Jonathan Bracelyn pours his soul into saving the world, and he’s still nowhere near cancelling out the sins of dear ol’ dad. But when a medical crisis prompts Jon to toss his sister the ultimate lifeline, he’s forced to hang up his captain’s hat and hit pause on the one thing that makes him…well, him. At least he has Blanka Pavlo’s heart-flooding smile to buoy his spirits. A brilliant scientist, … brilliant scientist, she knows things can’t last with the do-gooder Bracelyn brother. Not even if he kisses like a dream and boasts biceps as hefty as his heart. Blanka’s learned the hard way how lonely life is in the shadow of a saint, so she’s giving the hottie hero a wide berth.
Except Jonathan sucks at self-care, so maybe she’ll lend a hand (and other tingly parts) to help him out. Soon, they’re bonding over awkward bubble baths and a disturbingly homely cat, while struggling to remember it’s all temporary. But the harder they brace for goodbye, the louder their hearts declare they’re already in too deep.
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Excellent writing. The picnic is hilarious. The balloon sex is very well written. The mom’s are an interesting study. It is nicely wrapped up with a bit of a tease of stories about others in the group in future books.
Loved this story! Entertaining story with wonderful characters.
The latest in the Ponderosa Resort series is great, funny, heartwarming and heartwrenching all within a few pages. This is just a feel good read!!!! I enjoyed reading a main character with a passion for charity work. The compassion both Jonathan and Blanka have for their family and complete strangers is awesome. It’s not often a romance novel touches on kidney transplants, dementia and volunteering all in one sitting. Tawna Fenske was able to do so here amazingly well! This author is becoming an automatic buy for me!
Nice theme about the importance of family runs through the story. I liked how eventually Jon and Blanka compromised to ensure they could stay together but still have the link to helping those less fortunate.
Another charming, sexy read in this fun series. Lovely to reconnect with characters from previous stories and challenging relationship, family and health issues were addressed with compassion.
Hilarious as always and delivering a much needed laugh on a lousy day. Fenske always delivers on humor with heart and plenty of heat. Two thumbs up!
Love this entire series of books, which are comical & fun to read.
Jonathan is a good guy, unlike his biological father…Blanka is an amazing woman who refuses to be like her Mom, after all, no woman should give up their dreams and passion for their man. Together they are a beautiful loving couple.
Tawna Fenske brings another fabulous story of the Bracelyn family to life.
Favorite Quotes:
When he got his tonsils out at ten, he came to and immediately looked between his legs… The neighbor’s dog got neutered the week before… Jon was confused about what sort of surgery he’d had. The more we tried to explain it, the more agitated he got, until we finally let him go ahead and inspect things.
She points to the screen. “That’s the next one. The next time you’re nude, take a moment to stand naked before the mirror and repeat the following—‘ I’m a beautiful sunflower, fragile and proud, mighty and soft.’” She looks at me and snorts. “I would pay one million dollars to see you do that.”
When Chuck takes Wendy’s hand as we pass from the south hall to the north lab, she smiles at him like he invented dark chocolate.
“It’s my birthday,” Archie announces proudly. “Eighty-five.”… Archie just beams and takes a bite out of his drumstick. “No one’s spanked me yet.”
We wait in silence for more kittens to appear, or for Jessica’s head to spin around. It’s the first time I’ve witnessed feline birth, and it’s not unlike an exorcism. But also magical.
I’d never say that to the girls, but Jon was beautiful the instant he came out. The others took a few days to stop looking like rashy coneheads…
“How do mothers know the exact right thing to say?” “It’s in the manual,” she says. “They hand it to you in the delivery room, along with a fifth of vodka and a pair of earplugs.”
My Review:
Tawna Fenske’s clever rom/coms are a guaranteed giggle-snort. I relish her keen wit and amusingly observant insights and inner musings as much as her well-drawn and charismatic characters. Her engaging stories are always smirk-worthy with irreverent humor and comical antics deftly penned along with the thoughtful insertions of real-world issues and cunning incorporations of unique family drama, personal insecurities, and emotional vulnerabilities.
Her characters tend to highly appealing, multifaceted, and exceptionally bright as was the case with the main characters featured in this installment. Blanka was beautiful as well as brilliant with a head full of random facts, which she spouted uncontrollably when anxious. I adored her. Jon was not just a good guy – he was the superhero model of good guys. He was gentle and kind, gave generously from his wallet, and his entire career and much of his free time was spent in exceedingly admirable, selfless, and meaningful service and duty to the less fortunate and a mind toward the greater good. Blanka was all too familiar with these tendencies as her father was of the same mentality, although to the far extreme and to the detriment of his family life, something Blanka had no interest in repeating. I enjoyed their blossoming romance and laughed aloud through their impromptu picnic with the ribald and saucy octogenarian Archie and his mortified relatives.
A delightful addition to the Ponderosa Resort series by Tawna Fenske. Jonathan Bracelyn is the spitting image of his philandering father. He has dedicated his life to helping others,like his stepfather, to atone for his biological father’s sins. Blanka Pablo is a Ukrainian research scientist whose father is the ultimate philanthropist who ignores his own family in order to help others. Both of these characters have serious daddy issues that loom large over their budding relationship. This is a cute, funny romance that has a minimal amount of angst before you get to your happily ever after.
Quirky, sweet, sexy fun…
As usual, coming back to the Ponderosa had me laughing and smiling a lot. The Bracelyn family has always faced their challenges head on. Brought together for a family wedding, Jonathan and Blanka met and bonded in extraordinary circumstances yet their true spirit shined through.
Blanka was nerdy smart, nervously letting her geek shine through. Jonathan soaked it up, loving her brain and everything else about her. Their chemistry was everything, full of heat, snappy dialogue and soul-searching moments. For all the light-heartedness they shared, they also understood family and expectations, real or imagined, that came with it. Struggling to find their own unique way, they looked to each other for support and always found it…
This story was just what I needed, tugging at my funny bone and my heart… I can’t wait for more from this loving and hilarious family!
*I happily reviewed this story
Another fun book!
This is the story about Jonathan Bracelyn and Blanka Pavlo. At Bree’s wedding, Blanka recognizes that the newest Bracelyn sibling Isabelle, is struggling and trying not to be a bother to anyone. When Jon comes by to see what’s happening, it becomes clear Izzy needs to go to a hospital. There, it’s found that she needs a kidney transplant, pronto! Jon is used to being the man who spends his life in the service of saving others and he is ready to step up and help his new sister. Thankfully, he’s a match and the transplant is done. Blanka is there when he wakes, but as he’s still out-of-it from the anaesthetic, he thinks they’re happily married, have 2 kids, grows prize winning zinnias and they have a fabulous sex life. He shares all this with the nurse while his mother is in the room! Although Blanka is a trac to Jon, she is not looking for a relationship nor marriage especially having witnessed the stress her parents have in their relationship! On the other hand, Jon is trying not to be like his birth father and live up to his perceived expectations from his step-father and mother.
I found this book was more serious than previous books in this series. There are some very witty sections, and the picnic with Archie is funny, tender and tearful at the same time. I also loved Jessica! A perfect addition to Jon’s life! Jon and Blanka are perfect for each other and it is wonderful to see them support each other when needed.
I received an ARC copy of this book and am voluntarily reviewing it. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.
She did it again! Ms Fenske showed us again that romance can be fun and serious all together. I loved this book! I giggled at the hilarious banter and at the hot moments in between. Ms Fenske is very apt at writing romantic comedy, with some serious life lessons thrown in, but these life-lessons do not interfere with the comedy, but they are able to let you think about them, while enjoying the lightness of her words.
Did I mention that I loved this book, eeh the whole series?
This is what this book’s about:
Jonathan Bracelyn pours his soul into saving the world, and he’s still nowhere near cancelling out the sins of dear ol’ dad. But when a medical crisis prompts Jon to toss his sister the ultimate lifeline, he’s forced to hang up his captain’s hat and hit pause on the one thing that makes him…well, him.
At least he has Blanka Pavlo’s heart-flooding smile to buoy his spirits. A brilliant scientist, she knows things can’t last with the do-gooder Bracelyn brother. Not even if he kisses like a dream and boasts biceps as hefty as his heart. Blanka’s learned the hard way how lonely life is in the shadow of a saint, so she’s giving the hottie hero a wide berth.
Except Jonathan sucks at self-care, so maybe she’ll lend a hand (and other tingly parts) to help him out. Soon, they’re bonding over awkward bubble baths and a disturbingly homely cat, while struggling to remember it’s all temporary. But the harder they brace for goodbye, the louder their hearts declare they’re already in too deep.
I love Tawna Fenske’s stories. She is a great one to read when you want a little ‘real-ness’ to your romance. She knows how to turn up the heat but still keep you in stitches. All the Bracelyn kids have their gifts, but I love that Jon’s gift is to give…and give. His generosity gives us a great introduction to “new” sister Izzy, and I can’t wait to get to know her more. I love that Jon’s fondness for Blanka allows her to be one of the few that will “help” him. She’s sweet and I think she’s a great match for Jon. The two kept me laughing and swooning over their companionship and helpfulness to others. Is it sad to say that I want this series to go forever?
Another hit from Ms. Fenske.
We have Blanka and Jonathan this time, both having met in a previous book for a moment and now truly developing their feelings.
I loved these two! Blanka was just lovely and I hated how her a** of a father treated her. 🙁 She was smart and funny and sweet, but was left feeling inferior in her father’s eye. Grrr. I was glad she knew what she wanted in life and what she didn’t want, even when her plans changed when she met Jon. 😉
As for Jon he was a really good guy, torn between doing good and trying not to be like his father. I could understand his inner struggle, but it was obvious to people around his he was nothing like his birth dad, he just needed to believe it too.
These two were great together and loved how much at ease they were with each other, and how without realizing it, they formed a little family (Jessica!).
Much like the rest of the series, this was fun, flirty, sexy and swoon-y. Another perfect addition to the series.
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*
I have enjoyed this series and I also enjoyed this book. This one is about Jonathan who does everything he can to not be his biological father. His life is devoted to saving others but that means never thinking of himself. In walks Blanka. She helps him to learn that self care is important. She is perfectly fine being single because her parents were not the best role models for marriage. Jon is supposed to leave after he recovers from a surgery so they know they cannot have more than a fling, but of course they both want more. This still had funny moments like all of Tawna’s books but also some serious issues.
I truly enjoyed this latest installment in the Ponderosa Resort series from Tawna Fenske. The meet cute for this couple was a little different than some of her previous novels, but it was an interesting introduction into the characters, their attraction to each other, and the way that they interact with one another. It gave you the feeling about how sometimes that intimacy of those types of interaction can be so critical to the comfort level that people establish with one another. One of the other high points of this book was how the author used the conflicting motivations between the couple to show their motivations, not just with other, but the influence on their every day lives. There was also some really great insights into this book about some of the dynamics that occur when couples are talking, or not talking, and think they are still communicating. I would definitely recommend this book and as always with the books that Tawna writes, there was also some fun humor and insights too.
PS to self – remind me to invite Tawna Fenske to trivia night soon…….
Captain Dreamboat Book 7 Ponderosa Resort Romantic Comedies
By Tawna Fenske
Captain Dreamboat is a marvelous addition to the Ponderosa Resort series! Either I was laughing or crying of heartbreak.
“But meeting you, that’s when I realized how much better my own world could be. Maybe it’s selfish, but I’m not giving that up. I’m not letting you go.”
Love this series by Tawna!
Happiness requires a little selfishness…
The selfless Bracelyn, Jonathan is home for his sister’s wedding. He finds himself entranced by Blanka. Her charming tendency to flub English phrases. Her nervous recitations of random factoids about words, phrases, animals…
And when Jon makes a selfless sacrifice for his family, she is by his side.
Full of the feels, the funny, and the heat! We get to visit our favorite dysfunctional clan and watch another sibling get hit with Cupid’s arrow.
Hemingway cats, balloon bondage, anesthesia dementia, self-care lessons…Tawna does it again! I found myself laughing until breathless and feeling all warm and happy!
Fun, funny, warm, steamy, tender, and the perfect uplifting read. This afterglow is part of why I read romances.
Jon and Blanka are both amazing!
I received a review copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I find myself writing similar reviews for all of Tawna Fenske’s books. Every one of her books is a pleasure to read, and it seems I’m always using the same superlatives to describe them and always loving every single word. “Captain Dreamboat” is no exception. The book is at turns sweet, silly and sexy. The characters, after several books in the series, now feel like family. It was a joy to finally get to know Jonathan better, too. He’s been often mentioned, and he got the happy ending he deserved with Blanka. I always love to visit Ponderosa Resort and find out what the Bracelyn family and their friends are up to. I’d recommend the entire series, but this can be read as a stand-alone as well. Tawna Fenske’s trademark wit and wackiness are a joy. Don’t miss out!