This is a fabulous castaways story. Cruise ship chef Cady thought she was just heading for a night of pleasure in the arms of the hot guy she picked up in the bar. The last thing she expected was to be mistaken for the former First Daughter he was supposed to be protecting, and kidnapped on the high seas!
Cady isn’t the woman he was sworn to protect, but it’s his fault she’s been taken. He’s got to go after her - and given that his other choice is drowning in the South Pacific, Logan starts swimming. A twist of fate sees them escape the kidnappers but wind up stranded on a deserted island with no way to know if they’ve even been missed.
What follows is a slightly harrowing story of survival, from shark bites to stonefish stings, as the determined pair try to survive… and try to fight their own attraction to each other at the same time. Nothing about the realities of being stranded in such a situation is glossed over, from injuries and illness to the ever-present dangers of starvation and dehydration, yet somehow the story doesn’t dwell on them too much. It’s a beautifully balanced mix of romance and reality.
This is an interracial romance with Cady being mistaken for a First Daughter named Maya O’Brien, who is pretty clearly a standin for Malia Obama. Cady reacts so realistically to getting stranded on a deserted island, I found myself really wincing along with her as she momentarily despaired. On the other hand, if you’re going to get castaway, you’d definitely want a man like Logan to be stranded with. Tough and capable, he still didn’t insist on doing everything himself, instead challenging Cady to be his partner in every sense of the word.
Even though there were moments in the story where I wondered how everything could possibly turn out all right for them in the end, Susan Cliff masterfully wove together threads from the storyline to tie up all the loose ends and give her couple a totally believable happy ending.
If you’ve ever dreamed about being cast away on a deserted island with a sexy Navy SEAL for company, or if you’re a lover of interracial romances, you’ll definitely want to give this one a go. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.