CALMER WATERS

She boarded the ship to celebrate her freedom-only to fall for the captain she fears may be at the center of a dangerous ring of charming predators.

After decades of marriage and a demanding career, Tessa Monroe is ready to reclaim her life.
Freshly divorced and newly retired, she boards the elegant cruise ship Aurelia determined to celebrate her independence. With Mediterranean sunsets, laughter with friends, and the promise of a new beginning, the voyage feels like exactly the escape she needs.
Then she encounters Captain Manny Delgado.
Confident, attentive, and quietly magnetic, Delgado commands the Aurelia with calm authority. Their conversations are effortless. The attraction between them is undeniable.
For Tessa, falling for the ship's captain is the last thing she expected on a cruise meant to mark her freedom. Yet each evening on the open decks and every lingering glance across crowded lounges pulls her closer to him.
But something aboard the Aurelia feels off.
Among the passengers moves a group of sophisticated, charming men who seem unusually attentive to certain women traveling alone. Their smiles are easy, their stories polished-and their interest strangely coordinated.
Some travelers have quietly begun referring to them as the Ring of Lotharios.
The crew appears unaware of anything unusual, but as Tessa observes the men more closely, a troubling thought begins to take shape.
What if the mysterious captain she is beginning to fall for isn't just connected to them...
What if he's the one at the center of it all?
Torn between growing suspicion and an attraction she can't deny, Tessa must decide whether she's misjudging the man who seems to understand her better than anyone ever has-or whether trusting him could be the biggest mistake of her newly reclaimed life.
Because on calm waters, secrets travel quietly.
And sometimes the most dangerous currents are the ones you never see coming.

Perfect For Readers Who Love

• Later-in-life romance
• Cruise ship romance
• Women starting over after divorce
• Romantic intrigue and hidden secrets
• Travel-rich women's fiction
• Strong female friendships

• Elin Hilderbrand
• Kristin Hannah
• Book Club Readers Will Love Discussing:
• Liane Moriarty

• Starting over after divorce and retirement-and the courage it takes to claim a new life
• Whether Tessa's suspicions about Captain Manny Delgado are intuition... or fear shaped by past heartbreak
• How easily charm and confidence can disguise manipulation
• Why people are sometimes drawn to the very relationships they should question
• Whether trust should be earned slowly-or risked for the chance at unexpected love
• How new beginnings often arrive when we least expect them
• The ways travel and distance from everyday life can open our hearts to possibilities we never imagined