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Book Review of Undertow (Cutter Cay, Bk 1)

Undertow (Cutter Cay, Bk 1)
Undertow (Cutter Cay, Bk 1)
Author: Cherry Adair
Genre: Romance
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
lighthouse-lady avatar reviewed on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


Undertow is a great start to a new series by Cherry Adair. It is definitely an "opposites attract" and "things aren't what they seem" kind of book. At first glance, Teal and Zane are two people who never in a million years would get together. Teal is a ship mechanic. She is antisocial and dresses like a man and doesn't want anything to do with anyone. Zane is the life of the party, always wanting to have fun and be around people. He's a guy's guy and a ladies' man and he loves all of it.

That is just the tip of the iceberg with both of them. The fact that the two of them not only become attracted to each other but believably fall in love shows that Adair is a master of her craft. Teal's behavior is understandable once you become aware of her past, the reasons for her insecurities and the feelings for Zane she has always kept hidden. Most of the time it is difficult to like or identify with such a prickly heroine. I liked Teal, though, and I liked that she didn't fool herself where her feelings for Zane were concerned.

There is much more to Zane than what you are led to believe, and Teal realizes that, too. He loves life, loves adventure and loves women, but he is not at all the shallow womanizer she first thought him to be.
Zane's salvage company (that he owns with his brothers) hires Teal to be their ship mechanic and they set out to recover a shipwreck that Zane has been researching and tracking down for years. At first Teal wants nothing to do with being there - she wants far away from the ocean, the boat and especially Zane. Zane wants her there because she came highly recommended and, based on his first impression, he is NOT attracted to her. That is important to him because he doesn't want any distractions. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Teal is soon caught up in the excitement of the salvage discovery and finds herself unable to ignore Zane. The more time he spends with her, the more Zane discovers how many layers there are to Teal, and he likes her more and more. I liked that he realized his old tactics wouldn't work with Teal and that he was patient when he needed to be, and pushed her when she needed a push.

Of course, being a Cherry Adair book, there is a lot of action: men with guns, chase scenes and things being blown up. It's easy to get caught up in the suspense portion of the book, but Zane and Teal's romance is right there the whole way.

Zane has two brothers and I can't wait to read their stories. I'm wondering if one of them will be with The Sea Witch?