Book Review: Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold (Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries, #1) by Denise Jaden

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold: Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries by Denise Jaden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fun, fish-out-of-water murder mystery.

Murder in the Hidden Cargo Hold is the first book in author Denise Jaden’s cozy Olivia Ocean Cruise Ship Mysteries. It features a new crewmate and junior photographer, Olivia Ocean, as she embarks on her first contract cruise aboard the Moonlight Majesty. An engaging protagonist, a toxic job environment, and an intriguing plot combine to make this a great debut for this new series.

Olivia has been caring for her grandparents since she was young, from before her grandfather passed to the recent death of her beloved grandmother. Since her grandmother had spoken so fondly of her time working on cruise ships when she was young, when Olivia spies a job opening for a photographer on the Moonlight Majesty, she jumps at the opportunity to apply. Her first day on the ship is chaotic; it’s embarkation day for a 7-day cruise, and everyone is so busy with their tasks to get underway that no instruction or onboarding is given to Olivia, except for the safety briefing. She’s literally handed a camera and sent to find her own way to take pictures of passengers as they board without any guidance. She does her best but is a complete fish out of water. A late-night errand to a cargo hold for photo paper, though, nets her a tiny stowaway kitten, which leads to her discovery of a dead man. As the one to find the murder victim, the hunky head of security, Miles Blackwell, initially treats Olivia with suspicion, so she feels it’s in her best interests to stay as close as possible to the ensuing investigation and the handsome investigator.

While cruise ship jobs sound glamorous, the reality is anything but, and Olivia finds herself working impossibly long hours without a break with some fairly toxic coworkers. Thankfully, her new roommate, Becky, turns out to be welcoming and friendly and helps Olivia to find her sea legs. In the days that follow, Olivia and Miles work together, comparing notes, sharing information about the investigation, and coming to rely on one another. I enjoyed their slow-burn attraction to one another, but because I’m suspicious of everyone in the story except Olivia, I continually hoped that Miles was on the up and up.

The plot moves quickly, with the murder occurring on the first evening of the cruise. As Olivia works to settle into her job, she tries to impress her obnoxious supervisor with her skills and willingness to do whatever tasks he needs doing without complaint while secretly collecting clues from the dead man’s coworkers. I enjoyed the presence of the little kitten, Pickle, and his extraordinary ability to point our sleuths in the right direction when needed. The scenes set throughout the different areas of the ship were interesting and fun, and I could relate to Olivia’s confusion over the layout; these ships are huge. While I had an inkling of the who-dun-it, it wasn’t until the resolution that I found out the surprising why. I look forward to more adventures for Olivia and, hopefully, Miles aboard the Moonlight Majesty.

I recommend MURDER IN THE HIDDEN CARGO HOLD to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy cruise life.

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Someday Belongs to Us by Margie Seaman

Someday Belongs to Us by Margie Seaman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ARRGH-uably one of the most delightful books I’ve read all year!

Romance author Kate Caldwell has hit a brick wall plotting the next adventure in her bestselling pirate romance series, and to make matters worse, her editor is insisting she spice up the love scenes beyond her comfort zone. Kate fears her writer’s block may be trying to take up permanent residence in her brain. So, to give her creativity a nudge, she takes a two-week Caribbean cruise with her newly graduated granddaughter, Ellie.

Ellie is also the ONLY person Kate has ever told the truth about her original inspiration for the series’ handsome hero, Captain Edward Peregrine. The rakish 18th-century adventurer with a heart of gold appeared to her one dark night during a terrible storm in either a very vivid dream or a crazy hiccup in the space-time continuum; she doesn’t know. But the sexy swashbuckler had continued to visit her when she slept and had literally been collaborating with Kate on his adventures ever since. However, after the success of their second book together, they’d quarreled over the direction future books should take, and Edward had disappeared in a huff. To top things off, when he’d left, he’d made a pretty unkind remark to her about her lack of a love life. Kate feared there was some truth to his comment, which was behind her struggle to produce the new book with the heightened love scenes as requested.

With her deadlines closing in and inspiration still flagging, Kate and Ellie embark on their cruise, finding themselves a part of an enthusiastic and compatible group assigned to the same dinner table. Ellie was pleased to discover another recent college grad her age who shared many of her interests in the group. But Kate found herself attracting the attention of not one but two eligible and handsome older gentlemen.

Marco is a sophisticated and admiring Italian who loves to dance and is traveling with his invalid sister. While Dr. David Mitchell is a charming widower on sabbatical from the same university Ellie attended. However, after a delightful and exhilarating evening of dancing with Marco and a couple of frozen strawberry daiquiris, Kate returns to the stateroom to find Edward has returned, and he’s ready to put the next novel (and a new lady love) to bed.

Someday Belongs to Us is Margie Seaman’s debut novel and hopefully is the start of a long, lovely series. Kate is a wonderful character and the type of person one would love to have as a best friend. She’s in her early 70s but is very youthful in mind, spirit, and body, as her absolutely killing it on the dance floor can attest. I liked that she was so genuine - a real standup gal - who also happens to have 30 bestsellers to her name. She and her granddaughter, a real sweetie herself, have the BEST relationship: one any grandmother would envy. And though Marco was the initial hot daddy out of the starting gate, I really rooted for the quiet professor to eventually win her heart.

I loved how the author had two stories going at one time (and in a first book!) Her handling of the dual plotlines was smooth and seamless, with both having their exciting twists and turns and tender moments. I felt Kate’s excitement as her writing started to flow again, her bittersweet regret over Edward’s new love, and her anger later when a betrayal comes to light. I particularly enjoyed the dance contest subplot with its rehearsals, costumes, and exciting final performance.

One of the biggest things I got from this delightful book is an urgent desire to go on a cruise! The little tidbits the author included about the day-to-day aboard ship and the island excursions were so tantalizing that I don’t care where I go as long as I go!

With a charming cast of characters, many of whom are retired persons and senior citizens, stunning story-within-a-story, and the tempting treat of a cruise life setting, SOMEDAY BELONGS TO US is an inspiring romance that incorporates later-in-life love and second-change romance. I recommend it to romance readers who enjoy more mature protagonists, cruises, and PIRATES!



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