January 30, 2017
Panting lust and an undersea mystery are, sadly, not enough to save Adair’s weak fourth Cutter Cay contemporary romance (after Vortex). Dr. Callie West is a marine archeologist who signed on to Jonah Cutter’s expedition near Greece with ulterior motives. She presents herself as married, though she’s actually widowed; the last thing she wants is for the enigmatic, darkly handsome Jonah to know she’s available—or to find out her true purpose. Jonah battles inner demons, trying to resist his attraction to the very married archeologist whose services he secured from under his archrival’s nose. However, neither of them can deny the chemistry that’s building during the long days and longer nights in an almost magical place. The heat is sidelined by the possible discovery of the lost city of Atlantis, and by threats from a mysterious group of people determined to undermine their salvage efforts. While the elements surrounding Atlantis’s discovery are fascinating, Adair relies much too heavily on sexual yearnings to propel the story, at the expense of an otherwise solid plot. Two-dimensional, sex-obsessed characters don’t stand up to the wonder of research and history. Agent: Kimberly Whalen, Whalen Agency.