The Shark Club

This was a pleasant surprise. I was first taken by the cover for this one, and the premise, but once I started reading the sampler at Amazon I was hooked. You know how some books just grab you right from the get-go? That's how this one was for me. And what's not to like? It starts out with Maeve, the protagonist, scuba diving in crystal clear water observing lemon sharks. The descriptions and writing style just drew me in, and I'm happy to report that I loved this book. 5 stars all around.

Maeve is a marine biologist and shark specialist and she travels all over the world studying them. She's just finishing up a stint in Bimini, preparing to return to her work at a marine conservancy in southwest Florida. She's been working alongside Nicholas for months, and despite their attraction, neither of them has acted on it. Until their last night together, when the spark ignites a bit. Nicholas is a ray specialist, and totally gets her love of the sea, and with her expecting a trip to Mozambique in a few months, they're considering going together. The only problem is Maeve has emotional baggage from a past relationship, and when she returns to Florida that all comes to the fore when her ex- fiance appears.

Now lest you think this is a tired love triangle story, it's way more than that. It's about second chances, knowing when to let go, sharks, a love for the sea, and so much else. Maeve lives at a hotel called the Hotel of the Muses, which has a literary flair- every room is named after an author. Her and her brother have lived there ever since their parents died and they were raised by Perri, their aunt. Her and her brother are very different, she is the serious one and he's always been the wild child. And they were best friends with Daniel, the boy who would break her heart. Not only does she have to deal with the reappearance of Daniel, but she meets a little girl on the beach- Hazel- and the two forge a bond over their shared love of the sea.

Hazel has experienced a loss in her life and her relationship with Maeve is a highlight of the book. It's a healthy relationship, without unnecessary angst and manufactured drama. It feels true to life, and frankly Hazel is a riot. They go out shark seeing and while all of this is going on, Maeve has to decide whether to give Daniel a second chance. She has the Mozambique trip coming up, after all, and there's that spark with Nicholas as well. She doesn't know what to do, and that felt true to life as well, when life sometimes sweeps you up and carries you away and you have to decide  where to get off. I'd be remiss too without mentioning the setting- I've read a fair amount of books set in Florida but this is one of the few that made me feel like I was there.

This one is set on the Gulf side and everything reminded me of time I've spent there- the lizards everywhere, the shells underfoot, the touristy kitsch versus the locals- there's shark tag activity and even a subplot regarding the horrors of shark finning, which gets tense at the end. Some readers may think the author goes a wee bit overboard on the shark education issues, but honestly I didn't mind, I loved the passion the author brought to this. This is an adult story- the protagonist is thirty- but would totally fit with older YA. I think a lot of people who have agonized over life choices can relate to this. So this was a win- if the premise appeals to you at all, I say go for it. I loved it.