Sandy M’s review of Swim Deep by Beth Kery
Romantic Paranormal Suspense published by Amazon Digital Services 22 Feb 18
I’m a huge Beth Kery fan, so it’s nice to see a new release from her, because, for some reason, it’s been a bit since I read her. So I jumped right in with this latest. It’s not the usual Beth Kery her fans have come to know. This one has a bit of a Gothic feel, reminding me of my early reading years with Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. It’s definitely different and delves into issues that most people would rather not hear about.
Anna, an artist, and Evan, a businessman, meet on an online dating site. Their attraction is swift and before long they’re married and moved to Evan’s former home where he lived with his late wife – whom died under cloudy circumstances, most of which Anna is unaware of. Their blissful happiness begins to be dotted with small, quirky happenings that make no sense.
However, once those strange events become more frequent, Anna is curious and starts to do some investigating of her own. Of course, things become strained between the newlyweds, eventually forcing Evan to reveal information about the events surrounding Elizabeth’s death, most of which revolve around her father – a man who is one of the most evil I’ve read in a really long time.
This is one of those books that is difficult to review because so much happens that leads to spoilers at nearly every turn. One thing always leads to another once the truth begins to emerge. But I can say that I like Evan and Anna a lot, despite his early deceptions. I trusted him a bit more than Anna, and that led to my only nitpick in the story at the end. I’m not a bit happy with Anna’s resolution, and after they give themselves some time, I’m unhappy with not getting to see more of the HEA we romance readers want. In a book this intense, I think we need to see that everything will be fine in the future for these characters we just invested a number of hours in.
But even in spite of those issues, this is one well-thought-out story with plenty of intensity and mystery to keep you turning the pages. I surely did – I had to find out what happened in the past and what would happen to Evan and Anna.
Grade: B-
Summary:
She’d made a career out of studying light, but now she’s entered a seductive, dangerous world of shadow and lies . . .
Anna Solas, poor artist working two jobs, is swept away by Evan Halifax, his charm and his good looks, and marries too quickly for her family’s comfort. Evan takes Anna to his stunning lakeside mansion the North Twin on the Les Jumeaux estate, where she discovers he lived with his first wife Elizabeth until her disappearance and presumed death. He says they can live anywhere Anna wants to, but his explanations unravel bit by bit. Anna is increasingly uneasy, wondering what really went on in the decadent home theatre, who is watching her from the South Twin—the matching home on Lake Tahoe’s shore, and the identity of the nightmare woman who appears to her at night, whispering a message she dreads hearing. She becomes determined to uncover the truth behind Elizabeth’s life in order to save her own sanity.
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