The Pleasure Trip (Signature Select) [Mass Market Paperback]

Joanne Rock (Author)

Book Description

Series: Signature Select | Publication Date: February 14, 2006

Men are from Mars . . .
Women cruise on Venus?

She may be on a cruise liner, but lately Rita Frazer's life looks more like a shabby dinghy. Working as a seamstress on a ship called the Venus, Rita hasn't been feeling very goddesslike. More like a Swamp Thing with red hair and a mouthful of pins. When the ship hosts a fashion show, Rita figures she finally has a chance at being a designer -- until she finds herself on the runway, instead of her designs.

But Rita's found her muse. And he's watching the fashion show.

Harrison Masters is capable of making any woman drop sails, anchor -- and most of her clothes. And he might be successful with Rita, but she panics when her sister disappears. Now Rita's little dinghy -- which was ready for an upgrade to full-on Love Boat only moments ago -- is starting to leak.

Bail water . . . or bail out?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Veteran category romance writer Rock (His Wicked Ways) sails blithely, if a bit unsteadily, into single-title waters with the story of two likable, unlikely sisters who escape an unstable childhood by working the gambling cruise circuit—a gig with no shortage of instability. Sensible, serious Rita Frazer, a seamstress and fashion designer, makes her unexpected debut as a showgirl on the cruise ship Venus when her impulsive sister, Jayne, elopes moments before curtain. From the stage, Rita spots—and immediately falls for—hunky FBI agent Harrison Masters. Fortunately for Rita, the feeling is mutual. Unfortunately for them both, they have dramas familial, vocational and criminal to muddle through before their romance makes landfall. Harrison's official business aboard the Venus—the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend and $30,000—eventually plunges the Frazer sisters into grave danger, setting the stage for a predictably daring rescue and a happily ever after. Rock embraces old-fashioned romance clichés with abandon, from sudden crises that endlessly and artificially delay consummation of the protagonists' affair to suspense subplots as silly and insubstantial as a showgirl's feathers. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

It was supposed to be her big break. Rita Hayworth Frazer had sewn several new costumes--including one particularly stunning number for her sister, Jayne Mansfield Frazer--for the new lounge show on the Venus. The plan was that once the cruise ship's executives saw Rita's work, they would hire her. But Jayne elopes, forcing Rita to strap on Jayne's new feathered ensemble and take her place. In order to get through the show, Rita picks a focal point in the audience: gorgeous and sexy Harrison Masters. Harrison had come on board the Venus in search of two employees who have disappeared with some company funds, but he is perfectly willing to mix a little pleasure with business. In her laughter-laced, character-rich single-title debut, Rock's snappy style of writing is perfect for a sexy, sassy contemporary romance. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (February 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373836821
• ISBN-13: 978-0373836826
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,792,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Three-time RITA nominee Joanne Rock turned a passion for writing into a career when imaginary characters kept her awake at night, demanding she tell their stories. The author of over fifty romances in a variety of subgenres, she enjoys writing medieval historicals and sexy contemporaries along with the occasional romantic suspense. Joanne traces her passion for all things medieval to an early brush with John Keats' poem "The Eve of St. Agnes" and a rapt fascination with the Pre-Raphaelites' depiction of medieval themes. As a writer, she enjoys supplementing her more research-intensive trips to the Middle Ages with faster-paced contemporary stories sparked by the characters she meets in real life. The move back and forth between very different story styles keeps her Muse singing happily. A former Golden Heart recipient, Joanne has won numerous awards for her stories. Her work has been reprinted in twenty-five countries and translated into nineteen languages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Trip on the Low Seas, April 22, 2006

By 

bookworm (Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pleasure Trip (Signature Select) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was neither a good romance nor a good mystery, just a mixed up story of dysfunctional people. I got so tired of Rita squelching her wants for her sister and mom's failures. Why she had to carry the burden of their problems was maddening. But all's well that ends well if you can plow through this soap opera. Give it a pass.

4.0 out of 5 stars A cruise comedy ..., May 1, 2006

By 

Jean Cooper "eleanordew" (Charlottesville) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pleasure Trip (Signature Select) (Mass Market Paperback)

Working as a seamstress on the Caribbean cruise liner Venus, Rita Frazer is frazzled! Not only is she called upon to repair uniforms for the crew and costumes for the performers, she worries about her sister, Jayne Frazer, a performer in the ship's revue who seems to be having a hot and heavy romance with one of the ship's bartenders. Not to mention that they both worry about their mother back in Florida, who has a "little" trouble with gambling.

When sister Jayne skips the ship twenty minutes before the show, Rita has to go on with the show without her, hoping against hope that she can remember enough of her dance practice sessions with Jayne, and that the costume will hide enough of her face so that the dance mistress won't know of the substitution. The only thing that gets her through is focusing on the gorgeous hunk in the front row. But how can she concentrate on hunky resort owner Harrison Masters when she is so worried about the other issues in her life?

I thought this book was really amusing and enjoyed it quite a lot. It gives you peek at an unusual venue for a romance -- the "backstage" view of life on a cruise ship, with a large dollop of humor and a bit of mystery thrown in. This book is more of an ensemble piece rather than a star turn, because each character has his or her own significant role in the story. I personally identified with sensible Rita rather than flighty Jayne, but each of the characters is realistically drawn and three dimensional. The love scenes are very sensual, but not terribly graphic. This will be a great novel to tuck in your beach bag for spring break.

[For those who choose their books based on the cover blurb, I should note that the back cover blurb of my copy of this book was incorrect, as if the person who wrote the blurb hadn't read it all the way through, or as if the story was changed slightly between the time of writing the blurb and publication.] -- Jean, Fallen Angel Reviews (courtesy of Fallen Angel Reviews)

4.0 out of 5 stars fine contemporary romance, February 16, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pleasure Trip (Signature Select) (Mass Market Paperback)

Rita Frazier dreams that one day she will be a highly regarded costume designer, but for now she earns her keep as a seamstress on the cruise ship Venus where her sister performs as a showgirl. When her sibling Jayne fails to show up to prance down a runway, her employers inform Rita she will take her sister's place though she insists her talent is designing the clothes not showing the clothes. Fuming she wonders who will want to watch a red-haired Swamp Thing.

FBI Agent Harrison Masters is on leave taking the PLEASURE TRIP as a combination vacation and a personal hunt to find his former girlfriend Sonia who vanished while on the Venus last month with a lot of his family's money needed for his ailing father's medical bills. However, concentration on the case proves futile as all he wants to do is have Rita perform solely for him. Rita feels the same way she does not mind performing for Harrison only.

The lead couple is a delight as both are shocked when attraction erupts the first time they see one another. Though Rita and Harrison wonder if this is part of the charm of a sea cruise, both knows otherwise as she has been working on the Venus for a year and he is a special agent. As they fall in love, the high seas dramatic suspense takes a back seat to a fine contemporary romance between two genial lead characters who find their respective muse on a superb sea cruise.

Harriet Klausner