Reviewed by Sarina

TITLE: The Captain’s Man           

SERIES: Captain (Book 1)

AUTHOR: Scarlet Blackwell

PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing

LENGTH: 124 pages

BLURB:

The captain always goes down with his ship…

Josh is left heartbroken and lacking self-esteem when his partner leaves him for another man. He has to take a two-week Mediterranean cruise on his own and it’s a good job his crazy neighbors, Erik and Freddie, are there to take him in hand and make him realize his true potential.

There’s another man who recognizes Josh’s obvious worth, too—the guy in charge of the ship, Captain Kane Kessler. A six-feet-two Adonis with a body just made for sin.

But Josh doesn’t want a fling and flings are what Kane specializes in when he’s working. Nevertheless, the two instantly collide—a meeting of like minds and desperate bodies. While Josh tries to come to terms with the fact that he will be another notch on the captain’s bedpost at the end of the holiday, Kane begins to realize two weeks might not be enough to get everything he needs from Josh…

Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of auto-fellatio and voyeurism/exhibitionism.

Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released under the same title. It has been re-edited for re-release.

REVIEW:

Winning a two week cruise to the Mediterranean should have made Josh happy but when his partner of five years leaves him for another man, he would rather be staying home instead. Dealing with his flamboyant, exhibitionist neighbors just makes Josh feel worse but that changes when he meets the undeniably sexy captain, Kane Kessler. Kane doesn’t do relationships; in the ten years he’s been working as a Captain aboard his cruise ship, he’s done nothing but casual hookups and one night stands. When he lays eyes on Josh, the sparks fly but Kane refuses to admit there could be anything more than lust between them. Is there any way that Josh can convince Kane he’s worth more than a one night stand?

I started off really liking this book; Josh is grumpy and heartbroken and really wants to be anywhere other than where he currently is. His neighbors on the ship, Eric and Freddie, really aren’t helping his mood with their blatant disregard for societal norms and determination to have their pleasure in the open regardless of who may be watching. When Josh meets Kane the sparks really fly, especially when Josh realizes just who Kane is. While the sexual attraction is palpable, and I liked the characters themselves, the interactions between the two main characters left something to be desired. The entire relationship is extremely fractious for a good majority of the book and there were some instances between the two that left a bad taste in my mouth. I can understand Josh’s lack of self esteem and Kane’s determination to keep things casual but for a while, somewhere near the middle section of the book, I found myself liking the book much less than I did at the beginning. The characters and story did redeem themselves in my eyes by the end and while I was satisfied where the author left things, I find myself feeling strangely unsatisfied at the same time. There is a second book in the series that will hopefully give Josh and Kane their happy ending but I’m not sure, based on my reaction to this story, that I want to give it a try.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Pride Publishing

Amazon

ARe