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hhushaw's review against another edition
3.0
An honest review thanks to NetGalley. What made this book pleasant to read was Wallace bringing in main characters of her other novels as passengers of the cruise ship. It was a delight to read and remember different characters and their journeys. Sadly though I could not get into the plot of the actual book. It felt rushed as well as the characters seemed to have no connection or chemistry between them. Bringing in the drug cartel felt unfinished as well as if it was just something to fill in the gaps with. I loved seeing previous characters, but the book itself was only ok.
mjsam's review against another edition
2.0
ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I couldn’t get into this one. I didn’t warm to either main character (though I liked Spencer more than Amy), and wasn’t overly invested in their romance. The side romance with Jessica (and the mystery element) was even less compelling.
I also could have done without the cramming in of all of the other characters from past books, I had only read some of them so was a bit lost when it came to the characters I wasn’t already aware of, which didn’t help. I couldn’t help but think this was a cynical ploy to get readers to go back and read the other books, if it was, it failed.
2 stars.
I couldn’t get into this one. I didn’t warm to either main character (though I liked Spencer more than Amy), and wasn’t overly invested in their romance. The side romance with Jessica (and the mystery element) was even less compelling.
I also could have done without the cramming in of all of the other characters from past books, I had only read some of them so was a bit lost when it came to the characters I wasn’t already aware of, which didn’t help. I couldn’t help but think this was a cynical ploy to get readers to go back and read the other books, if it was, it failed.
2 stars.
vixdag's review against another edition
3.0
Pleasure Cruise by Yolanda Wallace, is an interesting book about the love and friendship women find on an all women’s luxury pleasure cruise. The story revolves around three main characters. Spencer, a computer nerd who gets a free trip from her parents in the hopes that she will break out of her shell. She lacks self-confidence and always feels like she is on the outside looking in when it comes to her social life. Amy is the cruise ship director and running the show for the first time. Her cruise line has experienced some bad publicity so it is up to her to pull off a cruise that will set the company back on track. Jessica is one of the cruise fitness instructors, but she has found herself backed into a corner by the mob that she has become a drug mule for. She wants out, but that is easier said than done.
This was a case of love at first sight for Amy and Spencer. Literally, the minute they lay eyes on each other they turn into new and improved versions of themselves. It was hard for me to relate to either one of them, especially Amy. Amy’s main goal is to pull off the perfect cruise, yet by the fifth day, she is leaving the cruise ship to go on excursions with Spencer every time they reach a new port. I don’t like it when “smart” women act in a manner that is the exact opposite of how they would normally act. I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for Jessica. She could have just passed on the smuggling when approached regardless of how much money she was making.
The best part of this book was the diverse set of side characters. I genuinely liked reading about the friendships being formed and seeing how such different women could still bond in the right environment. The aspects about the activities and relationships on the cruise ship made this book worth the read.
I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchanged for a fair and honest review.
This was a case of love at first sight for Amy and Spencer. Literally, the minute they lay eyes on each other they turn into new and improved versions of themselves. It was hard for me to relate to either one of them, especially Amy. Amy’s main goal is to pull off the perfect cruise, yet by the fifth day, she is leaving the cruise ship to go on excursions with Spencer every time they reach a new port. I don’t like it when “smart” women act in a manner that is the exact opposite of how they would normally act. I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for Jessica. She could have just passed on the smuggling when approached regardless of how much money she was making.
The best part of this book was the diverse set of side characters. I genuinely liked reading about the friendships being formed and seeing how such different women could still bond in the right environment. The aspects about the activities and relationships on the cruise ship made this book worth the read.
I was provided with an ARC of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchanged for a fair and honest review.
corrie's review
3.0
Pleasure Cruise takes us on a weeklong caribbean trip on board the Majestic Dream in the company of 2000 lesbians. Now don’t worry, we’re not going to meet all of them but the cast of characters was fit to burst. This was my first Yolanda Wallace experience and so I didn’t get the pleasure of recognizing all the happy couples from previous novels that made a guest appearance. Anticipating this might be a problem for first time readers the author made sure all the backstory on the couples was provided.
What I liked about the story was the whole cruise itself. Life aboard ship was entertaining and so were the trips to the mainland. There was nice detail about what happens when you are a guest (seen through the eyes of Spencer Collins) and when you work for SOS Tours (seen through the eyes of Amy Donovan).
The (over) crowded cast of secondary characters made it a bit confusing in the beginning to keep track of who is who. Every happy couple from a previous novel came with its own little backstory info dump that gave the narrative an odd stilted feel because they were the ones telling it (and nobody talks about themselves that way).
The insta-attraction/insta-love feelings strike Spencer and Amy from the first time they meet and it felt forced. I know they only have a week to make the magic happen but it didn’t work for me. Also that magic didn’t really happen because of the flimsy roadblocks thrown in as an attempt to bring some angst to the story. Also the secondary drugs smuggle plot was too easily wrapped up.
Concluding this was a decent read with lots of holiday extravaganza to lose yourself in.
f/f
Themes: there was no sex in the champagne room, or anywhere else that we were privy to, who the hell are all these people, I wanna go on a cruise now, just for the food alone.
3.4 stars
* A free copy was provided through Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
What I liked about the story was the whole cruise itself. Life aboard ship was entertaining and so were the trips to the mainland. There was nice detail about what happens when you are a guest (seen through the eyes of Spencer Collins) and when you work for SOS Tours (seen through the eyes of Amy Donovan).
The (over) crowded cast of secondary characters made it a bit confusing in the beginning to keep track of who is who. Every happy couple from a previous novel came with its own little backstory info dump that gave the narrative an odd stilted feel because they were the ones telling it (and nobody talks about themselves that way).
The insta-attraction/insta-love feelings strike Spencer and Amy from the first time they meet and it felt forced. I know they only have a week to make the magic happen but it didn’t work for me. Also that magic didn’t really happen because of the flimsy roadblocks thrown in as an attempt to bring some angst to the story. Also the secondary drugs smuggle plot was too easily wrapped up.
Concluding this was a decent read with lots of holiday extravaganza to lose yourself in.
f/f
Themes: there was no sex in the champagne room, or anywhere else that we were privy to, who the hell are all these people, I wanna go on a cruise now, just for the food alone.
3.4 stars
* A free copy was provided through Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
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