Teresa Ashby

This is a short novella, originally published as a serial in a women’s magazine. I downloaded it free for my Kindle, and could have read it in one sitting if I’d chosen to. It’s the ideal kind of book for a flight - there's some low-key humour and a light romance.

It’s a light-hearted book, with caricatured people, and one or two bizarre scenes that entirely suspend reality for a while. That doesn’t matter; it’s not intended to be taken seriously. It’s a book about love, and finding the right person, and on the whole I enjoyed reading it. Three and a half stars would be fairer.
… (meer)

Lola, Paddy and Evie are three generations of women, taking a cruise. Lola, Evie's grandmother, has always wanted to go on a cruise but is only now having the opportunity, since losing her husband. Paddy is also widowed, and her daughter Evie, who must be in her twenties, is going through a very difficult time with her marriage; the cruise is partly to help her make some difficult decisions. The only person unsure about why she's there at all is Paddy, who doesn't actually like boats.

Lola is determined to have fun, Evie meets a young man whom she rather likes, and Paddy also meets a charming man who seems to be a kindred spirit. But there's something going on... is somebody hiding behind the plants? How does Evie fall over, injuring herself and completely forgetting what happened? Why doesn't Paddy's date turn up to meet her, and who wrote an unpleasant note to Evie's date?

It's a short novella, so there isn't room for much character development; nonetheless I found myself warming to the somewhat wicked Lola, and poor naive Paddy. Evie seemed a bit less developed, and the subplots that involved her didn't hold any surprises: by the time the climax came, I had guessed what was going on. Lola, too, while providing some light humour, doesn't have a huge part to play - other than the fact that Paddy is there, supposedly, to look after her.

The writing is good, the story moves rapidly with a bit of suspense and a satisfactory ending. I would have liked it to be longer with more chance to get to know the characters, but I enjoyed it all the same and found it hard to put down at times.… (meer)