Gwen’s review of Below the Surface by Karen Harper
Contemporary romantic suspense released by Mira 1 Feb 08

This romantic suspense book appears to be either loved or hated by readers. I didn’t like it. Read on to find out what underwhelmed me.

The book centers around two sisters (twins) who own a dive/salvage shop. The crux of the story is how little one twin knows about the other, and her path to discovery. Along the way she begins to repair her relationship with an older sister, finds the love of her life, and discovers a lot about herself. All of this is interesting, even if some of it left me going, “Huh?”

What I didn’t like about this book:

• The physical relationship between the hero and heroine never progresses beyond a few chaste kisses and a grope here and there. I like to read how the protagonists interact physically because, hello, it’s HOT, and also because if it’s written well it gives me a window into the characters’ minds you just don’t get from “stopping at the bedroom door.”
• The emotional relationship between the hero and heroine certainly develops, but the romance is definitely in the backseat to the suspense elements in the book. I want some of both when I read romantic suspense. The h/h never even go on a date in the book.
• There was too much rather dull technical details about diving and the surrounding community. Perhaps some of the book’s “real estate” used up on the technical bits could have been spent on the romance?
• I didn’t believe in the heroine’s response to her older sister’s bad behavior. I wanted to slap the stupid wench (both of them) and didn’t understand why the heroine didn’t stand up for herself more. I also thought the older sister needed to be committed to a psychiatric facility for a while and the fact that she wasn’t bothered me.
• I got tired of the heroine’s TSTL moments. Several times I wanted to throw the book at the wall when she did something completely boneheaded – like diving the day she got out of the hospital from exposure. Not smart decisions on the author’s part – why couldn’t other characters have discovered the strobe light and anchor?
• The plot was unnecessarily convoluted and some of the plot points were crazy easy to figure out long before the characters were allowed to discover them.

So, the upshot is this wasn’t a horrible book, but there was just too much that irritated me or bored me. But, I’m sure there are people out there who loved it. I just can’t recommend it.

Grade: D+

Summary:

She surfaced from the depths of the sea… and was terrifyingly, inexplicably alone. Briana Devon knows her twin sister would never deliberately leave her—but when she emerges from underwater, Daria and their boat have vanished. Fighting rough waves and a fast-approaching storm, Bree doesn’t have time to question: if she wants to survive, she has to swim.

Exhausted and terrified, Bree barely makes it to a tiny barrier island, where Cole De Roca, who has also taken shelter, revives her. Bound to Cole by the harrowing experience, she turns to him as she struggles to understand what happened to her sister. What was her twin, whom she thought she knew so well, hiding? What really transpired that terrible afternoon? And what secrets lie dormant…below the surface?

Read an excerpt (scroll down).