Lovely, Dark, and Deep
The Collectors, Book 1
Susannah Sandlin
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Heat level: moderate; language; violence
Publisher: Montlake Romance
ASIN: B00H27TJ6U
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 95,000
Get it at Amazon
Book Description:
From award-winning author Susannah Sandlin comes a heart-pounding romantic thriller that pits a quick-witted scientist and a scarred ex-combat diver against a ruthless billionaire treasure hunter with ties to the White House.
When biologist Gillian Campbell makes an offhand comment about a family curse during a TV interview, she has no idea what her words will set in motion. Within days, Gillian finds herself at the mercy of a member of the C7, a secretive international group of power brokers with a dangerous game: competing to find the world's most elusive treasures, no matter the cost, in money or in lives.
To save her family, Gillian teams up with Shane Burke, a former elite diver who's lost his way, navigating the brutal "death coast" of the North Atlantic to find what the collector seeks: the legendary Ruby Cross of the Knights Templars, stolen by Gillian's ancestor and lost at sea four hundred years ago.
Release Info- LOVELY, DARK, AND DEEP is being released in eight multi-chapter weekly episodes through Feb. 18. The current price for the entire eight-episode novel is $1.99 through Feb. 18 and will increase to $3.99 for Kindle afterward. The print and audio editions will be released on May 13, 2014, and will be available at venues other than Amazon.
Excerpt:
He wasn't sure what woke him, but the first thing Shane Burke saw when he cracked open his eyelids was the bottle of Jack Daniel's, tipped over and resting on its side. He could've sworn he finished it off last night but there was at least an inch of rich amber liquid still resting inside.
Good. Now he didn't have to wonder what he'd have for breakfast.
The second thing he saw was a great pair of legs. Well, technically, a great pair of ankles above a pair of leather sandals, and then the legs.
Obviously, he was starting his Saturday morning with hallucinations.
Only one good solution for that. He dangled an arm off the side of his bed and almost had his fingers wrapped around the neck of the bottle when one of the leather sandals kicked his buddy Jack Daniel's under the bed, clipping his hand in the process.
"Ow." Hallucinations didn't take his booze and kick him in the knuckles.
Ignoring the throbbing in his hand and the stabs of hangover agony behind his eyeballs, Shane rolled onto his back and squinted at the rest of his non-hallucination.
Shoulder-length hair that fell in a sheen of dark chestnut brown, fair skin, fierce brown eyes, red lips compressed in a tight line, black skirt and white blouse, big briefcase-style purse. Had he picked her up at Harley's last night? If so, he had to cut back on the sauce.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I forgot your name." Pity, 'cause she was a hot little number, way classier than the regulars at Harley's. It's not like he got laid so often that he could afford to forget it when he did.
"We haven't met." She propped her hands on her hips and muttered something that sounded like, "And you're supposed to help me?"
Help her with what? Wait, maybe she was a charter. Had he chartered The Evangeline out to a tour group or fishing party today? Surely he'd remember if there was money coming in.
Color him officially confused. He struggled to a seated position and gave her another look. "What am I supposed to help you with?"
She crossed her arms and raked a ball-shriveling gaze the length of his body. "I came here to offer you a job, but I don't think you're up to it."
He tugged the sheet up in self-defense. "I'm not at my best. Ever consider making an appointment? Not dropping in at the crack of dawn?" He had no idea what time it was but it couldn't be that late.
"It's past noon. And I didn't figure, given your financial situation, that you'd be so picky about what time of day someone offered you money." She shook her head. "Never mind. This was a mistake."
She banged her head on the low doorway out of the master cabin, which served her right, the sanctimonious shrew.
My Review:
I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
Gillian Campbell is a licensed nuisance-gator trapper not only is she a gator trapper she is the only one in the county and is always on call. Gators don't care if it is a holiday or not to them all days are the same. Gillian goes to the hospital to visit her best friend Viv who is in ICU after running her car into a tree in the rain. When Gillian leaves ICU after visiting with Viv she gets a call from this guy that wants Gillian to find an old ship wreck, a ship wreck that happened around the 1600s. This guy wants Gillian to find a ruby cross that her ancestor lost. Gillian tells him that is just a family legend and she doesn't know any more than that and that she can't help him. This dude tells her that she is going to help him find it for his boss. He blackmails Gillian into helping him by telling her he will kill her family, friends and other people if she doesn't cooperate with him. Gillian begins to wonder if this guy whom she has dubbed "Tex" is the reason Viv is in the hospital.
"Tex" gives Gillian 30 days to find the cross. The ruby cross is said to belong to the Nights Templars. Gillian is sent to see Shane Burke who owns and lives on a boat called The Evangeline. Shane knows how to scuba dive and he also knows how to dive in deep water. Gillian is sent to hire Shane to take her to the ship wreck and find the ruby cross. Gillian tries to warn her family and friends by getting them to leave and go on a long vacation without letting them know that they are in danger. She wants them out of town and out of danger. But what she doesn't know is if the people that want the cross knows info about her family and friends that they shouldn't know then they will have no problem tracking them down. But the thing is they will probably know the minute they leave town and where they are going. So it probably will not matter to these people where they are because they probably have people all over the world or they will have someone follow them to keep tabs on them until Gillian finds the cross for them before they will be safe if they ever are safe again.
Shane wants to help Gillian but he knows she is lying to him and if he can't get the truth out of her he is not going to help her. But Shane is in for a surprise when he runs into the people who are blackmailing Gillian. Shane finds out real quick like that he has no choice but to help Gillian if he wants to live plus he realizes that his life is not the only one in danger but that they have threatened to hurt his friends and family too. Shane starts to care about Gillian and wants to help her and keep her safe too. So Shane and Gillian start working as a team after Shane tries to leave Gillian behind. Shane wants to leave Gillian at home and not take her to the wreck to look for the ruby cross. Gillian figures out what he is up to and turns the tables on him real fast, so fast that his head starts to spin.
Susannah is a wonderful author, I love her work. I got the chance to read all three of her books in The Penton Legacy and loved them so very much that now I want to read all of her work. I have also read a short story that she wrote called Chenoire, I liked it as well. So when I was given the opportunity to read Lovely, Dark, and Deep I jumped at the chance. I am glad that I did as I loved all of the characters especially Gillian and Shane the two main characters. Gillian is one tough lady who doesn't depend on anyone but herself and she knows how to take care of herself but sometimes we get to a point in our lives when we run into a brick wall and need someone to help us knock it down so we can go on with our lives. In ways Gillian and Shane are a lot alike meaning that they will put their own lives in danger if it will save the ones that they love and care about. Neither one of them likes or wants to be told what to do or be controlled but they will allow it to keep their loved ones safe nor will they allow it until they can turn the tables on their blackmailers.
If you have not read any of Susannah's books as of yet then I strongly suggest that you do and Lovely, Dark, and Deep is a good book to start with. But I am giving you fair warning you may not be able to put any of her books down until you have read the last page.
About The Author:
Susannah Sandlin writes paranormal romance and romantic thrillers from Auburn, Alabama, on top of a career in educational publishing that has thus far spanned five states and six universities-including both Alabama and Auburn, which makes her bilingual. She grew up in Winfield, Alabama, but was also a longtime resident of New Orleans, so she has a highly refined sense of the absurd and an ingrained love of SEC football, cheap Mardi Gras trinkets, and fried gator on a stick.
She's the author of the award-winning Penton Legacy paranormal romance series, a spinoff novel, Storm Force, a standalone novelette, Chenoire, and a new romantic thriller series, The Collectors, beginning this month with Lovely, Dark, and Deep. Writing as Suzanne Johnson, she also is the author of the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series. Her Penton novel, Omega, is currently nominated for a 2013 Reviewer's Choice Award in Paranormal Romance from RT Book Reviews magazine.
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Giveaway:
1 $50 Amazon gift card
2 $10 Amazon gift cards
2 Author swag packs (books, swag)
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