A big surprise for me!

Synopsis

A bachelor party on a cruise ship. What could go wrong?

When private detective Francie is hired to spy on a groom-to-be as he and his bachelor party set sail for the Caribbean, she thinks she’s landed herself a week of paid vacation. Between lounging in the sun and sipping margaritas, she just needs to–best case scenario–report back that he’s on the up and up, or–the unfortunate, more likely scenario–snap a few photos of her target in compromising positions, buy a box of sympathy chocolates for her client, and then collect her pay along with a nice golden suntan.

Blame it on the island breezes or the alcohol, but within hours of setting sail, Francie’s leisurely vacation gets complicated when she starts making careless mistakes. Like accidentally becoming friends with the groom and falling for his best man.

Can she get herself and her mission back on track, or has she blown her cover and possibly even her career?

My review

This was a true surprise for me, reading this book.

I started reading it, without having too high expectations. Because you know it’s a novella, and the genre already makes you know what the end will be like.

So I thought it would be a book like so many, you can easily put it away without reading it, and not missing out.

And yes, I finished it rather quickly, even for my standards, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it!

As I have never been on a cruise, it made me dream about exotic locations, meeting new people etc.

Francie is a private investigator hired by Danielle. Danielle wants proof that her fiancée is cheating on her during the trip his friends organised.

So Francie steps outside her comfort zone and goes on the cruise to do her job.

Being a real wallflower, she doesn’t really blend in, and when she finds out it’s a cruise for single people, she’s feeling even more awkward!

But then she makes a few friends, and suddenly she’s part of a ‘gang’… and in that gang is also Evan, the man she’s supposed to spy on!

And here the story really starts, as she meets Eli.

She has to find a way to do her job, as she’s being stalked by neurotic Danielle for updates, but she has to make sure nobody finds out what her reasons are.

Short story yes, but it also gives Francie the chance to grow, to be more confident and stand up for herself.

She also learns not settling for less and make her own choices, driven by her heart and not because it’s the easy choice.

This is a nice book to read while you’ll enjoying the sun. And if you’re not on a cruise yourself, just image being on the Oceanic Aphrodite!