The reason behind the proposition is apparent when Chase first meets Ann: she’s pregnant. After speaking with Ann, he accepts her opposition to the marriage. He declines the Commodore’s offer.

When he sees the Andromeda, he feels an immediate connection with the ship. Soon after he has a run-in with Boothe Rossiter, the Commodore’s son. He cannot permit Boothe to be the captain of the ship he now regards as his. He returns to the Commodore and agrees to wed Ann.

The Commodore has arranged the marriage to protect his family name and reputation, but he intends for Ann to remain under his roof. Ann, however, is desperate to escape both her stepfather’s domination and her stepbrother’s abusive treatment. She realizes that by marrying Chase she is now safe. She convinces Chase that she be allowed to accompany him on the Andromeda’s maiden voyage. Chase’s brother Rubin and several trusted men will be among the crew.

Chase believes that the father of Ann’s child has deserted her. He desires his wife but agrees to her request that they wait until they know each other better before living as man and wife. Ann, however, is not pining for her absent lover; she is terrified of any type of physical contact. She discovers that Chase is a kind and honorable man; his loving adoptive family immediately welcomes her as his wife. Even so, she cannot tell him the truth.

She gradually becomes acquainted with the crew members and begins to emerge from her self-imposed solitary isolation. Chase has heard rumors and has doubts about the Commodore’s and Boothe’s business dealings. Factors beyond their own feelings may create problems for Chase’s and Ann’s marriage.

The strongest aspect of this road romance (or more accurately, a river romance) set in 1867 is the journey and details about steamboat travel. As long as the story sticks to the travelogue, things sail along. Chase’s and Ann’s dysfunctional relationship, however, runs aground repeatedly.

This is one of those books where the Big Misunderstanding keeps the plot fired up. These are two appealing characters who deserve happiness, but they need to work on their communication skills. One heart-to-heart conversation between the hero and heroine could resolve everything, and the story would be half as long. Instead, these two repeatedly speak and act at cross-purposes. The truth behind Ann’s pregnancy is gradually revealed to the reader, but Chase isn’t nearly as perceptive. He is convinced there’s a great love in Ann’s past. Ann is similarly blind to reality. It’s obvious that Chase is the best, most honorable, most compassionate man who ever lived, but she lumps him in the same class as Boothe and refuses to confide in him. Whenever there’s a opportunity for either one to misinterpret the actions of the other, they take it, and the misunderstandings continue.

The book seems to suffer from some uneven editing. At times the story lags with little happening then action is compressed into a few pages. At one point Chase states that Ann has become close to a crew member because they spent so much time together on board ship, but the narrative never shows that.

Elizabeth Grayson is an accomplished author with an impressive backlist. (She has also written under the name Elizabeth Kary.) TRR has given two of her titles 5 Hearts, its highest rating. Readers who haven’t had a chance to become familiar with this author’s works are advised to begin with another title. Moon in the Water is an acceptable romance, it’s not among her best.

--Lesley Dunlap