Love Overboard by Janet Evanovich (2005); Originally Published as Ivan Takes A Wife (1989)

My Judilicious colleague Judi K., who is a HUGE fan of mystery author Janet Evanovich, was so excited to tell me that Evanovich included a reference to Scranton in one of her earlier books-- a romance novel titled Love Overboard.

Originally published in 1989 under the title Ivan Takes A Wife, Love Overboard was the second of a series of 12 romance novels Evanovich penned before gaining fame with her numbered mystery series featuring Trenton bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.

Love Overboard also features a Stephanie as its main protagonist--Stephanie Lowe, a woman who agrees to help out on a voyage of Ivan Rasmussen's Maine coastal cruise, and she goes from considering him "Ivan the Terrible" to falling for his looks, touch, and heart.

The Scranton reference occurs on page 104 of the paperback version. Stephanie tries to hide the fact that she is upset that another woman, Melody, is on board the boat with Ivan.

"'Does it bother you to have Melody on board? I can make more of an effort to get rid of her--'

'No. She really wants to finish the cruise. She lied to Ace about her age. She's only eighteen. Graduated from high school in June. But she was telling the truth about the band. She's from Scranton, and I don't think she saw too many options open to her.'"

Love Overboard is available to borrow in many formats from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold on the paperback, click here. To place a hold on the large print edition, click here. You can also get Love Overboard as an audio book on CD, audiotape, or as a download from Overdrive.

Much thanks again to the eternally-lovely Judi K. for this reference.