Her husband was the reigning Triton of Atlantis, Bastiaan Augustin, a son of Zeus. For six long years he'd mourned the death of his Queen-wife who disappeared without a trace of evidence or any explanation. His first reaction at finding she lived on land was confusion and anger. Why had she left him without even saying goodbye? Why did she let him and every other ocean creature large and small mourn her death for six long years without at least letting them know she was well, even if she did not wish to return to him?

By enlisting the aid of the marine biologist whose grandfather had also served Atlantis, he discovered that his wife's naked body was pulled from the water by well meaning fishermen. Her only memory was of strong, dark hands that caressed her lovingly and made her feel safe and cherished. She assumed these hands must belong to her husband, because she was wearing a wedding band, and that he must have been killed in the same accident she had survived because he'd never come to claim her even after the intense publicity her rescue had garnered.

She wore several hundred thousand dollars in rare exotic jewelry when she was rescued. That drew a lot of attention. She wore a locket with the name Madeline engraved upon it so she took that as her name. She used the jewelry as a stake to build a life for herself. She opened an art gallery called FATHOMS BELOW. She instinctively knew exactly what each customer wanted. She didn't know how she was able to do it, but it made her gallery very successful.

FATHOMS BELOW is a wonderfully imaginative story with a well developed world peopled with characters who will steal your heart. You'll be rooting for Madeline and Bastiaan to rediscover a relationship as amazing as the one they'd shared before she lost her memories. You'll be turning your air conditioning to the coldest setting while you read about their progress. You'll be aching to help Bastiaan solve the riddle of this heinous crime. You won't put this book down until you've come to the end. Even then, thoughts of it will linger the way only a story written by the extraordinary Ms. Lee can do.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Karen H.
January 19, 2006