughter, which is always a favorite for me. I have enjoyed each book in this series that I’ve read, and this was a great addition!
From terrible puns to inappropriate nicknames for fun appendages to extremely small speedos, the awkward yet charming interplay between Ryan and Sawyer give credence to the idea that marrying your best friend can turn into the best kind of partnership.
I really wasn’t kidding about the puns. I’m a huge fan of them, but the sheer number of them in this story, no matter their cleverness or quality, was a bit much. It was certainly a unique-ness thing for the not couple/couple though. The relationship was just as obvious as the pun choices and it was both frustrating and humorous with how they eventually got together. The shenanigans once they were on the same page is definitely a fine work of fiction. It induced snickering, eye rolling, swooning, and fanning from the amount of chemistry they had.
While I know all was forgiven in the end with Julia I can’t help but feel her forgiveness was given too easily. She really was all kinds of selfish. Though I am glad we got a few glimpses into how her chosen partner encouraged her to make amends and to see the effects of her choices.
And the family dysfunction was absolutely ridiculous. While the homophobia and judging is horrible, it was all included in a slightly softer way. By making the father an exceedingly caustic human being it lent more humor than pain to the situation. Ryan still had to acknowledge that it wasn’t a complete relief to see his father do what was predicted, so that was good, but it was still a far simpler matter because his dad was truly such an awful person.
Overall I think that’s pretty much the way you can sum up all the confrontations and unions—simple and over the top in display. It was definitely a humorous story with far less angst than the antagonists and friction could have played out so I’d definitely say this was more a light and fluffy story. The feeling at the end was one of freedom, joy, and love and that despite so many setbacks and mishaps they all proved to be happy accidents that led them to the person and the life that was always meant to be theirs.
Trouble on the love boat, plenty of laughter, bathroom accidents and wedding drama.
I am usually prone to choosing books filled with angst and this read was a very welcome change of pace. I loved the story and the characters. And the banter between them was to die for!
This one time, NOT at band camp…
When Ryan Met Sawyer…
The universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has generally been regarded as a bad move.
If you enjoyed the trip down this rabbit hole that the top line being in the book sent my brain down and you like pop culture references like the end battles of Avengers: Endgame, the Battle of Winterfell from Game of Thrones, and others… you’re going to love this book. So quit reading this review and go read the dang book already!
Secret attraction…. Roommates!
Secret attraction. Sometimes we like or admire someone but unwilling to put ourselves out there due to being scared of rejection. So we hide how we feel until it’s too late. Or do we sometimes get lucky and get a second chance to get it right?
Secretly attracted to his new roommate from the time he knocked on his door in answer to an ad, Ryan couldn’t help admiring the cute guy. But having a sister who goes through her boyfriends like changing clothes, he gave way not knowing if the new guy swings his way or not.
Fast forward to two years, unknown to Ryan, what he thought was a relationship wasn’t even close. As the truth start to unravel, Ryan finds himself facing a possibility of a second chance, should he take it?
A story full of shenanigans, hilarious moments and a chance at a great love between two people who thought that what they each felt was one-sided. A tale of the kind of friendship that will endure time and challenges. Full of funny, sweet and romantic moments, you will love Sawyer and Ryan, their sweetness and kindness to each other and the other people they interact with will make you swoon! Congratulations Ms. Susan Hawke! I love this story so much!
Abandoning Ship by Susan Hawke is the seventh book in the multi-author series Valentine’s Inc. Cruises. This is a fun, hilarious and sweet story that will make you crack up, and also saw awwwww. I love that it combines fake relationship, withsister’s boyfriend, with friends to lovers themes. Ryan and Sawyer are fantastic characters…. I love how they are together. The supporting characters are amazing as well.
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.