Tony Lewis loves to travel. Spurred on by a desire to see the world again, he leaves his girlfriend Maureen and signs up to be a crew member aboard Lady X, an old Pearl Harbor ship, headed for Waikiki. Inspired by actual events, historical and personal, this first book in a series is a heart-warming tale of adventure, loss, and love.

The author succeeds in weaving two tales into one—one being the ship’s history and legend and the other being Tony’s. It is reminiscent of other seafaring novels where the ship plays a vital part in the story. While the story mainly follows Tony and his adventures, arguably the more important character in the novel is Lady X. With a rich history as a wartime vessel, Lady X becomes Tony’s home as he sets off to learn to crew on a ship. But Lady X is more than just his place of employment or a location to lay his head at night; she’s also a symbol of Tony’s freedom and perseverance to go after his dreams. Lady X has given Tony the chance to travel around the world, meet new people, and fall in love again. She also anchors him to his responsibilities.

While only the first book in a series of four, this initial tale does a great job of laying down the groundwork for the rest of the books in terms of the strength of Tony’s character and the situations he may find himself in. While mostly lighthearted in nature, the book also tackles the heavier theme of personal fulfillment. It’ll be interesting to see where Tony’s and Lady X’s adventures take them in the next installment.

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