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Victoria Cooke
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The Holiday Cruise: The feel-good heart-warming romance you need to read this year Kindle Edition

by Victoria Cooke (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 638 ratings
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’Buy this book now and read it!’ Rachel Gilbey

‘A truly fantastic read I couldn't put it down.’ Jessica Bell

‘This was even better than her debut.’ Rachel Burton author of The Many Colours of Us

The high seas are calling!

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 desperate 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 on 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.

Praise for The Holiday Cruise

‘The Holiday Cruise is one of a rare sort of book that spoke to me on so many levels and one I could thoroughly identify with.’ Rachel Gilbley

‘Highly recommended for a Christmas time read!!’ Jolene Mattison

‘Highly recommend this book and author. Great read.’ Kaye Temonson

‘This was a great story.’ Tracey Meier

‘I loved all the characters on the cruise. I love books like these and this one was right up there with them.’ Carley Adair

Previous page
  1. Print length
    295 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    HQ Digital
  5. Publication date
    September 15, 2017
  6. File size
    1327 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B073TRXRVN
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HQ Digital (September 15, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 15, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1327 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 295 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 638 ratings

About the author

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Victoria Cooke

Victoria Cooke

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Victoria Cooke grew up in the city of Manchester before crossing the Pennines in pursuit of a career in education. She now lives in Huddersfield with her husband and two young daughters and when she’s not at home writing by the fire with a cup of coffee in hand, she loves working out in the gym and travelling. Victoria was first published at the tender age of eight by her classroom teacher who saw potential in a six-page story about an invisible man. Since then she’s always had a passion for reading and writing, undertaking several writers’ courses before completing her first novel, 'The Secret to Falling in Love,' in 2016.

Her third novel, Who Needs Men Anyway? became a digital bestseller in 2018.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
638 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Audrey Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars A delightfully romantic journey on the high seas … anchors away!
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
The Holiday Cruise is primarily a romance set on board a luxury cruise ship. But it is also a voyage of a different kind, one of self-discovery as our heroine Hannah picks up the pieces of her broken life and tentatively paddles her way through rocky waters. From the outset we are rooting for her, celebrating her small personal victories and perhaps cringing a little in recognition when she loses her stroke. Along the journey we meet a colourful cast of fellow cruise workers and passengers, each with their role to play in Hannah's route to recovery. I won't spoil the story by revealing too much about the romantic element but, suffice to say, a little piece of my heart melted at the outcome.
I absolutely loved Victoria's debut novel, The Secret to Falling in Love, and – although very different – this one easily chased away the end-of-summer blues. Take the plunge now!
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R. R.
4.0 out of 5 stars heartwarming story
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2018
Hannah Davis thought she had the perfect life and marriage until her husband, Daniel, tells her he is leaving and has fallen in love with someone else. To top it all off, Hannah is about to lose her beauty salon because she took six weeks off trying to recover from her husband’s news. All of her salon clients have run off to a competing salon leaving Hannah with an empty business and even emptier wallet. Being stuck in a small village where everyone knows everyone’s business is not helping matters either. Everywhere she turns she sees Daniel with his new girlfriend which makes her pending divorce seem even more final. When a chance encounter with a nail client leads Hannah on a new path, it has the capacity to change her life for the better. Hannah has always wanted to go on a cruise, so what better way is there than to take a job on a cruise line working in their spa. Will Hannah be able to take her life back and become a new better version of herself?

Hannah is really down on her luck. Imagine being married and out of the blue your husband says he is leaving. Hannah is completely devastated and unable to cope with her husband leaving. She drinks too much and feels sorry for herself. Yet, she holds out hope that maybe Daniel will come back to her. I really felt bad for Hannah. I could see how much she loves Daniel and the life they had together. She never knew there were any problems with their marriage and Daniel certainly didn’t try to work things out. He just up and left leaving her to pick up the pieces and stand on her own. Now, she is about to lose her house and once that happens there will be nothing left for her in the village she calls home. So, taking this job on a cruise ship is a really good thing for hannah. Here she gets to be herself, learn how to love herself, and finally let go of the marriage she thought she could save. Hannah meets new friends and really starts to grow as a person. I loved seeing all of the changes as Hannah starts to come into her own and grow as a person. Hannah also meets a man and there is a budding romance on the horizon which I found to be really sweet and endearing.

When I first saw the title of this book I was like “OMG I have to have it!” I love cruising and all things having to do with a cruise. Seeing all of the sights, meeting new people, going to different locations has all been so fascinating to me. I am so glad Victoria Cooke really took the time to immerse me into the story and to actually make me feel as if I was there right along Hannah on the cruise ship enjoying the sites and all of the new people she meets and the friendships she makes.

The Holiday Cruise by Victoria Cooke is a feel good heartwarming story that I wished would never end. I simply LOVED Hannah and I am so glad she learned how to grow as a person and she quickly became one of my favorite characters ever. This truly is a great summer read.
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Galactica Actual
5.0 out of 5 stars Another sweet, fun romantic comedy by Victoria Cooke
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
Another well written, sweet romantic comedy from Victoria Cooke. The cruise ship setting was so much fun, with all the stops at various famous cities, I felt like I was traveling right along with Hannah. Lovely side characters and great character development, I didn't want to put it down! Highly recommended.
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Carrie G.
4.0 out of 5 stars The Holiday Cruise
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2017
It hasn’t been easy the last few months for Hannah Davis, her husband had cheated on her and left her for a younger woman and now that she’s trying to pull herself together she’s finding she just may lose her beauty salon business too. After closing for several weeks her customers seem to have moved on to a rival business leaving Hannah alone and broke and not sure what to do with her life.

Meeting a young woman with a nail crisis Hannah finds herself chatting away about life at sea. The lady she rescued was on the way to start a job aboard a cruise ship and eagerly tells Hannah all about it suggesting she should apply herself. A cruise was always a dream of Hannah’s hoping to travel with her husband but now with nothing left holding her back and a little encouragement from her sister Hannah applies to work in the spa and begin a new chapter of her life.

Alright anyone who knows me knows that I have a cruising obsession so seeing a book with “Cruise” in the title certainly caught my attention. Thankfully picking up a book with only one word drawing my interest I ended up finding this one a rather nice read and would definitely recommend it to anyone who’d like a virtual sea vacation.

Having been taken several cruises myself I’m a little bit familiar with the jobs around the cruising industry and just how hard those folks work. I questioned a few times how realistic Hannah’s free time in the book actually was but for the sake of the story I just told myself it’s fiction so just enjoy the story. For a fan of traveling though it was nice to hear of all the different ports and activities which is what I’d been hoping for when choosing this book.

As for Hannah and all of her co-workers along with the eventual budding romance I found it all quite lovely. Everything other than Hannah’s spare time seemed to be quite spot on and created a lovely story with great characters that I truly enjoyed reading about. I’d definitely recommend this one to the fans of contemporary romance whether a fan of cruising or not.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
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Top reviews from other countries

Katie Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and feel-good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book came at the perfect time for me to read, I was in a bit of a slump after reading several psychological thrillers in a row and I needed something light-hearted and warm to immerse myself in. The Holiday Cruise was just perfect, within the first few pages I knew this book was just what I was looking for. This was the first book I’ve read by Victoria Cooke but I’m desperate to read the others now!

Hannah is struggling, life as she knew it is crashing around her feet and she can’t do a thing about it. My heart broke for her and I was hoping everything would work out for her. She spots a job on a cruise ship which is completely out of her comfort zone but she applies anyway, next thing she’s on board ready to start her adventure!

I absolutely loved Hannah, I could relate to her in several ways and I was cheering her on throughout the book. The friendships Hannah makes are lovely and I could imagine what it was like working on the cruise ship.

I must admit I’ve never been on a cruise ship but with Victoria’s gorgeous descriptions the cruise was brought to life and I could imagine what it was like onboard. The places the cruise ship goes to is just fabulous and I had to stop myself from looking at cruises to go on!

This book is not just about the cruise and not just a romance, it’s also a fabulous journey of self-discovery and one I could relate to with Hannah. The characters that Hannah meets are diverse and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all of them. Victoria’s writing style is brilliant, it felt like I was chatting with an old friend while reading it. Just gorgeous.

The Holiday Cruise is a fabulous read that will have you cheering for Hannah that is inspiring and will make you feel-good. It’s a fun read that is also emotional at times. I just can’t believe I’ve never read a book by Victoria Cooke before but she is firmly on my radar now!
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Sam
4.0 out of 5 stars Cruising into better times
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2019
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This was a lovely way to pass a few hours, to feel the carefree pleasure of a cruise liner 's laidback lifestyle, with a little romance thrown in too.

Hannah Davies the stories central character is a thirtysomething lady living in Yorkshire, England, where she runs a beauty salon and is separated from her adulturous husband. Unfortunately is doing as well as her marriage and when her two employees defect to a more successful local business and Daniel her ex seems to turn up with the her replacement all over the village they live in Hannah realises the writing is on the wall for her old life.

She knows she needs a change and with the encouragement of her older sister she applies for a job on cruise ship in the Caribbean. She gets the position and after a little training she jets out to Miami and joins her new colleagues onboard.

I really enjoyed the way the author allowed this story to unfold. There is no rush here and we see the central character develop and literally find herself which was very sweet indeed. Everyone is likeable and there is such a calming holiday feel to the descriptions of places visited. It definitely gives the reader a little wanderlust. I know I wish I was feeling the sand beneath my feet.
When the beautitian does meet Mr Right it is kind of obvious he is the one, but because this book isn't just about the romantic aspects of our heroine's journey it doesn't really matter.
The book is a little longer than maybe need be and the romance a little prolonged as he never seems anything other than obvious choice, it's neither here nor there because this is all told so charmingly.

Definitely worth reading as a light holiday romance, whether on a beach or like me in a freezing city.
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Rachel
5.0 out of 5 stars Exotic Travel and Heartstopping Romance
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 15, 2017
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I absolutely loved Victoria's first novel and awaited her second with eager anticipation. I wasn't disappointed.

Hannah is in a bad way - her husband has left her, her business is going under and she doesn’t know what to do with her life. But opportunity knocks with a chance to work on a cruise ship and after asking herself some big life questions, Hannah decides to take the plunge.

This is one of the most gloriously romantic books I've read this year, I could not put it down - I even got up early on Saturday to finish it before my day began. I adored visiting all the exotic locations with Hannah and travelling with her on her journey, both physically and emotionally, as she learned to love herself again and decide what she wanted to do with her life.

There's a romantic hero of course (and it's not who you might think it is at first) but I'm not going to tell you too much about him except that the path of true love never runs smoothly and, honestly, if you don't fall in love with him a little (OK a lot) then you have a heart of stone my friend.

Bravo, Victoria for another fabulous book. I now await the third in eager anticipation!
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mary therese mannion
3.0 out of 5 stars Holiday Read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2019
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It was a good enough story, I did not instantly like the main character, she was too needy. Having been on many cruises. I am not sure that she would have been allowed to get away with the relationship as long as they did. A bit unrealistic.
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Sweetpea
5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous escapism
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2019
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If you're looking out of your window at grey skies, and rainy pavements, then you need to download this lovely chunk of escapism and cruise away to sunny climes.
Hannah thinks she's happy and when her husband suddenly announces he's leaving her, she wonders if she will ever recover. A chance meeting leads to the idea of working on a cruise ship. It's the ideal time to get her head together and away from the tiny, gossiping village. But as Hannah travels, it's not just the ports of call she discovers - it's herself - something that has the reader cheering for.
There's a nice, gentle romance in addition which just adds to the gorgeous feel of this book.
Jump on board now. You won't regret it!
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