Beneath the Water by Sarah Painter

Stella was born with a heart defect that was repaired at birth but caused her some serious issues as a young adult. A new valve gave her a new lease on life, but only partially so; she’s skimming through things, working as a temp, engaged to Ben, who is good but not perfect, as if in a reflection of her understanding of the shorter time she might have to live. When Ben dumps her (a typical start to any contemporary romance, sure) she heads off to coastal Scotland to visit her friends from Uni, Caitlin and Rob. They’re settled down and have a baby on the way, everything that Stella wants but has yet to achieve. Drawn in by the fresh air and beautiful scenery (and distance from her ex back in London) she tries to start over in the tiny village of Arisaig. The only one hiring is an eccentric best-selling novelist, Jamie Munro, who is far behind on his next deadline and needs a personal assistant. Romance blossoms (of course!) but so does a historical mystery and a revenge plot. There is a lot going on in this book! While it might be a hard read for some, since it is a little all over the place, I say just sit back and enjoy the ride. The characters are compelling, and while it could have used a little tightening up on the plot points towards the end (someone dies and yet there doesn’t seem to be any police involvement?) all in all it was a highly readable book. I enjoyed her last novel, In the Light of What We See, thought this one was even better, and will look forward to reading her next one.