Up Too Close

Love Overboard #2

by Andrea K. Stein, Andrea K. Stein

CeCe Ahlstrom, massage therapist to the rich and famous, is done with men. Her last rich boyfriend tried to kill her on an ill-fated cruise through the Grenadines. Now she's determined to get on with her life but can't find the funds to get to her next spa gig in Portugal. Then along comes notorious womanizer Captain Ren� Baudoin. He's hell on the hearts of women, he can handle any storm at sea, yet he might have met his match in a leaky old boat. He needs a first mate crazy enough to help crew the wreck known as the Tourbillon across the Atlantic. Destiny draws CeCe and Ren� together, but things are not what they seem. He struggles with a family secret that could destroy his future and CeCe will have to face a truth not even she knows yet. Out on the open sea, Ren� and CeCe soon find themselves...UP TOO CLOSE.

Genres: Romance, Fiction

234 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2017

About the author

Andrea K. Stein is a native Ohioan, the daughter of a trucker and an artist. She grew up a scribbler. The stories just spilled out--the pony escaped, the window magically shattered. Not her fault.

Twenty years as a journalist couldn't stifle the yarns. Yacht delivery up and down the Caribbean only increased the flow. Now those tales celebrate romance and adventure on the high seas.

Reviews

[Le Ann Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Reviewed for CherryOBlossoms and Promotions**

I gave this book 4 stars!!

This is the second novel in the Love Overboard Series and can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading Way To Deep because characters overlap. This is the story of CeCe and Rene. Having read book one I had my mind made up of Rene. He was a womanizer, arrogant, and rude but what we get in this book is something worth seeing that real Rene. Love how CeCe fought her feelings for this sexy Frenchman! Love how we get to meet their family's and Rene grandmother has become my favorite character! The Manning guy is so mysterious and keeps pop in and out and I have to say that I'm intrigue. I really enjoyed reading this series and cant wait to see where it goes.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
http://ripeforreader.blogspot.com/201...

Cece Ahlstrom was a massage therapist for the rich and famous. She accompanied her rich boyfriend on his yacht and it ended up a disaster where he tried to kill every eon board. She is determined to get her life back and only rely on herself but she cannot find the money to get to her next job in Portugal.

Rene Baudoin has been hired as captain to sail an old leaky boat across the Atlantic. Rene has been known as a womanizer and he tries to convince Cece to help him out on his journey and he will make sure she gets to Portugal. Cece is determined to keep it all business but she cannot deny the laws of attraction between her and Rene.

They fall in love out on the sea, but they are both dealing with secrets, can they find it in each other to share their secrets and overcome them?

This is a well written book with good flow, I just didn't feel drawn in the way I like to get lost in a story. I am exited to see what Out To Far will bring.

*** Advanced copy provided in exchange for an honest review.***

[CHERRY0BLOSSOMS · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book 4 stars!!

This is the second novel in the Love Overboard Series and can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading Way To Deep because characters overlap. This is the story of CeCe and Rene. Having read book one I had my mind made up of Rene. He was a womanizer, arrogant, and rude but what we get in this book is something worth seeing that real Rene. Love how CeCe fought her feelings for this sexy Frenchman! Love how we get to meet their family's and Rene grandmother has become my favorite character! The Manning guy is so mysterious and keeps pop in and out and I have to say that I'm intrigue. I really enjoyed reading this series and cant wait to see where it goes.

[Beyond The Covers Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received for an honest review and this novel was reviewed for My Timeout Book Blog by Melissa.

This is the second novel in the Love Overboard Series. It can be read as a stand alone as both CeCe and Rene are secondary characters in the first novel and anything about them that you would need to know to enjoy this novel is told to you. With that being said though I would suggest reading the first novel, as it is one heck of a story.

We set sails with CeCe and Rene on an old sail boat that you are no ever sure will make it to their final destination. On this journey we see so much more in CeCe then just the mistress and massage therapist she was in the first. I really enjoyed getting to know her more. As well as finding new depth to CeCe , we where able to watch Rene's character grown and change. He goes from being a womanizer to falling head over heels in love with CeCe even though he is never sure she will love him back.

We get to see Lindsay and Alton again and it is a nice tie in to the first novel. Also there are a number of appearances by the mysterious Mr. Manning (I need to know what this man is up to as well as his past!!!). This novel gives us a few new and colorful characters that you just want to know more about. Rene's grandmother is just about one of my favorites from this novel. We also get to meet CeCe's family with is an interesting encounter.

This was a four star read and one that I would suggest to anyone. The only thing that I found a little distracting was the amount of sailing/boating terms and references. Yes I know this was a book set on a boat. And while I enjoyed the setting and all of that there where a few times that I was thrown off by the terms. I can not wait to dive head on into the next novel!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

CeCe and René were introduced in the first book of the Love Overboard series. CeCe, a massage therapist, was a under appreciated mistress to a devious businessman. René is an arrogant playboy who captains the boat "The Other Woman." They never would have seen each other after their adventures in the first book, except fate has other ideas. Stranded with no money in the Caribbean town of Secret Harbor, CeCe has no idea how she is going to get to her next job in Portugal. René has been contracted by his mysterious employer, Devin Manning, to bring the leaky old ship the Tourbillon to England. He needs a first mate, since the last one ran off after he slept with her. They make a deal: CeCe will crew for René in exchange for a free ride to Europe, as long as there is no hanky panky.

René starts out as a jerk, but CeCe soon realizes there is a decent guy underneath the cocky exterior. René also realizes that CeCe is more than just a nice set of legs. She can handle a boat with the best of them. Their adventures take them across the ocean, and as they grow closer as they cross the miles. Neither one of them knows what will happen once they get to England, though.

I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It was a quick read, and I liked how the story developed. I am still curious about the elusive Devin Manning character, but he helps tie the books together. I was asked by the author for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up Too Close by Andrea K. Stein and Sawyer Stone

5 stars

Reviewed on behalf of 2 girls who love books
So we are back again for another sea adventure in Up Too Close, the second book in the Love Overboard Series. This book could be read as a standalone. I enjoyed the first book in the series so I was looking forward to reading this one and seeing more of the characters. This time we are on board the Tourbillon with the sexy French Captain Rene and his newly acquired first mate CeCe, both of who we met in the first book. Having read book 1 I was coming into this book having kind of made my mind up about Rene. He was arrogant and rude in the first book and thought he was god gift to women! I loved the relationship between Rene and CeCe; she was determined not to succumb to his sexy Frenchman charms! They had a raw sexual chemistry between them that was great to read about. I liked that this story took place on and off land. I liked that we got to meet CeCe’s family and Rene’s Grandmother was just great! That Manning keeps popping up and he is the most mysterious character I have ever read about – I just know that I need to know more about him! He definitely has that ‘James Bond’ thing going on!! I really hope he has his own story coming soon!! I am really enjoying this series so far and I definitely can’t wait to read more by these authors!

[Dana Busenbark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is Rene? Who is CeCe and how does she know him? What does he ask of her? Who is Devin Manning and what does CeCe say on the matter when Rene says that Devin is paying him for this adventure? Who is Margot and what business does she have on the Tourbillon? What does she say to CeCe? When CeCe realizes who she is, what does she do? What do CeCe and Devin need to do with and for the Tourbillo before taking her to England? What does Devin keep telling himself in order to maintain a professional disposition with CeCe? Why? What happens when they get to Carriacou and meet up with Alton and Lindsay? When they have to go into Martinique for an emergency with Devin's grandmother, what does she say to CeCe when she meets her? What does she state to Devin when he shows up after getting the ship taken care of? You're going to have to see what happens on their adventure and how CeCe deals with her situation, and does she ever get to where she wants to go? Enjoy the book!

RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin' With M. Brennan.

[Tracie Simister · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this Book a rating of 4 ✩’s
Title: Up Too Close
Series: Love Overboard Book 2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Andrea K. Stein
Format: Kindle eBook
Published on: May 2, 2017

I voluntarily reviewed a Free Courtesy Advanced Reader Copy of this book
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Character’s Descriptions:
CeCe Ahlstrom is a massage therapist.
Captain René Baudoin is a womanizer
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Summary Paragraph:
CeCe was almost killed by her ex now she guards her heart.
Can the womanizer and the broken heart find love
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What I liked/Didn’t Like: Light east reads with lots of fun and romance. Definite recommendation to read.

[Chantelle Bouffanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I've reviewed this book for United Indie Book Blog. Andrea and Sawyer did awesome with the storyline and creating the characters. I love CeCe and Captain René. I couldn't put this book either. I had to know what happened at the end. I love the sparks between these two. Andrea and Sawyer did an awesome job with creating the characters. I highly recommend this series. Can't wait to read the next one is this series. Keep up the awesome work!

[United Indie Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow! Andrea and Sawyer did awesome with the storyline and creating the characters. I love CeCe and Captain René. I couldn't put this book either. I had to know what happened at the end. I love the sparks between these two. Andrea and Sawyer did an awesome job with creating the characters. I highly recommend this series. Can't wait to read the next one is this series. Keep up the awesome work!

[MICHELE · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I was needing a light, easy read after the gut wrenching, emotional Lilac Girls. An acquaintance of mine is the author, thus I was interested. Though somewhat predictable, it's a fun, romantic romp across the Atlantic. I would have appreciated a diagram of a sailing ship and/or a glossary of terms, as there is a lot of unfamiliar terminology.

[Melissa Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see My Timeout Book Blog for the whole review

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute storyline just a little heavy on the boat and sailing aspect.

[Miranda Levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the distinct pleasure of reading advanced copies of the first two Love Overboard books by Andrea K. Stein & Sawyer Stone. A serious score on my end. Both books are released this week and I'm over the moon about finally getting to tell you about them. Way Too Deep and Up Too Close were the two I read and I've already ordered book three.

I enjoyed them. I couldn't put the second one down. I had to know what happened, even if it meant skipping work things to find out. Let's just say that my bowling league has dubbed me the most socially inept teammate. I read between turns, and they must accept this about me.

These books were fun, light, and they made me want to travel port side (is that a boat term? LOL I'm learning). Cece's grandma, in book two, is still my favorite character. Loved the sparks in book one. I love how the books tie together without needing to be read together. Completely stand alone. Reminds me of Lori Foster's series in that way. The key to any good romance is chemistry between the characters. There is a lot of that to go around. All in all, I've enjoyed these. I really am looking forward to book three.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if yachting is not one’s thing, this story is written so that the uninitiated can understand what is happening and the severity of certain conditions.

Read full review in the 2017 May issue of InD'tale Magazine.