Star Cruise: Ghost Ship by Veronica Scott @vscotttheauthor @sophiarose1816

Posted March 27, 2024 by Sophia in Book Review / 8 Comments

Star Cruise: Ghost Ship by Veronica Scott @vscotttheauthor @sophiarose1816 Star Cruise Ghost Ship by Veronica Scott
on December 21, 2023
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction
Pages: 132
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
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After losing his Space Navy career due to an unfortunate accident, Theo Knox is looking for any opportunity to distinguish himself as an officer aboard the luxury cruise liner Nebula Zephyr. When they come upon a derelict freighter, he’s happy to lead a small crew to salvage the ship and bring her to port. But once he’s boarded the little ship questions pile up. What happened to the original crew? Why is the lifeboat still docked? Is the ship haunted? What’s in those mysterious crates in the cargo hold? Security Officer Jayna Evans has complicated feelings about Theo so she’s pleased to be assigned to his salvage crew. She hopes they can work out their future while bringing the derelict to port but the uncanny events aboard the abandoned vessel pile up and she can’t trust anyone, not even Theo.

When their cruise ship comes across an empty derelict ship in space, a salvage crew finds themselves up asking a lot of questions as the mysteries compound.  Returning to the Star Cruise subseries within futuristic space adventure romances of The Sectors world is an event I greet with great excitement.  I love that Veronica Scott took the old nautical mystery from real life history of the Mary Celeste and based her latest, Ghost Ship, on it.

Ghost Ship is the ninth book in the Star Cruise series and #14.8 in The Sectors world.  This can easily be read as a standalone though there are brief references to previous stories and characters who got their stories earlier.

Ghost Ship introduces the ship’s Sixth Officer, Theo Knox, who is getting his second chance after a washed up career as a Space Navy captain.  His ambition is to gain his own command once again.  At the same time, he’s baffled by the woman he is growing to love and want a relationship with who treats what they have as strictly physical.  He’s hoping to kill two birds with one stone by successfully bringing the derelict vessel the Nebula Zephyr comes across in space to port and use the time aboard the small cargo craft to find a way to get past Security officer Jayna Evans thick emotional walls.

Jayna had a heartbreaking past experience when she trusted and loved with all her heart and she barely picked up the pieces.  It caused her to leave her career in the Special Forces and it keeps her from acting on the feelings and attraction she feels for Theo.  Being sent over to help crew the small ship to port is a good job opportunity to lead, but bad for her personal goal.

But, then the moderate curiosity about what happened to the crew of the old, but fully functioning ship with a full cargo turns bizarre and nightmarish.  Jayna, Theo, and the rest of the crew have to figure out answers before it’s too late.

Ghost Ship had a wonderful set up from the beginning with the mystery of the empty ship and the isolation of the small crew.  I was feeling the chills soon after the bigger ship left them to themselves and the weird stuff started happening.  This one brushed up against the horror genre in a Lovecraftian way and, after doing a little research on the real life Mary Celeste story, I appreciated finding how the author gave tribute and wove it into the plot.  The tension and pacing were spot on leading to a riveting climax and a nicely done denouement afterward that helped tease out the romance side especially.

All in all, another fabulous entry in the series and left me hungering for more.  Again, I urge sci-fi romance fans to take up this series as soon as you can.

 

About Veronica Scott

USA Today Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author.

Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.

MISC FACTS ABOUT VERONICA
Seven time winner ~ SFR Galaxy Award

Proud recipient ~ NASA Exceptional Service Medal but must hasten to add the honor was not for her romantic fiction!

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt – I’ll improve your process (mwahahahaa)!

Elvis Presley’s best friend once serenaded Veronica on a local TV telethon…now that could be a novel…

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Posted March 27, 2024 by Sophia in Book Review / 8 Comments


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