One of Janet Evanovich's early romances, it is as funny as her Stephanie Plum series. Ivan has sold his home to Stephanie Lowe who has had nothing but problems with it. When her cousin Lucy decides to get married she talks Stephanie into filling in as the cook on Ivan's sloop. Stephanie is not much of a cook but she decides to help out her cousin. Ivan wonders what else will happen with Stephanie on the sloop as he met her as she rolled down the hill to the sloop then swore. After they get back on land Ivan requests a room for the winter at his old house which Stephanie wants to turn into a bed and breakfast. Then it gets crazy.

I laughed out loud at the predicaments Stephanie got herself into. I had so much fun reading this story. I liked the characters. I loved the motivation behind many of their actions. There were times when Stephanie and Ivan were serious as they came to know one another. Other times they were mentally face-palming themselves over some of the "action." This is worth the read.

I'd probably be saying that this one is my favorite so far but because I'm ahead of the game and have actually taken a break to catch up on the reviews I know that this one was close but it's not 'the one' for me but still a really, really good listen and the first one in the audio series that I did't read the book before listening to the audio.

So once again we have Nick J. Russo as the narrator and can I just say that he did a really superb job on the narration of this story...I would have to say that while it didn't end up being my favorite story so far when it comes to the narration this one tops the list.

'Going Overboard' has it's own bit of uniqueness as far in comparison to the other stories in this series...we haven't met either of the MCs prior to this story and they have no connection to any of the MCs in previous stories, this is also the first biracial couple in the series, compared to the other stories there's not really an age gap or an issue with their rank and both men work in the same section. So all in all a number of small details that help to give this pairing their own unique place in this series. 

Dalton and Chris actual met for the first time off page and prior to this story as they became best friends when the attended coxswain's school which is to say driving school...for boats/ships, just a bit of extra info here but boats and ships are not the same thing. In really, really simple basic detail boats are little, ships are BIG! Anything with an overall length of 197 ft. is considered a ship. Ok, that's it for the added info portion of this review.

 So back to Dalton and Chris who met at coxswain school and now find themselves stationed at NAS Adams. They're both working hard to gain their rank of MA1 (Master at Arms First Class) time is running out for both of these men as their nearing the end of their qualifying period. But they're studying hard and they're determined. Things are actually looking good until the night that Dalton goes out on patrol and through the negligence of the coxswain in charge that night during incredibly bad weather and rough waters Dalton is thrown overboard, it's only because of the heroic actions of the MA2 on board with him and the coxswain that he's saved...this is where everything goes to hell.

This is also where Dalton and Chris realize that they mean so much more to each other than just friends. This is also where li'l 'ole me starts to feel rage. You see Dalton and Chris have the misfortune of being under the command of the navy's prime example of "if you can't be a good example than you might as well be a horrible warning" Chief. I had rage so much freakin' rage for this man so much rage...I can't even begin to explain mainly because I don't want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn't read/listened to it yet. 

The upside of this is that while I really despised this character he achieved two things... one he solidified my connection to the MCs and my desire to see them beat the obstacles and thank to him they had a few but a side benefit of this was that it also created a situation whereby characters from previous stories were required to be involved in the resolution of events and two while I very much enjoy Ms Witt's stories having a character such as this gave an added level of emotional involvement to the story for me. I seriously raged against this man...much to my husband's amusement.

Thankfully at the end of it all I was left satisfied with the outcome of most things with one exception and that was in regards to what happened to the coxswain who was driving the boat the night Dalton was injured but sometimes things just are what they are and for the most part things wrapped up in a fairly realistic manner. So, I'm going to take the win and move on to the next story...which by the way turns out to be my favorite one in this series...although I'm not done listening to the eighth and final book so there may be some wiggle room yet...only time will tell.

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An audio book of "Going Overboard" was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

J.A. Jance has a huge number of titles in her back catalogue, but this is the first one I've read. I'd characterize this as a pleasant, well-managed beach read. It has no intrusive romantic sub-plot (there are hints that the main character, Ali, and her husband had such a plot in the past, but this is book #12 in the series and their established relationship takes up little to no room in the narrative). In fact, two subsidiary characters in their company, computer nerd Stuart Ramey and up-and-comer investigator Cami, have centre stage until the last moment, when Ali mounts a rescue effort that, happily, doesn't even require her to fire her gun.

The plot of this novel turns on an implausible (I hope) premise: an Artificial Intelligence that develops its own moral compass and acts accordingly.  The world of AI is the new supernatural for most of us ordinary mortals, so I will cheerfully go along with it (just as I go along with witches in Macbeth) for the sake of the story.

Although the underlying theme of the story is a sobering one - intergenerational effects of suicides - there is nothing here either so gripping or so horrifying that it could spoil the novel's cheerful gallop towards the inevitable fate of the bad and the rescue and reward of the good. A pleasing pastime, falling in my mental classifications near to the series by J.D. Robb, though without the cloying romance aspects.

I used to read Overboard everyday on the commuter train to Chicago and work. I just loved the adventures of pirates, The Catain, Nate, Boof, Charley, Seahawk and all the creatures they dealt with including The Green Ship, Sharks, Sea monsters, snakes and other denizens of the deep. I found these two books that contained reprints of the classic comics and they brought back lots of memories. We can always use a look chuckle. Thanks to Chip Dunham for his creativity.

"Tell me how you survived the whale attack," the reporter said.

- opening lines

 

Could you survive if the whale watching boat you were on capsized and you were left floating in the cold ocean? Travis and Marina are in just such a situation. Luckily, Travis is wearing an immersion suit, and Mariana has survival supplies in her vest (and a lot of knowledge). All they have to do is stay out of the water, find land, and get rescued. Simple, right?

So, this is a good book, but the plot is a little thin. Things resolve a bit too easily for me, but I don't think kids will mind. At the end of the book, there is a section with "U.S. Coast Guard-Approved Cold Water Survival Tips" which kids will probably find very cool and informative.

It's about 100 pages, easy to read and about survival, kids will love it.

Recommended to: Grades 3-5 (and some second graders), fans of the I Survived series, adventure fans, reluctant readers