Title: Unfamiliar Waters
Author: Andrew Grey
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novel (164 pages)
ISBN: 978-1-64080-964-2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (8 Jan 2019)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: đź’–đź’–đź’– 3 Hearts
Reviewer: Prime
Blurb: With the pressures of the job bearing down on him, police officer Garrett Wreckley needs a vacation—in fact, he isn’t given a choice in the matter. Since the water has always soothed Garrett’s soul, he heads to the Caribbean, hoping some time alone sailing on the open water will help him pull himself together.
But even though he’s taking a break from law enforcement, Garrett can’t get rid of his cop’s instinct so easily.
He meets Nigel, a young man as innocent as he is beautiful, who grew up sheltered from the world, exploring the beaches and tropical forests with only the company of his aunt, his brother, and the wildlife and sea creatures he befriended.
As sweet, passionate love blooms, their time in paradise feels too good to be true… and Garrett’s gut and training tell him that might be the case. As he investigates, he quickly realizes everything is not as it seems. Will his snooping destroy not only their romance, but everything Nigel believes about his life?
Purchase Link: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Review: Unfamiliar Waters is a book by Andrew Grey. Andrew Grey is one of my favourite authors and I always look forward to new book by the author. I love his characters, their complexity, how relatable they are, and the heart felt emotion he manages to put in his stories, particularly when there are kids involved in the story.
The story start with cop Garrett Wreckly. He’s been forced to take time from work after a particularly stressful case/event and decides to take advantage of the time and heads to the Caribbean for a tropical holiday. He hires a boat and is content to keep to himself and just relax on the open waters and take in the ocean. On one of the isolated islands he meets Nigel. He is sweet and innocent and comes across as more of a teenager than someone who is twenty-two, but that is the start of the mystery. As much as Garret is attracted to the sweet, sexy man, he knows that there is something not quite right about the guy. And so the cop that took the break to get away from work finds himself with a case and a guy that he is instantly attracted to. Luckily for Garrett, the attraction is completely mutual and spurs him on to become Nigel’s knight in shining armour.
I am loathed to say that Unfamiliar Waters is not a favourite book for me. Quite simply it didn’t grab me, and I felt that I had to suspend my disbelief for an inordinate amount of time. Perhaps it’s just me and I just wasn’t really in the mood for a mystery/thriller and if I were to read it again I might enjoy the story? Maybe I couldn’t connect with the Caribbean setting, which is completely on me but honestly, I do sometimes struggle with stories set in this part of the world. I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s true and I think that it’s because I struggle to build a mental picture that I am happy with when I read books in this setting.
I think that perhaps I wasn’t sold how quickly they fell in love – it is insta-love at its best (worst?), which for me can be a bit hit and miss. I get it, they are both young characters – twenty-two and thirty-ish, and it doesn’t usually bother me when one MC is more mature emotionally than the other. The problem is that Nigel has been sheltered, basically abused and is nowhere near emotionally mature, whereas Garrett (probably due to his career) is mature beyond his years. For this reason as well I wasn’t sold on the chemistry between the characters.
I struggle to write a recommendation for this book for obvious reasons. But for those that love cops, mystery and tropical settings I don’t see why you guys can’t give it a crack and enjoy the story.