My Review - Through Waters Deep

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.