Love Overboard

I love every Janet Evanovich's books that I have read so far, which are many, including this one. Sometimes they are laugh out loud funny. I miss the characters when I'm finished reading, but there are so many more I can become acquainted with. Thank you Ms. Evanovich.

I love every Janet Evanovich's books that I have read so far, which are many, including this one. Sometimes they are laugh out loud funny. I miss the characters when I'm finished reading, but there are so many more I can become acquainted with. Thank you Ms. Evanovich.

When I first read this back on July 16, 2010, I felt it Had the lighthearted part with its romantic conflicts but it lacked the depth of her other romances. That said, now that I've read it again — and it may well be that I needed something very lighthearted — I enjoyed this more.

Evanovich says this is second in the Loveswept Romance series, but I think she means this is the second of the nine "red-hot screwball comedies" that were originally published by Loveswept. This story revolves around Stephanie Lowe and Captain Ivan Rasmussen in Camden, Maine.

My Take
It's too funny and Evanovich leads us along, dancing those words just ahead of us, as she touches and teases, just waiting to sink in the rest of the conflicts. It's only eight pages in and already I'm almost sinking under 'em, laughing as I go! Dang, Stephanie has got her work cut out for her!

She's supposed to cook for twenty-six people on a wood stove, and she can barely heat food up in the microwave. Strangely enough, Ivan is attracted to her and keeps coming up with excuses to not try anything. Stephanie does have a few tricks of her own to keep him off.

Yep, it's an Ace on the make, and he's praying a ship's captain can't really marry anyone.

It's a fun story with a woman who desperately needs to learn how to have fun again, how to reconnect with life, how to use a woodstove to cook with, a man with too many worries, and a massive conspiracy behind the scenes as ghosts swing in and out, conspiracy comes to light, and Evanovich turns the tropes on their heads, lol.

To top it off, they have the punkish Melody with her everchanging hair and an embalmed swinger.

The Story
Stephanie will do anything for a free plumbing job, even if it does mean cooking for Ivan the Terrible for a week. That swindler sold her a house that was falling apart!

Only, Ivan knows there was nothing wrong with that house. In spite of the ghostly Aunt Tess.

The Characters
An undercover narcotics cop, Stephanie Lowe was fed up with her life, wanted to try something different, and bought Haben, Rasmussen's generations-long family house to turn into a B&B. Steve had been her boyfriend for four years; Roger is the roommate he decided to marry. Uncle Ed left her all his money when he died.

Captain Ivan "Ivan the Terrible" Rasmussen commands the Josiah T. Savage , a hundred-year-old sailing schooner, a windjammer. Red Rasmussen, an ancestor, was a pirate. Aunt Tess is three hundred years old, Red's wife, and a ghost who haunts Haben. Rasmussen Leather Products is a shoe factory. Lucy Pederson is Ivan's cook and Stephanie's cousin. Ace is her gallery helper and the pampered son of a corporate lawyer.

The guests on this cruise include…
…Skippy and Loretta Pease, Lena Neilson, Elsie, Mr. Kramer, Mr. and Mrs. Dembrowski, and Melody, the stowaway.

The guests at the B&B include…
…Frank and Eileen Platz (Sophia Schroth would be her envious neighbor while Aunt Rose talks to Walter Cronkite), Mrs. Kowalsky is hopeful, the Jacksons, the Billings, and more.

Stanley Shelton is the plumber Lucy ran off to marry. Amos Anderson is a federal agent. Ted Grisham, the factory foreman, owns the truck and taught Ivan how to make the best bombs. Cousin Joey, who works at Zembrowsky's Funeral Home, knows Mr. Kulecza. Whiskers will be the new wing chair cat.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a welcoming and cozy scene of an old Victorian in plum and lavender, perching above a rocky seawall with a path leading to its stairs and surrounded by a manicured lawn and framed by trees under a lovely summer sky. The author's name is in an embossed and deeper lavender while the embossed title is in script, arching above the house in a soft royal blue.

The title is what happens when the unexpected occurs and Love Overboard falls deep within a conspiracy.

Love Overboard is a pre-Plum romance by American author, Janet Evanovich. Having just bought a house that seems to be developing one structural problem after another, ex-cop Stephanie Lowe takes a job as cook on a small cruise vessel in exchange for some plumbing work. The captain, Ivan Rasmussen, descendant of the infamous pirate, Red Rasmussen, is a notorious womaniser, but something about the quirky and feisty Stephanie grabs onto his heart.

This is an entertaining read: the characters are not one-dimensional, but there’s no great depth there. There’s a fair bit of slapstick, some intrigue, plenty of romance, a bit of sex, a disappearing corpse and a ghost to keep things lively. Some issues also contain an excerpt from another pre-Plum novel, Back to the Bedroom.

The last book I read by Evanovich was WIFE FOR HIRE. This book is so much better; LOVE OVERBOARD does not have the serious flaw of WFH - love builds up over time. The odd thing is that LO was written before WFH.

The play on the male lead's name was amusing; Ivan the Terrible was terribly handsome, etc. The female lead, Stephanie Lowe, bought Ivan's grand old house some months before. And that's when all the trouble started!

Stephanie now knew the house for what it was: the house from hell.

However, that's not her problem today ... today she needs to fill the role of chef on Ivan's ship (during the summer, Ivan takes tourists out on cruises of 1 week duration). The usual cook and Stephanie's cousin, Lucy, is getting married to a plumber.

Now, Stephanie is desperate for a plumber but can't afford one. Lucy promises, if Stephanie will sub as the chef for a week, she will get her husband to fix the plumbing in "the house from hell."

Steph's idea of cuisine is a microwave; she's shocked when she finds out that meals are cooked on a wood stove. Learning how to use a wood stove leads to some entertaining meals!

Both of the leads have interesting back stories. Evanovich takes her time telling their stories in small doses. This is brilliant because the reader wants to know what makes each character act as he/she does. It certainly builds suspense.

There are ghosts and a dead body in this story ... and you wouldn't believe me as to the reason, even if I told you! There's a bit of a mystery about the floating body and the ghost haunting Stephanie's house.

This is a quick read because you are immediately interested in this pair - and their zany side-kicks. Humor abounds but this is a story with heart! Enjoy!

I purchased the audiobook several years ago to listen to in my car and loathed it purely because of the reader. I can't fairly judge the content of the book itself because my dislike of the reader overwhelmed everything else. From the overall ratings of the book, I assume that it must be better if you actually read it rather than listening to the audiobook, but I've missed that opportunity. I have never encountered a reader I disliked more.

I expected this to be a lighthearted, easy sappy read. I listened to the audio version. I never comment on the voice of the reader, but I found this particular reader to be extremely annoying. Stephanie, who was suppossed to be the quirky, cute love interest came off annoying and eccentric. Ivan should have sounded like a big, manly pirate-bloodied captain. I hated his voice! It was so hard to picture him as the suave male interest he was suppossed to be when the narrator did such a poor job with his voice. Since I shuddered at their voices, I had a really hard time liking any of the characters and seeing why any of them liked each other. Melody should have been eccentric and interesting - instead her voice made her sound masculine and dumb.

The voices aside, I just didnt really get anything about this book. The whole premise is based on the ideas that Stephanie is cooking on a ship in exhange for plumbing services. When she is finished and returns to the house she just bought (from the ship's captain) to turn into a bed and breakfast, she discovers it is haunted. The story lost me here. I normally love a good ghost story, but nothing in this book worked for me. It came off as a bunch of random events experienced by a group of characters. Nothing that happened in the book seemed scary (even though it should have been). Nothing about Stephanie or Ivan seemed charming, and while you should be rooting for them to fall in love, you just are not. Maybe it is poor character development, maybe it is just overall poor writing, or maybe I was just so turned off by the narrarator that nothing worked for me.

Whatever it is, I was disappointed by this book and think others can find better ghost and love stories elsewhere.

Long before author Janet Evanovich loosed Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter extraordinaire, on the citizens of Trenton, NJ, she wrote 12 short romance novels, all screwball comedies with happy endings, some involving just a tad of mystery/suspense. These small treats, (like a piece of good chocolate, they lift your spirits), were published, originally by the Loveswept line between the years 1988 and 1992. I have read and enjoyed them all - but then I love almost everything Ms. Evanovich writes. "Love Overboard," was released by Harper Torch, (Harper Collins), in January 2005 for those who missed the book first time around when it was titled, "Ivan Takes A Wife." Very few changes have been made to the original material other than some necessary editing.

Oddly enough, "Lover Overboard's" heroine is named Stephanie too, Stephanie Lowe, and could very well be the ancestor of Ms. Plum. Like Stephanie Plum, Stephanie Lowe is bright, witty, sexy, and in law enforcement....a former a cop. When she graduated from the Academy she looked all of sixteen, perfect to work undercover as a narc at a high school. She had personal reasons for wanting to help the kids to stay off drugs, and to put the pushers away for a long time. When she was identified by the bad guys as a cop and almost killed, she resigned from the force, burnt out. She wanted a change of pace, scenery and local culture, so she moved a good distance away from New Jersey.

Her dream home is in Camden, Maine, overlooking the ocean. Stephanie plans to turn it into a B&B for the tourists who flock to the area each year for the Windjammer cruises, as well as to spend time on the gorgeous Maine coast and offshore islands. She purchases the house, called Haben, from schooner Captain Ivan Rassmussen, a descendant of pirates. His family had lived at Haben for generations. After the sale is completed, she discovers that the toilet is dysfunctional. It leaks so bad that the bathroom floor collapses and falls into the kitchen and downstairs bathroom. The bathroom mirrors go the way of the floor. A new heater is needed desperately before the cold sets in, and the wooden porch floor is rotten. Stephanie, with limited funds, feels she has been swindled by Ivan, And the final straw, his ancient Aunt Tess, long departed from this world, (at least physically), haunts the widow's walk. Fortunately for Ivan, the ghost will only speak to women.

Stephanie's cousin Lucy, the chef on the "Josiah T. Savage," the Captain's schooner, is engaged to a plumber. The couple plan to take a week off to wed and enjoy a short honeymoon. Lucy promises Stephanie that if she will take her place as cook on Ivan's 100 year-old ship for this one week, and feed the handsome Captain, a confirmed bachelor, the crew and passengers, she will have her new husband install the toilet. Although our protagonist barely knows how to boil water, she desperately needs an indoor john. As she steps onboard the "Savage" and greets Ivan, something happens to both of them that never surfaced during the house signing. Sparks fly!! Bigtime! Ivan the Terrible finds the temperature rising rapidly. And Steph, although a virgin, really feels the heat!

The sea trip with passengers is a blast. The kitchen is only a mega disaster for a day or two. The dialogue is fast, furious and delightful. Ms. Evanovich's outrageous humor will be immediately recognizable to fans of the Stephanie Plum series. It is also fun to glimpse prototypes for her future characters.

This is a short, simple, well-written romance - wonderfully entertaining fluff. It's the perfect read for a plane trip or a dismal weekend afternoon. I enjoyed! Hope you do too!
JANA

Ivan Rasmussen has a 19th century schooner that he charters for short cruises during the warm months of the year. He has a regular crew that he works with, but the person he ended up with in his galley was an acquaintance Stephanie Lowe, and she knew nothing about cooking with an old wood stove. It turns out his normal cook, Lucy, decided to get married, and Steph was covering her shifts in exchange for plumbing services provided by the new groom. Ivan and Steph felt an immediate attraction, but there were many reasons they couldn't get involved. The main reason was that Steph had already thrown herself at him, and he turned her down. Then there was the fact that Ivan didn't want a committed relationship - he is a direct descendent of a pirate, and Steph was just getting on her feet after being an undercover cop for years. There was also the issue that Steph just purchased Ivan's family home - Haben. Who knew working this one-week could last so long?

Steph was getting Haben ready to turn into a B&B when Ivan turns up. He makes her a proposition. He needs a place to stay for the off-season and she needs a handyman. His real agenda is to seduce her, and make her realize she can't live without him. How far would he go to get his beloved family home Haben back? When a corpse is found and makes appearances, Steph starts to wonder.

Entertaining and funny. A lot of laugh out loud moments!

Ivan Rasmussen has a 19th century schooner that he charters for short cruises during the warm months of the year. He has a regular crew that he works with, but the person he ended up with in his galley was an acquaintance Stephanie Lowe, and she knew nothing about cooking with an old wood stove. It turns out his normal cook, Lucy, decided to get married, and Steph was covering her shifts in exchange for plumbing services provided by the new groom. Ivan and Steph felt an immediate attraction, but there were many reasons they couldn't get involved. The main reason was that Steph had already thrown herself at him, and he turned her down. Then there was the fact that Ivan didn't want a committed relationship - he is a direct descendent of a pirate, and Steph was just getting on her feet after being an undercover cop for years. There was also the issue that Steph just purchased Ivan's family home - Haben. Who knew working this one-week could last so long?

Steph was getting Haben ready to turn into a B&B when Ivan turns up. He makes her a proposition. He needs a place to stay for the off-season and she needs a handyman. His real agenda is to seduce her, and make her realize she can't live without him. How far would he go to get his beloved family home Haben back? When a corpse is found and makes appearances, Steph starts to wonder.

Entertaining and funny. A lot of laugh out loud moments!

Ivan Rasmussen has a 19th century schooner that he charters for short cruises during the warm months of the year. He has a regular crew that he works with, but the person he ended up with in his galley was an acquaintance Stephanie Lowe, and she knew nothing about cooking with an old wood stove. It turns out his normal cook, Lucy, decided to get married, and Steph was covering her shifts in exchange for plumbing services provided by the new groom. Ivan and Steph felt an immediate attraction, but there were many reasons they couldn't get involved. The main reason was that Steph had already thrown herself at him, and he turned her down. Then there was the fact that Ivan didn't want a committed relationship - he is a direct descendent of a pirate, and Steph was just getting on her feet after being an undercover cop for years. There was also the issue that Steph just purchased Ivan's family home - Haben. Who knew working this one-week could last so long?

Steph was getting Haben ready to turn into a B&B when Ivan turns up. He makes her a proposition. He needs a place to stay for the off-season and she needs a handyman. His real agenda is to seduce her, and make her realize she can't live without him. How far would he go to get his beloved family home Haben back? When a corpse is found and makes appearances, Steph starts to wonder.

Entertaining and funny. A lot of laugh out loud moments!

Another of Evanovich's early romance novel writing efforts, it was obvious she was beginning to chafe at the confines of romance writing. The romance in this novel seems a bit by-the-book and doesn't blend well with the characters and action. The book just isn't smooth.

It begins with pirate descendant Ivan Rasmussen standing on the deck of his schooner when he sees Stephanie Lowe go tumbling down a hill. She's on her way to his boat to work as ship's cook in place of her cousin Lucy, who's getting married. Stephanie has to cook on a woodstove, and has a few mishaps, but rallies okay. Ivan watches her with bemusement and a growing attraction. Throughout their working cruise, Stephanie and Ivan flirt a lot. When the cruise is over, Ivan winds up renting a room in Stephanie's house, which she bought from him before the story began. Melody, another character they meet on the boat, also comes to stay and work at the inn the house has become. The house is supposedly haunted, and a corpse keeps showing up and disappearing. Stephanie falls into Ivan's arms-and bed. Of course, they have problems, but this is a romance novel, so everything works out in the end.

As usual, Evanovich's characters were zany, had funny things happen to them, and delivered humorous dialogue. The romance was sprinkled evenly throughout, but still didn't quite gel with everything else. Not her best book, but I didn't hate it.

Having been busy with my recent wedding, I did not have a lot of time to read so I began looking for books that I knew would be quick and easy and not take much thought. My first thought was the Janet Evanovich romance books that have been sitting on my shelf just waiting for me to read them. I picked up "Love Overboard" and within the first few pages I was completely hooked. It was already evident that Evanovich's humoress and funny ways of telling a story was going to be seen throughout this book.

"Love Overboard" tells the story of Stephanie, an ex undercover cop who moves away from the city to deal with her own problems and past ghosts. When her cousin Lucy decides to get married, Stephanie finds herself as the replacement chef aboard a ship manned by none other than Ivan Rasmussen, the sexy sailor who Stephanie bought her current residences from. As any romance novel will come to prove, the story goes from stuffy to steamy rather quickly but not without our fair share of Janet Evanovich twists, including glowing ghosts, disappearing dead bodies, and ancient family curses.

I laughed, I smiled, and maybe I even got a tear in my eye. This book is definitely well worth the few hours it will take you to read. So grab yourself a copy, settle into your favorite chair, and lose yourself in the wacky world of Evanovich.

This has a "Harlequin Romance" vibe that would normally send me screaming in the other direction, but given that it's Janet Evanovich, I was intrigued. I read this in a different way than others might, I think. This was a chance to see Evanovich's writing style in its infancy, before she became the publishing phenomenon that she is today, with the fantastically popular Stephanie Plum novels. The humor is there, but a bit more rough, and the romance is more pronounced than it has since become.

Stephanie (see, even that started early on) is in the difficult position of having to be a ship's cook for Ivan, who runs a old-fashioned cruise. You know by the end of page one that these two are going to be together - the fun is in finding out just how that will happen. The resolution is, well, trite. Oh well. It's still Evanovich, and even subpar Evanovich can make you laugh out loud.

I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Janet Evanovich. Her plots are great fun, and conversations never disappoint her readers. I don’t learn much except to relax and enjoy. Love Overboard is one to add to my list of favorites. Enjoy

I don't understand why some reviewers are disappointed in this book. It doesn't claim to be of great literary value. How seriously can you take a book which was orignally titled "Ivan Takes a Wife"?

But it is interesting to see how Janet Evanovich practiced with the characters which were finally refined in her best selling Stephanie Plum novels. Each of these early books has a tone of the later ones and that is good to read in and of itself.

I enjoyed the book - read it on a winter afternoon in Wisconsin. No, not on the front porch I love. Parts of it were quite funny. Some of it didn't make too much sense but really - some of the Stephanie Plum books don't either and we still gobble them right up.

I'm not sorry I read it and I think you will enjoy it too.

This title originally came out as "Ivan Takes a Wife" back in 1989. This was a fast read that demonstrated that Ms. Evanovich was well on her way to becoming the author she is today.

Without going into great detail this is a short but sweet romance featuring the great, great, great...grandson of a pirate and one burned out ex-narcotic cop turned cook for a schooner. Well, the schooner belongs to the pirate grandson and well...these two have a rather unique introduction that involves a tumble down a hill and a few laughs. Needless to say Ivan and Stephanie are a great pair and when you combined them with a haunted house, a stolen blueberry pie, a ghost on a ship, and one rather mobile dead body you have the ingrediants for one fun Evanovich read.

Readers should keep in mind that this is a re-print with a few changes from the original story. This is also not as great as some of her newer efforts. This is still a worthy effort to re-visit or visit for the first time to see how much Ms. Evanovich has grown as an author. Either way the reader is in for a fast paced treat.

Official Reviewer for [...]

If you can get yourself over the fact that this is Janet Evanovich writing, and then overcome the double problem that the Heroine of the peice is called Stephanie as well, then this is a nice tidy little romance. Nothing that leapt off the page, but an average romance, set on a boat with a smidgen of mystery thrown in for good measure.

A bit of a set up - Stephanie buys a house off Piratical descendent Ivan - the house falls apart and so in a tangled web of favours (which I won't go into) Stephanie ends up on Ivan's boat for a week as the cook.

She is, naturally, unable to successfully boil water and so Ivan and the passengers have a bit of a hard time of it at first. - but in the end love, and a haunted house and of course a mysteriously moving dead body - will out.

This is ok as a quick read but I wouldn't write home about it - so to speak. A great training ground for Evanovich's early writing and it is wonderful to think that this early start provided the background for such great, funny novels later. But I found it a disappointment in the long run, readable, but not memorable.

I never read "romance" novels, I pick an author like Deaver, Connelly, Child and read everything then move on. But this is what you need to have that change of pace. It was alot of fun, quick read, and put a smile on my face. The romance is fun not all about sex, and it is refreshing to see a strong woman not be ashamed of being a virgin.

I guess there's a reason these books "surfaced" well after the Stephanie Plum series was well on it's road to success. I read "Love Overboard" and "Rocky Road to Romance" but couldn't quite get myself to purchase "Back To The Bedroom" as was recommended by Ms. Evanovich as the obvious next choice. The first two were almost clones of one another. You begin each book by learning right off the bat the male lead in the story is in love with the female lead character. Very predicatable. Same story - just a different setting. The success of these books she wrote in "her previous life" before "the time of Plum" have done well "now" due to the name she made for herself writing the Stephanie Plum by number books. For me, there is no comparison and I'm very happy that I "cut my teeth" on the Plum series because I never would have read past "Rocky Road to Romance" based on these earlier works. There's just no comparison. In fact, I picked up "Love Overboard" simply because it was an Evanovich book. Read and learn, I guess. They aren't not worth reading if you don't mind knowing how the book is going to end - you just can't miss the fact it's her early work. Keep the Plum books coming!!Funny mysteries are by far Ms. Evanovich's best undertakings.

Ms. Evanovich's sense of humor is highly contagious. Although there is no real suspense in her story it is still a page-turner and since it is a small paperback it requires less time to finish. One of the reasons is that Ms. Evanovich moves her story along pretty swiftly. There is a tiny mystery to solve but it is not too involved. The story is fun, full of comical banters, and steamy encounters. As most love stories go, the hero is always good-looking and caring. There are scenes of miscommunication. With Ms. Evanovich, all of these are narrated in playful overtone. Cute dialogues especially between the lovers make reading time worthwhile.

It is definitely interesting to see the beginnings of Stephanie Plum in this novel. The Stephanie in Love Overboard -- a former cop who moves to Maine to start a bed and breakfast, with a down to earth attitude and penchant for wacky highjinks is pretty much the future Stephanie Plum transplanted out of Jersey.

I can't quite recommend this novel, as it is a bit disorganzed and the motives for many character's behaviors are pretty unbeleivable. Ivan is pretty much a non-character, he's a nice guy, looking for the right woman and seems about as complicated as vanilla pudding. Yet, it is entertaining, and you can clearly see Ms. Evanovich beginning to hone her trademark writing style (a style I personally love). If you just want a really quick read and have pretty good suspension of disbelief skills -- this will probably hit the mark while waiting for the real steph's next novel. However, if you're new to the Evanovich scene, seriously forget this and read one of the real Stephanie Plum novels.

Janet Evanovich wasn't really meant to write romance books, perhaps this explains why she wasn't originally published during her first years as an author. She's just far too good at coming up with a plot line, mysterious events and comedic timing. After the revisions or her original books, this, among others was re-released and are better than ever. Her characters are sweet and funny and the story has a deep plot, even too deep for a love story because you'll feel satisfied at the ending, but like all of Janet Evanoviches books, you want more and more. All of her stories are great! Much recommended!

I never, ever read romance novels, I find them a bit corny. But I went on a library book shopping spree and bought this for a dime, so I had to read it. Low and behold I was correct, romance novels are terribly corny and quite predictable. The entire book is just simply retarded. I don't know how I was able to finish this in one day, perhaps because the story required no thought and/or reasoning to get through it.

I'll give it 2 stars, however, because part of the story, the ghost idea was funny, but not because it was meant to be. It was stupid funny, like "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle" or "Dude Where's My Car." I just couldn't imagine that even in a group of complete idiots, someone would come up with an idea like that.

To all those sappy love people who read romance, maybe this is something for you. To everyone else, I say pass it up and read a good story, that includes a genuine romance along with other story attributes.

The good news is that this early work shows that by the time Janet Evanovich got to Stephanie Plum, she had honed her talents quite a bit. The bad news is that because the Stephanie Plum series has been so popular, they have exhumed several of Evanovich's early works assuming that her name recognition can sell almost anything. Well, sure enough since I am holding the book in my hands right now. This book has a not-well-enough-drawn to be sexy captain who falls in love with a proto-Plum - a screwball heroine for whom everything goes wrong. There's a not-very-scary supernatural twist, and, spoiler here, the guy gets the girl at the end. If you are home sick in bed this could be a better bet than daytime TV, but be warned.

I'm use to the Stephanie Plum series of mystery novels by Ms. Evanovich. So, I was recently surprised to learn that Ms. Evanovich has written quite a few romance novels.

So, I read this book out of sheer curiosity to see how Ms. Evanovich's romance novels compare with her mystery novels. "Love Overboard" is a cute, light, fast and funny read! It's just perfect for a weekend escape from reality. The characters in this novel were great fun and very likeable. There were also a few plot surprises along the way that made this book fun to read. Highly recommend this book.... Enjoy!

This is my first Janet Evanovich book and I really enjoyed it. It was a welcomed break from some of the new romance and erotica titles that are not very well-written. Ivan and Stephanie are two interesting characters and it was fun to see their relationship develop. The mystery subplot was just ok for me. I was in it for the romance - which had just the right amount of fun, sexiness and humor. Loved Ivan!

Stephie Graf...Janet Evanovich...they're all good!

At first I thought this was supposed to be a period piece and I wondered how I was going to like it, so I was so glad to read that it was in current times and just aboard a renaissance boat.

This story was funny, quick paced, and fun to read. It had a bit of mystery and intrigue with ghosts and flying corpses. It has some romance and some denial of sexual attraction. It makes for fun reading and is classic Evanovich.

This was a terrific audiobook. I truly enjoyed it. The reading by C.J. Critt is outstanding. She is a gifted reader. I loved all of her "characters" but Stephanie really had me laughing out loud, especially when she is talking about her stance on pork and pigs and pork products! I also like Mrs. Peas, and heck they are all great. A very charmiing love story, I haven't read any of the Stephanie Plum books so I am not biased as to which is better. This one is just cute! You might love it too.

Janet Evanovich is such a hilarious writer and can concoct the most hair-brained stories. Her books always without fail put me in a good mood and have me laughing out loud. Love Overboard is a quick read, following the developing romance between transplanted Jersey girl, Stephanie Lowe, and a sea captian, who comes from a long line of pirates, on the high seas off Maine's coast. You can see the makings of the Stephanie Plum character from her later mystery series in this book's central character, Stephanie Lowe.

For a light read, guaranteed laughter, and instant mood booster, I highly recommend this one.

I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I laughed throughout the story. I was surprised by the unexpected ending...which I will not disclose in my review.

I have enjoyed reading books written by Janet Evanovich.

I started reading this one evening and did not stop until I finished it. My poor husband was kept awake by the chuckles and out right laughter as I read this frolicking tale of love, romance and mischief. I highly recommend Janet Evanovich's books as highly entertaining.

Love Overboard is simply a fun book. There is no deep meaning to life within the pages-but there isn't meant to be. I think some of the other reviewers take themselves too seriously. Janet Evanovich wrote a romance novel that has all types of other shenanigans involved so that the romance is almost secondary to the mystery. I found myself laughing out loud at some parts and smiling when I finished the book. Definitely a quick read.

This book had too much sex in it to be a children's book and was too lame and stupid to be an adult's book. I did have a couple of laugh out loud moments, but those were few and far between. The whole silly episode was wrapped up in a quick, corny, contrived way. To top it all off, I listened to it on CDs. The narration was HORRIBLE! The reader's voice made Stephanie sound like a goofball and the "male" voice sounded like a corny Mae West impression. I think I could have put up with the sophomoric story line had I not listened to it on CD, or I might could have excused the awful narration had the storyline been riveting, but as it was, I can only muster one star. Do yourself a favor and skip it!

Previous reviewers pretty much captured it. The plot is lame, the characters likeable enough to make for an enjoyable fluffy read. Evanovich's writing has enough life to it to entertain even when flawed (as we see in some Plum moments). The herioine, by the way, was committed to saving herself for marriage, but soon saw the error of her ways and got it on with Ivan the pirate. You won't be forced to endure any disturbing scenes of marital sex in this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, feel-good book, which was easily read in one sitting! It was funny and sassy, with a wonderful sleepy-town coastal Maine setting aboard an interesting old schooner and a magestic old mansion. Adding some adventure and mystery, a wacky ghost story and some practical jokes round out the story.

I am a huge Stephanie Plum fan. I have all of the books in Paperback (1-14) and have read most of them numerous times. I tried to read "Love Overboard". I borrowed it from a friend. Honestly, I don't think I got past 2 chapters. I was incredibly disappointed. I could not get into it enough to want to read it. Way too tame for a Janet book. I'll stick with my Stephanie.

I enjoy Miss Evanovich's stories. Love Overboard one of the best. All her books are fun to read. I am acquiring all that are available. Can hardly wait for the next new one. Stephine Plum Series are a hoot. Thanks for your sense of humor.

I have read all of the Janet Evanovich books starring Stephanie Plum, but I had not realized that she wrote romance novels. I ordered all and read them all! I absolutely loved them. Within the first page or two you always knew who was going to fall in love, but that did not ruin the fun in watching get to the end of their journeys together. These are books that I will lend to all of my friends and family!

Although I suspected "Love Overboard" would be fluff, I bought it for a quick read on a flight. The story was set on the mid-coast of Maine. I was correct-it was pretty lame. However I stopped reading when one of the main characters spotted a pelican flying over the schooner, near Camden, Maine! I have never heard of a pelican ever flying over Maine waters. Just another detail which makes this book unreadable.

Ms. Evanovich has swept me away with the blue skys of Maine and the wavery waters of the seaside. I imagined myself there. The story and plot was a new and interesting one and the ending was definitely a surprise. It isn't her hit Plume series, but its not a bad read.

If you're looking for a different and exciting novel, read LUST OF THE FLESH by Beverly Rolyat. A story about district attorney, Nick Allapapalaus, who finds himself caught up in a web of lust, deceit, mystery, suspense, betrayal, murder and sex galore. Is he really the biological father of his ex-wife's promiscuous teenage daughter's infant son? Or has he been set up? A compelling, riveting, engaging, pageturning novel. Enjoy!

Don't look for anything deep or meaningful, just make sure that you have the next few hours free with no possible interruptions and be prepared to laugh out loud and until your belly aches, all her books are light hearted fun, and pure entertainment. My partner looks at me mystified that any book could be this funny, but quite simply they are.

Fans of the Stephanie Plum novels will be VERY disappointed! I would wonder if these were even the same authors, however, Ms. Evanovich has recycled a few of her favorite sayings and character types (i.e. even the main characters have the same name...Stephanie!). I wish Ms. Evanovich would spend less time writing/rewriting different series and put out MORE Plum novels! Now those are worth reading!

Not the best JE book I've ever read. To be honest, this book, like Rocky Road to Romance was more like a Sweet Valley High book on very weak steriods. But then, what else can you expect from something originally published as a "Loveswept Paperback" in 1989?

Do not, I repeat DO NOT pick this book up on the Authors name alone. This isn't Janet Evanovich. Not the one we've come to know and love through her Plum series.

Disappointing and a waste of a good few hours of your time. Re-read one of the early Plum books. You'll have more fun and save 7 bucks.

I loved this book what off the wall things could go wrong on a boat tour, read this book and find out
Janet Evaonovich has a real sense of humor. is this book a mystery or is it comedy. or maybe it's both.
all I can say is Janet Evanovich never lets you down.

I purchased the audiobook several years ago to listen to in my car and loathed it purely because of the reader. I can't fairly judge the content of the book itself because my dislike of the reader overwhelmed everything else. From the overall ratings of the book, I assume that it must be better if you actually read it rather than listening to the audiobook, but I've missed that opportunity. I have never encountered a reader I disliked more.