J. Haymore

Swept Away Volume One

Angela Guilherme

*I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Swept Away is the first part of Jennifer Haymore's new novel (published under J. Haymore), which will be published in four parts. I've discovered the author this year, through one of her historical romances and I became a fan. So, when I saw on the author's site that she was looking for beta readers for her new contemporary series, I thought “what do I have to loose?” and I could hardly believe it when I received an email from the author saying I was going to be one of the beta readers...

Tara is the protagonist of the story and to say she has led a miserable life is not enough... She lost her parents on a car crash at the age of eight and twelve years later she loses her sister, also on a car crash, one that left her with a limp and suffering from social anxiety and claustrophobia. And as if that wasn't enough, she was caught in an assault on a convenience store and she only survives thanks to a man that catches the bullet that was meant for her. Seriously, what more can happen to the poor girl?

Luckly, at the beginning of the story, Tara is overcoming her problems and anxieties (thanks to a lot of therapy) and is preparing to embark on a three week long ship journey to Hawaii. The only person on board that she knows is her best friend Kyle and, to Tara, spending three weeks in an unknown confined space that she cannot leave is a big challenge.

Even before she enters the ship, Tara meets another one of the crew members, Ethan, and her attraction to him is immediate. And, surprisingly to Tara, Ethan seems to feel the same. And after many hesitation, they both eventually decide to make the best of the time they have together, not expecting or planning more than that.

But then weird things start to happen on board who make Ethan suspicious that someone may be trying to get rid of Tara in an “accident”. But the remaining crew members are Kyle's girlfriend and a man Tara didn't know before getting on board. What reason could they have to want to get rid of Tara?

I liked reading this first part of the story, and I'm very curious to read the rest. After all, not only it ends on a massive cliffhanger, there is also a series of mysteries I really want to discover. What secrets is Ethan hiding? What happened with his girlfriend Justine, whose story we get to know in alternate chapters? Is that why he's so careful with Tara? Who was the man that saved her on the store's gunfire?* And is someone really trying to get rid of Tara or is everything just a series of weird coincidences?

Oh boy, and they haven't even gotten to Hawaii yet... I can't wait to get my hands on the second part of the story!

*I have my suspicions, and I really want to find out if I'm right...

Swept Away Volume One

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