REVIEW BY: Christie
TITLE: Into Deep Waters
SERIES: Deep Waters #1
AUTHOR: Kaje Harper
NARRATOR: Kaleo Griffith
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 7h 29m
RELEASE DATE: October 19, 2015
BLURB:
For Jacob and Daniel, two young gay men aboard a US Navy ship in WWII, the risks are high. Not only the risks of injury and death from Japanese planes and submarines, but the risk of discovery. Only a special kind of love is worth taking that chance. But from the moment Daniel meets Jacob’s eyes across a battle-scarred deck, he knows he has to try. Being together requires figuring out what it means to be gay in an era when they could be discharged, imprisoned, or worse for admitting the desires of their hearts. Their relationship is measured in stolen moments and rare days of precious leave, with no guarantee there will be a tomorrow. And, if they survive the war, they will need even more luck to keep their love alive through the years to come.
This novel was written as part of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group’s 2012 Don’t Read in the Closet writing event: Love is Always Write. It won the 2012 LGBT Rainbow Award for Best Gay Historical Romance in 2012 and has been rated by more than 1,300 users on Goodreads with an average rating of 4.41 stars.
REVIEW:
To be honest, I’m not a fan of historicals or even war books. However, the blurb looked interesting, so I decided to give it a go. Boy am I glad I did. Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper was phenomenal. It was wonderfully written, well researched, and in this case masterfully narrated.
Jacob and Daniel’s story is told over a lifetime of moments, from the moment they meet, to when they’re old and grey. In this book, we are witness to their evolution from strangers to friends, friends to lovers, and finally, lovers to something infinitely more: two halves of a whole. It’s not all sunshine and roses, of course, since our pair meets during wartime. In the military. When it was basically a crime to be gay. But this intrepid duo somehow makes it work, thru all kinds of conditions. Including a substantial injury and discharge from active duty that ends up separating the two for a few years.
This is usually the part where I go on to tell you what happens in the story and highlight what I believe are several key points that are pivotal to the plot. In this case, I will only highly encourage you to read or listen to this book for yourself to get the full picture. In my opinion, the entire book is pivotal to Jacob and Daniel’s story.
As you can see from the blurb, this book has won an award and garnered much attention. And really, I can completely attest to how deserving (not only) this book (but Kaje Harper herself) is of a great many awards. And, let’s not ignore the massively talented Kaleo Griffith who did such a magnificent job narrating Into Deep Waters.
Kaleo brought life and a depth to Jacob and Daniel that I could not even fathom. *puns intended. Badum bum tss! Okay, sorry but if you have read any of my other reviews, you know that I can’t resist throwing in a bit of silliness for good measure. Anyhoo… Kaleo Griffith did an impeccable job of narrating this brilliant story from the way he aged our duo over time, to expressing the most benign of emotions. Masterfully done, Kaleo. Thank you for lending your immense talent to this already fantastic book! All in all, very well done by both author and narrator.
Kaje, I am thankful to have taken a chance on your book even tho at first I was skeptical. You are truly a magical writer and lovely person. Wishing all the best to you and yours, from the bottom of my heart.
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BUY LINKS:
I have an 18 hour audio to review on my phone right now or I’d be on this. But I rebought this book to get the audio and I cannot wait to listen to it. Kaje Harper is truly a phenomenal writer (and person) and you just can’t go wrong with any of her books. This was an amazing story that she wrote for the M/M group (not the first or last one she’s written for that group either) that I know has made her a favorite author of many. She is an autobuy for me and it’s always a privilege to read (or now hear) her words.
I feel exactly the same way about Kaje Harper! Brilliant writer and brilliant person!!
I am a member of m/m on goodreads and feel bad for not finding this book sooner, to be honest.
And, I was fortunate enough to meet her in person at PRIDE in Minneapolis this year. She truly is an amazing person. Her passion for writing, her family, and the LGBTQ+ community is staggering.
This is the real Jacob G…..contact me ASAP!…..251-284-3824