Another Solid Katherine Center Romance. If you’re already a fan of Center – and clearly she has many, as evidenced by nearly 5K reviews of this book on Goodreads on release day -, know that this is her typical excellent storytelling, this time set on a cruise ship more than her more typical Galveston area setting. (Though it *does* start there.) If you’ve somehow never read a Katherine Center romance, this is a pretty good introduction to her overall style. you’re going to laugh. Your heartstrings are going to be pulled without necessarily moving into dusty room territory. You’re going to have more eggnog/ horchata level spice where sex is mentioned, but generally happens off screen and where about the spiciest it gets on screen is some intense kissing and maybe changing clothes while the other person’s back is turned. Yes, there will always be some level of drama, and yes, there will always be some level of family tale as well, and Center uses these well to provide a degree of depth of flavor to the tale beyond the bubblegum label. Call it something around the lines of a good sit down meal at your favorite chain restaurant. Fairly standard stuff, but tastes good and you enjoy it and you know what to expect nearly every time with nearly every bite. Perfectly safe, perfectly tame, perfectly designed for mass appeal. Which clearly is working quite well for her and her fans.
The cruise setting here is something I actually have a degree of experience with, having sailed with Carnival for over 150 days over the last nearly 20 years, and Center does a solid job of both showing the beauty of cruising while also taking a decent amount of creative license when her story needs her to. So yes, elements of this tale will ring all too true, though revealing which ones would dive into spoiler territory. Others are more fantastical, but work well within the story being told.
For those looking for a solid, safe romance that will transport you away from your “real” life and into a fun, funny, and peaceful enough world without too much of the bullshit of the “real” one, this is absolutely one of those types of books.
Very much recommended.
This review of The Shippers by Katherine Center was originally written on May 20, 2026.