Kellyn Roth’s Like a Ship on the Sea is a sweet story about the importance of love and trusting that God’s plan is the best, no matter the circumstance.
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Book Blurb
If God asks you to confront a storm, how dare you stay in the harbor?
Lady Mary Cassidy O’Connell has a dream that can be summed up in three connecting ideas: a loving husband, adorable children, and a home of her own. Her mother’s lack of care makes life difficult for Cassie, and an escape is necessary. The plan? Marry Aubrey Montgomery, the man her parents have chosen for her, and find the peace she craves.
Unfortunately, Cassie is uneasy about marrying Aubrey. Her apprehension grows as she witnesses her dearest friend’s loving marriage take place. At this wedding, she catches the eye of Patrick Hilton, son of a wealthy American. Like Cassie, he’s also set to marry a woman chosen by his parents—only, Patrick claims, he is content with this choice.
Torn between her desire for happiness and the knowledge that God is leading her in a different direction, Cassie confronts the impossible decision. Is a loveless marriage of obligation better than being alone, or will she set sail on a voyage without a safe harbor?
Like a Ship on the Sea is the first novel in The Hilton Legacy, a stand-alone trilogy featuring characters from the author’s first series, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy.
Characters
Lady Mary Cassidy “Cassie” O’Connell
Cassie wants to get married and start a family. She longs for a secure future but also knows she must follow the path her Heavenly Father has for her. I really admire Cassie’s faith that she will experience greater blessings by following God than by taking the seemingly more secure path her parents have laid out for her. I also love how Cassie is never willing to stray from her values as to the most important qualities in the man she marries; that is a man of God.
Patrick “Trick” Hilton
Patrick is content in his secure future. He wants to make his family happy and keep his sisters safe. A small inner voice tells him he wants more for his life, but he is scared that he won’t be able to have security if he follows his heart.
Honestly, Patrick wasn’t my favorite character ever. He was a little too… feminine for my tastes. I also felt like his character arc could’ve been strengthened by making a greater difference between who Patrick was at the beginning versus the man he became by the end, especially in his faith journey.
What I enjoyed about Like a Ship on the Sea
I really enjoyed the relationship between Patrick and his sisters. I loved how persistent his sisters were in encouraging him to pursue a relationship with Cassie. I’m excited to hear more about Lorelei and Winnie in Kellyn’s future books!!!
Kellyn really did a beautiful job of handling the difficult topic of loving someone through a mental health crisis. All of the characters’ reactions felt realistic. There was a great message of hope despite the dark situation the characters were in. It was beautiful seeing each character’s imperfect attempts to love that individual through her crisis.
I guess that’s the most beautiful part of Kellyn Roth’s Like a Ship on the Sea. Most books about love only discuss the romantic form. Kellyn does a beautiful job of showing how important love is in a whole slew of different circumstances. Like a Ship on the Sea shows how life-changing love is between siblings, between friends, between children and parents, and even romantically.
To what extent can Like a Ship on the Sea be read as a standalone?
NOTE: Like a Ship on the Sea is the first book I’ve read by Kellyn Roth.
As was mentioned in the book blurb, Like a Ship on the Sea included characters from a previous series by Kellyn Roth, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy. I definitely felt like it would’ve been helpful if I’d read the previous series. I had a bit of a hard time keeping track of characters that would’ve been better introduced in the previous series. A helpful addition to address this lack of knowledge for new readers would’ve been to include family trees/character lists for each set/family of characters. Granted, I only read an ARC copy, not the final copy, so Kellyn might have included something along those lines in the final copy of the book.
Content
Age Recommendation: 13+
Language: there was no profanity in this book
Violence: a character makes a suicide attempt (off-page), the method of the attempt is alluded to.
If you are experiencing a serious mental health crisis please call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Sex: a woman mentions having issues with intimacy with her husband; characters kiss and embrace
Other: a woman experiences a miscarriage and has a stillborn baby
Overall
While there were some changes that would’ve improved this novel, I enjoyed the sweet themes that Kellyn Roth beautifully wove throughout Like a Ship on the Sea.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book. My opinions are my own. A positive review was not required.
About the Author (provided by the author)
Kellyn Roth is a historical romance & women’s fiction author who writes stories to share hope in life’s storms. Her novels include the inspirational Victorian family saga, The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, and the Kees & Colliers series, which follows a broken family in the tumultuous years of the first half of the 20th century.
Kellyn is a student of the Author Conservatory and a writing coach. When not building her author career or her indie-author-helping business, Wild Blue Wonder Press, she is likely getting lost somewhere in the Pacific Northwest with her friends, watching period dramas and facetious comedies, or spending time with her husband.
Find out more on her website, kellynrothauthor.com
Giveaway
UPDATED 9/12/2023: I’m so sorry I forgot to include the info about the giveaway earlier!
US-Only Giveaway: a signed paperback copy of Like a Ship on the Sea, a themed candle, two bookmarks, three character art prints, a themed charm bracelet, and extra special bonus scenes.
International Giveaway: an ebook copy of Like a Ship on the Sea, extra special bonus scenes, a themed phone wallpaper, and the first chapter of book 2.
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