Every Deep Desire

Debut author Wray’s military romantic thriller attempts a creative deconstruction of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but the result is incongruous with the present-day setting. Rafe Montfort—code name Romeo—left his wife, Juliet Capel, when he deserted his Green Beret team to join a group of mercenaries. Eight years later, he’s given a mysterious assignment to find a 17th-century glass vial somewhere in Savannah, Ga., in less than a week’s time, with no information about where it might be or what it contains. All Rafe knows is that the vial was owned by an ancestor of Juliet’s, and if he doesn’t find it, Juliet’s life will be forfeited to an unnamed person whose motivations are unclear. Rafe’s return to Savannah and Juliet are as puzzling and heart-wrenching for her as his departure was. Wray challenges the reader to process private mercenary forces, legends of the Old South, a treasure hunt, and romance all in the same story, but the muddle of elements doesn’t provide either romance or suspense. Agent: Deidre Knight, Knight Agency. (Mar.)