Review: Catch and Release by Isabel Murray
SYNOPSIS:
Joe McKenzie’s high-flying London life imploded six years ago, and it happened dramatically enough that paramedics were involved. That’s all in the past. Now, Joe couldn’t be happier living a solitary life as a fisherman on England’s wild northern coast.
Okay, he could be happier.
It’s not like he’s depressed or anything but, you know. The weather’s not great. Life’s a bit samey. He’s only thirty-eight. The idea of another forty years is a bit exhausting, to be honest. He passes the time pretending to be a fisherman but the truth is, he sucks at it.
Then Joe makes the catch of a lifetime when he stumbles across the mysterious Dave washed up on the beach—an enormous man with gills and uncanny power over the sea. Once Dave stops trying to kidnap Joe and/or kill Joe’s fishing buddy, Jerry, turns out he’s kind of…intriguing?
And not half as smooth as he seems to think he is.
There’s a lot Joe doesn’t know about Dave. He doesn’t know why Dave keeps disappearing or why he can’t seem to stay away. He doesn’t know what Dave wants from him. He doesn’t even know what, exactly, Dave is. And Joe can’t ask, because they don’t speak the same language.
Joe does know one thing, though. He is in love.
Which, great. How’s that going to end well?
REVIEW:
I went into this story with a heavy dose of trepidation, I mean the main characters don’t even speak the same language so needless to say, I was a little weary. But this book turned out to be the exact palette cleansing, fluffy, silly story I needed. It was so chaotic and cute that it just worked and I found myself falling for Joe and Dave.
This story was completely unique and like a breath of fresh air. I loved the paranormal aspects and how Isabel gave us just enough details to carry the plot but didn’t go in depth into the history and background of Dave. It was the perfect amount to keep me immersed in this unique world; and while I had questions, my questions just had me excited to turn the page to see what would happen next.
I adored the rag-tag team of Jerry and Joe, they played off of each other so well and took the anomaly of Dave all in stride. Even if Jerry frequently gave me some serious bi-curious vibes. Joe was just a playful, sweet and sexy man. While there is definitely an attraction between him and Dave, I like how they bonded and formed a deeper connection. Was it quirky and ridiculous? Absolutely but it definitely gave a depth and heart to their relationship.
It’s not a story that will stick with me or weigh heavily on my mind, but it did the job of getting me out my book funk. I would even say that I might check out Isabel’s other works. The story just had a unique narrative and it was the perfect balance of sweet and sizzling, with a dash of humor.
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