Title: What the Ocean Reveals
Author: Gracie Guy
Genre: Contemporary Later-In-Life Romance, Beach Reads
Book Blurb:
For a man who has always followed a plan, even Tim Harley is surprised when he transplants his life nearly two-thousand miles south of his hometown and family to take a new job. Maybe the change of scenery will help heal his broken heart. After all, he’ll be living in paradise—Banyan Tree Bay. What could go wrong?
With nearly forty years of living on or near the water, Willa Davidson has built a very successful career as a fine artist. When she meets her boyfriend’s college roommate, she realizes that she deserves more in a relationship than the current offering.
Criminal investigations, crystal-clear Caribbean waters, and shady dealings complicate things for both Tim and Willa. In the end, will they find their way to one another?
My Review:
Don’t be fooled by the slow start of What the Ocean Reveals. Go ahead and get carried away by the setting descriptions. You’ll feel the heat, see the water, and discover that Banyan Tree Bay is a main character in this story.
We meet the other three main characters, Tim, Damien, and Willa within a few pages. This reader immediately liked Tim. He’s a stranger in a strange land, and we feel his hesitancy toward his long-lost friend Damien, his polite attraction to Willa who is Damien’s girlfriend, and his awe at his new surroundings.
The reason I say it has a slow start is I got mixed reactions on what I should be reading into Damien’s personality. Willa is visually presented. I like to read stories where I can “see” the characters. What I couldn’t get a read on was whether I should like her or not. She and Damien are a couple, but he comes off like a louse, and she appears okay with it for a few chapters in. It’s obvious she feels an attraction to Tim, and I couldn’t blame her. But she seems unsure of her own feelings on several fronts.
The story soon builds momentum right along with a possible hurricane, and my doubts melted with the sweat of the heat in Banyan Tree Bay. Personalities of Damien and Willa are soon fleshed out. These are flawed characters which always make a story better. The story isn’t flawed once you get a few pages in. You’ll enjoy this contemporary romance while you’re pulling for Tim’s new life to work out for him. I recommend this book to all romance novel lovers.
My Rating: 5 stars
Buy it Now:
Free to read on Kindle Unlimited!
Author Biography:
Gracie Guy has been blessed with an eclectic and rewarding life, filled with family, friends and a passel of animals. She’s a wife, sister, aunt, farmer, gardener, and a retired athlete who loves her bionic hip, who proudly calls Upstate New York her home.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GracieGuy.Auth
Reviewed by: Brenda