Thursday, July 2, 2009

Review - Deeper




Title: Deeper
Author: Megan Hart
Publishing Date: July 2009
Genre: Contemporary (Erotic)
Rating: B-
Sensuality: Hot

Deeper is the heartbreaking story of Bess Walsh told from two different vantage points, Then and Now. Then was one summer twenty years ago when Bess met bad boy Nick who consumed all her waking thoughts. They had a whirlwind romance and promised to meet, but something happened along the way to interfere. Now is Bess separated from her husband Andy and has decided to reevaluate her life. She is staying back at the beach house where it all began and she begins to think about Nick and what happened to him. As if she conjured him up herself he appears to her unchanged by twenty years. Strangely enough Nick is as real as any other person, only he has no heartbeat and doesn't need to eat or sleep. Finally, Bess finds out what happened that fateful night long ago.

Megan Hart is a fantastic storyteller. Her writing will engross readers the minute they turn that first page. She has a way of evoking a wide spectrum of emotions, due in a large part to her great, realistic characters. She chooses Beth and Nick with whom readers will largely relate too. They share the same hopes and dreams, fears and concerns that everyone faces at some point in their lives. Hart doesn't shy away from the gritty details and she is certainly not afraid to have her characters make some tough decisions. Sure enough Bess and Nick both face heartbreaking choices and they don't always make the right decision. They have to live with their mistakes and learn from them.

For some readers, Bess and Nick will frustrate them. Bess has a tendency to make choices she deems safe, even though it may not be the right choice for her. Look where her safe choices lead her - to constantly wondering what might have been. Nick constantly refers to himself as an asshole. At times he does act like a jerk, but he isn't an asshole. It's just that he is a young kid who is unsure of himself and he needs to grow up.

Deeper is not a romance. This is a book about self discovery. It is about learning who you are, what you are capable of and learning that if something is worth while then you have to take a risk. I will be honest, the ending of this book is heart wrenching. There is not a traditional HEA (happily ever after) and I am fairly certain that readers of romance will not be satisfied with the ending of this book. I had a very difficult time rating this book. It is a deeply moving book, one that will resonate with readers long after they finish it. Even though the book is capable of making such an impact, it is not one that I would likely read again or place among my cherished favorites. It's just too bittersweet.

Here is what others had to say:

Dear Author


This book is available through Amazon in both print and kindle format.

11 comments:

Mandi said...

Wow, great review. I have never read Megan Hart although I have Dirty on my wishlist. I don't know if I want to read this or not:)

Jill D. said...

Mandi - Read Dirty first. It's really awesome and has a more traditional HEA. Megan Hart is a really talented author.

Mandi said...

Ok..will do.

Carolyn Crane said...

Wow, I love Megan Hart, and I will surely get this, though I'm used to relatively pretty happy endings from her, if not the HEA. But I'm glad to be prepared, really.

Carolyn Crane said...

Mandi! I agree! Read Dirty first!!

Rowena said...

Oh wow, I've been anxiously awaiting your review of this book and man I'm torn, on one hand I really want to read it but on the other, I'm not so sure.

We'll see. Great review though.

Stacy~ said...

I've read Dirty which I loved, and Tempted which I liked. I have Broken and The Stranger. I've been debating about Deeper though. I definitely have to be in the right frame of mind to read her books. It helps knowing it's not the traditional romance. Will probably still add it to my list.

Tracy said...

I really loved the one Megan Hart book I read, Broken. I have Dirty but haven't read it yet. This sounds so damned good. And you know sometimes the book is just better without the HEA. (OK, never thought I'd ever say that! lol)

Jill D. said...

Rowena - I think you would like this book. You seem to read books that fall more into women's fiction on occasion. It's good. Really good actually.

Stacy - I completely understand. If this book was not written by Megan Hart, I can tell you right now, I would never have read it. That is solely based on the cover blurb. I am not into ghost stories and that is sort of what the cover lead me to believe this was.

Tracy - And you know sometimes the book is just better without the HEA Yes - this book couldn't have ended any differently or the author would have lost credibility. The ending fit and made sense.

Carolyn Crane said...

Okay, I've come back to this review now that I finished the book.

SPOILERS

*****

*****
*****

AWFUL SPOILERS!!!

*****

*****

AWFUL SPOILERS!!!

*****

I see what you mean about heartwrenching, but didn't you love that she stayed with him this time? Like, she was the one person in his life who would stand by him, and go out to drown with him, and sort of bravely be there for him at the end. She didn't die in the end, but her willingness to risk sort of saved him, that's what I thought. I was sort of prepared for her not to be with Nick, though.

Really good review, though! You are so right that this is a character journey book.

Jill D. said...

Carolyn - I will email you so we can discuss further :)