Talk about family drama….this family takes the cake! The Kingsley family is extremely wealthy, and with this wealth comes secret after secret. In trying to decide which family member will inherit control of the family, Richard brings them all together on a fateful cruise, and the Kingsley family will NEVER again be the same!

Billionaire Richard Kingsley along with Serena (wife number 5), invite his children and their significant others to a weekend get together on his new yacht. Little do they know that Richard will be springing some news on them and having them play a little game of who will inherit his company. None of these people like each other and we learn more about their nasty lives as the story is told from each of their point of views. This was my first read by this author and it wasn't a bad story but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I like a bit more action in my fictional stories. There were a few twists to the story, some I figured out beforehand and some I didn't see coming. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this! Rich people in the middle of the ocean all with something to gain…..this was fast paced and intriguing. I was pleased that I never saw the next twist.

Richard Kingsley is a billionaire at the helm of his very successful enterprise. He is on wife number 6 (who’s counting?!) and has invited his children and their spouses to join him for a weekend on his massive yacht, The Splendid Seas. Richard and his newest wife Serena welcome them aboard hoping for a wonderful weekend. Everyone seems to have their own agenda and no one is very truthful.

Ted and John, sons of Richard join the ship and tension is almost immediate between these two. They have a long deep seated competitive past and both are jockeying to take over the company once Richard isn’t around. But the dram doesn’t stop there! Sibley, Richards estranged daughter also was invited making quite the waves when she joins them aboard. She definitely is a black sheep but Richard is quite loyal to all of his offspring!

A storm rolls in making it quite the dangerous trip and before we know it lies are being uncovered and tragic events happen. Not everyone who boarded the ship will leave the ship! 😱 Let me tell you the drama is quite intense! If you’re looking for a good backstabbing, scandalous story with devious spoiled characters make sure to grab a copy of this book!

An interesting start to what seems like will be a new series for Rouda. I didn't initially know about it being a series and it made me more skeptical as that isn't usually my thing. I feel like those often end up as cozies or just too drawn out.

Her writing had been kind of hit or miss for me before but I have been really liking her more recent releases. I feel like she's grown as a writer and I'll keep tuning in and keep an eye on this Succession at sea story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

3.5 Stars

I received an advanced copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.

A wealthy family gathers on Catalina Island following an invitation from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. The purpose is to secure their futures and gain control over a real estate empire, leading to a succession battle among his sons and their wives. Sibley, Richard's estranged daughter, adds a surprising twist to the event. As the contest for the Kingsley legacy intensifies, the idyllic atmosphere of the island contrasts with the escalating tensions and deceptions within the family. With money, lies, and deception at play, the weekend unfolds as a high-stakes game where one member stands to gain while another risks losing everything. Amidst a brewing storm, the family's plans could easily go awry.

In this novel, imagine a dysfunctional family saga set against the backdrop of a luxurious yacht. The initial half of the book brims with captivating family dynamics, adding a generous dash of tension and intrigue. However, as the story progresses, the family drama takes on a life of its own, verging into the realm of overwhelming.

By the time the conclusion approached, the narrative took an unexpected turn, delving into territories that stretched the bounds of believability. While the story's outset was engaging, the culmination seemed to take a detour into the realms of the implausible and downright outrageous.

Kaira Rouda is underrated, in my humble opinion. I have enjoyed all of her books. This one reads like one of those night-time soaps from the 90's. And that's a good thing, as I loved those shows! Oh, the over-the-top drama! We basically have a family of rich, spoiled brats on a yacht cruising off Catalina. The yacht is owned by much-married, billionaire Daddy and he has a plan for one of his horrible offspring to "win" his fortune. To say backstabbing ensues is putting it mildly. We also have lies and secrets revealed, and I couldn't stop reading. The story is told from multiple POV's and that got to be a little much at times but was all brought back together for the big reveal. This family is just bonkers, and I had a lot of fun reading this. I especially enjoyed Sibley. My understanding is that this is the start of a series. Well, cool beans! I'm there!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kaira Rouda and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.

This is a really good book! I have read several of Rouda’s novels, and she has become a go-to author for me. Her latest, the first of a new Kingsley series, is about an overnight family cruise to Catalina Island on the Kingsley family patriarch’s new luxury yacht. The story is told in chapters from various perspectives of those family members onboard. Rouda is a master at creating compelling, multi-level stories, and I’m here for it! Recommended this book and all of her other books.

*****Publishing September 5, 2023*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you need a book that will keep you guessing, then you need to read this book!

A billionaire father, Richard, a stepmother and 5th wife, Serena, Ted and John, Richard’s sons are all aboard Richard’s Mega Yacht to cross one of the deadliest bodies of water near Catalina Island. Ted and John, along with their wives, are all vying for the succession of their father’s company. A surprise guest throws them all for a loop. How more scandalous and adventurous can you get? Which brother will ultimately win their father’s heart to take over the business? Will it be smooth sailing? Is it what it seems?

This book just draws you from the beginning as each chapter is from a different perspective. With all the twists and turns, this book is so hard to put down. The drama will keep the pages turning! Wow, such a great book! Definitely one to add to your TBR list!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, I was provided an ARC of Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book that I was really looking forward to - a family entirely made up of unlikeable people with a heap of secrets sounded right up my alley. Oh how wrong I was! I found the writing to be very simplistic and that the entire story was a case of tell not show. The members of this dysfunctional family immature, entitled, self-obsessed, and would kill their nearest & dearest just to get ahead. I love stories with unlikeable characters, but they’ve got to have some depth to them to make me care. These characters are one-dimensional and the dialogue is wooden, and I was disappointed that the boat didn’t capsize, taking them all out.

Well, I'm not entirely sure what the plot of this book was. About 50% through is when I realized nothing had happened and I didn't connect with a single character. By 100% through.... I still didn't connect with a single character and nothing happened.

I had held out hope it was a slow burn but, every character was frustrating or annoying and the one big twist was breezed right over in a single.parahraph.

I loved Rouda's other books but, this one wasn't it for me.

Wow! What a book full of lies and cheating and extraordinary wealth and just all around bad people! I loved every minute of this juicy juicy read.

Kaira Rouda never disappoints with her books that have you racing through them! If you like Succession then this book is for you!!!

If you’ve read my reviews previously, you know I can’t get enough of books where rich people have secrets and huge problems. Like mega-yacht huge. While this one was a slowwwww burn, and not too many people died, the secrets and problems did NOT disappoint.

By slow burn, I really do mean slow. The first 50? 60? percent of the book was just a handful of couples on dad’s new yacht rehashing whether they believed they’d be dear old dad’s heir apparent to the corporate greed…I mean boardroom of the billion-dollar company. They all had major secrets, even from their spouses. None of them were good people. Not even close. Then dad revealed a secret of his own…and it was more of the same. Closed-door whining and internal monologues.

Then there was a huge storm, and the yacht had problems, so they went to play golf. The action picked up and it was nonstop secrets being revealed until the bitter end. I loved it.

I would rate this as more of a domestic suspense than a thriller.

I was held hostage by this book, equal parts repugnant because the characters were absolutely horrible and obsessed with finding out what the actual succession plan was. I found the dialogue somewhat robotic and weird at times which made it a little cringey but it didn’t detract too much from the overall story.

If you’re a fan of the show Succession, this is basically it but in book form.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for a copy of Beneath the Surface in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

An aging billionaire invites his two sons on a weekend trip on his mega-yacht. From the beginning there are surprises for both the sons and their wives that they didn't see coming. Both sons are trying to show their father that they should be the heir apparent to his fortune and business empire, but when their sister shows up unexpectedly, things take a turn and the stakes are even higher for everyone out on the water.

I didn't love this book. The dialogue was very stilted and it made it hard for me to stay immersed in the story. It seemed to bounce around a lot with not a lot of purpose, and I questioned why certain scenes were included. The characters weren't as well-developed as I would have liked, and the plot was tired much of the time. Overall, this book was a disappointment.

I just finished reading "Beneath the Surface" and I have to say, it was quite the page-turner. The book follows the drama-filled lives of a dysfunctional family, and I found myself completely engrossed in their story. It's like watching a soap opera, but with even more scandal and intrigue. Thanks for the advance review copy.

Richard Kingsley had invited his children and their spouses to join him and his wife on their yacht for a weekend trip. The children along with their spouses each decide to take the opportunity to convince Richard that they are the right person to run the family's company. Kaira Rouda delivers again! “Beneath the Surface” was a wild ride from start to finish. It is very reminiscent of the HBO show “Succession”. If you love a good family drama, you will like this book. Rouda definitely has a talent for portraying well written, but extremely unlikeable characters. The only character that I somewhat liked was Paige. The behavior between the siblings was very immature and I loved every single moment of their mind games. This book was extremely fast-paced with a slow build of intensity. It took a while before anything was revealed, but when the secrets were revealed, OMG!! I guessed at some but there were just so many. I absolutely loved how it all played out. I liked that the story switches perspectives each chapter, moving between each family member. It allows the reader to get information from all sides and to get to know the characters on a deeper level. I can't wait to see what will happen in Part 2 of the Kingsley series! Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and author Kaira Rouda for this advanced copy in exchange for my thoughts.

I loved this book. I love this author. This was a brilliant creepy summer read. I was completely immersed in the story and literally couldn't put it down. Five stars xx

For fans of Succession, this novel is a must read. It keeps you on your toes, with several twists and turns and characters you love to hate.

Billionaire Richard Kinsley invites his family on board his my large yacht as an opportunity to see who should succeed him as CEO of Kinsley Enterprises. Sounds like a fun trip if the sibling didn’t all hate each other. They only came on the trip to Catalina because they didn’t know the other siblings were invited. All of them believe they are the one who deserves to be the next CEO and endeavor to spend the weekend in rough seas proving they are right to their father. Richard has a few surprises up his sleeve that will make it hard for some of them to be considered.

All of these characters have very little redeeming qualities. The three children: Ted, John and Sibley, would do anything to win their father’s favor. Their wives and significant other will stop at nothing to aid in their quest. But their father has pitted them against each other for so long they are truly power hungry and spoiled. That includes Richard’s very young wife Serena who also believes she should be able to run the business since she is pregnant with his child.

I enjoyed the train wreck on board the yacht, if nothing else to see what they each had up their sleeve. I believed the best person won in the end and look forward to the continuation of Kinsley novels.