Review: Deeper by Blue Ashcroft

Title: Deeper
Author: Blue Ashcroft
Genre: NA Contemporary
Publisher: Blue Ashcroft
Length: 172 pages
Original Publishing Date: August 3rd, 2013
Series: Standalone
Where I got it: NetGalley
Links: Goodreads Amazon Author's Website

Synopsis from Goodreads:  
"Rain Wilson isn’t ever going to love again.

It’s a promise she made the day her boyfriend died in a water park accident, one she still blames herself for. Now she’s a senior lifeguard in a new town with a new pool and she’s just going to keep her head down and everyone safe.

Until a mysterious guy follows her into the waves at the pre-season bonfire and kisses her senseless. It’s just one mistake, and Rain is determined to put it behind her, until the dark haired, blue eyed hottie turns out to be her new co-supervisor Knight Mcallister.

Knight is hot, tatted, and carrying baggage of his own. He’s not happy about having Rain for a co-supervisor, and he’s even less happy about his attraction to her.

But between lifeguard drama, hot underwater kisses, and a growing attraction between them that can’t be stopped, Knight and Rain are being pulled deeper into their pasts, and realizing that sometimes too much broken can make a relationship impossible.

Then again sometimes it’s the broken parts of us that fit together best."
 
Main characters: 2.5/5
Rain was intriguing but beyond her traumatic past, I didn't feel like I got to know her that well. Sometimes she was easy to connect to because she was a character that I connected to at the base level, but the way that her mind worked about the accident sometimes made me just shake my head. Ultimately, I just didn't have enough to go on with Rain. Just when I thought Rain was going to be the "messed up" one in the relationship, Knight comes into the picture with his own load of baggage.  I actually liked the fact that both of them were a little screwed up in their own way. Knight was altruistic and tried to hard to save Rain. I just wanted to shake him sometimes and yell, "What are you thinking?!" but I like that he was imperfect and had his own stuff to get through. The relationship between Rain and Knight had a lot of believable chemistry but I felt like there were so many back and forth moments. One minute they're a couple, the next they're not? I was over it by the end.

Secondary characters: 1.5/5
I was going to put Knight in this secondary characters category but he got equal attention in the story (the POV even switched back and forth) so I bumped him up to a main character. Amy's character was fun and I liked her unique inputs to the situation. However, she seemed pretty strong and witty at first and then seemed to lose characterization through the novel. There were a lot of other secondary characters who didn't get enough development time and just became names in a crowd. Secondary cast definitely fell flat.

Writing style: 3.5/5
There were a couple minor issues where characters would get mixed up. A character would be "Nate" one minute and then "Patrick" the next. Beyond that minor issue, Ashcroft's writing had some definite positives. There were some beautiful descriptions and Ashcroft could seriously get into her character's heads. This also became a negative at points because it held up the pacing and left me wanting more action and dialogue. When there was plot action, the writing moved well and left me tense and involved in the story. Another minor flaw was that sometimes the writing seemed a little melodramatic and over-the-top. Sometimes I became turned-off of the story because of how romance-novel-y it became.

Plot: 3/5
I loved the water-park setting. I've never read a book set at a water-park and the interactions between the lifeguards was fascinating. Who knew there was such a distinct lifeguard culture? The plot itself could move a little slowly at times and sometimes felt a little thin, but because the story focused on the romance and character development of Rain and Knight, there didn't need to be a lot more plot points. Majority of the plot was predictable, so don't go in expecting to be surprised.

Ending: 3/5
It's tough to make a short novel feel like it has a truly satisfying ending. I feel like Ashcroft did as well as could be expected, although some parts did indeed seem rushed. I loved how determined Knight was and that endeared him to me. The final note was sweet and did was it was intended to do.

Best scene: The opening scenes where Rain is introduced to the rest of the lifeguards. 

Positives: The fact that both main characters had their own problems to overcome, some beautiful descriptions by Ashcroft, the unique waterpark setting and lifeguard interactions

Negatives: Slightly underdeveloped main characters (outside of their traumatic pasts), large and one-dimensional secondary cast of characters, melodramatic writing, predictable plot.

Cover: The simplicity in this cover is stunning. It's seriously gorgeous!

Verdict: A quick summer/beachy read with a fun setting and equally damaged main characters.

Rating: 5.4/10 (3 stars)

Your Thoughts: Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, will you be adding it to your TBR list? How does it compare to other time travel books you've read? Let me know!