This is the first book I have read by this author and in this series, yet I wasn’t lost at all. In this story we have Gavin who is this wealthy, handsome man, who also has an attitude for days. Gavin’s past was such a heartbreaking one and he endured a lot of pain, so as he got older, he did everything possible to never stay in one place for too long, always seeking the next adventure. When his life gets derailed, and he ends up in West Virginia with an ex-fiancé and a case of memory loss the only person that’s there for him is the very first person he insulted while in WV. Jamie hasn’t had it easy over the years as she has worked hard to provide for her kids and trying to build up her sculpture business, after meeting with the man that is Gavin who insults her and her art, she is furious. She sees an opportunity arise when Gavin is hit with amnesia and she takes advantage of that to get the money she is earned, but she wasn’t expecting him to turn out to be this amazing man. As the lies build up, tension fills the air, and sparks fly Jamie finds it hard to keep lying but she doesn’t want to let this man go. This book gave me vibes from the movie Overboard, so I was expecting a lot of laughs and a romcom. Well, I got the laughs but what I wasn’t expecting was all the emotions and heartache that was attached with these characters, and it made this read that much more special. This book will make you laugh and feel all the emotions, but it is one you will love. ( )

This is the first book I have read by this author and in this series, yet I wasn’t lost at all. In this story we have Gavin who is this wealthy, handsome man, who also has an attitude for days. Gavin’s past was such a heartbreaking one and he endured a lot of pain, so as he got older, he did everything possible to never stay in one place for too long, always seeking the next adventure. When his life gets derailed, and he ends up in West Virginia with an ex-fiancé and a case of memory loss the only person that’s there for him is the very first person he insulted while in WV. Jamie hasn’t had it easy over the years as she has worked hard to provide for her kids and trying to build up her sculpture business, after meeting with the man that is Gavin who insults her and her art, she is furious. She sees an opportunity arise when Gavin is hit with amnesia and she takes advantage of that to get the money she is earned, but she wasn’t expecting him to turn out to be this amazing man. As the lies build up, tension fills the air, and sparks fly Jamie finds it hard to keep lying but she doesn’t want to let this man go. This book gave me vibes from the movie Overboard, so I was expecting a lot of laughs and a romcom. Well, I got the laughs but what I wasn’t expecting was all the emotions and heartache that was attached with these characters, and it made this read that much more special. This book will make you laugh and feel all the emotions, but it is one you will love. ( )

Overboard in the mountains
4 stars

I have read and enjoyed all of Sarah Ready’s Soul Mates in Romeo series of which this is the 6th book. With that said, it’s very loosely tied to the other books in the series, the town of Romeo or the soul mate predictions of Miss Erma. While that’s not a problem, this book is more connected through family connections (Gavin is Will from Romance by the Book’s twin brother). You still don’t need to have read any other book to enjoy this one and it comes with its own HEA.

While the previous book in the series (Married by Sunday), borrowed from French Kiss, this book is pretty much a straight retelling of the film Overboard (with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell) but with the gender roles reversed and transplanted into the mountains. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as I happen to love that movie, but there are definitely things that work in a film that don’t work so well when you have to hear about the thoughts, feelings and motivations of the characters on the pages of a book. I was also a teensy bit uncomfortable about the straight lifting of lines from the movie and the scenes that were near identical.

With that said, I liked the characters and storyline and, as always, Sarah Ready really hooks me in with her vibrant and engaging writing style. The book is written in first person, present tense and from the viewpoints of both Jamie and Gavin - which works well, even though for most of the book Gavin has amnesia.

Despite that, Gavin is a nice guy. He doesn’t appear that way at the beginning of the novel but you forgive him as soon as you see how upset he is over his own behaviour. And just in case you haven’t, as soon as he gets to Jamie’s house and his real personality comes out, you’ll fall in love with him. He’s a sweetheart and a good man. I didn’t like the way he thought about Jamie at the beginning - calling her drab and ugly. I know there’s a common storyline where the hero doesn’t find the heroine attractive until he falls in love - then he finds her the most beautiful woman in the world. While that’s nice, Gavin’s initial thoughts on Jamie made it hard for me to believe that he suddenly found her attractive or wanted her as much as he seemed to.

I liked Jamie, too, but her morals and values really took a beating from the whole situation. She definitely showed concern over her actions but she sure did throw those issues out the window when she was having a nice time. I just felt it a wee bit hard to identify with her and her lifestyle. In the film, the family of all boys just needs a woman’s touch in the home (yes, I know, traditional gender roles blah blah blah) but in this story, what Gavin brings to the household isn’t as clear-cut. He fixed some cabinet handles. Come on now - even if I had 3 kids and 3 jobs, you can bet your bottom dollar I’d be fixing my cabinets my damn self. But I digress…

Even though I was slightly disbelieving about the attraction between our main couple, I did enjoy the sexy times. There’s no sex while Gavin has amnesia which I was glad about, despite it meaning the sex came really late on in the story. I’m not sure I could have forgiven Jamie had she properly slept with Gavin while he was Billy.

It’s not my favourite of Sarah Ready’s romances but I admit to finishing the book with a happy sigh. And anyone who knows and likes 80s romantic comedies enough to pay homage to one has to be alright in my book. Still a book I would recommend if you’re reading through the Soul Mates in Romeo series or just looking for a light and fun romance to read while the sun is high. 4 stars. ( )