Former Coast Guard captain, Meryl Sinclair is excited for the first voyage of Castellon Cruise’s newest ship, Heart of the Sea.However when her second in command gets thrown in jail the night before they set sail, the company sends a replacement.Rafael Castellon is the owner’s son and he’s pissed that he wasn’t promoted to captain of the new ship.Rafael and she have a past. A sun-drenched past of … past. A sun-drenched past of sex and debauchery. And he had no idea that she worked for his father. Surprise!
When their passion takes over, a week-long fling seems like a good idea. Except there are people who don’t think a woman should be captain of a cruise line. And Meryl’s not sure if her lover is one of them or not.
Meanwhile, a passenger looks to say goodbye to an old friend, and perhaps find a deeper relationship with a kind stranger.
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This was the first book that I have read from this author and wasn’t sure what to expect. So I was going in open minded. In the first couple of pages I wasn’t so sure that this was going to be my kind of book, but I am really glad that I kept going. This book not only had romance, but suspense and mystery as well.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Very good hot and steamy story with a strong female lead. Lots of drama and heat on the way to a very satisfying ending.
I really enjoyed this wonderful book. It’s full of romance, passion, intrigue, suspense, and surprises. Loved the chemistry between Meryl and Rafe, they couldn’t help themselves.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A phenomenal and steamy second chance romance with heart and drama. A captivating must read with twists readers will enjoy. Rafael and Meryl are characters readers will fall in love with. I can’t wait to read more from Jamie K. Schmidt.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story brings in two different love stories. The main one is between Captain Meryl Sinclair and Staff Captain Rafael Castellion. The next one which will probably be a new story in the future is April Davis who is saying farewell to her best friend who past away and Jake March. The boy are in the police department. We see a lot of what prejudice to women is in the field ran by mostly men. Which brings us to if Meryl can over come it? Can Rafael help her change views? Will their feelings get in the way? How will April and Jake come to understand each other? Can they accept each others fields? What will happen when they go their separate ways after the cruise?
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A thoroughly enjoyable read
It’s the Maiden Voyage of The Heart of the Sea and Meryl is her captain. The first female captain of the cruise line. So she’s got a lot to prove. But there are those that want her to fail and will stop at nothing to see that happen. Add to that her second in command being in jail, it’s a real challenge. But when the man that shows up as her temporary second in command turns out to not only be the cruise line owner’s son, but a former lover, Meryl knows she’s in for rough seas. And they haven’t even left port yet.
Rafael is disappointed that he wasn’t given command of The Heart of the Sea but he knows it’s because his father is trying to save face with the public. There’s been bad press about harassment and a good ole boy’s club when it comes to women and a female captain will help alleviate some of the bad press. What he doesn’t see coming is the captain being the one woman that he cannot forget. And he’s determined to get her back.
There is also a sweet book inside a book that is a pleasure to also read.
Meet Meryl, she is a former Coast Guard captain and about to captain her first journey on a cruise ship called Heart of the Sea. She finds out her second in command was put in jail the night before they are to ship out and that a replacement is on the way. When Rafael walks through the door Meryl learns exactly who he is. You see these two shared some hot and sexy times but went their separate ways. Is this their chance to figure it out? However, this journey is not a smooth one, someone is out to make sure that Meryl loses her ‘captain’ status. This was an entertaining story with a HEA ending. Enjoy!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Intriguing, action packed, emotionally thrilling journey filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, exciting twists and heart racing turns…. was a great read from beginning to end. Really enjoyed this adventure!
A quick read and perfectly paced pulling you in from the start. A luxury cruise ship on a week cruise with how it is living and enjoying a cruise. This one is how Meryl and Rafael get together and enjoy this cruise. They uncover a member of the crew who is trying to sabotage the cruise for Captain Meryl.
I believe all strong women should be treated equal, but to have someone plot against you from the start because you are a woman is so unfair and unfortunately what the world has become of today. This was two stories in one, per say. This was about Meryl Sinclair, the new captain on the Heart of the Sea and her Staff Captain Rafael Castellon, who is also the son of the cruise line owner. These two have a past and thought that they would never see each other again, but Rafael is also mad that his father did not give him the Captain job of this new ship immediately. There is a plot to get her off and well, in one way or another they succeed, but not entirely.
The other story is about two who meet there and end up become friends. April Davis is there to say farewell to her best friend, soul mate and everything in between, Parker Harris, who was killed in a drive by shooting. She is a police officer and his death was worst to her because she found him and has not found the shooter. Jake March, who is also a police office, is there to get away from his life that is in question right now because he is being investigated . I loved how Jake breaks the ice with April when he states that if they were married her name would be April March, then she retorts, that they would need to name their twin girls May and June. April tends to talk to her BFF, Parker through out the trip as they both had planned this two years ago and now she was going to leave him in Grand Cayman. Jake and April help undiscovered something pertaining to a crime against the Captain. This was a great book, but I did not like the ending much for the Meryl, but her reasons for accepting it outweighed everything else. An epilogue for these two couples would be nice to have.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Meryl is the brand new captain of a newly commissioned ship, the first female captain of the fleet. She has her detractors and those who take a wait and see stance as she pilots the maiden voyage of Heart of the Sea. It follows the story of April Davis and Jake March as well as Meryl Sinclair and Rafael Castellon, two would be couples, April and Jake meet for the first time on board while Meryl and Rafael have a history. Strong female characters with strong supporting men navigating the way forward. Interesting reading.
This story was told from the point of view of three people: Captain Meryl Sinclair, Staff Captain and owner’s son Rafael Castellon, and cruise ship guest April Davis, who meets Jake March while on the cruise to scatter her best friend’s ashes. Meryl and Rafael have a history and their time is spent sneaking off and having sex while he is secretly spying on her since his father is looking for a reason to fire her. April and Jake start as friends and their relationship is much sweeter, which I preferred.
OMG I want to go on a cruise again, without my other half! I love strong women stories and this one didn’t disappoint. There’s so much I want to know, papa get his comeuppance, did their relationship continue, did Aaron, April find a romance. So many good stories that need continued.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Jamie K. Schmidt has written a 5-star book that will have you from the first page to the last just to find out what happens. Meryl is the Captain of the new cruise ship the Heart of the Sea. She knows she will have some trouble out of the crew but hopes not too much. Her staff captain Francesco Rizzicelli has not shown up yet and the ship is ready to pull out. She gets an email saying he is in jail and a replacement is on the way. The replacement is none other than the staff captain of the flagship of the company The Pride of Sea Rafael Castellon. Meryl knows Rafael, she had a fling with him a few years back. Things go good for them until Rafael’s father wants him to find anything on Meryl so that he can let her go. Rafael can’t find anything on her and tells his father that. His father tells him that Francesco will be coming back on board and Rafael asks what he has on him. His father tells him and asks him to find a way to get rid of him without it causing problems for the company. At a meeting between Meryl, Rafael and Francesco Meryl finds out that Rafael was sent to spy on her, she is upset but does not show it.
Can Meryl keep her job as captain? Can she forgive Rafael for spying on her and give him a second chance?
Will Rafael do his fathers’ bidding and get something on Meryl or will he stand up for her?
This book was a wonderful read and I would recommend it to anyone.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved this book! I absolutely fell in love with Meryl and Rafael and they have an undeniable chemistry. This story is so well written, with an interesting storyline that held my interest all the way through, with suspense, mystery, and romance, what more could you ask for? It definitely didn’t disappoint, it’s a fantastic story. I recommend you read it for yourself you won’t be disappointed.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Oh this is definitely a steamy toe curling romance everyone should read! All the characters are just absolutely incredible and the delicious hot chemistry between them along with this amazing story is just fantastic! Jamie K Schmidt truly knows how to tell the most beautiful stories! I just loved this one and hated for it to end!
I am voluntarily writing this review for this book I received through Booksprouts arc
Meryl was thrilled this was the first time she was the captain of a a new luxury cruise ship. Her second in command did not show up and she was ready to kick butt. What she did find out who is his replacement for the
Voyage. Rafelle Castellon the owner of the ships son..when got upstairs to meet the captain he noticed she was built but when she turned around he couldn’t believe it was her. Once they were out of the port he was wondering where he knew her from. Rafael rememberd Meryl and the last they had been together. Rafael’s father tells him he wants to get rid of Meryl that he had made a mistake and he wanted her gone. April was on this trip alone since her partner died and she promised she would disperse his ashes in the grand caymans. Rafaels father has him spying on Meryl also other people were spying on them too. Things go from bad to worse and she found out who her enemy were. Twists turns make this a good book
I really enjoyed this story. The characters are great, and you could feel their chemistry. I enjoyed the scheming and wondering what was going to happen. I also enjoyed the subplot and like how it intertwined with the Captain’s plot. This is a quick, fun story that keeps you well entertained.
I love the strong, capable characters Captain Meryl and Staff Caption Rafael. They are lovers that find themselves in a situation that is full of intrigue, sex and mutiny. I found this story to be entertaining and sexy in that the sexist ways of a seemingly all male industry is called out and schooled by a woman and the man that loves her.
I especially love the sub-plot between April and Jake. It is one of the most touching and loving storylines that I have read. It adds a very human quality to this book to makes it completely irresistible.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Enjoy the theme, gave the reader a feel of being on the cruise ship.