Customer Reviews

The Chocolate Ship

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In Marissa Monteilh's, The Chocolate Ship, she takes you on an all African American cruise where you will find love, dreams fulfilled, and drama. Many interesting characters are ready to make African American history, and set sail on the great blue seas. This is their adventure.

Mia and Miles have been dating for three years and Mia wonders where exactly is this relationship going. Her best friend, Bianca, thinks that she needs to get out more and start to forget about Miles. He is obviously not thinking about Mia. So, Bianca convinces Mia to set sail on Delmonte Harrison's Chocolate Ship, the first black owned cruise ship. To Mia's surprise, Miles was buying her a ticket to join him with his best friend, Scott and his wife, Kelly. Together they find themselves in some interesting situations with the other members aboard the ship. All the while, Mia wonders is this the end for her and Miles or the beginning?

The Chocolate Ship was an good read. At times it was predictable, but if you looked past that you will find it to be an enjoyable read. There are times that you wish you were on that ship, ready to slap some sense into people, wonder why did they do that, and oh my god! No they didn't! If you are looking for a read to take your mind off the worries of the world, and ready to escape, I suggest you pick up this book.

Jacki
APOOO BookClub

Mia and Miles are at a crossroads in their relationship, and it's through their adventures on a cruise called the Chocolate Ship that they'll discover if their love can carry them to the next level. Mia seems to be the type who is eager to please her man, but Miles is moody and not always communicative, thus setting the tone of the trip and the challenges that Mia must conquer.

The beginning part of the story is setup, and it took me a little while to settle in, but once the passengers boarded the ship, and when their individual drama unfolded, I was there, and the more I read, the more the story engaged me. The details of all the features, activities, and menu offerings that's included on a ship are awesome, and Marissa make you feel as if you're on the trip without actually having to be there. There are quite a few characters in the novel and I have a tendency to mistake one for another - friendships, family, and other romantic battlers are in the mix. And there's loads of drama, humor, and sex to keep the pages turning. But there's also the sensitive side, the unanswered questions regarding the behavior of Mia and Miles and other key characters.

This novel may appeal to readers that enjoy taking a peek at romantic adventures on the high seas, and if you're like me and have never been on a cruise before, this book is an excellent way to know what you can expect.

I found this book to be a fun, dishy, sexy read - perfect for summer. Based on the other reviews I've scanned here, not sure what other readers were expecting. "Mutiny on The Bounty" or "Titanic" perhaps? Lighten up, people. When I read the cruise ship concept I figured it would feature vignettes of different characters (like the old TV show) and not just a deep character study of one or two. There's plenty of snappy dialogue that made me laugh and kept me turning pages. And just the right amount of steamy sex. I felt the sway of the ship, smelled the ocean water and was awed by the ethnic majesty and opulence of the ship. Her lush, detailed description swept me way and took me there. Based on the cover's promises, I think this author more than delivered.

If you come across a buffet of chocolate chip cookies, quaint boutiques, skeet shooting, beautiful men and sexy women you have entered Marissa Monteilh's The Chocolate Ship.

Mia, a woman truly in love and vying for a wedding ring, and her beaux Miles, who seemingly is not interested in that kind of relationship, embark on a Soul Train meets Love Boat Caribbean cruise. These two with their eclectic mix of friends take you on a seven day cruise that reveal what people are really about and their true feelings. While Mia and Miles try to work through the doubts and fragility of their relationship, their friends are not sitting back taking notes. Bring in a friend whose life is her son, twins who are wild at heart, a white "black" man with his Black wife, a White "Black " girl, and a television reporter whose claim to fame is her bikini, you can imagine they were going through their own experiences of love, lust and the buffet. This fun-filled cruise has more illicit "goings on" than any Love Boat episode.

Ms. Monteilh has her readers engaged as soon as they board the Chocolate Ship until they disembark. The characters were interesting but a bit shallow. Mia was so in love that she at times was stupid and Miles was the typical mystery man that you as the reader were not sure you were supposed to like or not. Along with the other shenanigans, I was a bit frustrated with choices that these people made. Also the story seemed to go on after it ended having at least three endings. This took away from the flow of the novel.

Despite these shortcomings, this is a good book to take on a cruise or escape with on a lazy afternoon.

Kotanya
APOOO BookClub

Mia and Miles are in a relationship that's headed to a committment but Miles doesn't seem ready. As they are on this cruise which is an extraordinary adventure & once in a lifetime experience, you realize they have a healthy love life. Mia seems much more mature & committed to Miles, then he is to her, but you learn Mile has some surprises. This cruise was suppossed to be a girls getaway but now Mia is with Miles on the cruise & Bianca her bestfriend is with her teenage son. There are many characters in this story & they're all pretty interesting in their own way. Kelly and Scott seemed to be doomed from the beginning. Here they are supposedly celebrating their wedding anniversary, but they are spending time in all the wrong places. Kelly goes straight sistah gurl on Scott, but then flips the script in a shocking twist of interest. Billionaire owner of the Chocolate ship is an arrogant b.m.w. He definitely needs to be put in his place. He proves that a Black Man Working with boo coo bucks can do whatever he wants and can get away with it. Winter Jackson only one word describes this woman, "Tramp." This story is an easy read, and will keep you interested all the way. You have a little of everything here, success, love, betrayal, deception, hate. It is also females tripping, males tripping. Very Good!

I'm waiting for a sequel because I know that the Captain has a story of his own, Tangie? Mr. Chocolate Ship Owner himself (Delmonte Harrison) has a story for sure.

Perhaps as successful as any of the 100 Black men of America, billionaire businessman Delmonte Harrison sees his ultimate dream constructed when the CHOCOLATE SHIP, a love boat for African-Americans is ready for its maiden voyage. Delmonte feels he is sending a positive message with this ship that Black people in deed go on sea cruises as pampered guests not just as workers or in the past as cargo.

Two of the passengers are Mia White and Miles Lewis, who have been seeing each other for three years. Mia wants a commitment from Miles, but for whatever reason he cannot take their relationship to the next level. She wants to enjoy the cruise, but Mia plans to confront her boyfriend also. However, Delmonte sees Mia and decides she is his perfect companion for the Caribbean trek and perhaps more, leaving Miles with a bad case of jealousy, but will he grow up in time to see that the we could become an I.

Fans of warm contemporary relationship dramas will want to read THE CHOCOLATE SHIP. The story line is at its finest when Delmonte takes center stage, as the audience fully understands what motivates him. Though Miles behaves immaturely at times, once again fans grasp his fears though many will want to slap him to wake him up. However, Mia who seems to have everything going for her is never explained why she clings to Miles so that readers miss a critical element that would turn an enjoyable tale into a perceptive passionate powerhouse.

Harriet Klausner

I must echo the comments of others about the shortcomings of this book. While not every author can be Alice Walker, there were just too many flaws--underdeveloped characters; more descriptions of clothing than about the characters; awkward and misguided metaphors; little or no character motivation; and some of the most grossly detailed, unromantic, and all-too frequent descriptions of sex I have ever read...and I'm no prude. It was sad that the author could describe a pair of pumps in more sensual detail than a sexual interlude. Worst of all, a tragic incident on the ship gets waved away and then lost in the turgid, tangent-filled dialogue. There were even misspellings. The book read like a sixth-rate imitation of Waiting to Exhale. There are just too many good African American writers in this genre--take Connie Briscoe, for instance--to accept substandard fare such as this.

This book is a great source of entertainment about a group of singles and couples from the Los Angeles area that embark on a vacation of a lifetime aboard a black owned cruise liner called The Chocolate Ship. This book took me on an enchanting ride that shocked me at times, made me laugh, want to book a cruise, and wish I was the one on the other end of that romance scene! This book entails "call your girls up drama", comedy, heart-touching poetry, and a lovely surprise ending. Marissa Monteilh provides a stimulating journey of fun, daring and exciting twists. Take this journey for yourself. You'll love...The Chocolate Ship-

I don't care what anyone says about this book, it was an excellent read. The way the author describes the ship is wonderful especially for those who have never been on a cruise ship before. Miles was immature, but came around towards the end. Why Mia puts up with his nonsense was a question I had in the back of my mind. But when you love someone, that love can make you do some real stupid things. I truly believe there should be a sequel. I want to know more about the captian and the cruise director. Also, do Mia and Miles last?

I really enjoyed reading "The Chocolate Ship". It was good reading from beginning to end. I enjoyed reading about the characters and also the relationships between them. Having just come from a cruise, it was nice to read about how exciting a cruise can be!!!