From the front cover to the final page, Love Overboard is a contemporary romcom filled with humor and heart that combines The Love Boat and The Golden Girls in the best way.
A quartet of women enjoy their golden years as "permanent" passengers on a luxury cruise ship because the costs are similar to a retirement community but the amenities are better. Between bingo games, stage shows, and themed dinners they devote their time to matchmaking. Their tactics are highly strategic, and they won't quit until their mission is accomplished. Their methods are rather unconventional which leads to much of the humor. I enjoyed that the antics were funny without being overly ridiculous, and were always done with the best intentions.
The targets of their current matchmaking scheme are crew members Lacey and Jonathan. The pair has history and are reunited when Jon becomes the new cruise director of the ship where Lacey works. At times, Lacey is frustrating because she refuses Jon's charm and sweet romantic gestures, but he isn't perfect either. It's a good thing they have others who are intervening on their behalf.
I appreciated that there's more to this story than romance and comedy. The plot includes a mystery to solve onboard the ship, and Lacey'a troubled relationship with her father creates trust issues with other men. A light element of Christian faith is woven through the story as well.
One criticism: The frequent physical descriptions of characters who are overweight bothered me; I don't recall similar descriptions of other characters. I'll acknoweldge that some of this ultimately serves the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and its characters, especially the "seasoned" foursome. I hope I'm enjoying life as much as they are at that age - I'd better start saving for my cruise ship retirement plan ASAP. The author leaves a couple of fthreads that could continue into a second book ... will there be a sequel? I hope so.
I gratefully received a complimentary copy of of this book from the author; all opinions are my own.
A quartet of women enjoy their golden years as "permanent" passengers on a luxury cruise ship because the costs are similar to a retirement community but the amenities are better. Between bingo games, stage shows, and themed dinners they devote their time to matchmaking. Their tactics are highly strategic, and they won't quit until their mission is accomplished. Their methods are rather unconventional which leads to much of the humor. I enjoyed that the antics were funny without being overly ridiculous, and were always done with the best intentions.
The targets of their current matchmaking scheme are crew members Lacey and Jonathan. The pair has history and are reunited when Jon becomes the new cruise director of the ship where Lacey works. At times, Lacey is frustrating because she refuses Jon's charm and sweet romantic gestures, but he isn't perfect either. It's a good thing they have others who are intervening on their behalf.
I appreciated that there's more to this story than romance and comedy. The plot includes a mystery to solve onboard the ship, and Lacey'a troubled relationship with her father creates trust issues with other men. A light element of Christian faith is woven through the story as well.
One criticism: The frequent physical descriptions of characters who are overweight bothered me; I don't recall similar descriptions of other characters. I'll acknoweldge that some of this ultimately serves the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and its characters, especially the "seasoned" foursome. I hope I'm enjoying life as much as they are at that age - I'd better start saving for my cruise ship retirement plan ASAP. The author leaves a couple of fthreads that could continue into a second book ... will there be a sequel? I hope so.
I gratefully received a complimentary copy of of this book from the author; all opinions are my own.
