4 out of 5 stars
THROUGH WATERS DEEP was an enjoyable read. With a broad spectrum of characters, Sarah Sundin pens a World War II period piece filled with romance and intrigue.
Mary Stirling’s uncomplicated life is about to become
anything but that.
Because of an incident in her past, Mary does
everything she can to keep a low profile, and shies away from any kind of
special attention. She loves her secretarial job at the Boston Navy Shipyard, and
does a great job blending in. When she bumps into Jim Avery—an old high school
friend—her life gets a little more complicated. She always thought Jim was
special, but he only had eyes for her best friend, Quentessa. Mary and Jim begin
to spend time together—time that allows Mary’s feelings for Jim to grow deeper.
But since Jim shows no signs of interest in her beyond friendship, Mary decides
to keep her feelings to herself. When it comes time for Jim to ship out, Mary
is horrified to find out a saboteur has tampered with his ship. So she decides
to use her position in the shipyard to do some sleuthing. Gathering evidence
she feels could be useful, she goes to the FBI with her notes. Even though the
FBI doesn’t think her notes can be of any use, Mary knows something isn’t right
among the men who work at the shipyard. Along with Jim’s help, she is
determined to find out who is at fault before someone gets killed. With the
extra time spent with Jim, Mary decides she’s going to tip her hand and let him
know how she really feels. When Quentessa makes a surprise appearance in
Boston, and decides to claim Jim for herself, Mary once again keeps her
feelings for Jim to herself.
Ensign Jim Avery has always floated through life. Not
one to cause waves or make grand gestures, he lets life lead him around. When
he bumps into Mary Stirling, he is reminded of the only woman he’s ever really
loved—Quintessa Beaumont. Though Quintessa never gave him a second glance, his
infatuation for her never diminished. Putting thoughts of his high school crush
aside, Jim forges a wonderful friendship with Mary. When Jim realizes what he
feels for Mary is far more than friendship, he isn’t sure how he should
proceed. When he receives a kiss from Mary upon shipping out, he decides his
first point of business when he returns will be to tell Mary how he really
feels about her. When his tour is cut short by a saboteur’s bomb, Jim can’t
wait to get home and tell Mary how he feels. Shock is what he finds when none
other than Quintessa Beaumont is at Mary’s apartment when he returns home. Quintessa
lavishes Jim with attention—attention he does not want. He is more certain than
ever that what he feels for Mary is love, but it’s obvious to him that Mary
doesn’t feel the same way because of the distance she keeps.
Mary is determined to figure out who the saboteur is,
while Jim is determined to let Mary know his true feelings. But they both have
to act fast before time runs out.
I really enjoyed THROUGH WATERS DEEP. Though at times
I thought Mary was a bit extreme in her practices of staying out of the
limelight, I still liked her unassuming personality, and Jim’s carefree persona.
The many secondary characters like Arch, Lillian, Quintessa, and the shipyard
personnel, added real character and diversity to the story. I’m not usually one
for War era novels, but this is the second book of Ms. Sundin’s I’ve read, and
will continue to look for her work in the future.
Book provided for review purposes.
Available August 2015 at your favorite bookseller from
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
