To outside eyes, the Bigelow family of Lakeview Terrace seem to be the perfect family. Graham Bigelow is a handsome, esteemed surgeon and his wife Eliza is a well-groomed, upstanding member of committees and the PTA. They even have two lovely children - a son called Zane, and his younger sister Britt. They are pillars of the community. The perfect family, in the perfect home...
But appearances can be deceptive. Graham rules his family with a rod of iron...and his fists. His cold, dysfunctional wife is his usual target, but perversely she enjoys the abuse and is even excited by it. Graham and Eliza are bound together in some twisted facsimile of a marriage and their children are simply accessories.
The children have learned to try not to antagonise Graham, but his temper will not be contained, and as the years go by Zane becomes more of a target of his father's abuse - so far Britt has mostly escaped his attention, but how long with this last? It is clear that Graham and Eliza have no love for their children.
No one must know what really happens behind the doors of the beautiful house in Lakeview Terrace - but who would believe it anyway? Even their own grandparents and aunt do not know what goes on in this house.
Zane vows that he and Britt will escape this nightmare one day. For now, he must bide his time, get stronger, protect his sister and make a record of the truth in his diaries.
One fateful day, Zane can take no more when Graham's temper is again beyond control - this time he must take on his father to protect Britt from more than the usual slaps that head in her direction. The violence spirals out of control and Zane and Britt are forced to escape - with the help of their aunt Emily, who saves them, takes them in as her own and helps them to heal.
Years later, Zane is now a lawyer and has returned home to Lakeview to settle down. Britt has remained in their home town and works as a counsellor helping abused women and children. Their beloved aunt is the mainstay of the loving family which surrounds them. But can they ever truly escape the under currents of the past?
Zane is looking forward to a quiet time now he has returned to Lakeview. However, his peace is disturbed by the new landscape gardener in town - one Darby McCray. Darby has under currents in her own past, that she is trying to escape. She hopes that setting up her new business in Lakeview will help her recover from her own experiences. She certainly didn't reckon on meeting Zane, but meeting each other is just what they need.
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You can't go wrong with a Nora Roberts. She generally writes romances, but I prefer her romance/thriller books, as they offer the perfect mix of an exciting story, with some lovey-dovey thrown in - easy reads with great characters, a story you can get your teeth into and a happy ending. They always offer a selection of good upstanding people who are happy to fight for what's right against the total scoundrels trying to have their way! I love them!
This latest offering, actually is pretty complex for a Nora Roberts thriller/romance, as there is more than one thread associated with domestic violence in this book. I originally though that Zane and Britt's childhood would be the main story-line here, but there are two other threads that contribute nicely to the overall story - the one associated with Darby's past, and one connected to another couple in Lakeview - these all rounded out the book nicely.
I have read a few Nora Roberts' books over the years, and thoroughly enjoyed them all and Under Currents is another winner. I polished it off in two days and then immediately bought a few more to store on my Kindle, so I always have one waiting!
If you are looking to give Nora Roberts a go, then Under Currents is a great place to start, and it will give you a good taste of what to expect from her writing. Some of my other favourites by Nora Roberts are Come Sundown, The Obsession, Black Hills and Chasing Fire, so I recommend that you check these out too.
I think I should also mention that Nora Roberts has recently had a foray into the apocalypse genre too, with her Chronicles of the One series. I have read books one and two of these - Year One and Of Blood And Bone - and they are pretty good (especially book one). Book three - The Rise Of Magicks is out in November and I am looking forward to seeing how the series ends.
Incidentally, she has also written books under a couple of other names (in fact her real name is Eleanor Marie Robertson), but her most famous other series is the In Death books, which she writes as J.D. Robb. These are dystopian style crime thrillers and I keep meaning to read them, as they sound just my thing, but alas, I have not got around to them...yet.
I loved this book and can assure you that you definitely need a bit of Nora Roberts in your reading life. Go on....give it a try!
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