Quiet Passions (Cruise Romance Series Book 1) ♥
Synopsis
Claire was on a cruise by herself because her husband cancelled at the last minute.
Thane is a ship officer working on the cruise.
They are attracted to each other.
Opinion
Claire was not in a happy marriage. Her husband is a workaholic, putting work above everything else. She was tired of coming in second place. However, she only became disenchanted with her husband after she met Thane.
“She was a married woman but sometimes she yearned for the cat and mouse game of pursuit.” – Claire
When I realize that she was married, I almost stopped reading this book. I continued reading because of the A-to-Z challenge, but hesitatingly so, because I did not want to read that they got physical with each other.
In a nutshell: An unhappy married woman flirts with a very attractive man while on vacation. Both mourn the fact that they cannot pursue the relationship. Woman goes home to her workaholic husband questioning if she should leave him for her new love.
Should you read? I do not recommend. Besides the fact that she was married, there was nothing that happened that made me feel sorry for Claire. Her husband worked too much, yes. That is hardly worth leaving him especially if it had not been discussed prior to that. He needs to know that his marriage is in jeopardy instead of flirting with another man. Out of respect for the man she married, Claire should not have entertained any type of relationship with Thane.
Additional comments- I am happily married but I can understand if a person is not married to the right person, it might not be as pleasant. However, I think that each person in a marriage has to concentrate on what they bring to the table to make the marriage successful. In this case, I am not sure that Claire has adequately expressed her dissatisfaction with the current status of their marriage. I do not think that if she left her husband for Thane, she would be any happier once they got on with the business of living.
Book details from Goodreads
ebook, 58 pages
Published May 9th 2014 by Marie Michaels
The Opinionated Woman's Musings 
The book seems awfully short too, for her to try to explore those types of dynamics. I explore infidelity in my writing, a lot. I find it interesting, and as someone who has really had to struggle to make my marriage work–I understand infidelity. I used to not, but all I can say is you never know what two people are going through, and we are after all, humans. Humans make mistakes. I like exploring those mistakes in my writing. Still your right, the main character should have expressed her displeasure to her husband, instead of seeking other opportunities. This post made me think.
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Right. There can be many different dynamics involved to lead a person to fall into a situation where they might be unfaithful but I think the author has to a good job explaining those reasons. Otherwise, our sense of what is fair will alienate us from the main character instead of garnering our sympathies.
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I had a huge issue with “The Bridges of Madison County” because she was having an affair and it was romanticized. This does not sound like a book I could get behind and the length means I could read it while I was waiting for my lunch.
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Exactly! She is having an affair to relieve her boredom. If she has to engage in an extramarital affair to have excitement, it is not fair to none of the people involved.
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I have not read this story, but similar genre where a woman or man trapped in an unhappy relationship is woed by another. I think that if a person gives into such temptations not only is it cheating, but it is essentially looking for something to fill a void they must deal with on their own. Life is expensive, and why would your husband working to provide financial stability be a bad thing? I think if people focus on their own interests and pursuits, perhaps they would not begrudge the time a significant other spend working or engaging in hobbies. Besides, it is about the quality of the time people spend together, not the quantity. There are a lot of people who want to spend every minute together, but that might not always be healthy.
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I think that in this case, the husband might be thinking he is doing everything to care for his family. Money does not buy happiness, but often times it makes some problems less problematic.
If she talked to him to express that she her emotional needs are not being met, I think he would reduce the amount to time he worked.
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Interesting take for the AtoZChallenge. I actually like reading romance books (so as long as they aren’t “smut” types. I like seeing the interaction between the 2 main players of the book. But, like you, there are certain aspects I would not find pleasing.
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lol.. you guys sounds exactly like my wife, You almost sounds angry and upset about the book and so did my wife, That’s why I had to read it.
I usually do not read, and care too much for this type of books, but I think this one was a short and sweet story, and definitely nothing to be upset about. A fresh breeze in Claire’s life and then back to normal again.
I actually hope there will be a follow up book, and I’ll bet you all will read it if there is 🙂
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