Liza McCullen is doing just fine, now, thanks to the refuge she and her daughter Hannah have been given by her aunt, Kathleen. Though she still keeps her painful past close to her chest, in fierce protection of her daughter, she has come to befriend some of the other whale- and dolphin-watching ship captains who hang out each evening at her aunt’s Australian, seaside hotel. When a British businessman comes to stay at the hotel with his own ulterior motives, he befriends the small town folks in spite of himself, and gets caught up in their quest to save the marine life in their small harbor.
I defy any reader of this novel to not get caught up in the romance and suspense of these characters’ lives. Liza is both coldly guarded and avidly loyal to her family and the wildlife she seeks to defend. Kathleen has an ornery exterior but is generous and kind in the most important ways. And even Mike Dormer, initially awkward and unwelcome as a newcomer to this closed community, warms to their small town characters and their devotion to the sea life they promote. Even Hannah, Liza’s 11-year-old daughter, with her old soul and yet limited exposure to the outer world, becomes a character we cannot help but love. As each of these characters become more intertwined, we are bound up with them as well, and we care deeply about the welfare of each of them.
I also defy anyone to read this without shedding at least a few tears at the resolution of this story.
This is a MUST READ just because I loved it and suspect you will too.
