Beth O'Leary (The Flatshare; The Switch) returns with Swept Away, a romance with an uncommonly captivating premise. Thirty-one-year-old Lexi, displaced by the new boyfriend of her flatmate, Penny, just moved out to stay on Penny's family's houseboat. Lexi is covering for a bartender friend at a seafront pub, and she impulsively invites a handsome young customer named Zeke back to the boat with her. Meanwhile 23-year-old Zeke, who just bought back his late father's houseboat from a woman named Penelope, can't resist taking the beautiful bartender home with him.
When dawn breaks, they realize that (a) they're locked in a tug-of-war over the same houseboat; (b) although they both agreed up front that they would just have a one-night stand, the boat slipped its moorings during the night; and (c) they are now way, way out to sea.
Cut off from civilization, Lexi and Zeke are thrust into intimacy of a different kind. They find themselves growing incredibly close as they navigate storms, injuries, and the lack of fresh water. But it's what they must endure back on land once they're finally rescued that will truly test their budding relationship. Was their connection merely the product of their peril, or could it be the start of something permanent?
Witty and reflective, Swept Away invites readers to ponder how they would fare on an adventure such as Lexi and Zeke's. Perfect for armchair adventurers and romance aficionados, Swept Away is an irresistible, wave-tossed escapade. --Jessica Howard, former bookseller, freelance book reviewer