I am really excited to share with you the opening chapter to Deep Water, my review will be with you tomorrow! So to intrigue you a bit more here is what the book is alllll about
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Deep Water by Amanda JamesPublished by Bloodhound Books on June 27, 2018
Amazon UK
Goodreads
Also by this author: Rip Current, The Cornish Retribution, Another Mother, The Feud, A Stitch in Time, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Dancing in the Rain, Cross Stitch, Summer in Tintagel, Behind the Lie, Another Mother, The Calico Cat, Deep Water, The Cornish Retribution, The Feud, Dark Deception, The Cornish Connection
Who can you really trust?
DI Bryony Masters has been on the tail of Kenny Ransom for two years. He’s involved in prostitution and trafficking, but there’s never been any real proof. To complicate matters further, Bryony’s best friend from childhood is his daughter Imogen.
Bryony worries about admitting the fact that she is trying to put Imogen’s dad away, but unexpectedly, Imogen turns on her father and helps the police. Kenny finds out and swears he’ll get his revenge.
Sick of being in the police force, Bryony visits her mother in Cornwall and considers starting a new life.
While in Cornwall, Bryony saves the life of a man caught up in a rip current in the sea.
But who is this stranger? And is Kenny really bent on revenge?
Deep Water was previously published under the title Rip Current.
✮ Excerpt ✮
Chapter One
Anya’s hand trembles so much that the eyeliner becomes a charcoal mess under her lashes. She reaches for a box of tissues next to the dressing table mirror, but then lets her hand fall.
What is the point? The men that come to her room barely look at her face. Three men have been in her room today.
Three men have been inside her today.
Anya had tried to shut down her mind, switch off her senses while they shoved, panted, pawed, their stinking breath on her face, slobbering mouths on her skin. It hadn’t worked. A silent scream filled her head; a spear of shame pierced her heart.
The fingers holding the eyeliner grip so hard that she thinks the plastic will snap. How has she allowed this to happen? She looks at her reflection again and hardly recognises the pale, thin face, haunted grey eyes and the desperation behind them. Marta always tells her she must look her best. Men pay more for pretty women. If she doesn’t try to please them, Jozef will make sure she pays. Marta laughs when she tells her this. Gold teeth in a wide savage mouth assert her status.
‘Jozef has big fists and you have a small face, remember that,’ she said last night. Marta says this most nights, in fact any time that Anya even hints at refusing to do her bidding.
As if she needs reminding.
She thinks about the way Marta’s bright blue eyes narrow to ice chips; the way, intoxicated by power, her lips quiver around each word before sending them to Anya’s ears. Little drops of poison – lethal to pride, murderers of hope.
Hope is a very dangerous thing to hold on to. People always say that where there is life, there is hope. Anya used to believe it, at least for the first few weeks. Cruelly used, held against her will. She used to think that somehow she would escape, get back home to the life she once knew. But now, more than six months on, Anya knows hope is a luxury she can’t afford. She has learned this well. Jozef’s fists, days without food, naked and chained in a freezing cellar are all excellent teachers. Anya shakes her head. Survival is better.
Survival is all she has.
In the mirror she watches a ghost of herself brush out her long blonde hair. Anya runs a few strands through her fingers and thinks it has lost its lustre. When she was little, her grandmother used to say that her hair looked like spun gold. Anya’s thoughts leap on the memories of those days, like starving dogs. There she is now on her grandparents’ farm; she draws sustenance from the images of where she spent her school holidays. The days of hiding in the whispering cornfield with a good book. The days of endless blue skies and the flattest verdant landscapes, the days before—
‘Anya, you have a gentleman caller in five minutes, be ready!’ Marta’s voice calls up the stairwell.
Inside her head, the screaming starts.
Now if that hasn’t got you running to buy a copy, here is what other reviewers have said
Audio Killed the Bookmark says:- This was a dark book with plenty of “currents” pulling people away from what is right… creating many hazards in both Bryony and Imagen’s lives… this was my first book by Amanda James and I was pleasantly surprised by this dark thriller with a nice dose of romance… was not expecting the romance… and I thought it added the perfect balance to this otherwise really dark story… always love the love…
Donna’s Book Blog says:- The characters were excellent and I really enjoyed their interaction as the story developed. I love the authors writing style and this flowed very well and it does leave you with food for thought about what you would do in the same situation and who can you ever really trust in your family and friends
Rae Reads says:- The characters were developed well and I was constantly wondering what would happen to them as they were pulled deeper into unknown situations. I especially enjoyed the friendship between Bryony and Imogen as they try to look out for each other with danger around every corner. I know I’m being a little vague regarding the plot but I would hate to ruin anything. The story moved steadily but easily kept my interest throughout as the suspense and tension slowly but surely built up. This is the first book that I have read by Amanda James but it won’t be the last.
By the Letter Reviews says:- Rip Current for me is the authors darkest book yet. I reckon fans of her books are going to be pleasantly surprised. It certainly had me hooked and the suspense of how things were going to end was literally killing me as I couldn’t turn those pages quick enough.
Grace J Reviewerlady says:- There is plenty going on in this book. I found myself drawn in to the story very quickly, and hooked to the last. It unfolds not in the way the beginning would lead you to believe – there are plenty of twists and turns. The writing is fluid and smooth, the characters beautifully created and completely believable. The location makes me yearn to relocate to the coast! Amanda James is, without a doubt, becoming one of the ‘must-read’ authors on my list; there is nothing formulaic about her novels, each one is individually crafted and extremely enjoyable.
Goodreads reviewer says:- Rip Current is as dark and disturbing as it is gripping and addictive. It’s a non-stop enthralling thriller that turns the old proverb, ‘blood is thicker than water’, on its head.
Fun fact number 3 – I can ride a horse.
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