A happy ever after is not in the cards for me. But a short fling aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic might just be exactly what I need. When my friends suggest I take a much-needed vacation on their Valentine’s Inc. hosted cruise, I leap at the chance. I don’t have a lot of expectations for this matchmaking singles cruise—I’m certainly not looking for a future Mr. Chase Kelton. What I’m not … Kelton.
What I’m not prepared for is walking into my assigned suite to find a man passed out on the first day. I recognized the shy barista immediately. He’s been serving me my morning fix for a year and driving me crazy with the hard shell he keeps locked around him. I want to break it. I know there’s an entirely different man beneath it that I’m itching to reveal.
Reign is the proverbial fish out of water, and when I learn the real reason he’s on this cruise, I see an opportunity I can’t resist. He needs a companion to show him the ropes—I can do that and so much more.
An introverted barista with a crush, a wealthy executive afraid to fall in love, and a summer fling with an expiration date neither of them wants to keep. Shipping Orders is a full length, standalone novel in the Valentine’s Inc. Cruises multi-author series.
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3.5 sexy stars for chemistry and a sweet ending.
An unrelenting crush and a subtle fascination collide when a coincidence brings the awkwardly insecure Reign on a collision course with the commanding Adonis, Chase. Neither is on the cruise to find love, but love is never predictable and when their fling becomes more, it’s fear that might keep them from keeping what they’ve found.
It was hard not to be a little in love with all of Reign’s insecurities and I wasn’t surprised when Chase crashed hard for him. But while I eventually found those quirks endearing, I was a bit frustrated with how much Reign held himself back. Sexually he ended up giving Chase everything that was inside him, but in the quieter moments I was hoping for him to be a bit more verbal and relaxed. That just wasn’t him I suppose, and when we ended the story I was pretty shocked that the glimpse we got of him through Chase’s epilogue showed us a much more solid presence. I wished we had gotten to see more of that than just their bedroom chemistry.
I was a bit more disappointed with Chase though. There was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. It could have been the many, many mentions of how he just couldn’t keep Reign, the slightly dismissive way he thought about his interactions with Reign versus Reign’s coworker, or maybe just an overall feeling of disconnect between me and his character. I just wasn’t as drawn to him.
This story focused a ton on their sexual compatibility and while we saw some more tender and “foundation-shaking” realizations during those encounters, there was a bit of depth that I was missing. Even the reveals of pasts and fears didn’t feel as momentous as I thought they would. Keeping the angst relatively low and forgoing a huge separation/reunion bit pleased me to no end however, and it made the ending much more satisfying for me. I would really have enjoyed a bit more of a balance between the bedroom and character evolution, but aside from that I enjoyed this story.
Love is everywhere!
Reign thinks he is boring. He thinks he has nothing to offer anyone, nothing exciting. He loves his job as a barista, he loves to work on his miniature car models, he is happy he keeps telling himself.
Chase comes from a long line of financial investors but instead of joining his family’s company, he opted to open his own financial/auditing company. Even though he is on his own, he can’t help how people or clients react to his family name. He has been trying to build a reputation and dependable company for ten years now and he thinks he is doing really well on his own.
Now if only he can coaxed a certain barista to give him a smile. He has been going to the same coffee shop for months not because of their coffee or scones, but rather because of a certain barista who can’t seem to give him a smile. He knows that Reign is attracted but somehow he has to work for that smile.
Joining the singles cruise was a first for Reign, if not for his Uncle who is writing an article for his magazine, he’d never think of joining one. Chase’s friends arrange for this cruise for him. Who’d ever think that these two will be on the same cruise and staying in the same set of suites that shares a common social room or lounge? Will they now get the chance to know each other?
A sweet story of a shy barista and his golden, very attractive coffee drinker Auditor and how they both overcome their issues about themselves and their families. You would love both characters, they are both endearing!
Aw this book was so good! I love the random twist of fate of Regin and Chase meeting on the singles cruise (not in the most glamorous way), but having a connection beforehand was great! I love how they learned from each other, and supported each other! I love Reigns uncle trying to be supportive, and Lawerence and Erik helping Chase! Such a wonderful book that is part of a fantastic series!
This is a beautiful slow-burn MM romance with a well-written, entertaining story-line & plot. The characters are well-developed with likable personalities that complement each other.
There is: a dominating businessman (Chase) is taking a much-needed vacation on a singles cruise & is just looking for a fling when he comes across a shy introvert male barista (Reign) & later discovers what the heart wants cannot be denied, Reign’s manipulative yet caring uncle (Nel), a conniving mother, some twists, drama, longings, fantasies, loneliness, manipulations, caring friends, anxiety, warnings, attractions, seduction, light domination/submission, some kink, honesty, a set time-limit, memories, friends, realization, friendly advice, determination, confrontations, declarations, love, contentment, some steam & a satisfying happy conclusion.
Shipping Orders is the second book in the Valentine Inc. Cruises series and delivers on both the romance and hotness factors. As I haven’t delved into too much kink yet, this book was perfect for me. Ashe Winters crafted a beautifully light Dom/sub relationship between Chase, a somewhat closed-off businessman afraid to love, and Reign, a sweet and shy barrister who wants someone to look after him. Reign has secretly crushed on Chase for over a year, making him his coffee every morning. Battling his own insecurities and fears, Reign is sure Chase doesn’t see him that way, but when they get aboard the ship and discover they’re suitemates, boy do things start to change. The moment Chase steps in to take care of Reign after he’s suffered an awful blight of motion sickness and anxiety, there was no turning back for either of them.
Chase and Reign are absolutely perfect together and bring out the best in one another. Whilst they eventually can’t ignore their attraction anymore and things heat up in the bedroom (and against the balcony door) … the story is definitely one that evokes emotional turbulence. After Chase creates the rule that their fling must end when the cruise does, I wanted to sit them both down so they would see sense. It’s so evident they both wish for more, this delicious angst making the ending all the more sweeter!
A cute and steamy romance, a hint of bondage and kinkiness, and a gorgeous HEA is all on offer in Chase and Reign’s story. Highly recommend!
[I received an advanced reader’s copy from the author and I am voluntarily providing my honest review and recommendation].
Rushed Shipping. In this second installment of the Valentine’s Inc Cruises event, we get Ashe Winters’ solid entry of a transatlantic back to back cruise – though curiously, Ashe never mentions the words “back to back” in relation to the cruise itself. The pacing is solid through most of the book, until we get to the end. At that point, Winters rushes to wrap up the various story lines rather than simply writing a second book to conclude them. Perhaps this is due to the nature of the project? Regardless, a solid MM romance featuring two very relatable characters. My first book from this author, but it will not be my last. Very much recommended.
Super cute read with a shy submissive character and his dom. A friends to lovers story in the valentines Inc series 2 book. Chase and Reign are too cute for words!
Reign has a huge crush on Chase,the hot guy who comes every morning to buy coffee from the bar he works at,but nerves make him clam up once he sees the heat inducing customer. Chase’s reason to go to that bar isn’t their coffee, it’s the barista with the revealing, beautiful green eyes and he would do anything to bring a smile on that stern looking face. Unbeknown to them,they’re both going on the same two weeks long singles cruise…
…and they could set the ship on fire with how scorching things get between them. Yeah, they make a deal,to be together only for the two weeks of the cruise,but we’ll just see about that,won’t we? Because they’re obviously what they’ve been looking for all their lives in a partner. I’m not talking only about how wonderfully their kinky needs mesh together, but also the intensity of the feelings they have for one another. Surely that’s worth fighting whatever hang-ups they might have ,right?
Shipping Orders by Ashe Winters is hot,hot,hot! Chase and Reign make their own blazing fire in the middle of the ocean and it reached me through the pages. The story is also funny,sweet and emotional and I loved it!
Shipping Orders by Ashe Winters is the second book in the multi-author series, Valentine’s Inc Cruises. This is a fun contemporary m/m romance with a hint of D/s dynamic for spice. Emotions, drama, lust and love…. this story delivers a great journey into the sea of love with great characters, an interesting story and great writing. I love Reign and Chase!
I received an advanced reader’s copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving my honest review and recommendation.