Former Royal Navy Marine Sarah, still showing signs of PTSD, lands the ideal security job on a huge new super yaght, sailing to Antigua with a small and seemingly friendly crew. A perfect break relaxing on the Sun deck getting well paid as the insurance cover; until things start going wrong, and the captain disappears during a storm after several. I was hooked on this novel from the start with the tension building very fast. Someone on board is sabotaging this trip but for what reason Sarah is not sure. With her PTSD causing flashbacks, Sarah isn't sure who to trust as the betrayals continue towards a battle for survival.

Ex-marine Sarah is trying to recover from a personal trauma which has affected every part of her life. A former colleague hires her as security on Escape, a luxury yacht travelling from the south of England to Antigua, hoping that the journey will allow her to come to terms with her tragedy. After all, she is only on board for insurance purposes. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, just about everything! This novel will please those who enjoy plenty of action but, at the same time, may frustrate others who feel that the physical parameters of the setting do little to sustain the reader’s interest. Whilst Cameron Taylor can conjure a plot, some description is annoyingly verbose and ‘emotional’ moments are poorer for being overwritten. For example, describing sexual memories of her lover, Sarah tells us that ‘…my orgasms blended into a single pulsating wave, a burning surge of nirvana that only he could give me.’ Either you don’t mind this hackneyed writing style or you do; I’m in the latter camp.
Rather than being gripped by every twist and turn, I struggled to finish ‘A Stranger on Board’. Not the nautical thriller I envisioned at the outset of this particular reading voyage.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I’ve just finished this book, overall I enjoyed it but I found it quite hard to get into - I got a bit bored with so much detail about the cruise ship and the internal workings of it etc and found it hard to keep track of which character did what on the ship! But the storyline was good with a couple of twists and it ended well. I probably wouldn’t read it again but would recommend as a holiday read.
Many thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read

This is a really exciting action thriller. Sarah French is an ex-marine who left the service after her partner was killed in action. Her friend offers her a job as security on a luxury yacht travelling from Europe to the Caribbean to help her recover, but the trip turns out to be anything but relaxing. The crew have all got problems, secrets, and history with each other, and Sarah doesn't know who to trust. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended.

Sarah French is an ex marine suffering from some serious PTSD. On her longtime friends request she takes on a security job aboard one of the largest super yachts.
The crew seem friendly enough at first but quickly the cracks begin to show. With an unexpected guest aboard and a tight schedule to keep to, the Captain is keen to press forward despite the weather warnings and many mechanical issues presenting themselves.

What’s really going on here? And who, if anybody can Sarah trust? When the body’s start piling up the race to solve the mystery is on!

I thought this book got off to a slow start, and stayed that way till about half way when the pace picked up. It was around that point that I started getting into it and wondering where things were heading next. For me the ending was disappointing as I kept waiting for either a huge twist or several smaller twists and turns which just didn’t happen. Unfortunately the book just wasn’t for me which is such a shame as I had high hopes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for this Advanced Review Copy.

The story premise intrigued me and seemed as though it would be the perfect read for me. Unfortunately, this was not the case. I failed to connect with the characters. The pacing felt slow, and the narrative repetitive. The writing is passive in the extreme and has a lot of unnecessary filler words. All in all, this novel needs some polishing. As it stands, I liked a few things, but the majority of the read fell flat for me. I offer a tentative 2 stars for A Stranger on Board

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.



5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

A Stranger On Board by Cameron Ward

Wow what a roller coaster of a book . Brilliant , brilliant , brilliant !

Ex Royal Marine Sarah takes on the job as security on a £200 million yacht . It takes sail and soon it is apparent that all is not good with the yacht with maintenance and general upkeep.
Crew members begin to disappear , and dark secrets are beginning to come to the surface.
Sarah has to work hard to keep her and the rest of the people on board safe.
Edge of you seat , tense and a great ending.

Absolutely breathtaking thriller. Sarah is an ex-Royal Marine with a huge hang up regarding something that occurred in her past. She undertakes an assignment on board a super yacht travelling between the UK and the destination Antigua. Sarah meets all her fellow crew but it soon becomes apparent that all is not well.
Edge of your seat stuff. I read the book during the course of a weekend, couldn’t put it down. Thank you to #Netgalley for the opportunity

Sarah is an ex-marine struggling with her demons, after quitting the forces she lands a job working for a private security firm. When her boss and friend Mitch calls her and offers her the job of a lifetime working as security on a billionaire’s private yacht escorting it to the other side of the Atlantic. This seems like easy money, a private boat with only a few crew members and staff. This is Sarah’s chance to get her career back after leaving the marines.

But not all is as it seems. When the captain starts acting suspiciously and someone goes missing, it’s clear it’s not going to be plain sailing, what is going on? When sarah realises there is a killer amongst the crew and staff it’s up to her to find out who it is before it’s too late!

This book was deffo unputdownable! It was full of twists and turns and the ending was brilliant l!

A 5* thrilling read from Cameron Ward. The definition of being unable to put a book down.
The tension was built slowly, which had me on edge even more, and then the twists and turns were unguessable.
I will be recommending this to anyone that loves a thrill and a mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for providing a copy for an honest review.

What a ride! I loved this book - a little slow to start however I really enjoyed the character dynamics and relationships which were cleverly written so there was many possibilities for the whodunnit! I will be recommending this to friends and family 100%

What a fantastic book and the protagonist is really likeable and really relatable despite myself having never been a marine but she’s absolutely phenomenal as a protagonist. I was rooting for her all the way. Admittedly it got a bit samey and drawn out midway through but when the action was kicking off it didn’t seem so impossible and I didn’t have to suspend much disbelief. Definitely a five star read thank you Netgalley and the publisher of a Stranger On Board for the opportunity to read this before publication

An extraordinary , engaging prologue which had me intrigued. Sarah French, an ex marine, is employed as security on a luxury superyacht, which has to sail to a new location after refurbishment. The name of its owner is unrevealed.
There is non stop tension and drama at sea between the crew members and I wasn't sure who to believe and who to trust.
An astonishing debut from Cameron Ward and I hope the start of a series with Sarah French. Thoroughly enjoyable and gripping.

A gripping murder mystery that takes place on a luxury yacht. I love how the narration made you feel like you were transported into the book, and I felt how intense the story was. With so many characters it was hard to guess who carried out the murders, but that made it more fun to guess.

A great tension builder, I really enjoyed seeing Sarah overcome her own demons and really come into her own.
Engaging from the off, it was just the right length and made for a good weekend / holiday read.

A fabulous holiday read - but perhaps not if holidaying on a yacht. The drama and intrigue rolls out and leaves you guessing as to who are the good guys in all of this and shows how first impressions are sometimes not what they seem.

This book started off really pacey - a protagonist with a troubled past are my dream! It was nice to see a woman in this role - especially a woman who was clearly tough!

I would say that although I enjoyed the book, the pace did slow down towards the end and I ended up getting slightly bogged down in the detail - that said, it was a really good tale, a strong female character and I enjoyed reading it!

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Very well-written with some fantastic and rounded characters. The descriptions of the yacht and the crew are deliciously detailed and the tension on the boat grows with every passing day until it reaches fever pitch.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set on a luxurious yacht where a killer is picking people off one by one. Wow a total page Turner that keeps you engrossed and constantly keeping you turning the page.

I really enjoyed this book, I am a big fan for murder mystery genre books and this was on my list to read. The characters were somewhat enjoyable and different, some I rooted for and was constantly guessing.

Halfway in the book I was sure I knew who the killer was but I was proven wrong. Finished in a couple of hours and wow one of my favourite books I’ve read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.