| Genre | Gay / Urban Fantasy / Angels & Demons / Elves/Fairies/Sidhe / Gods/Goddesses / Magic / Mythological Creatures / Shifters / Interspecies / Romance / Holiday / Humor/Comedy |
| Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 01-April-2020 |
The Pride of the Caribbean is a cruise ship unlike any other. Paranormals working on board the enchanted ship hide in plain sight, under the benevolent protection of a demigod captain and his fairy husband.
And this is a shipboard romance unlike any other.
Josh Gilbert’s well-meaning family booked a gay-friendly cruise for Christmas in order to find Josh a boyfriend. Hoping to escape the constant parade of bachelors—and the collapsible fishing rod dangling mistletoe his mom keeps in her purse—Josh takes solace in a growing friendship with the ship’s photographer, Nathan. Though Josh is falling for Nathan, he worries it will never be more than a shipboard fling.
Nathan recently became aware of his incubus heritage and has finally learned how to control his demon side. But Josh has awakened more than just the demon’s need for orgasms—Josh has awakened Nathan’s heart. What’s developing between them is the real thing, but can Josh ever accept Nathan’s promiscuous past… and love a sex demon?
Amid lush tropical settings, family hilarity, holiday costume parties, sexy snorkeling adventures, gingerbread martinis, and mythical creatures, will Josh get his Christmas wish and finally find the true love he’s wanted for so long?
First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, December 2018.
The idea behind this series, a supernatural version of “Love Boat” (on TV more years ago than I care to remember), turns out to be as funny and original as it sounded when I first read the blurb. And while a human and a demon are at the center of this first “episode”, there are plenty of other paranormal creatures, or “paras”, around to keep things interesting. The Pride of the Caribbean is luxurious, enchanted, and run by no less than a demigod, Captain Leonides, married to Raoul, leader of the local fae. Surrounded by various tropical settings, family drama, holiday costume parties, a few expeditions, and exotic cocktails, Josh and Nathan have to figure out if what they feel is real enough for them to call it true love.
Josh is a twenty-seven-year-old human in need of a boyfriend – at least according to his well-meaning, meddling family, especially his matchmaking mother. When he discovers that the reason for the family’s gay-friendly cruise is to find him a boyfriend he is beyond embarrassed. He has never had a real boyfriend because he is too shy and he never imagined having to go through the emotional upheaval of his first time falling in love with his entire family watching! But even all of that can’t stop him from falling for Nathan.
Nathan is a demon with an issue, except he didn’t know for many years that he was actually a quarter incubus. Now that he has found out he approaches life differently, but it is hard to shed his image as a marauding sex-fiend. He is also the ship’s photographer and this is how he first meets Josh. The attraction is immediate, but Nathan can’t be sure whether it is due to his heritage or if more is involved. He also isn’t sure demons, much less incubi, can actually fall in love and have what he wants – a permanent partner.
Both men have issues – of exactly the opposite nature. Josh is too shy for his own good, and Nathan is constantly tempted to “compel” Josh to sleep with him. Nathan has to fight his incubus nature if he wants to stay with Josh long-term, and Josh has to overcome his reluctance to be gay “out in the open” – not that I blame him for not wanting everyone in his family to know exactly what is going on – and even encouraging him. How embarrassing is that? Josh and Nathan both want a committed relationship, but neither can quite believe they can ever have it. They definitely need all the help they can get, both of the human and the supernatural kind.
Laced with humor and studded with a host of brilliant secondary characters, this is a very entertaining story. Aside from some family drama, the issues of other guests, and all the angst around Josh and Nathan, ‘The Boyfriend Cruise’ is a great Caribbean adventure with all the trimmings I expected.
If you like your romances with a touch of humor, if supernatural dilemmas and the humans who discover a whole new world are your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read set in a dreamlike world that is slightly different from the norm, then you will probably like this novel. I hope there will be many more in this series!
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been purchased by the reviewer.
| Format | ebook |
| Length | Novel, 224 pages |
| Heat Level | |
| Publication Date | 21-March-2020 |
| Price | $6.99 ebook |
| Buy Link | https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08681MDBJ |
