The Captain’s Cook
Victoria Vanransom
Brown Books Publishing Group (2025)
ISBN: 978-1612547336
Reviewed by Jennifer Bishop for Reader Views (12/2025)
What would it be like to travel from island to island on a yacht? Would it feel like a fresh start? A new beginning? In The Captain’s Cook by Victoria Vanransom, Jess decides to apply to be the cook on the yacht “Slow Dance.” When she gets hired, she has no idea what’s in store as she gets to know the womanizing Captain Reed and his ever-changing crew. They explore different islands, meet new people, and try different cuisines as they get to know each other more and the pasts that they are running from.
This story was an adventure. Not only in the sense that you get to explore many different islands and cuisines, along with the characters of the story. There is also the adventure of discovering new relationships and what exactly it means to be sailing across the Pacific Ocean. While there are quite a few characters in the story, the main two are Jess and Cliff (mostly referred to as Captain Reed in the beginning). Jess is in her 50s and coming out of a long, overbearing relationship. She wants to do something different with her life away from her ex. Cliff is the owner of the yacht “Slow Dance” and misses his deceased wife. His way of showing it is by acting as if he’s still a young pup instead of his actual age. (Exact age is never mentioned, but it’s made very clear that he is an older man with health problems).
Vanransom does an amazing job at digging into some of the emotions between these two main characters and their fellow crewmates. We get to experience them growing and working through some of the issues of their pasts. She also does a good job at describing what is going on, and I was able to keep each person separated in my head as far as personality and job description went. I do want to add that this story is a wild ride. The different members of the crew are constantly getting into different shenanigans throughout the story. There is a lot of drinking, cursing, and mild use of drugs. There are also quite a few open-door bedroom scenes towards the end of the book.
The Captain’s Cook by Victoria Vanransom is a story about a woman who decides to try something new later in life. I’d describe it as a life adventure on a yacht. I would recommend this only for adults, as there is a lot of adult content, including alcohol, drugs, and bedroom scenes. If you enjoy a story about restarting and overcoming past traumas while going on an adventure, then The Captain’s Cook by Victoria Vanransom is a book you would love!