November 15, 2022
REVIEW: Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade
KaetrinA REVIEWS / BOOK REVIEWS / RECOMMENDED READSactors / Contemporary / NetGalley / tv show2 Comments

RECOMMENDED READ
Illustrated cover in blue featuing a white M/F couple in a clinch. He has dark longish hair and a beard and she has long wavy blonde hair. They're both big and broad. He's wearing a dark suit and tie and she's in costume wearing something like a pirate outfit with a sword.CW: Death of a parent, abandonment

Dear Olivia Dade,

Excuse me while I gush. I loved last year’s All The Feels – Ship Wrecked is even better. The book I read immediately prior took me more than two weeks to read. I read Ship Wrecked in two days. From the first page (which opens, quite literally, with a bang) all the way to the end, I was invested and completely hooked. I adore the humour you write with – I laughed out loud many times throughout the novel – and I love the characters you create. Peter and Maria are now my favourites (please don’t tell Alex; I’d never hear the end of it).

Peter Reedton and Maria Ivarsson are both fat actors who play the characters of Cyprian and Cassia on Gods of the Gates, a GoT-style TV show which links all three books in the Spoiler Alert series. Ship Wrecked begins the day before their final auditions for the role. Peter and Maria meet in an LA-sauna. Their eyes meet across the steam and more sizzles than just hot rocks. That have a very hot night together. Peter is devastated when Maria leaves without a word before he wakes up.

He does act like a bit of a jerk to her when he sees her again at the audition and when they are first cast opposite one another. Peter felt such a connection to Maria and, at least partially influenced by things in his past (reasons but not excuses) he was particularly hurt when she didn’t so much as leave a note. Later, he does apologise very nicely, taking full responsibility for his actions and without making excuses – and, Maria makes him spell out all the reasons he was wrong in wonderful detail before she lets him off the hook.

Maria is no pushover. She does think maybe she was a bit too mean by leaving Peter the way she did – she felt their connection too – but she also isn’t prepared to take his bullshit.

From season two of the seven year series, their characters play Vikings who are shipwrecked on a deserted, rocky and desolate island and who have been saved by the gods to guard a gate to Tartarus which is on the island. They are, for almost their entire stint on the show, the only actors on the island.

(As an aside, I did wonder a little how Peter and Maria became so close with the rest of the Gods of the Gates cast – they had almost no professional interactions with any of them, their storyline being a separate and distinct thread throughout the series. There are interstitials throughout the story – sometimes text or email exchanges, sometimes excerpts of fan fiction about “Marter”, and sometimes – hilariously – parts of group chats between the cast. The cast do meet up at conventions and award shows but Maria and Peter’s closeness with the other main actors felt like they all worked together everyday. In the end, I put it down to the power of Maria. And maybe a little bit of Alex.)

As to the power of Maria – Maria builds family. She needs the love and support of family around her and if she doesn’t have it, she withers. Knowing she will be on the island with a very small crew and be working closely with Peter for, very likely, the next six years, Maria sets about making a family of them all. Peter is an introvert. He’s a loner who feels awkward around people and isn’t confident with small talk. Maria draws him in and almost before he knows it, he’s part of the group. Once that ice is broken, Peter is well able to solidify and strengthen those relationships on his own but he wouldn’t have been able to make a start with out Maria’s influence. It doesn’t take long for Peter to work out what Maria is doing. He’s amazed and awestruck by her ability to draw people to her.

Peter has been mostly a character actor for over a decade in Hollywood but Gods of the Gates is his big break. There aren’t many opportunities for fat actors to have leading roles. He longs, for reasons, for financial and professional stability. He’s not going to do anything to jeopardise his role on the show and will go along with pretty much any nonsense the awful showrunners throw at him. Maria is not like Peter however. She’s around a decade younger than he and was a moderately successful actress in Sweden. She’s trying her hand in Hollywood but professional success, while satisfying and fun, isn’t what drives her. She will not compromise her sense of self or her need for loving support – if she can’t get what she needs on set, she will walk away. Just like that. This both terrifies and horrifies Peter.

Maria is an adopted daughter of a large family. Her own personal history, which we find out later in the story, means that she cannot thrive if she is not around those she loves or if she cannot build that with those around her. She’s extremely close to her family in Sweden. When it comes to relationships, she’s an all-or-nothing person. Her one-night stand with Peter was meant to scratch an itch. She didn’t count on the connection between them. She didn’t count on what a good man he is. But she mistrusts his ability to take care of her the way she needs to be taken care of – to put her first over all things, even his career. This is a dealbreaker for her and she tries to protect her heart by not going there again with him.

Peter tumbles into love with Maria almost from the first but he values the deep friendship they build together, along with his connection to the tight-knit crew. And he does not want anything to get in the way of his role on Gods of the Gates. Gates is his ticket to success and security – the things he’s worked at for so long. If he messes up this opportunity, it will not come again. So, even when Maria (after a couple of years of filming together for months on end) is prepared to take a risk and get physical with him again, he declines.

“If we got involved that way, and things went sour between us, we’d have nowhere to hide. Nowhere we could lick our wounds until we got over whatever happened. Instead, we’d be forced to confront each other day after day, week after week, no matter how angry or hurt we were. It would be terrible for us, and it would be terrible for everyone on the crew forced to endure the awkwardness and tension alongside us.”

He wasn’t wrong, of course. But wasn’t it worth a gamble?

She opened her mouth to ask that very question, but he wasn’t finished.

“Maria, we may spend years together on this island. Years. We’re the only two actors on the set, and we both know you’re the center of everything here. You’ve made us a team. Hell, you’ve made us a goddamn family, and you’re what holds our family together. But if things went bad between us, the community you’ve built, all the camaraderie you’ve nurtured, could disappear”—he snapped his fingers—“Like that.”

Whatever Maria’s plans about not loving Peter are, we readers know she’s not very successful with them. At various points throughout the show, Maria and Peter are placed in situations which are unsafe for various reasons. For himself, Peter will do whatever he needs to do to keep the job and at the first test, he does not take the stand Maria does. This fortifies Maria in her view that Peter is not the long-term partner for her. However, as the seasons progress and as the pair grow closer anyway, Peter finds different ways to take a stand – not as overt as Maria’s methods but ultimately just as successful. What’s notable is that he doesn’t do it for himself. He does these things for Maria.

Cassia and Cyprian’s story is a slow-burn romance which takes six seasons to reach it’s culmination. There are heated looks, near kisses and much mutual pining but it isn’t until the very end of the show that Peter and Maria have their first sex scene together. It’s pretty epic and will take a week of filming due to television reasons. The scenes in the novel with the intimacy coordinator was hilarious. Maria, who is extremely body-positive and not at all shy about nudity revels in her effect on her co-star.

“All right, let’s discuss what happens once Cyprian and Cassia move to the bed. First, he’ll kneel on the floor and perform cunnilingus on Cassia while they maintain eye contact. We should map that whole sequence out, step by step, then determine in advance exactly how long their eye contact lasts and where he’ll be touching her during the act.”

Slowly, Peter closed his eyes and prayed to the god of thwarted lust for deliverance.

“I figured he’d be spreading my thighs with his hands, but I suppose he could be holding my ass or playing with my breasts instead.” Maria sounded thoughtful. “What are your thoughts, Peter?”

Holy fuck. Before their next discussion with Delia, he was jacking his dick raw.

With a concerted effort, he managed to choke out, “I have no thoughts.”

Poor Peter!

Due to his newly rigorous masturbation schedule, he’d kept things professional on set.

Once the show finishes however, Peter has plans for Maria. There is no risk of their relationship threatening the series if it went bad and in any event, by this time, Peter is all in and is desperate to come up with a way to convince Maria to stay with him in LA and live together happily ever after. He knows that being separated from her Swedish family would be a great sacrifice – can he be enough for her?

Maria and Peter love one another but their differences and what they need (or think they need) to be happy loom before them.

Quite a bit of the humour in the book comes from which I interpreted as loving pokes at Swedish stereotypes and customs. They made me laugh, especially Maria with her jar of smelly herring which magically appears from who-knows-where on her person when Peter calls her “Pippi” – which he does a lot. There are plenty of ABBA and Ikea jokes and Swedish idioms which all add a delightful layer to the story. Peter and Maria tease each other all the time. They have the most wonderful banter – trading insults is a love-language for them.

I highlighted numerous sections of the novel but to reproduce them all there may ruin some of the enjoyment for readers and besides this review is already too long. I loved this book. It’s fantastic. I adored Peter and Maria and the secondary characters. TL;dr – [heart eyes emoji].

Grade: A

“We should seal our not-missing-each-other pact with a kiss.” He raised his head and scratched his beard in contemplation. “That’s the Swedish custom, correct?”

“Our daily lives revolve around the metric system, Speedos, and affirming how little we’ll miss one another by kissing.” Loftily, she clarified, “French kissing, obviously.”

He almost managed to stifle his snort. “Because you’re European.”

“Because we’re European.”

“Well, then.” His eyes flared with heat once more. “Consider me the newest member of the EU.


Regards,
Kaetrin

Once again- she didn’t disappoint. As a plus size reader I love finding representation and Dade does that so well. Like the two previous books, the banter between the characters was the best part. Loved the development of both characters. Spice was excellent as always. She is now an auto but author for me.

✨ARC Review ✨
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Thank you to netgalley and Olivia Dade for the ARC to review.
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Ship Wrecked was a great story! I loved Peter and Maria. Their chemistry was amazing and their love was beautiful. I liked the story line and the pace of the story. The body positivity in the book was great and I loved the banter between the characters. Maria was awesome and her view of life was amazing. I really loved her and her personality.
***
⭐⭐⭐.5
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Ship Wrecked starts off with our main characters mid-one night stand…or so they think. Maria leaves before Peter can wake up, thinking she will never see him again, that is, until they both arrive to the same casting the next day and become the leads in a massive show where they will be filming on a secluded island together for the next 6 years. I thought that part of the book was really fun and even when they first return home from filming, but that’s where the author lost me. I will say that the first half of this book was really enjoyable for me, but the pacing and plot got so off about 50% in that I struggled to finish it.

I did really enjoy that the FMC was so unapologetically herself and wasn’t willing to change to fit in with the ridiculous demands the show runners request. I also enjoyed the angst and banter between the main characters. I struggled with the way the story jumped though and felt that a lot of the extra text conversations weren’t needed and contributed to the book being longer than it needed to be. That being said, while this book didn’t work for me, I think that it will be well received and loved by a lot of people.

Thank you to Olivia Dade, Avon and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this amazing eARC with me in exchange my honest review.

I love a good spicy rom-com and this did not disappoint. This is the third book in the Spoiler Alert series and I love the body positivity throughout the whole series. Big Fan!

Synopsis:
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.

Peter and Maria are co-stars with their own isolated story line on the hit show Gods of the Gate with a slow-burn romance on and off screen. I loved the way the relationship between Peter and Maria developed over time. I continue to love this series and all the characters in it.

This is probably the last book I’ll read in 2022 and I am definitely ending it on a high note! This was classic Olivia Dade; hilarious, touching, and so very steamy! As always, she lets the world know that women of all body shapes and sizes are normal and deserve the world too. I adored everything about this and now wonder who in the cast might be left.

Maria and Peter are cast as Cassie and Cyprian respectively on God's of the Gates. But before they were cast as lovers on the show, they had a passionate night after meeting an LA sauna the day before their joint auditions. Both Peter and Maria tried to be civil to each other while working towards getting their respective parts but Peter especially found it difficult to ignore their history. Eventually, after 6 years of filming together on site, their jobs with God's of the Gates ed and Peter asks Maria to give him a chnace. Through ups and downs, Peter gains a family from the friends they made while filming the show and Maria and Peter build their relationship. It was a great read.

I really wanted to love this book, and I’m kinda disappointed that I didn’t. I picked this book after reading a #BigBoySeries in September as I do want to see more of them in romance novels. Two Fat people who are proud of their bodies and elevating the status quo in Hollywood? Sign me up!

However, the writing and pacing of this book was just unbearable. The writing was overly descriptive at every turn, and it made the story feel very drawn out and spacey. There would be about 3-8 pages of inner dialogue in between a question and an answer, so I was constantly taken out of the story. It also came off as a Rom-Com, but it wasn’t my kind of humor. I’m also very unsure at what this trope was supposed to be in this book. It felt like it was supposed to be a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, but it was poorly executed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm usually not into friends to lovers but thought I'd give Ship Wrecked a try, and I'm sure glad I did. I loved how the first two books hinted at Maria's and Peter's relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed the banter and witty humor throughout. Will recommend this books to my friends.

Olivia Dade does it again! This third installment of the God of the Gates series brings everything we love about Olivia Dade and her characters to the table. I especially loved getting some male plus-sized representation in this installment and the candid discussion about choosing to be child-free. Loved it!

Sexual tension? Check. Plus size representation for both characters? Check. Incredible chemistry between a broody, quiet Viking of a man and a confident, sexy, social Swede? Check.

I think this is my favorite one of Dade’s yet. Is it a wonderful, feel-good romance? Absolutely. But the main reason it’s my favorite it because it’s so much more than that.

Dade tackles fatphobic behavior (especially in the entertainment industry), growing up in the foster system, strained parental relationships, parental death, and infidelity. It deals with fatphobia comments and actions not only towards a plus sized woman, but a plus sized man. It’s angst filled, funny, and bold, yet also filled with love, found family, and a fight to figure out what one’s happy ending really means.

Thank you so much Avon for sending me this incredible ARC. I absolutely loved it.

*** Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for sending me a copy Ship Wrecked by Olivia Dade! All thoughts are my own!***

Ship Wrecked is the third book in the Spoiler Alert series following characters around the fictional show Gods of the Gates. This book follows Marcus and Maria who meet in an LA sauna and have a one night stand, Maria leaving before morning. After not hearing from Maria since their night together, Marcus goes to an audition for a role in Gods of the Gates and sees Maria who is auditioning for the female lead opposite him. When they both land their roles, they realize they are going to be spending a lot of time together, since their scenes are filmed on a remote island.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two characters from beginning to end and how these two main characters also meshed well with the previously existed characters of the cast.

The main reason I love this series is having body positive characters. This one I enjoyed even more since both characters were fat. There aren't many romance novels where you have a large male lead and I really respected that. There were a lot of obstacles that they faced due to their weight for the show and the fact that they both stuck to their guns about themselves was even better. Neither of them were willing to change themselves, much to the industry's chagrin.

The other thing I love about Olivia Dade's characters are learning more about their background. They both have more tragic backstories that have lead them to have challenges they face keeping relationships and allowing themselves to be loved. But they both realized their past has influenced their love life to the present.

If you are looking for a body positive fandom filled romance, the entire Spoiler Alert series is worth checking out. Ship Wrecked is out now!

Super cute! Really liked this one--partially took place in one of my favorite countries, the FMC was from a place I'd never been and don't know much about, both characters were comfortable in their own skin... mostly. I felt like I should've maybe read the other books in the series again before this one so that I would have remembered more of the other cast members better, but I still enjoyed it anyway.

4.25 stars!

Olivia Dade's "Ship Wrecked" has two fat main characters named Maria and Peter (LOVE LOVE LOVE, PLEASE MORE OF THIS!). After having a one-night hook-up in Los Angeles that saw Maria sneaking out before Peter woke up, they both get cast in a television show that they could be filming for nearly a decade. Peter was burned by Maria's quick exit, so he copped a bad attitude once they were both cast. For the sake of the shoot, he apologizes to Maria, and the two of them become really good friends. They have both secretly been harboring feelings for each other for more than six years. Once their show stops filming, Peter intends to tell Maria how he feels about her, hopeful that he can find an opportunity to woo her.

This is my first foray into books penned by Olivia Dade, and I have to say, I am hooked! I CANNOT WAIT to read her back catalog. While "Ship Wrecked" is part of a series, it can easily be read independently. To my understanding, some much-beloved characters from the series make an appearance here. My gods, does Dade know how to write banter! UGH, I LOVED how Maria and Peter pinned for one another over the course of their time filming "Gods of the Gates." This is a slow-burn romance for sure. I loved the high stakes for them and found myself rooting for them to get together the entire novel. The story is full of cheekiness, fat acceptance and body positivity, extremely detailed Viking sexiness and Swedish goddess-ness, steammmmm, and women advocating for themselves in the face of chauvinistic male overlords in the workplace. It also has quite a bit to say about both Maria and Peter's past relationship traumas and how those pains impact their current romantic entanglement. When Peter winds up staying with Maria while on a press tour in Sweden, they stay with her family, and all of her cards are laid bare. Her heartwrenching past also details who she is in the present. Peter's own past with his father also becomes relevant to their situation as well, and I thought these details were handled with grace and superbly written. I just loved this book. Olivia Dade is now an auto-buy author for me for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley, Olivia Dade, Avon, and Harper Voyager for providing me with an ARC copy of this book! All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for my review.

First of all, I am obsessed with this cover. OBSESSED.
- Friendship
- Angst
- Heartbreak
a true friends-to-lovers goodie!
It does have a third act breakup, so if you're not into that maybe pass.
all in all, I recommend!

I’ll start by saying, I’ve loved each of the books in this series and this one is no different.

Ship Wrecked follows Peter after having a one night stand with a stunning Swedish woman only to discover she’s his new costar. And now, they are stuck together on and island for YEARS filming, while refusing to give into the electric sexual tension between them. What could possibly happen here?

I really enjoyed how this book worked through their years of filming and all the little moments between Peter and Maria. You really got a great feel for how their relationship when from one night stand to enemies to friends to lovers over the course of six years. It was a slow burn romantically with hella good spice payoff.

I absolutely love Maria and her “devil may care” attitude. She takes what she wants and has no regrets. It’s very refreshing to see her have such incredible confidence about herself and even taking up for introvert Peter. She might be my favorite FMC in this series. And the BANTER. She gives Peter so much hell for everything and I loved it.

As a plus sized woman, I always love books with great plus sized rep. The fact that it’s in both MC’s in this book speaks volumes. I adore Olivia Dade’s work and how she portrays her fat characters. Peter and Maria’s journey is not a quick one, but it was very spicy and involved a host of emotions for both of them.

Was not able to read the entirety of the book and cannot give an accurate or overall rating/review . As a librarian for a big library system, we most likely have a copy of this item. I will look forward to reading it in future since I am sure I will.

Maria and Peter were both just awesome. I love another body inclusive romance that brought the steam and tension. Just the rest of the story was a little MEH for me.

Ok, I hate that I'm even writing a review that isn't positive! I have LOVED this series up to this point. I could not become interested in this book. I read about 30% and could not finish. It was cute writing and I really liked the characters, but it couldn't hold my interest! Maybe I need to retry when I'm more in the mood for a romance.