The Waves

Well, the cover caught my eye and the description sounded really promising...yay for a unique premise for a quick summer read. I've enjoyed following the author on Instagram and was interested to try out her work.

Well, her writing style itself is stellar. She can take a page of prose and make it pop up in 3-D.

However, the plot and the characters fell flat for me. The plot was just personal preference; I like a bit more meat to relationships. The characters, though, just didn't ever really steal my heart. Dillon's really juvenile and annoying, and Liam was SO focused on the physical that I really got impatient with him (I mean, he can't even take time to tell her why his hand hurts when a storm is coming in, and I didn't get why that was some kind of secret...etc). The crux of the book is them being stuck alone on an island in bathing gear while waiting for rescue and I got really tired of the whole moaning-about-how-sexy-she-looked issue. I don't root for relationships where the #1 attraction is the sexiness factor, because that's fleeting, and a couple who marries only for sexy is likely to fall apart when wrinkles appear or when tragedy leaves scars. There was also a page-long kiss that involved teeth that just really grossed me out.

What further kept my rating on the “okay” level was the serious handicap in commas and apostrophes, which got very distracting, and the dozens of crude terms and the two outright profanities. I don't know that I'll pick up another by this author.

I'd recommend it to someone who wants a light “beach read” novel that's sexy without having sex scenes, and who doesn't mind some language.

Amy Matayo's latest book doesn't disappoint. After ending up on the same cruise with Dillon's large, somewhat overbearing extended family, Dillon and Liam find themselves in quite a predicament. Dillon, desperate to get away from the crush of well-meaning family who really want to see her married, heads off on an excursion not authorized by the cruise line. Liam, who has feelings for Dillon but tries to ignore them (because his brother Chad really carries a torch for Dillon), won't let her go on the sketchy excursion alone, and joins her. The excursion guide leaves them stranded in the middle of the ocean, and they make it to a small island. They have to work together to survive, with limited resources, and they discover that adventure doesn't always mean fun.

This is a story of making the best of a really bad situation. It's a quick read, and one that draws you in. Ms. Matayo doesn't coddle her characters or make things all sunshine and roses. Dillon and Liam read as real people, with real issues, and there are moments you aren't really sure how things will turn out. I enjoyed this book, and I'd recommend it if you like adventure, suspense, and romance.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author. All opinions expressed here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books I don't like.