Do you like a good mystery? Do you like a good romance? Dangerous Waters has that and much more! Mystery , loss and love on the Isle of Guernsey.
Before I go into my review, what do you think of this cover art?
Wonderful! I really like it. When you get your chance to read the story, you will see how well it compliments it.
I have some great news for you! Anne has offered two e-book copies of her debut novel Dangerous Waters for me to giveaway to two lucky winners. She has also taken time away from her busy schedule to answer a few questions. So settle in and enjoy yourself. To enter the giveaway, look for the beautiful cottage at the end of the post.
On to my review
After breaking up with her boyfriend and having a miscarriage, Jeanne is barely hanging on. Then she receives a phone call informing her that her grandmother has died and she is the sole heir to her holdings.
Her return to the Isle of Guernsey was supposed to be brief, say goodbye to her beloved gran, sell the cottage, and get off the island.
She left the island when she was 16 years old, vowing never to return. She was the only survivor of a boating incident that killer both of her parents. She still, 15 years later, can’t recall what happened. The case was never solved and her parents killer was never caught. Nightmares and flashbacks return to haunt Jeanne and she is more determined than ever to regain her memories of that day. Memories that have stayed hidden in her mind. If she can remember, the killer will be revealed.
Jeanne decides to stay on the island and modernize the cottage, renewing old friendships and making new ones.
While cleaning out the cottage and looking for old family recipes, she stumbles across some mysterious letters from a German soldier, written to her gran during the German occupation in WWII. They looked to be love letters.
An idea begins to form. She could combine her long ago family recipes along with her ancestors history into a cookbook. Calling it “Recipes for Love.”
Dangerous Waters is a story in a story, in a story. It led me down the garden path.
You will see Jeanne grow and become strong again, regain her sense of self, and just maybe find love.
Follow her as her book idea becomes reality and she begins her journey of research and discovery. I loved reading the whole process of concept-to agent-to publisher and editor.
Discover the buried secret of the “cold” room in the cottage. Why is Jeanne the only one that feels the chill? What happened there?
And last but not least, find out what really happened when her parents were killed. You may think you know who the killer is, but don’t be too hasty.
Dangerous Waters started out like a leisurely walk on the beach. Anne’s writing, with its English flavor, blends the past and present easily and I got more and more drawn into the book.
My rating went from a 3 at the beginning – a bit slow to hook me. To a 4 as the story revealed its many layers. And finally to a 5 – this because of the brilliant writing by Anne Allen.
Now let’s get to know Anne.
Hi Anne. Thanks for hopping across the pond to answer a few questions for your readers. Shall we begin?
Please, tell us about yourself.
My home is in Devon, by my beloved sea. I have three children and my daughter and two grandchildren live nearby. I was born in Rugby, to an English mother and Welsh father. As a result I spent many summers with my Welsh grandparents in Anglesey (now famous for being the home of Prince William!) and learnt to love the sea. My restless spirit has meant a number of moves which included living in Spain for a couple of years. The longest stay was in Guernsey for nearly fourteen years, after I fell in love with the island and the people. However, I contrived to leave one son behind to ensure a valid reason for frequent returns!
By profession I’m a psychotherapist but have long had creative ‘itches’, learning to mosaic, paint furniture, interior design and sculpt. At the back of my mind the itch to write was always present but seemed too time-consuming for a single mum with a need to earn a living (my husband died while young). Now the nest is empty there’s more time to write and a second novel is gestating, but novels take a lot longer than children to be born!
From first idea to completion, how long did it take to write Dangerous Waters and what was your inspiration?
It took six months to write the first draft and, being naïve, I thought that was it! After taking some professional advice I realised that I had a lot of re-writing and drastic editing to complete. I ended up cutting about 15000 words! Eventually it was six years before the book was finally published.
The island of Guernsey was the initial inspiration and I wanted to write a romance with a twist – some mystery. The story covers love and loss, which can and does happen to most of us, meaning it’s something everyone relates to. Both my own experience and my clients’ stories offered examples of how people overcome tragedy. This was the central theme – that whatever, or whoever, we’ve lost, we can always love and live again. There is a parallel story concerning Jeanne’s grandmother which flags up events from the Occupation which actually occurred. So there’s a mixture of fact and fiction with the characters and their stories being pure fiction of course! I also knew that there had to be an old house hiding a secret.
There is more than one story being told in Dangerous Waters. Did you plan it that way or did it evolve as you wrote?
I knew I wanted to feature the grandmother but initially didn’t know in what way. The full story developed as I wrote. I always felt that there would be parallels between Jeanne’s story and her Gran although their lives were very different.
Your main character Jeanne is also a writer, working on her first full length book. I really enjoyed how you incorporated the writing process into your book through her. Do Jeanne’s experiences resemble yours?
I wish they had! Particularly her publishing contract!! But the process of an idea, the research and writing are similar. The big difference is that Jeanne’s book is non-fiction so that she has a lot of ‘fixed’ information to incorporate.
What is the biggest challenge about your writing?
Knowing when to edit! It’s so easy to just write and over-describe events and situations and it’s only when reading back that you recognise this. I like to give the readers a sense of place as well as enough description of the main characters so that they can visualise both people and situations, but it’s also important to leave a lot to their imagination. I also find that, like most writers, I can get ‘stuck’ and find it hard to move the scene/chapter on.
The delicious entrees and desserts mentioned throughout the book made my mouth water. Do you cook up any of these scrumptious dishes?
No, I’m not actually much of a dessert person. The starter and main course usually fill me up! But if I’m in a restaurant I can be tempted
Could you tell us something about what you are currently working on?
Another novel, Finding Mother, the story of a young woman’s search for her natural mother. Along the way family secrets are revealed going back to the Second World War. It’s based primarily in Guernsey but has excursions to England, Spain and Jersey. It’s another story of lost love but it will have a happy ending! I’m hoping to see it published next year.
If I were to visit Guernsey, where would you recommend I start my tour? Do you have a favorite place?
Well, the whole island is lovely but everyone has to spend some time in St Peter Port – the ‘capital’. 
Thanks so much Anne. This was fun. I hope we can do this again when your next novel is ready. It would be my pleasure.
And now for the giveaway. It is International. Everyone is welcome.
Anne has generously offered two ebooks for me to giveaway. Thanks so much Anne!
To enter please leave a comment or answer this question, Do you prefer a slow blooming romance or do you want it to knock you on your butt at first meeting?
Please remember to leave an email address so I can contact you if you win:)
It isn’t required, but it would make me happy if you followed my blog and twitter. To follow Anne, just click on the links below.
Contest ends September 17th.
After you read Dangerous Waters you will understand what I meant about Anne Allen’s ability to capture the essence of this beautiful Isle. Visit Guernsey and see for yourself. Watch this video.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqtJ-Q84wi0]
Biography
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- Author of the Week: Anne Allen (joannegphillips.wordpress.com)
- See Dangerous Waters by Anne Allen on the Independent Author Index (faydradeon.typepad.com)
- Dangerous Waters Giveaway Winners (havebookwillread.com)
- Gillian Mawson Tells WWII Stories of Guernsey Evacuees (blogher.com)
- AUTHOR INTERVIEW + REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: Dangerous Waters by Anne Allen (havebookwillread.com)