Ann Grech – Yes, Captain | Maggie Blackbird

Today, I’m hosting author Ann Grech and her latest release Yes, Captain, a m/m contemporary romance. Be sure to read my review of his novel. And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

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Book Title: Yes, Captain
Series: N/A
Author: Ann Grech
Publisher: Self-Published
Release Date: April 15, 2021
Genre/s: Contemporary MM Romance
Tropes: Age-gap romance
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 66 500 words/ 274 pages

A cruise ship captain with an unbreakable rule. A dancer who tempts him to toss the rulebook overboard…

Blurb: Will Preston lives by one edict: don’t date staff.

But the new dancer onboard has the silver fox sailing into unchartered waters. Young, sexy, and with a penchant for lipstick and heels, the man pushes all Will’s buttons.

It’s not just the tropical sun that’s heating things up; their chemistry is sizzling.

Will’s been burned before. Can he throw caution to the wind and chart a new course with Eddie by his side? Or will an interfering crew-member steer them into stormy seas?

Note: Yes, Captain is a stand-alone, steamy age-gap MM romance set on a cruise ship in the South Pacific, with a flirty dancer who loves pole dancing and his shy captain. Yes, Captain was previously published as Dance With Me. This re-release includes over 30,000 words of never-before-seen bonus content. No cliff-hangers.

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Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

The applause from the crowd was deafening. It wasn’t the first time Eddie had danced in a theatre, but this one was bigger than anything he’d ever been in before. Tiered seating extended up with row upon row of filled seats. The two giant screens facing the audience illuminated the first few rows, letting him see the faces in the crowd. He spotted his parents and brothers and sisters cheering him on. Jess too. All of them were standing now with the other families in an ovation that rejuvenated itself like waves on a beach—cresting and washing over them again every time it started to peter out. The stage lights dimmed and screens blacked out, lengthening the shadows onstage as the long red velvet curtains on either side of them began to close smoothly.

Eddie couldn’t wipe the smile from his face, even as the curtain slowed to a stop, separating the dancers and elite public school orchestra from the audience. He never wanted the performance to end. He was bouncing out of his skin, giddy with an adrenaline high. His shoulder had held up, thanks to his mum strapping it tightly, and he’d pulled every move off with a perfection he’d never dared hope for.

This was it.

His moment.

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I wanted to read and review a book that takes place on a cruise ship, and even better, one about the captain. So when the opportunity came to read and review Yes, Captain by Ann Grech, I signed up for the chance.

First off, the two main characters are very likeable. Will is an openly gay man who’s been burned by a past relationship. He also has a strict rule of never dating anyone on board his ship—and that includes the staff.

Although Eddie came from a loving home, he suffered from immense bullying. This made him more determined to reach for his dreams. I liked this about him. He’s a go-getter who doesn’t let anyone play with his emotions and feelings. He knows he’s worthy, even though others tell him differently.

The first forty-three pages are backstory. Yes, it was nice getting a glimpse into Will and Eddie’s background, but it did stall the story. I will admit my eyes were glazing over and I skimmed some of this backstory to get to the meat of the plot—and that is Eddie and Will meeting on board the ship.

Once they do meet, the story takes off. There is instant chemistry between the two. What I liked was how they built a friendship first before going any further. It was refreshing to see two grown men taking their time in a relationship. There is even a sub-plot of a nefarious staff person who butts into their budding love affair.

The setting on the ship was the perfect place for a romance between a silver fox and a young dancer. There was much romance at many tropical getaways that I enjoyed reading about. I also liked the glimpses into the operations of a cruise ship.

The meaningful conversations between these two are what make this story a winner for me. I enjoy reading about how two people are captivated by one another, besides their physical chemistry.

Back to the setting, I loved that it took place down under. I always enjoy a book that takes place in Australia and the surrounding area.

The dialogue is realistic. The narrative isn’t heavy. The story is low angst. It’s a great read for the beach. A book I recommend.

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By day Ann Grech lives in the corporate world and can be found sitting behind a desk typing away at reports and papers or lecturing to a room full of students. She graduated with a PhD in 2016 and is now an over-qualified nerd. Glasses, briefcase, high heels and a pencil skirt, she’s got the librarian look nailed too. If only they knew! She swears like a sailor, so that’s got to be a hint. The other one was “the look” from her tattoo artist when she told him that she wanted her kids initials “B” and “J” tattooed on her foot. It took a second to register that it might be a bad idea.

She’s never entirely fit in and loves escaping into a book—whether it’s reading or writing one. But she’s found her tribe now and loves her MM book world family. She dislikes cooking, but loves eating, can’t figure out technology, but is addicted to it, and her guilty pleasure is Byron Bay Cookies. Oh and shoes. And lingerie. And maybe handbags too. Well, if we’re being honest, we’d probably have to add her library too given the state of her credit card every month (what can she say, she’s a bookworm at heart)!

In 2019 she was an Award-Winning Finalist in the Fiction: LGBTQ category of the 2019 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest for her story In Safe Arms.

She also publishes her raunchier short stories under her pen name, Olive Hiscock.

Ann loves chatting to people online, so if you’d like to keep up with what she’s got going on:

Join her newsletter (you’ll get two free books!)

Please feel free to e-mail her at ann@anngrech.com.

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