Lots of fun on the high seas!

After feeling invisible for most of her life, Cassia is ready to grab life by the horns so she sneaks onto her brother's ship - or at least, that's what she meant to do. Ending up on another ship entirely, she has to admit she is totally out of her element and completely at the mercy of a merciless captain. Yes, she does come across as quite naïve, but understandably so, given her extremely sheltered upbringing, and she's gradually becoming aware of just how much she has to learn.

Nathaniel's father, a powerful duke, wants nothing more than to browbeat Nathaniel into submitting to the life he has planned for his heir, forcing him to give up his shipping career if he doesn't fall in line. Out on the open sea is the only place where Nathaniel feels at home, and he's not about to let a young stowaway - a female, at that - derail his plans for independence.

I loved the way Cassia relied on her inner fortitude, standing up to Nathan whenever possible. I thought her inability to hold her tongue was endearing, and clearly Nathan needed someone to drive him to exasperation every now and then. Their relationship was combative and intense with more than a few moments of sweet understanding as they began to develop true feelings for each other.

This exciting story has notes of Master and Commander as most of the action takes place at sea with Nathaniel's ship in pursuit of a French ship in the spring of 1814. I heartily enjoyed all the sailing aspects of this story, and I absolutely adored the way the sea battle was decided.

The first book in this series detailed the romance of Cassia's sister, Myrtle, in The Duke Alone, and while each is a complete standalone romance, readers of the earlier book will appreciate the further insight into the McQuoid family. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical romance, pirate stories, or romantic comedies. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I love the McQuoids!

I'm a sucker for a stowaway story and this one did not disappoint! As always, Christi Caldwell has absolutely smashed it!

I'm really hoping we get one of the brothers next!

This is a Stand-alone book by Christi Caldwell but it really to me is the 2nd book in the McQuoids series following book 1 The Duke Alone.
This is Cassia McQuoid's story. Cassia is the eldest McQuoid sister. After 2 seasons she feels she is always overlooked, especially now that her sister Myrtle is married before she even had her come out. Cassia decides to take a grand adventure and sneak onto her brother and his best friends boat to see the world since no man has taken notice of her. Or as The Captain says...The Ship! Nathaniel is a Strict, hard, fair, and honorable man. This is his last secret mission before he has to take up his place as his father the Duke's Heir since his elder brother passed away.
These two are definitely different, but you will see that their differences make each other whole. If you like quirky and super talkative ladies and hard as nails Hero's this is definitely a must read!

I liked this story. It was the being at sea I thought was most exciting in the story. The background story surrounding Nathaniel was entertaining. His father was a ogre I thought. The book reads fast, which is good. The characters are wonderful. They certainly kept the story moving. Until next time my fellow readers… read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Heiress at Sea is a fun and enjoyable romance. This is the second book I have read by the author.

Nathaniel has been given a dictate by his father, that he will marry Angela. The families have had an arrangement between them. Now that his older brother has died Nathaniel will be expected to marry her. Nathaniel on the other hand has other ideas. He is privateer and owns his own ship and intends to continue sailing as he loves the sea. He has his own agenda, and it doesn't include marriage.

Cassia has never done anything exciting. She never got to study away from home, she has never been away from home. She has had two and a half seasons that were uneventful. She is determined to see the world and escapes to find The Waltzing Dragon, her friend Jermey's ship. Only she doesn't realize that she has boarded the Flying Dragon, Nathaniel's ship. She is pressed into service with her disguise as a young boy on the ship. When things get out of hand, she demands to see Jeremy. Only, Jeremy on the ship is not Captain Jeremy. Cassia is confused by the mistake, she demands they just turn around so she can find the right ship. It is too late for that since they are on a mission for the crown and must keep going.

When Cassia's disguise is revealed, Nathaniel moves her to his cabin for safety, but now the men are worried by superstitions of a woman on board. Cassia's life will be in danger several times on her journey to see the world. Nathaniel will do his best to protect her, but will he be able to protect his heart against her in order to continue his life at sea.

This was an entertaining and oftentimes funny romance. In spite of both being of the same social standing, they are very different. Nathaniel is quiet, sarcastic and a man of few words. Cassia is very talkative and naïve. These two clash immediately since Cassia is so literal nor does she get sarcasm. It was a fun and fast paced journey.

This book was a solid 2.5 stars for me but I rounded up to 3. While I liked the premise I feel like the execution of the story did not live up to it. There were cute moments between the two main characters there was nothing that really stood out. I ended up having more issues with the book than things that I enjoyed about it. One issue is that the heroine describes herself as a spinster which is just bizarre considering that she is 21 years old and has not even been through 3 full seasons yet. There is no way even at this point in history is a 21-year old considered a spinster or would think of herself as a spinster. Another issue I had was that so much of what could have been interesting to see was instead just told to us after it had happened. Just as I would start to get into something happening in the story the chapter would end or the POV would end and the next either chapter or POV would begin with a quick recap of what had eventually ended up happening. I also found that the end of the book came about so quickly that it did not feel like a satisfying conclusion of the story, Finally I did not realize this was a fade to black romance novel, which is not a bad thing necessarily but I just wish I had known before I started reading.

I thought that Nathan and Cassia, while not being favorite characters at first, grew on me and showed an incredible depth of feeling. Cassia bothered me a lot initially especially with her constant crying but the voyage she was on and her interactions with Nathan became more meaningful she showed there was more to her and all she was wanting was validation that she was worthy.

I am a bit sad that she didn't confront her family of their different treatment to her and Myrtle. It felt a bit like a missed opportunity for growth and acceptance for Cassia. I did like that Nathan got to see more of the relationship that his parents had behind closed doors and that they were more affectionate than what had been thought prior (especially the duke!).

Format - EARC (Netgalley) Release date March 14 2023

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 💋

Series- N/A

Troupes- Cross dressing, enemies to lovers, forbidden love,

CW- Some violence and attempted murder

This is my first book from Caldwell and I like it. I struggled with Cassia’s motivations though the first half of the book. I totally sympathize with her wanting to get out and see the world but she’s not at all prepared mentally or physically for the reality of stowing away on a boat and surviving.

This mistake that lands her on the wrong boat in the first place is also pretty flimsy and stupid or her. Lets just say I did not like Cassia for the first 3rd of the book. I did however really like Nathan he’s gruff and Grumpy and a very reluctant hero to Cassia but he does take care of her while she’s tossing her cookies and miserable. And who doesn’t love a good “he cares for her whiles she is sick” troupe.

This is a slow burn Nathen burns for her almost as soon as he finds out she’s a woman but we don’t get any Spicy action. Which was pretty disappointing for me. Things heat up nicely and them BAM door closed on to the morning after. So there’s that.

This book had a lot of my favorite things for Historical romance I did enjoy it and will recommend it with warning for my Smut loving friends.

Thank you Christi Caldwell, Montlake and Netgalley for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

Oh this was such a beautiful book! Since the moment I started I knew it had the potential to become a good experience because I didn’t want to put my Kindle down. The characters, the plot, the writing it all mixed so well to create this book and I am so happy for having the opportunity to read it before it came out. I really enjoyed getting to know these character who are very different but complete each other so well, and the chemistry oh god. It was there, every chapter. I liked the pace of the story and the moment in which truths were revealed. I would love to read maybe more about the friend whose ship she was trying to get to or maybe about other characters as well. I hope everyone who reads this books has an experience as good as the one I had reading it.

Oh I do love a pirate story. I mean I know he's not really a pirate, but they so rarely are in historical romance. But this was a fun concept for a book, and I enjoyed all the characters. I do wish I had realised earlier that there was almost certainly an earlier book with Cassia's family (there is), because I was more lost than I should have been.

This book started strong. I pretty much love every HR that involves a ship. And the first half of this book was great. I liked our heroine and hero bonding over sea sickness. And the sensual kisses. And then it started going downhill for me...
Cassia's "lack of any real skill" was proved not true... but then still talked about which annoyed me. The sensual kisses are the only spice in this book.
And then the ending made me CRINGE. I felt second hand embarrasement.
On a positive note, I like that (implied) they keep sailing but an epilogue would have made the ending better for me.
This was a tough rating... the beginning was a 4 but it quickly went downhill and ended near 2.5 ⭐️

Most importantly, I do think I would enjoy having a sea captain braid my hair.

The sea captain in question? Nathaniel, who is the second son of the Duke of Roxburghe whose older brother has recently died leaving him as the heir to the dukedom. But he doesn't want to be a duke, and he doesn't want to marry his dead brother's fiancee. He just wants to sail his ship. Cassia is tired of being overlooked by society and her family, and she wants to see the world. So she decides that she's going to disguise herself as a boy and sneak aboard the ship of her family friend. Only, she sneaks onto the wrong ship and ends up as Nathaniel's stowaway. Hijinx ensue!

I think this might not be a universal experience, but I really couldn't get on board (see what I did there?) with Cassia as our heroine. I think we're supposed to perceive her as incredibly sheltered and naive, but she honestly comes across as... not very smart? Some of the misunderstandings are a little bit funny, but there were so many and I lost my patience with her very quickly.

There's also a pretty big disconnect between how people/events are described to the reader vs how the characters seem to perceive them? Like, Cassia is really floundering as a swabbie on the ship, and then later they talk about how clever and competent she was and I would like to know where. Or Nathaniel will describe Cassia as "always smiling" but she is simply crying on almost every other page.

I normally love an action-adventure setting in a romance, but this just wasn't for me. I think if you don't mind a kind of silly heroine and a ton of miscommunication, you might still have a fun time with this one! It wasn't terrible, but I really struggled with the characters.

Sigh. I usually like Christi Caldwell’s work, but I hated this book-HATED it. I could not stand Cassia. The reviews said to keep reading, it would get better, but it never did for me. She was just as annoying as ever.

This one just wasn’t for me.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of The Heiress at Sea. The story is unique and extremely interesting. Lord Nathaniel Ellsby, the 4th Marquess of Winfield is Captain of his ship. Lady Cassia Doris McQuoid, aka Cassius, wants adventures in her life and sets off as a lad on her brother's friend's ship. Unfortunately, or fortunately, she ends up on Nathaniel's ship. Cassia is a sweet naive but honest and innocent young lady. Nathaniel seems to be a force of nature The writing is poetic and flows beautifully. Christi Caldwell is so real when writing about her characters feelings, aches and pains.
Some dialog and scenes made me laugh out loud while others gripped me so hard, my heart hurt. Christi Caldwell has done an amazing job writing a romantic yet electrifying story on the waters of love.

Oops! Cassia had got onto the wrong ship!

After being sassy and giving the Captain grief she realised she was not on her friend and brothers ship. All she wanted was adventures to see other countries but she was dressed as a boy, got seasick, annoyed some of the crew who then hung her over the side of the ship. Rescued by the Captain and to top it all off revealed that she was a girl!

Nathan was the Marquess of Winfield, he’d captained his own ship for years and own his own shipping business, now his father the Duke was pressing him to marry or he would end his days at sea and ruin his business and then to top it all off on his last know adventure, she appeared, annoying him as a boy but tempting his so much as a woman!

I loved this storyline, the banter, fun, laugh out loud moments, steamy moments, fantastic characters and how Nathan when he fell for her, he fell hard!

Sit down and enjoy this amazing swashbuckling adventure, pure joy!

I voluntarily read and reviewed and ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Heiress at Sea is a delightful romp by Christi Caldwell. The characters are fun, even when their lives are being upended. That said, if you're looking for an extremely capable heroine, Cassia isn't exactly that. She jumps into trouble at the beginning of the book and spends a while digging herself deeper into it. She doesn't exactly have the skills she needs for the adventuring she desires. This can be forgiven, as she expected to learn those skills with her brother (instead of getting on the wrong boat) but it makes for some frustrated reading at times. Nathaniel is more snappish with her than I would like, but again, first he thinks she's a boy and then he thinks she's an idiot. One thing I found odd about their relationship was the nickname Nathan. I wasn't a fan and didn't understand why she called him that. One other thing to note is the heat level, or lack thereof. All the sex scenes are closed door. The characters reference them, but we never see them, which I know can disappoint some readers. In all, the book was well written and had fun characters, but it would have been nice if the actual romance was upped.

The Heiress at Sea was an entertaining adventure with a silly, childish FMC.

Cassia McQuoid, the heroine of this venture, is not a brain type person. By a brain type person, I mean a person who has a brain and uses it. She was feeling unwanted and dissatisfied with her life and thought it would be a fun lark to stow away on the ship her brother sails on but she gets the name of the ship wrong and her brother is not there to help her out. Then she is shocked to realize that her reputation might be ruined. Well duh girl, you ran away unchaperoned, to sail away with strangers, did you expect you could come back and nobody would notice you were gone? (Okay to be fair, her family forgot her sister when they went on vacation so that part might have been accurate.) She cries all the time, misinterprets commands and instructions, can never identify sarcasm at first try, and has no clue what happens on ships but tells the captain how to run his ship better. She's surprised to find out that you can get seasick. that sailors can be a rough crowd, and that her adventure might turn out to be quite dangerous, even deadly. She gets on the captain's last nerves and the reader sympathizes with him.

The hero is Captain Nathan Ellsby, a marquess and a duke's eldest living son and heir. His father expects him to marry some society lady and give up his seafaring ways but he doesn't think the life of an idle nobleman is for him. His annoyance at finding out his stowaway is a woman soon gives way to attraction and worrying about her. The hero and some of the sea crew were interesting characters and I did want to find out how Cassia and Nathan get out of their scrape.

Steam level: Something happened but it's not very graphic.

Cassia dresses up as a boy so that she can stow away on her brother's friend's ship so that she can see the world. Unfortunately, she ends up on the wrong ship. She ends up on The Flying Dragon, captained by second-born Nathaniel, who has recently become the heir. Cassia is not used to life aboard a ship and when her identity is revealed Nathan must do all he can to protect her.

I loved this. This book was funny and romantic. I loved the forced proximity aspect which drew these two characters together. I liked how the hero initially was grumpy and then started to take care of the heroine when she was sick. This is a closed-door romance which I don't mind but I think it is important to know before going in.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and would highly recommend checking it out. I have already pre-ordered a physical copy as the cover is just so beautiful.

Starring Lady Cassia “Cassius” McQuoid and Captain Nathaniel “Nathan” Ellsby (aka Marquess of Winfield)

Tropes: In Disguise, Hidden Identity, Heroine in Britches, Sea Captain, Grumpy/Sunshine, Tenacious Heroine.

Oh my goodness!! This book had me staying up late, laughing so hard, then ugly crying af!! I absolutely loved the (mis)adventures of Nathaniel and Cassia. What an absolutely delightful tale!!

Nathaniel is a delicious sea captain who is totally an alpha with a cinnamon roll soul. He’s very commanding and menacing with his crew… but becomes unraveled by a slip of a girl. I love that instead of counting to calm him, he sings sea shanties in his head… I was laughing so hard. The grand gesture at the end….. yasssss!! The whole reason why I read romance!! It didn’t disappoint and had me ugly crying af!!

I love tenacious heroines and Cassia goes after what she wants… regardless of her own detriment. I was so nervous for her at the beginning coz I was like, what’s going to happen when the crew finds out she’s a girl?! And there were a few tense moments. But then …. Omigosh… some of Cassia’s antics caused me to laugh until I couldn’t breathe!! Her painting the ship… I can’t even!! But she is kind and thoughtful… and quite the chatterbox… she was truly wonderful!!

Cassia’s sunshine is exactly what Nathaniel needed. Their banter is going down as the most entertaining I’ve read in a book in a very long time. I was in freaken stitches and I had a smile on my face the entire time I was reading this beautiful story!

Christi Caldwell… round of applause. Loved loved loved Cassia and Nathaniel. What a wonderful masterpiece that you once again released into the world for us to get lost in your brilliant world. Keep them coming!! I adore your stories and that’s why you are forever a keeper shelf author!! Good job!!

Favorite Book Couple List 2023
Favorite Grand Gesture 2023
Favorite Book Published in 2023

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily review it and the comments are 100% my own.

My Star Rating: 5 stars
Ugly cried AF. Major book hangover. Characters and storyline were freaken amazeballs. Made me wanna hug the author for writing a book that gave me all the feels!! Will definitely be reading this story over and over and over again!!

I absolutely loved this! I am a regency romance girl at heart, throw in another love of pirate stories and BAM perfect steamy unputdownable romance. I need more of this please! I wanna live in the pages of this book.
I just reviewed The Heiress at Sea by Christi Caldwell. #TheHeiressatSea #NetGalley
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