“A quintessential summer read.” —Marie Claire A warm and wonderfully vivid novel about taking second chances—in life and in the sea One summer day on the beach in Florida, two extraordinary things happen to Maeve Donnelly. First, she is kissed by Daniel, the boy of her dreams. Then, she is bitten by a blacktip shark. Eighteen years later, Maeve has thrown herself into her work as a … later, Maeve has thrown herself into her work as a world-traveling marine biologist discovering more about the minds of misunderstood sharks. But when Maeve returns home to the legendarily charming and eccentric Hotel of the Muses where she was raised by her grandmother, she finds more than just the blood orange sunsets and key lime pies she’s missed waiting for her.
While Maeve has always been fearless in the water, on land she is indecisive. A chance meeting on the beach with a plucky, irresistible little girl who is just as fascinated by the ocean as Maeve was growing up leaves her at a crossroads: Should she re-kindle her romance with Daniel, the first love she left behind when she dove into her work? Or indulge in a new romance with her colleague, Nicholas, who turns up in her hometown to investigate an illegal shark-finning operation?
Set against the intoxicating backdrop of palm trees, calypso bands, and perfect ocean views, The Shark Club is a story of the mysterious passions of one woman’s life: her first love and new love; the sea and sharks that inhabit it.
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A nice, relatively light summer read. Maeve, Perri and Hazel were all great characters – funny, independent, and full of personality. I found all of the shark and ocean details interesting, as I never knew much about either.
It was refreshing to read a romance plot that was more realistic – Maeve actually had logic and backbone! I’m glad she didn’t give up what made her happy, and recognized that *SPOILER* what she and Daniel had was more wishful thinking than reality.
The illegal finning mystery seemed a bit like an afterthought, as if the author didn’t think there was enough “going on” in the book so she added something. It wasn’t really necessary, and it was wrapped up a bit too quickly and neatly.
You will not be able to read this book without falling in love with Maeve and her love of sharks. The love story begins the day when young Maeve and Daniel are swimming and a shark decides to bite Maeve. Maeve and her twin brother grow up in their grandmother’s hotel on the water and through the years Maeve falls deeper in love with sharks and also Daniel until he decides to betray her. Years later, Maeve returns to her childhood home after meeting a fellow researcher in Bimini that she hopes may be the one who will enable her to move forward and love someone else and then she is face-to-face with Daniel and his child from the affair that dissolved their engagement. The story of shark-finning and how this practice kills the sharks is a somber addition that will have you rooting for Maeve to save them from this horrific death. A wonderful story of young and old love and the special relationship humans have with the sea and those that make its depth home.
The Shark Club has romance, heartbreak, family drama, grief/loss, Florida love, a mild mystery, and it brings attention to the barbaric practice of shark finning. This book will make you want to find your way to the ocean and dive in. It will make you want to have saltwater in your hair, the sun on your skin, and freckles on your nose. It’ll make you want to advocate for animals that cannot advocate for themselves…yes, even leg-biting sharks. And it will make you want to find your mini-me and encourage the heck out of her (or him) to follow their heart and reach for the stars. The Shark Club was a wonderful debut. Check it out
My favorite quote:
“Whatever makes you feel alive, you ought to pay attention to it. If it makes you happy, it’s worth following.”
This was not just a good summer read. It also opens the reader’s eyes to the illegal practice of shark finning and other issues the oceans’ inhabitants face. I highly recommend!
My favorite part of this book was the nerdy wildlife facts intertwined in a romance. It also had a satisfying ending.
I don’t know that I have words for how much I love The Shark Club. I absolutely loved it from the first page to the last and every page in between.
I quickly fell in love with Hazel, admired Maeve’s drive and compulsion to work with sharks, thought Perri was just the best ever and loved to hate Robin. Maybe he was meant to be a wishy-washy kind of guy, but I really didn’t like him, but even then, I wanted to know what would happen with him. The men ~ Daniel and Nicholas ~ oh gosh, so many mixed feelings and so much anguish over them and their roles in this story.
This book really has it all. There is sibling angst, male-female relationship issues, moral issues and so very much more. Loggerhead turtles, sharks, dolphins, crabs and so much beachy stuff that I wanted to go live there. It was obvious that a lot of research went into this story. The details about marine life and sharks are just so real. I love when an author does a lot of research and it shines through in their writing. I actually learned a lot about sharks in this story.
If you like any of the things I’ve said above, read this book. You should read this book. I don’t believe I’ve read other books by this author, but I will be remedying that immediately.