Review: Four stars: A sharp, speedy thrill ride with plenty of heart pounding moments!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2014
Gillian doesn't think twice when she mentions her family curse to a reporter during an interview on gators. Her ancestor stole a cross centuries ago and since the family has been cursed to die young. A few days later, she receives a chilling phone call. An unknown stranger demands that she drop everything and go find the templar cross that her ancestor stole. The stolen Templar Cross was lost on its voyage across the Atlantic when the ship sank in a storm off the coast of Nova Scotia. If Gillian doesn't find this cross in thirty days, her family and friends will be harmed. At first, Gillian doesn't believe the stranger, but when photos of her young niece emerge with threats, she knows she must act. Gillian is sent to hire Shane Burke, a down on his luck fisherman and diver, who is about to lose his boat. Soon Gillian and Shane are in a race against the clock to save their skins. They find danger and treachery at every turn, and they are against impossible odds. Will they find the cross and save themselves?What I Liked:*This book was simplify fun! It was an exciting, fast paced thrill ride from beginning to end. I loved the serial format because it kept me on my toes. There are plenty of dramatic developments throughout and each episode ends on a nail biting cliffhanger that leaves you gasping for more. There is never a dull moment in this one!*I loved the suspense in this one. It is thriller that features a maniacal, powerful, rich invisible man who plays a deadly game of cat and mouse with little regard to human life. It is all about the riches and the prize at the finish line. The puppeteer picks his puppets, puts down the demands and makes them dance. If they don't move at his will, he threatens and harms those they love. Nothing is out of his reach. This man is all about power. He is a horrific, villainous creep who made my sink crawl. Add in his two evil enforcers and you have a trio of baddies that you want to punch!*I liked that this story moves incredibly quick. There is little time to stop and catch your breath because there is danger at every turn. This is easily a read you could pick up and read in a single sitting because once it gets going you can't put it down, that is unless you are reading it weekly in the serial format, then it is a nail biting wait until the next episode arrives.*I enjoyed the cast of characters from the two haunted protagonists, Shane and Gillian to the interesting and eclectic secondary characters. Gillian and Shane are both hurting and trying to get over heartbreak, when they come together with death on their heels and the sparks fly. I liked that they often butted heads and that Gillian never backed down to Shane. They were a great pair. The additional cast was very entertaining from Shane's first mate Jagger who is The Rolling Stone's biggest fan to the ornery one legged Charlie and the extremely eccentric and curmudgeonly Chevy who lives in a fortified lighthouse with his resourceful wife Cleo. I thought the entire cast was dynamite, including the three horrible villains!*I appreciated that this book had plenty of detail on the dangers of diving. I know very little about the topic, and I liked that it was explained thoroughly.*I loved that after an exciting and thrilling adventure, everything culminates and wraps up neatly. No loose ends or jarring cliffhanger at the end, which was a relief after all the cliffhangers along the way. The ending did indicate the possibility for another book down the road, and I personally would very much love to see this cast of characters return.And The Not So Much:*Even though I loved that this moved at lightning speed, the dramatic pace didn't allow for time to stop and explore the minor details. Often times, the story jumps ahead and skips over things that I thought were important. Such as, Gillian is doing research trying to find out who could be pulling the strings, she suddenly comes up with a list of possible suspects and I was curious as to how she managed to quickly narrow it down. I also wanted more on the research behind finding the shipwreck and a bit more about Charlie and Shane's broken relationship. What about Gillian's family curse, will it be erased if the cross is found?*The romance moves incredibly fast, but it is still believable because feelings are born between two individuals who are in a race for their lives. I didn't have a problem with it, but those of you who don't like romances that develop quickly, you may not enjoy the romance in this one.*The villain is so creepy and manipulative. I would love to get inside his head and learn a bit more about the clandestine C7 and how they functioned. How many individuals were in this creepy group? How did the come to be?*Finally, you have to suspend a bit of belief when reading this. A bit of imagination is needed because it is hard to believe some of the events. Still it is fun, and I can handle straining realism in exchange for entertainment.Lovely, Dark and Deep is a mind numbing thrill ride that will keep you flipping the pages. Read it all at once, or read it by episode, either way you are in for a suspenseful, exciting tale of manipulation, treachery, danger and greed. If you are wanting something fast and fun, pick this one up! I was entertained from beginning to end.Favorite Quotations“I always wondered what it would feel like to get shot.” He sounded genuinely pleased.Obviously, he was suffering from shock. “Well, how does it feel to be shot?”“It hurts like hell.""He deliberately didn't look at her ass as he followed her up the steps to the pilothouse, which he thought showed a great deal of professional restraint just in case he did go to work for her.""There's no shame in being afraid," Charlie said. "Shame is in running from it."I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.Rainy Day Ramblings.