What happens when you find out the one person who always rubs you the wrong way can rub you the right way even better?
Taylor loathes boats and the water, but he accepts an invitation for a short cruise with his latest fling because the dick is good and he has the vacation time. How bad could it be? When he’s stood up and stranded without a cabin by the dick, he can’t believe who comes to his … who comes to his rescue. How in the hell is he supposed to survive four days in the same room with his secret wet dream armed with only a suitcase full of lingerie? He’ll need every last bit of self-control to survive without climbing and claiming Mount Bart all for himself.
Bart’s brother won a cruise and convinced Bart to go. At the very last minute, his brother backs out and he winds up with a huge king suite all to himself. After the ship sails, he sees his favorite sexy designer desperately trying to find a place to stay on the sold-out cruise. Thrilled to come to the rescue, he offers to share his cabin since there’s plenty of room, and only one bed. It’s just the chance he’s been looking for to get Taylor to slow down and see what’s in front of him. Even if Taylor pretends to be immune to his charms, Bart’s a man with a plan and four days to make it happen.
Between Taylor’s suitcase of sexy fun, Bart’s surprising playful side, and an unexpected tropical storm, these men will realize that being up the creek without a paddle is sometimes exactly where you’re meant to be.
Author Note: This book is a short and sweet 30,000 word stand-alone with a brand new epilogue which follows two characters who were first introduced in the Just the Way You Are series of books. It is not necessary to have read those books to enjoy this one, however, if you’re curious about their world and Fairpoint, there’s more to explore!
Also, please note, some liberties were taken with cruise ship protocols and procedures for this story.
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This short novella is part of the Valentine’s Inc. Cruises series, but every book in this series is a standalone and they do not have to be read in any order. Taylor and Bart work together where they constantly buttheads, but an unexpected mix-up on a cruise ship have these coworkers’ relationship turning romantic. Their relationship becomes extremely hot and steamy with some great sex scenes. The entire novella is really enjoyable. The audiobook was narrated by Randi Johnson who does a really great job with all the character voices. I enjoyed his performance and thought he really brought the book to life. The audiobook production was well done and overall a wonderful listen.
This short, enjoyable & delightfully quirky MM romance certainly grab my attention within a few pages & it is a splendid addition to the “Valentine’s Inc Cruises” It has an entertaining plot with likable characters who are at odds with each other but discover what the heart really wants cannot be denied.
There is: a feisty male designer (Taylor) is left stranded without a cabin on a cruise when his boss & secret fantasy (Bart) offers an opportunity to share his cabin with him which Taylor promptly accepts – not realizing that Bart has plans in store for him, mild twists, adventure, humor, sexual tension, attractions, fantasies, verbal banter, mishaps, role playing, some kinks, love, contentment & a sweet happy ending. I sincerely hope there will be a story about Luke getting his HEA. I really think he deserves it.
Secret attraction….
They say that whatever you orally say, your heart says differently. Not really enemies but not good friends either. Maybe sometimes we just have that acquaintance/friend who rubs us the wrong way but not because he is a bad person, but maybe underneath it all, there is a certain attraction that you are fighting so hard.
Bart and Taylor work together. And they have the tendency to tease each other immensely sometimes to the point of being antagonistic. But maybe it is a way of coping against the attraction they harbor for each other like their own version of flirting. Taylor likes to run away from Bart. A recent confession from Bart surprised Taylor that he ran again.
On the cruise, Cancelled on by his sometimes hook-up, Taylor now has nowhere to stay. Bart’s brother had to cancel at the last minute. Will the close proximity of being in the same room finally give them the chance to explore whatever this is between them
A sweet story of two men who had been attracted to each other for sometime now. It is a breath of fresh air reading just pure sweetness and fun banter. Thank you Ms. Abigail Kade!
Abigail Kade has proven herself time and again to be an excellent storyteller: UP SHIP CREEK is a prime example of her wordsmithery.
I highly recommend this book to all.
Frenemies, Taylor and Bart, had known each other for a while through work and although the attraction was always present, it takes Taylor being stood up on a cruise, and Bart gallantly offering to share his cabin, for it to be acted upon. I loved the playful banter between the two and how open and honest they could be with each other, particularly when it involved some fabulous and steamy role play in the bedroom… Up Ship Creek is a wonderfully sweet and short story, and is well worth a read!
[I received an ARC from the author in exchange for my honest review].
Stormy Cruise. This was probably the fastest read of the entire Valentine’s Inc Cruises series, and one of the shortest in terms of page count. Very fun, mostly light, with a couple of solidly steamy scenes. And I really liked that it tackled seasickness and having named storms (tropical storm or higher) affect a cruise, as both do in fact happen from time to time. Yet again my first from an author involved in this project, and yet again won’t be my last. Very much recommended.