Ellen is back and she’s taking her harp and hitting the high seas! I really enjoyed this one more than the first one. Why, you ask? Because there was no Monica! Amber was there, but she actually turned out to be a decent character, so I warmed up to her more than I did in the first book.

This book takes place approximately one year after the first one ends where we find Ellen and Josh together and he is leaving on a four-month Broadway tour. Chloe steps in and announces she has acquired a gig as a musician on a cruise ship and got Ellen a spot too. What’s not to love about this scenario? Josh will be gone anyway. Who wants to spend the winter months in New Jersey when you can be on a cruise ship heading to the warmer tropical climates? Besides, the ship will return to New York once a week, so Chloe and Ellen can touch base with Gwen. Win, win if you ask me.

Ellen’s frustration at having a relationship with Josh on her phone only when she can get a signal builds and though I understood why she felt the way she did, I felt like she wasted too much time agonizing over it. Her time could have been better spent enjoying herself on the cruise. Food, drink, fun…

Though some new characters were introduced that added an interesting dimension to the story, I still enjoyed tagging along with Ellen and Chloe and didn’t really feel connected to the others.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this sequel to be very enjoyable. The author creates an amazing setting with the cruise ship that I feel was very well researched. The characters were easy to connect with and the story flows smoothly. Fans of stories with interesting locales should give this one a look as well as fans who enjoy a happily ever after.

I honestly don’t know what to make of this book. When I first picked it up, I didn’t realize it was book two in a series. It seems to me like this book can be read as a stand alone book, however, I’m guessing that reading book 1 first would definitely help - and that might be what I am missing. I loved some aspects of this book - the fact that she goes to work on a cruise ship is mainly what drew me to this book. I love stories that take place on a cruise ship, and it was evident that the author of this book had experience with cruising. Reading this story made me feel like I was cruising myself. I definitely appreciated her attention to detail in that regard. However, the story itself didn’t hook me like I had hoped. Towards the end of the book, I found myself flipping pages just to get finished, not to see how the story would end. Overall, it was kind of a miss for me, unfortunately.

If you have read the first book, Ellen the Harpist, then you know that Ellen led a fascinating life as a professional harpist, performing gigs in the NYC area. I remember reading and enjoying how a harp player chose her repertoire, how she dealt with crazy wedding situations- the music business made for a great story and Ellen told her fictional life in an engaging manner. Lucky for us readers, Ellen continues to humorously entertain us in this second book of the series.

In this book, Ellen accepts a position on a cruise ship. Part of living with a harp means that you always have to drag this big instrument with you. So she lugs her harp into her small cabin. Unfortunately she also brings lots of other heavy baggage with her as well.

Life on a cruise ship is as fun to read about as you would anticipate and Ellen at Sea is at its most entertaining when we get to see the real life of a cruise ship entertainer. At first, Ellen is “unsure about taking the gig, she hates the first week, and she struggles to adjust.”

Her sense of humor still shines though. One night, when the waves are billowing, Ellen must tie her harp to her pullout couch to keep it from crashing over. After securing the harp, Ellen surveys her work. “My harp would need a safe word to regain its freedom.”



Ellen faces other challenges- her serious relationship with Josh, with her mother, and with her friends. Ellen is a thinker and worrier. Even her friends tell her, “Don’t overthink relationships.” “All of this qualifying. Keep it simple.”

Ellen’s angst and travails bogged down the story for me, but many readers may be interested in her thoughts. I also didn’t care for the shenanigans at the end of the book that lead to Ellen leaving the ship.

However, the Happy Every After scene at the end is wonderful. The ebook has links to Ellen’s harp music, which is really cool! Overall, the good writing, descriptions and characters will give readers as much to savor as an endless cruise buffet. Enjoy sailing away with “plucky” Ellen!

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.