In Deep by Sarah Colliver
Gripping Captivating Exhilarating
Contemporary Fiction/Spicy 
The client and courtesan lines were fast becoming blurred when it came to him. “I’d been at his beck and call for years, and it is regular work, but what I feel for him is much more than I am supposed to, I am supposed to feel nothing”. Receiving payment for emotions, and an act that she has long since given willingly, seems so inappropriate now. (Tate)
“He’d never win any awards for father of the year, and yeah, he’s an ok Dad when I see him, but he has always been better at throwing money at a situation, as opposed to giving his time…and just being how a Dad is supposed to be”. It had been that way for as long as she could recall, and it was never the right time to go and see him. “He’d said it wasn’t convenient this time, but I didn’t think anything of it when his boss called to invite Fi and I over, all expenses paid….I suppose it seemed a bit odd”. (Ellie)
“I have worked for Bill for so long now, he is like a son. Picking up the pieces of his fragmented and chaotic existence and attempting to make some sense of them before putting it all back together, has become second nature”. “Adela plays her part when she is needed, for her mama’s sake, she is less happy about it than I am, and has no qualms about telling him so. I am resigned to it, but she sees the harm and injustice afresh every time. But I fear, that he will never change….I don’t know at this point what he would have to do for my patience to run out. I hope he never has to find out”…. (Maria)
“She is my best friend, I am just doing the best I can do to protect her, but I cannot tell her what to do, only be there when events take the inevitable turn that I fear they will. He does not scare me. I will do whatever it takes to prevent him from harming my Chica”. (Irena)
After reading one of Sarah Colliver’s novels, I then noticed on her Facebook page that she had written three more, so therefore made it my mission to read them all, I have one to go. This has never been the kind of read I have entertained previously. Narratives with some spice thrown in have never really interested me, but now I think I have probably been missing out. I have come to enjoy reading books set in picturesque countries with a bit of sun, and it does make way for the more spicy detail!
This could have been simply a story of unrequited love, but it was so much more, with a colourful array of dangerous, vulnerable and naive characters, dark pasts and misleading promises for the future.
Bill’s gut feeling that Tony’s ultimatum isn’t as straightforward as it seems, and, as the reader, I was waiting to see how this would play out. The brutal way in which it unveils itself, and the apparent evidence portraying that the target is obviously not a concern is unexpected and shocking, leaving you wondering which way the Author will then take the character concerned and will Bill further seek revenge on his ex-boss.
When Tate takes Bill’s generosity as something more, although he in fact tasks Maria with the job he should be taking responsibility for himself, which frankly should have been Tate’s first sign that the situation wouldn’t play out as she had hoped, it was heart-breaking, as you know that this girl has developed deep feelings for an older, wealthy man for whom, although he has a fondness for her, he sees her as nothing more than being on the payroll. She loves him but he has his sights on another.
Paul’s scheme is a clever device to interject into the story as it brings about a potential alteration within the futures of any one of three characters and I did wonder which of them would be used by Bill to keep him on the right side of his ruthless employer. At first, I thought maybe Celia might be someone that Bill could talk into helping him, and I think for a while, Bill thought that too, until it becomes clear that Celia is not going to be easy to manipulate. When Paul calls Bill to the club, saying that he has found a stooge to do his dirty work and Bill enters Paul’s office to be confronted with someone who shocks him to his very core, I initially thought it might be his favourite call girl, but then you realise that she is familiar with the way in which Paul conducts himself and that she might be more aware of how to handle herself in that situation. The reveal provides a certainly unforeseen, gut wrenching plot twist.
The next very much, unanticipated turn of events has so many facets; the sudden and frightening change in Bill’s demeanour, Tate’s sudden change of mind after being so determined that she was prepared to put her life on the line; after seeing the photos and the realisation of Bill’s movements, at a time when she needed him most. I was personally surprised that, that was what persuaded her to get out of the world she had inhabited for so long, as there seemed to have been so many more persuasive indications within the previous events. 
Maria’s change of allegiance also took me aback a bit as I had thought she would have continued to support her irresponsible and reckless employer. However, I think the near fatal event at the villa all those months ago had been a turning point for Bill’s domestic and surrogate mother!
They say it is always the quiet ones you have to watch and the use of a side character to complete the final act of retribution towards his colleague and boss was such a smart move and comes out of nowhere. Tate and Celia’s conversation, once Tate realises Celia’s identity, leaves me with mixed feelings. But for the sake of one conversation, and had Bill not gone to the club, things may have turned out so differently. I wondered if Tate had a tinge of regret recalling the hastiness of her actions, but then I highly doubt she would have ever got her happy ever after in the way she so desperately craved.
A thrilling, titillating novel, that keeps you guessing and wanting to continue reading right until the end. Sarah’s descriptions of characters and places is so vivid, I had no problem playing the images in my head as I read. I will definitely be wanting to read the sequel very soon. 
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