A book for anyone with a sense of adventure, whether you’re an armchair traveller or someone who wants to see more of the world.
While working overseas in San Francisco for a year, Australian girl Torre DeRoche meets a hot Argentinian in a bar. Their romance is meant to be just a temporary thing, but somehow she ends up sailing around the South Pacific with him, despite a complete fear of sailing. Will their love survive the open water?
I first heard of the fearful adventurer by following a series of links and connections via Twitter. DeRoche’s book had not yet been published, but her story seemed so interesting. I immediately tried to get the ending out of her via Twitter but no, I was not allowed to kill a fairy and had to wait for the book to come out. When it did, I promptly downloaded the book, loaded it on the Kindle on my iPhone and, mid-book, left my phone on a bus…but not before skipping to the ending and killing a fairy!
What I love most about this book is that it combines two of my passions—travel and romance.
I laughed out loud at La Roche’s adventures, whether it was being paranoid and researching safety equipment pre-trip, their obsession with fresh fruit, her partner’s accident-prone attempts at fixing the boat, or their epic fishing fails. I loved the description of the tropical islands, the warmth of the people, and the encounters they had with other sailors. I liked how the book fueled my own sense of adventure—I know I will take my turn around the world someday, but I don’t think I’m going to do it on a boat! La Roche took me on a journey not just around the world but in overcoming her fears, and I couldn’t help but cheer for her as I went along for the ride.
This book inspired me to explore more, and I hope to visit the Pacific Islands someday. I’m looking forward to the author’s next adventure.
Oh, and yes, Kat, there is a happy ending. :)
Yay or nay?
This book is for anyone with a sense of adventure, whether you’re an armchair traveller or someone who wants to see more of the world. I also think this is an adventure that romance readers would enjoy.
Who might enjoy it: Fearful adventurers
Who might not enjoy it: Armchair cynics
Wandergurl reviews a travel book once a month as part of Travel Tuesday (#traveltuesday) on Twitter. This book is self-published under Gauguin Media.
December 2011 update: This book has been picked up by major publishers in Australia and internationally. Film rights have also been optioned. Click here for details.
Title: Swept: Love with a Chance of Drowning (excerpt — requires Flash)
Author: Torre DeRoche
Publisher: Gauguin Media
B format: 9780615521114 (27/8/2011)
EBOOKS: Kindle UK | Kindle US
WORLDWIDE: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Library
is this the book that you were talking about on Twitter this morning as being a self published book? If yes, did you notice editing errors etc. I am happy to take word of mouth recs for a self published book but not so keen to take random chances.
Yes, this is the book we mentioned on Twitter. Wandergurl said she didn’t even know until I told her. (And I only knew because I was trying to find the publisher’s website and found an interview where the author talks about self-publishing.) So I think the quality is comparable to a mainstream book. You should be able to preview some pages on Amazon if you’re still undecided.
If you do pick up the book, please let me know what you think!