Customer Reviews

No Ocean Deep

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the sequel to Heart's Passage, which was a story I really enjoyed even if the writing wasn't that great. The writing itself is way better and more polished in Ms. Swannell's new book, but the story is a bit lame. In this book Cadie and Jo have to deal with the fallout that comes from Cadie's ex, Senator Naomi Silverberg and there's quite a buildup to this showdown, but in the end it felt like an anti-climax. Jo also faces up to her family and a lot of the story is focused around that. This slows the story down, although I thought the author portrayed the family dynamics really well. The Aussie setting is probably the best thing about this book and gives it a fresh flavor. Readers who like family sagas will also probably enjoy No Ocean Deep. This is not a bad book, and I will read the author's next one because it's obvious that she is becoming a better writer. But I hope we get a better plot and some new characters from Ms. Swannell next time.

What a lovely book this was! I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I had enjoyed the first book alot, but this one was real good too. Its like no time has passed since the end of 'Hearts Passage' except enough for Jo and Cadie to become very committed to one another, and now they face new challenges. I like the water scenes and all the boating, and the way that their previous lives come in to play is good. This is a stupendous sequel to a real good book!

Jo Madison and Cadie Jones are back in this sequel to 2003's HEART'S PASSAGE. Set in the Whitsunday Islands of Australia, the story picks up only weeks after the exciting denouement of the last book. Jo has inherited the charter business of pleasure cruisers for which she used to be a skipper, and the American Cadie is still on the scene, having not returned to the U.S. when her former lover did.

Cadie and Jo have been busily forging a new relationship, the likes of which neither has had in the past. But such a relationship will entail encountering old skeletons, reconciling with long-lost family, and dealing with the threat posed by Cadie's ex, the mercurial Senator Naomi Silverberg, whose influential reach and penchant for revenge could prove deadly.

The novel starts out in a leisurely manner and gradually builds to complications. As long as the two lovers are out on the water, things are fine, but inevitably they must go ashore and travel around the countryside. Cadie is also faced with the fact that she is on a travel visa that isn't going to last forever. How will they preserve their relationship if they end up a continent apart?

The narrative in NO OCEAN DEEP is smoother than the debut novel was as Swannell expertly weaves this story and ties up loose ends for Cadie and Jo. The characters continue to enchant, particularly Jo with her Aussie phrases and quirky sense of humor. You could read this book independent of HEART'S PASSAGE, but I recommend reading them in order, preferably on a beach or boat somewhere on a nice, leisurely vacation. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review and author of the "Gun" Series

After reading the first book of this saga 'Hearts Passage' which I very much enjoyed. I ordered this one and was looking forward to finishing up some of the stories that were left open after the first book. I am sorry to say that although some things were finished I found the storyline was rather weak . Which is a real shame but this is only my opinion and I wouldn't say it was that bad that you shouldn't try to read it, just wasn't what I enjoy.

... to the earlier novel `Heart's Passage'.

Lovely Romance!

35 year old Jo and 30 year old Cadie are a delightful couple, very kind and loving toward each other. It was a delight to read.

The locations throughout Australia were beautifully written, wonderfully descriptive, and breathtakingly beautiful.

From the publisher's website - This story is the sequel to Heart's Passage and continues to follow the story of Jo Madison and Cadie Jones. The pair are settling into their relationship and getting down to the hard work of resolving the loose ends of their respective lives. Jo must come to terms with the parents she ran away from as a teenager, an act which led to her life on the Sydney streets as a drug lord's enforcer. Cadie must deal with the consequences of leaving her ex-partner, Senator Naomi Silverberg.

They travel to Jo's childhood home in western New South Wales where they become embroiled in a mystery involving a corrupt station manager and a flock of murdered sheep. At the same time Jo and her parents go through a cathartic reunion, helped by the love and support of her new girlfriend. Then, Jo is called to Sydney to testify against one of her old cronies and at the same time, Cadie must return to the United States before her visa expires. While Jo is occupied with the court case, and trying to find a legal way to join her lover in the US, Cadie becomes entrapped by Naomi's paranoia and intimidation. After a desperate phone call from Cadie's mother, Jo resolves to get to the US by whatever means and calls on some old acquaintances to get her into the country. Can she arrive at the senator's Chicago house in time to rescue Cadie and ensure Naomi will no longer bother them?