Cruising Toward Love

Oct 07, 2011 _yay_ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-romance, second-chance, 3-stars

This copy was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Kindle Edition, published September 27th, 2011
Siren Publishing
Yay! Christi, thanks for your query!

Her sister is driving Zoe Balis nuts. Being on bridesmaid’s duty catering to bridezilla’s every whim isn’t enough? It turns out that no other than Nate Hyatt is the best man. You heard right! Nate Hyatt who abandoned her on prom night…never to be seen again. What could possibly happen to make things worse? A wedding that is cal...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Cocktails and Books rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: author-provided, contemporary-romance, 2012-reading-challenges

When I first started reading this, I thought kept trying to figure out how we were going to be cruising towards love between Zoe and Nate. There was so much going on around the wedding that never happened and Zoe's hate of Nate and the townspeople's inability to leave Zoe's love life alone that I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get to the cruise ship. Once we did get to the cruise ship, I realized this little vacation Nate and Zoe were on was going to be less than relaxing...whi...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, non-erotic, suspense-mystery

Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

You can let go of the past, but what happens when the past doesn't let go of you? Zoe Balis doesn't have much of a chance to fully let go of the heartbreak her first love caused her all those years ago. Wherever she goes, there's a constant reminder that Nate Hyatt stood her up at prom. Why does everyone have to bring up what happened all the time?

And now, Zoe has to face Nate. At her sister's wedding. Or, almost wedding. What a tense...more Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...

You can let go of the past, but what happens when the past doesn't let go of you? Zoe Balis doesn't have much of a chance to fully let go of the heartbreak her first love caused her all those years ago. Wherever she goes, there's a constant reminder that Nate Hyatt stood her up at prom. Why does everyone have to bring up what happened all the time?

And now, Zoe has to face Nate. At her sister's wedding. Or, almost wedding. What a tense moment when Nate is the one to break the news to the bride and surrounding family about the groom's cold feet. Talk about awkward! Zoe already hates him, and then he has to be the bearer of bad news? I wouldn't want to be in his shoes at that moment.

Then it only gets better from there! The two are stuck sharing a cabin on a cruise meant for the honeymooners! More tension! Ms. Barth kicks it up a notch as the storyline progresses. Let the fun begin, right? Fun...what fun? Not in Nate's eyes, and certainly not in Zoe's. The situation is disastrous!

Cruising Toward Love doesn't have just one conflicted couple, but two. Along for the ride on the cruise is a crew member, Reed, and a passenger named Callie. Reed has his own dark secrets and inner conflict, and Callie is footloose, free, and rich. She doesn't flaunt the fact that she's rich, but she doesn't care who knows it. Zoe and Callie meet up on the ship, while Nate and Reed hit it off, and often times in the book the four characters are doing activities together aboard the ship. Callie and Reed know the story between Zoe and Nate, or at least, know one person's side of it. I love that this book has a second romance within it. Ms. Barth creates characters that are real. Readers can relate to them, good and bad.

I love how the cruise brings Zoe and Nate together. The author does a wonderful job in keeping the conflict active, but not overdone. Their problems take time to resolve, and though Zoe was snappish through the first part of the book, it didn't stick the whole time. She allowed herself to be open and friendly with Nate after while, even before things got better for the two.

Even though Zoe's sister was only in the beginning part of the story, her character remained in my mind, and I'm hoping that sometime in the future she gets her own happily ever after. She deserves it.

There's a bit of a suspenseful sub plot in the story. It's not the main focus of the book, but it does add a little extra intrigue. I enjoyed this fun, witty, and romantic novel. Readers, if you enjoy a story with a reunited couple, then cruise towards your nearest online outlet and get yourself a copy of this book!

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Nov 09, 2011 Sarah Ballance rated it 5 of 5 stars

If ever I’ve read a book and wanted to climb right in and hang with the characters, Christi Barth’s CRUSING TOWARD LOVE is it. These folks are just FUN! A lighthearted, often laugh-out-loud contemporary romance that just might earn you a reputation as a serial guffawer (not sure if that’s a word but us writers get to make stuff up, as long as we say it with authority), this book is a can’t-miss read for anyone wanting a bit of an escape from the ordinary. Both in setting and in style, CRUISING w...more If ever I’ve read a book and wanted to climb right in and hang with the characters, Christi Barth’s CRUSING TOWARD LOVE is it. These folks are just FUN! A lighthearted, often laugh-out-loud contemporary romance that just might earn you a reputation as a serial guffawer (not sure if that’s a word but us writers get to make stuff up, as long as we say it with authority), this book is a can’t-miss read for anyone wanting a bit of an escape from the ordinary. Both in setting and in style, CRUISING will totally float your boat! (Do I get bonus-geek points for throwing in a boat cliché already? No? Oh, well, carry on.)

The story opens in the rather hectic pre-wedding moments surrounding the nuptials of Zoe’s sister, Stella, who makes a convincing play for the Bridezilla title. After endless kowtowing to Stella’s whims, Zoe hangs on to that final straw until the bride bothers to mention the best man—and Zoe’s partner down the aisle—is Nate, the man who ten years ago left Zoe heartbroken without explanation. Sucking it up and putting on the perfect wedding face makes her squall inside, but it’s only one day, and with only a few hundred witnesses to her misery it can’t be so bad, can it?

Oh, it’s worse.

In the classic tone of careful-what-you-wish-for, Zoe’s prayers are answered when Nate delivers stunning news on the morning of the wedding. Now she won’t have to face him for the big day, but little does she know they’ll be forced to cozy up in the honeymoon suite. Of a cruise ship. Where there is absolutely no escape. (Insert evil cackle here).

By this point, there’s little hope of not being thoroughly sucked in by this story. The characters have spectacular voices and positively beam with personality. Nate’s leaving Zoe should put his chances of redemption in question, but you’ve just got to love him—and you do, long before you find out what the heck he was thinking. (Clearly Zoe is on the same page, as it’s all she can do not to throw herself in his arms.) With their well-fueled animosity—one of the only things upon which they seem to agree—it’s touch and go for a while there, each one likely entertaining thoughts of tossing the other overboard, but the sparks flying between these two characters quickly blaze into a of fire of titanic proportions.

Many (but not all, *nudge, nudge*) of the best CRUISING moments happen off the ship, when Zoe and Nate—who are stuck pretending to be honeymooners so they’re not ousted for impersonation—are paired with shipmates Callie and Reed for a multi-destination treasure hunt. The lighthearted plot thickens when Zoe becomes the target of a number of questionable “accidents,” these island excursions serving as much to develop relationships between characters as they do to add suspense. (Oh, and they’re funny. Epic-funny.)

The best part of this story—aside of the searing heat radiating from any immediate radius of Zoe and Nate—is the banter between characters. I found myself watching them like I would a tennis match, my head not quite literally swiveling from one to the other over the screen of my Kindle. Their unique voices shone with an outstanding level of character development I don’t often see—so much so that by the time I reached the last page I was a little sad to see them go.

But as to who went where, why, and with whom? You’ll have to hit the aquamarine waters of CRUISING TO LOVE to discover that one for yourself. And I can’t recommended highly enough that you do exactly that.(less)

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Oct 30, 2011 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, erotica

Reviewed by JoAnne
Ebook provided by publisher

This was a romantic suspense e-book that was easy to get lost in. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and never let go. There was family angst, a lost love, romance, adventure, a little mystery and a cruise through the Caribbean with lots of vivid descriptions in each port you could visualize yourself there. I could also taste the fresh air along with the flow of champagne and fruity, rum drinks, smell the ocean breezes and see the blue of the...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Cruising Toward Love Christi Barth has brought together four people who are destined for trouble. Trouble of various kinds, in fact! Zoe Balis was stood up at her Senior Prom ten years ago by the only man she’d ever loved. Nate Hyatt was that man. Never planning on seeing Zoe again – ever. When Zoe’s sister plans a wedding, nothing will do but that Nate is Alex’ best man and, of course; sister Zoe will be Maid of Honor. Ah…..if that were all they had to do. Somehow Alex changes his mind, runs...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Alexia Chantel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Have you seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding? All that family crowing around, telling you what to do, getting in your personal business and looking at you with pity. Zoe has all that to deal with on top of facing the guy who stole her heart then disappeared.

Cruising Toward Love has a great beginning. Unfortunately Zoe has awful luck and ends up covered in muddy water, has to deal with bridezilla, and is nearly scorched by fire. Fortunately all that pays off and she gets an all expense paid...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Barbara ~*Lindt Ninja*~ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

The story begins with a lot of humor which is good because it’s Hurricane Zoe season for a while. She’s dealing with her sister, Bridezilla Stella and then she gets covered in mud, courtesy of ex-boyfriend Nate and his motorcycle. Nate, the one who publicly dumped her, so blatantly that apparently she’s damaged goods all these years later as far as the meddling town she lives in is concerned. The cackling old women and Stella had me laughing, especially because I probably know people just like t...more The story begins with a lot of humor which is good because it’s Hurricane Zoe season for a while. She’s dealing with her sister, Bridezilla Stella and then she gets covered in mud, courtesy of ex-boyfriend Nate and his motorcycle. Nate, the one who publicly dumped her, so blatantly that apparently she’s damaged goods all these years later as far as the meddling town she lives in is concerned. The cackling old women and Stella had me laughing, especially because I probably know people just like them.

Nate and Zoe have a lot of chemistry together, not all of it good. He broke her heart but still won’t tell her why, being all guy about it. Zoe of course gets overly hysterical about it and hilarity ensues as the two of them gout of their way to avoid each other, thereby running into each other constantly, including on the honeymoon cruise Stella and her runaway groom were planning on taking.

By the time Nate and Zoe had worked out their past Misunderstanding (boy, these two just needed someone to sit down with them with a pad of paper, a protractor and a marker), it was surprisingly Nate who was the mushy romantic. He was just adorable in his pursuit of Zoe, who was operating under a mini-misunderstanding of her own. They still had some wonderfully sweet and sexy scenes, many of them courtesy of the mysterious attacker who doesn’t want Zoe to finish the treasure hunt.

I’m not normally a fan of secondary couples in romances. They’re either obvious filler or if they’re good there aren’t enough of them in the book. I didn’t find that to be true with Callie and Reed. Callie was a funny, sparkling character who was smart and very nearly stole the show from Zoe. Reed was her opposite in many ways, being quiet and trying to keep his distance from Callie because of job with the cruise ship and his issues with PTSD. They made an interesting couple, one that was fun to read about.

The treasure hunt itself was kind of fun just for the sheer trivia factor. Librarian Zoe (and then Nate and Callie) spouted off all sorts of facts when given the clues to sort out the location of the prizes. Then there was the race to get there (fun!) and the competition with the other passengers, the funniest of which was the ridiculously competitive British couple who kept calling them out each round.

If there was a weak point, it was the suspense plot. I’m not sure Zoe was right in the head with some of the decisions she made, but this was fiction and I forgive a lot in a romance novel so I just read on. The resolution did fall flat for me though and that was a little more disappointing. Rather than going out with any sort of a bang, it ended with a little confused whimper – I wish it tied in better with Nate and Zoe’s story since she’d been targeted for murder.

This was a romantic, fun and picturesque story that managed to weave a lot of elements and storylines together pretty successfully. Nate and Zoe are the perfect example of a couple who can go back, right wrongs and ease past hurts, while Callie and Reed are a new couple who can ease his old hurts only by going forward together. There’s just the right amount of heat and humor and if the suspense plot sometimes got a little off track, the sight-seeing and imagery of all of that blue, blue water more than made up for it.
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Nov 17, 2011 Stella rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, for-review, romance, suspense

I discovered Christi Barth earlier this year when I stumbled upon Act Like We're In Love and fell in love with the story, the characters and Christi's writing (you can read my review of Act Like We're in Love here), just telling you this so you can picture how much I was looking forward to read Cruising Toward Love.

Cruising Toward Love is an interesting mix of a contemporary romance and romantic suspense. I really liked the contemporary romance part but didn't care for the suspense plot, but let...more

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Nov 25, 2011 Sharon Buchbinder rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

What could be worse than being stood up on your prom night and becoming a town legend of the untouchable woman? Maybe it would be the disturbing fact that your sister and best friend's husband to be has made a last minute wedding switcheroo and his best man is the very SOB who stood you up ten years ago. Add five parts comedy and five parts of chemistry and stir with a dash of simmering anger and you have one heck of a recipe for a romantic comedy. You will enjoy the sizzle and the smiles in thi...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Barbara ~*Lindt Ninja*~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

The story begins with a lot of humor which is good because it’s Hurricane Zoe season for a while. She’s dealing with her sister, Bridezilla Stella and then she gets covered in mud, courtesy of ex-boyfriend Nate and his motorcycle. Nate, the one who publicly dumped her, so blatantly that apparently she’s damaged goods all these years later as far as the meddling town she lives in is concerned. The cackling old women and Stella had me laughing, especially because I probably know people just like t...more The story begins with a lot of humor which is good because it’s Hurricane Zoe season for a while. She’s dealing with her sister, Bridezilla Stella and then she gets covered in mud, courtesy of ex-boyfriend Nate and his motorcycle. Nate, the one who publicly dumped her, so blatantly that apparently she’s damaged goods all these years later as far as the meddling town she lives in is concerned. The cackling old women and Stella had me laughing, especially because I probably know people just like them.

Nate and Zoe have a lot of chemistry together, not all of it good. He broke her heart but still won’t tell her why, being all guy about it. Zoe of course gets overly hysterical about it and hilarity ensues as the two of them gout of their way to avoid each other, thereby running into each other constantly, including on the honeymoon cruise Stella and her runaway groom were planning on taking.

By the time Nate and Zoe had worked out their past Misunderstanding (boy, these two just needed someone to sit down with them with a pad of paper, a protractor and a marker), it was surprisingly Nate who was the mushy romantic. He was just adorable in his pursuit of Zoe, who was operating under a mini-misunderstanding of her own. They still had some wonderfully sweet and sexy scenes, many of them courtesy of the mysterious attacker who doesn’t want Zoe to finish the treasure hunt.

I’m not normally a fan of secondary couples in romances. They’re either obvious filler or if they’re good there aren’t enough of them in the book. I didn’t find that to be true with Callie and Reed. Callie was a funny, sparkling character who was smart and very nearly stole the show from Zoe. Reed was her opposite in many ways, being quiet and trying to keep his distance from Callie because of job with the cruise ship and his issues with PTSD. They made an interesting couple, one that was fun to read about.

The treasure hunt itself was kind of fun just for the sheer trivia factor. Librarian Zoe (and then Nate and Callie) spouted off all sorts of facts when given the clues to sort out the location of the prizes. Then there was the race to get there (fun!) and the competition with the other passengers, the funniest of which was the ridiculously competitive British couple who kept calling them out each round.

If there was a weak point, it was the suspense plot. I’m not sure Zoe was right in the head with some of the decisions she made, but this was fiction and I forgive a lot in a romance novel so I just read on. The resolution did fall flat for me though and that was a little more disappointing. Rather than going out with any sort of a bang, it ended with a little confused whimper – I wish it tied in better with Nate and Zoe’s story since she’d been targeted for murder.

This was a romantic, fun and picturesque story that managed to weave a lot of elements and storylines together pretty successfully. Nate and Zoe are the perfect example of a couple who can go back, right wrongs and ease past hurts, while Callie and Reed are a new couple who can ease his old hurts only by going forward together. There’s just the right amount of heat and humor and if the suspense plot sometimes got a little off track, the sight-seeing and imagery of all of that blue, blue water more than made up for it.
(less)

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Dec 14, 2011 CoffeeTimeRomance andMore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

This is an entertaining story with colorful characters and an exotic setting. Nate and Zoe have a lot of issues to work out, and it is frustrating not to learn of the reason for their conflict until well past the halfway point of the story. The plot is interesting and a bit suspenseful, and the subplot of the ship’s photographer and the internet millionaire is just as entertaining as the main plotline. A cruise ship makes a great setting for a mystery story and the scavenger hunt makes things ev...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Joya Fields rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome book that makes you feel like you're having fun in the sun along with the characters. Can't wait until Christi's next release.

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Feb 27, 2012 Juliette Brandt rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a really fun read for me. I read it while on vacation myself and found myself unable to stop turning the pages, I was enjoying it that much. Read the rest of this review here: http://paperbacksandfrosting.com

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May 18, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Damn you Christi Barth for sucking me into Nate, Zoe, Callie, & Reed's world and not have the follow up book ready and waiting for me!! Fun read! Can't wait to find out what happens next (HINT HINT!!)

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Nov 19, 2011 BecksBookPicks rated it 5 of 5 stars

Review soon.

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Shelves: kindle-own-copy, to-be-read-new-kindle

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Shelves: ad-ro, kindle

Dec 09, 2012 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

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Shelves: will-read-eventually

Nov 18, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

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