Hey all, Sam here.
I’m back with yet another review. I know that I said a while ago that I wanted this blog to be more than just books, because I’m also very big into tabletop games and D&D and I watch quite a bit of movies and TV series and all that, and I promise that some of that stuff is coming…but I’m also just in the mood to talk about books right now, and I have so many books that I’ve been wanting to talk about and haven’t had the chance, so I’m trying to catch up on all of these reviews.
Anyway, let’s just go ahead and dive into it.
After All the Feels and Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade once again delivers a warm and wonderful romantic comedy about two co-stars who once had an incredible one-night stand–and after years of filming on the same remote island, are finally ready to yield to temptation again…
Maria’s one-night-stand–the thick-thighed, sexy Viking of a man she left without a word or a note–just reappeared. Apparently, Peter’s her surly Gods of the Gates co-star, and they’re about to spend the next six years filming on a desolate Irish island together. She still wants him…but he now wants nothing to do with her.
Peter knows this role could finally transform him from a forgettable character actor into a leading man. He also knows a failed relationship with Maria could poison the set, and he won’t sabotage his career for a woman who’s already walked away from him once. Given time, maybe they can be cooperative colleagues or friends–possibly even best friends–but not lovers again. No matter how much he aches for her.
For years, they don’t touch off-camera. But on their last night of filming, their mutual restraint finally shatters, and all their pent-up desire explodes into renewed passion. Too bad they still don’t have a future together, since Peter’s going back to Hollywood, while Maria’s returning to her native Sweden. She thinks she needs more than he can give her, but he’s determined to change her mind, and he’s spent the last six years waiting. Watching. Wanting.
His shipwrecked Swede doesn’t stand a chance.
My Thoughts
My Rating: 5 stars
This book is the third in this series by Olivia Dade, a follow up to Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, following Maria and Peter, both of whom work on the show “Gods of the Gates,” which has been heavily featured in each book of the series.
Let me just say that I love these books. I love the fandom elements. I actually even love that it is decently obvious that the show in the books has a lot of similarities to “Game of Thrones,” including the final season train wrecks of plot and characterization, but that is a discussion/rant for some other day.
I loved how confident and secure in herself Maria seemed to be. She knew she was a bigger curvier woman, and she knew what she deserved and what they could or could not make her do regarding her size. I don’t know. Maybe as someone who is technically classified as obese, I relate to characters who also aren’t pencil thin. Like, sure, I know I could be healthier, and losing a bit of weight would be better for me, but I also am still decently healthy. It’s just kind of nice to see healthier body positivity in stories.
Not that Peter and Maria didn’t have to deal with some plot issues focused on their size, because they did, but I feel like it was handled in a real way. Sure, yes, Peter was ready to begrudgingly cave under the expectations of role and contract and all that, but Maria fought for herself, fought for both of them, standing up against the unreasonable desires of the showrunners.
Honestly, I also enjoy that each book in this series deals with interpersonal relationships and anxieties and disabilities and representation. Peter is socially awkward. It takes him a while to feel comfortable around a crowd of people and to open up. Maria basically pulls him along into spending time with cast and crew, and you get to see him becoming a part of the group, which is cool.
I just like that there is so much diversity and acceptance and differences in characters and family groups and just all of it.
And while neither Maria or Peter write fanfiction, as was a bigger part of the plots in the first two books, they are sent a number of fics to read during the course of this book, and they do read and discuss them, which I still find to be really fun.
I don’t know if there’s going to be any more in this series. I don’t know how that would work, considering that books two and three dealt with wrapping up filming and then doing the convention and press for the final season of “Gods of the Gates.” It was the connecting thread of the series. Sure, I guess technically we could keep following the cast members as they start new roles and such, but I don’t know.
But these books are fun and geeky and romantic and dramatic and because of some of the elements of the show the characters work on there’s some fantasy in it too. I just love reading them, and I do kinda hope that there’s more coming.
Ship Wrecked was released November 15, 2022, so you can read it for yourself now.
All right, well that is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content!
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