by Karen Witemeyer
She saved him from the sea. He awakened her heart. Now a villainous scheme threatens to destroy them both.
Seawater runs through Muriel Quinn’s veins—a fact that has long concerned her father, who desires his youngest daughter to abandon the waves and embrace the respectable life expected of a grown woman. Yet even when banished from her beloved sea, Muriel feels its pull upon her soul. Drawn to the shore, she witnesses a boating accident and dives in to save a man from drowning. As she brings him back from the brink of death, a dream stirs to life in her heart.
Despite his family's wealth and social standing, Zane Erickson pursues a career in architecture, having no interest in cementing a match with any of the bridal candidates his mother foists upon him. Until a mysterious beauty saves his life and vanishes before he can learn her name. Determined to find her, he is stunned when the matchmaker his mother hired arrives with the very woman who has haunted his dreams. But he soon learns there are darker forces than romance at work in this meeting.
Entangled in a blackmail scheme that grows more deceitful and dangerous by the day, Zane and Muriel must fight not only for their love, but for the lives of those they hold dear.
Muriel neglects some of what her family expects from her because she spends so much time swimming or with a friend. Her intentions are always pure, but the consequences with her family leave her with choices to make. That's where Octavia Underhill comes into play. She's manipulative and convinces Muriel that she can help her win over Zane and get into his family's good graces if Muriel does something for her!
I appreciated that Muriel didn't want to outright lie to Zane, but with Octavia's influence, she believes she's doing Zane a favor by not telling him everything. I enjoyed watching their relationship blossom over the time they have together. How discerning he is as he gets to know Muriel. Going into a relationship without giving all of the truth is a recipe for disaster. I honestly liked how the author handled all of that part of the story! No spoilers of course!
As for Octavia, is it concerning that I have a smidge of a sad spot for her? At least, until we get to the end when she's rather despicable. The people who go into a partnership with her know what they're getting into. That is, aside from Muriel, who is still young and not worldly.
It was kind of funny because continuously I had to remind myself that the story was set in Galveston, TX in the late 1880s. Because Muriel is Irish, I kept imaging them in historical UK. lol I mean, there were some similarities, especially with them being on the water. But mentions of "soda shops" and similar phrases would remind me where the story was actually happening!
As always, I appreciated the faith story thread that the author wove into the story!
