Drowning

Johannesburg native de Jong (Stolen Lives) offers up a tantalizing romantic drama set in the South African bush. Photographer Erin Mitchell is driving over a bridge when a flood washes it away, leaving her near death and stranded. Rescued by the handsome, mysterious Nicholas de Lanoy, she’s forced to take refuge in his private estate while she recovers from her ordeal and waits for the bridge to be repaired so she can return to civilization. Though Erin is desperate to be reunited with Vince, her husband of a few months, she’s unable to resist Nicholas’s seductive charms, and their mutual attraction soon explodes into a passionate affair. The longer she spends away from Vince, the more Erin recognizes just how paranoid, abusive, and controlling her husband is. But she’s determined to remain true to her vows, even if it means giving up Nicholas, a better man in all ways. The sexual chemistry bursts from every page as the erotic nature of the story plays out, with de Jong’s characters coming to life both emotionally and sensually. Only Vince’s unredeemable, vile nature helps to redeem the stigma of adultery, which otherwise hinders the satisfying romance. [em](Oct.) [/em]