My Review of Submerged

Here's a description of the book from the author's website:

"A sabotaged flight. Two murdered divers. A single clue—a grainy image of sunken treasure.
 
Dive Rescue Captain Cole McKenna has never worked a case like this, but who he’s working with may prove more dangerous than the assignment. It’s been a lifetime since Bailey mangled his heart. Now she’s back in town and he needs her expertise to track down the illusive treasure.

Professor of Russian Studies Bailey Craig vowed never to set foot in Yancey again, but when her beloved aunt dies, she has no choice. Her plan of attack is simple: return for Agnes’s funeral, get the family business ready for a quick sale, and then put Yancey and all the heartbreaking memories wrapped up in it behind her for good.

Cole walking through her door, asking for her help on a murder investigation, wasn’t part of her plan, neither are the feelings he’s resurrecting—feelings best left dead.

Bailey agrees to help for the sake of the victims, and travels with Cole across Alaska’s rugged terrain and deep beneath its coastal waters. As the case escalates, so do their feelings for one another. Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to let go of the past and just when Bailey thinks she can’t take it any longer, the case shifts in a new and extremely personal direction, fastening her in for its duration.

Racing against the clock and a rising body count, Cole and Bailey fight to find the treasure and uncover the hidden history at the root of it all. But will they be too late?"

My Rating

Spring

My Review

With a unique and majestic setting, Submerged offers an engaging reading experience! The characters who play their parts against such a great backdrop are wonderful - especially their interactions as a community, whether just the McKenna family community or the community of the townsfolk of Yancey. The McKenna family certainly won me over, including those members who were "adopted" into the family. What a fun, welcoming bunch!

In this Romantic Suspense, the romance takes precedence - not in thrills (although there are some!) so much as in slowly learning to open one's heart and allow healing to take place. The suspense is more subtle until closer to the end of the book. It's there on the sidelines, intermittently reminding the reader of its presence, but it doesn't seem to be the main focus. Instead, the suspense serves to propel the romance along and to allow the reader a glimpse into how all of the relationships in the story actually work.

And those relationships really are interesting to read about! It's sad to see how easily miscommunication can occur and how easily people can be hurt by the words and judgments of others. But this story also shows how wonderful it can be when people choose to love others and offer the hand of friendship.

Submerged has a gentle pacing as it dives deeper into the feelings of the characters - but it still has its suspenseful moments, especially at the ending. Unfortunately, the ending - in comparison with the rest of the book - felt a bit rushed, without as much explanation as I would have preferred for what exactly went down at the climax (and why it happened the way it happened). But overall this is a unique story (with a unique, lovely cover!) that introduces the reader to some unique characters - especially some secondary characters whose budding romance really caught my attention!

*With thanks to the author and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion*

You can buy the book now on Amazon.com. And don't forget to enter the Get Submerged Giveaway!