Monday, 23 October 2017

Blog Tour Review: The Holiday Cruise by Victoria Cooke


The Holiday Cruise by Victoria Cooke
Published: 15th September 2017
Publisher: HQ Digital
Pages: 384
Available on Kindle 
Rating: 5/5

Blurb
As if it weren't enough to be cheated on by her husband of ten years, Yorkshire lass Hannah Davis is losing her beauty salon business too. Luckily, her big sister is there to pick up the pieces, but Hannah is determined to find some independence.

Impulsively, Hannah applies for a spa job...on a cruise ship! Christmas in the Caribbean, springtime in the Mediterranean, what's not to like? But, despite being in her thirties, Hannah has never done anything in her own before, and she's terrified.

As the ship sets sail, Hannah has never been further from home...or closer to discovering who she is and who she wants to be.

Review
Having never read anything by Victoria Cooke before I wasn’t sure what The Holiday Cruise would be like, but it was great I loved it.
Hannah is struggling after husband of ten years Daniel walks out on her for a younger model. She’s wallowed for six weeks and when she finally returns to work at her beauty salon The Hollywood Hut she finds her staff and customers have gone elsewhere. With nothing left for her in the village and pain in her heart every time she sees Daniel with his new love, Hannah impulsively applies for a job in a cruise ship spa.
When Hannah lands the job she embarks on a journey not just across the world but of self-discovery as for the first time in her life she’s on her own doing exactly what she wants. What she finds on board the ship are new friends, new adventures and a realisation that sometimes it’s okay to let yourself go.
I’ve never been on a cruise myself but it always something I’ve longed to do, through Victoria Cooke’s writing I feel like I’ve had a realistic taster of live at sea. Her descriptions of all the ports seemed so real that I almost felt I’d visited them myself. She described Rome and Venice so well that I’m even more desperate to visit these cities and experience their magic for myself.
Life aboard the ship suits Hannah well and it’s not long before she’s formed firm friendships with many of her fellow crew members. There are some very funny scenes including a fling with a waiter and a night out in Magaluf. One of my favourite parts was Christmas in the Caribbean, which is something I would long to do, for the decorations on board the ship alone, even more so after reading about it.
Hannah also experiences a blossoming romance with one of the guests, something which is strictly out of bounds. She soon realises though that some rules are worth breaking if they lead to happiness.
I loved everything about this book and found it hugely entertaining. I’m really hoping Victoria Cooke is planning a sequel as I’d love to find out what happens to Hannah after her cruise contract ends.
Thank you so much to the publishers for sending me a copy to review and inviting me to be part of the blog tour.


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