Santa Overboard is a quick, cozy Christmas novella. Katie is trying to organize a boat parade for Christmas. At the same time she is trying to navigate a new relationship with Deke. Deke drops the news that he will not be with her during Christmas as he has to go to the Galapagos Islands for work. She believes that he will never share her Christmas traditions and their relationship will end before it ever has a chance to take off.

I always want to read books with more mature characters. I believe this book had the potential to really make that happen. However, it fell short for me. I believe the FMC acts too much like a spoiled teenager who wants it her way or not at all.

Post her failed marriage, Katie has returned to small town life and started a new(ish) romance with a man that she really likes.

But are they really communicating as well as they should? Or is this going to be another failed relationship? At least she has unexpectedly made a new friend and has a good relationship with her daughter to fall back on.

This is a cosy enough story, but to my mind lacked sufficient action and complexity to make it interesting.

Thank you NetGalley and Author for this ARC!

I don't think this book was aimed for me but I really appreciated older characters for a change. They bring new challenges dramas than what I've read so far and I found that enjoyable. The writing style wasn't really for me as I kept finding my brain drifting through the story but I did love the Santa stuff! I wish we went in a bit further with Larry's stalking though, I found that more interesting the some of the main story line to be honest. Great start though! Looking forward to watching this author grow!

Santa Overboard was a fun Christmas read/listen! The audiobook was the perfect cozy read to pair with egg nog and wrapping Christmas presents. Even though I hadn't read the first book, I dove into the second without missing a beat. The characters are fun and easy to cheer for!

This was a short, few good book/ audiobook. I think the narrator was perfect for this story. Katie and Deke have been dating for about 9 months and they both have some hangups they need to work through to have this one work out. But it’s a little refreshing to read about someone in their 50s having the same insecurities as me. That age doesn’t fix all problems. Being a feel good read, you know you’re getting your HEA. Even when you want to smack the main characters for basically self sabotaging themselves.

Santa Overboard is my first title by Carolyn McBride - quick cozy mystery read. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Maria Marquis and she did a wonderful job with bringing each of the characters to life in the story.

Kate Young has moved to a small community along the Potomac with plans to start new as a boat Captain. She has a wonderful group of friends and partner Deke. The story takes place during the Christmas season and the town’s holiday traditions, there is some mystery, romance and hyjinx in the storyline and it gets a little lost at points but wraps up at the end.

I felt like this was too short and I didn't care about all the side characters. But I also didn't read book 1 so that might be my problem.

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

What a lovely coming out of Covid story. This is my first book by this author but I'm sure to listen to more as this one just made my heart sing.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to Santa Overboard by Carolyn McBride.
This was such a fun quick seasonal little romance. Great snappy writing straight to the point with not all of frills which allows for your own imagination to fill in the gaps in this lovely story.

Santa Overboard had a title that made me eager to listen to the audiobook. I was looking forward to a rom com set with a Christmas theme. What I got to listen to was way too full of too many things and with Covid being a big topic in the story made me lose interest and I listened to the end hoping I would get more rom-com in the story.
Maria Marquis was the narrator and she gave it her best to make the audiobook fun to listen to as best as she could.
Thank you NetGalley, Carolyn McBride and Make Waves Press for the audiobook of Santa Overboard. This is my personal review.

Katie is divorced (again!) and in love (again!). But can she trust her heart? This book was kind of angsty - a middle aged women questions herself and her ability to trust when Deke tells her he loves her but then announces he will be on a research trip in the Galapagos for Christmas. Meanwhile Katie has to find a boat for the Santa parade. She makes a fun new friend, there are some random side plots that go nowhere, and then Santa really does fall overboard. Twice.

This book could have been a fun light hearted rom com, but there was a lot of deep rooted feelings and philosophy thrown in, which felt wrong for such a short book with a cute cover. While I appreciate the ARC, the book was a miss for me.

Thanks for the opportunity to review this book. I will say this book had a lot of potential, I liked the concept of a mid-life romance. Going through COVID, divorce, college age children is very real and relatable. I want to love/support strong women leading their best life. But because of that the romance felt flat. There was no witty banter, no reason for the romance to exist at all! It could have just been a book about strong women friendships.

This is a short read. I listened to it as an audiobook, but it still feeled to long.
I didn’t know this was the second book in a series. I think the books would be better if you read the first book more. I feel like it gives more context and the backstory.
The story is about a 50-something year old woman and her life. As a younger woman, it was a bit difficult to relate to them and I couldn’t really get into the story.
The narration is great. But I found it a bit difficult to follow at some points.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

I have never read a romance aimed at my age frame (or closer to my age frame) before and the characters resounded so much more to me than ever before in a book. I loved the uncertainty of the characters, not so much in each other but in their own ability to be open to what is being offered. The love story was predictable but beautiful. I was so happy with how the story ended. I was also new to this author and will be taking a look into her backlist because the way she writes brought the characters to life for me in such a fun way.

This is a super cute holiday read! Quick and jump straight to the point I didn’t know it was part of a series but was able to read just fine. The story is Ata dramatic but I love a Hallmark esk read in December! I also really enjoyed the juxtaposition of boats and warmer weather for Christmas. The narrator was fabulous and a quick listen.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I had not read the first book in this series. I thought the writing was done well. I decided thought that this type of women’s fiction is not for me. I think if you like this genre its a great read for you.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun listen! I didn't know that this book was part of a series, so I was going in blind listening to it. I didn't feel lost at all, as the author set up the characters really well. This book was more of a thoughtful and sweet story than one with an exciting climax and lots of suspense and back and forth. Therefore, it's just perfect for a read/listen that leaves you feeling peaceful and content.

Thank you, NetGalley and Make Waves Press, for the audio ARC.

This is advertised as a little bit mystery, a little bit romance and unfortunately the whole thing fell flat for me. At least once a chapter there was a mention of the COVID pandemic and vaccines which felt super weird. It felt oddly preachy.

It DID have that very light and fluffy holiday feel that we love in a holiday novella. The audiobook was done well, and the concept is cute and creative! I think this book will find its audience.

Carolyn mentioned COVID too many times for me (like 4865 time more than I can digest). But I am sure that many will enjoy this one and that is totally worth it. The book is great, for sure, but not my cup of tea.

Quick, comfortable read with plenty of festive fun, small town romance, heartwarming humor and female friendship. I chose this book due to the cover and time of year, so did not realise this is the second book in a series (Potomac Shores series). The storyline was easy enough to follow, although reading the first book would have given more context to the backstory and plot development.

I appreciate the diversity of characters and sharing of various traditions. I am also thankful for friendship that is representative of the over-forties/fifties, as this does not seem to be regularly represented. Unfortunately, there was more pandemic content than I would have liked, as the story is set in 2021.

With thanks to Make Waves Press for the audio review copy, via NetGalley. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the audiobook, and Maria Marquis did well to represent each of the characters well, with enough variety in her tone to make this an entertaining listen, even at 2x listening speed.