Book Spotlight: Love Overboard

Do you ever pay attention to reviews others have left for books you read? Authors tend to watch them more carefully than we sometimes should, but they can be such a help to letting other readers know what to expect from our story. Author Shannon Dunlap is here today to talk about one review that caught her off-guard. See what you think.

​“Hilarious Story!”
“LOL a minute”
“a complete HOOT!”
“HYSTERICALLY FANTASTIC”


Love Overboard began with a television feature I saw about a woman in her eighties who skipped the retirement home to live on a cruise ship. The idea captivated me. What if there wasn’t just one? What if a group of them spent their later years sailing the Caribbean? And what if they spent their days matchmaking the young people? The story experienced the growing pains of cuts, edits, pitches, and acceptance before it finally released in May.

​The days filled with excitement when my romcom launched. It hit #1 on the Amazon New Releases list for Contemporary Christian Romance. But my story had a secret mission that didn’t involve selling books. I wanted it to bring merry heart medicine to the readers. From many of the Amazon reviews, it looked like I was succeeding. So many mentioned how it made them laugh. But then I checked Goodreads and saw one person assigned it two stars.
Two stars?
Ouch!
Perhaps I’m a sucker for punishment, but I clicked on the review to discover what hadn’t hit the reader’s sweet spot. The woman was honest but not unkind. And she probably had no idea I’d consider her review one of the biggest compliments my book received. She began with these words: Heavy religious undertones which aren’t for me.
I admit it made me laugh. My book is Christian fiction. Isn’t saying it has religious undertones like complaining a cookbook has too many food pictures? But I appreciated the description. It was good to know I hadn’t written a story where God was so watered down that an unbeliever might not notice Him. His story was woven among the romance and mystery.
Interacting with enthusiastic readers has been a blast. But I hope I never lose that foundation. Just like my golden girl matchmakers who consult the Heavenly Father on a regular basis, I want to keep Him front and center as I write new stories. Maybe I’ll even earn some more two-star reviews.
I might even say I’m looking forward to it!

Love Overboard

A snort-laughing, cruise ship romance takes readers into topsy-turvy waters
When a group of four quirky friends retire on a neverending round of cruises, their attire consists of more than floral shirts and gaudy skirts. Armed with walkie-talkies and battle plans, these relationship experts--who've dubbed themselves the "Shippers"--target hostess Lacey Anderson and director Jonathan King in their romantic schemes. But the young couple refuses to cooperate. They've been on the "love boat" together before, and it went down in flames.

Boss matchmaker Emily Windsor has orchestrated multiple romantic successes, and these two upstarts certainly won't get the best of her. The chemistry between Lacey and Jonathan is obvious, but the couple rebuffs every outlandish plot and "coincidental" meeting, forcing the matchmakers to chart a new course to true love--all while inadvertently thwarting drug smugglers threatening to ruin their floating home on the ocean.

This laugh-out-loud rom-com features loveable characters, over-the-top situations reminiscent of 1950s sitcoms, and a dash of mystery. The toe-curling romance will push the reader overboard and all in with Shannon Dunlap's new series.

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​Shannon Sue Dunlap lives in hot and humid Texas where she teaches music for her day job and writes romance in her spare time. She loves Dr. Pepper, Korean food, Jane Austen, and most of all Jesus. She’s working hard on the sequel for Love Overboard which should release next year.

Shannon offers a free sweet romcom novella to those who sign up for her email list on her website.
http://www.shannonsuedunlap.com

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