Afloat by Erin Healy

Who will you trust when dark waters rise?

Eagle’s Talon is an architectural marvel—shining residential units afloat in a protected cove of the gorgeous Rondeau River. The project is nearly complete, partially occupied, and ready to make investors rich when a sinkhole gives way. Then torrential rains and a flood leave a ragged collection of builders, investors, and residents stranded in one floating building, cut off from the rest of the world.

They’re bitterly divided over what to do next.

Architect Vance Nolan insists they should sit tight and wait for rescue. Developer Tony Dean wants to strike out into the darkness. And single mom Danielle Clement, desperate to protect her young son, Simeon, struggles to hold their motley band together.

Power failure, a pall of unnatural daytime darkness, explosions in the distance, then a murder ratchet tensions to a boiling point. But Danielle’s young son, Simeon, has spotted something strange underwater—beautiful, shifting lights in the dark water below.

In this watery world where everyone's secrets will eventually come to light, salvation may mean more than just getting out alive.

Afloat by Erin Healy was an exciting and thought provoking novel that I enjoyed immensely. The plot line was interesting and moved at a fast but smooth pace. The story was intriguing and filled with mystery, romance, danger, and the battle between evil and good. The storyline was filled with unexpected twists and turns that left me with no idea what was going to happen next. The story was told from several different characters' view points, which allowed the reader to have an idea of what different characters were thinking and how they viewed certain events. The plot also included flashbacks to a defining moment in Vance's life and allowed the reader to see how God redeemed even the darkest events when Vance turned to the Lord. As a distinct contrast to this redemption, one of the other characters allowed one mistake to draw him into darkness, despair and finally murder, instead of turning to God for forgiveness and mercy.

The characters of Afloat were realistic and well developed. I enjoyed seeing the characters, especially Danielle and Vance, grow and learn from their mistakes and surroundings as they were trapped and as tensions grew stronger. Vance was a very complex character who not only grew throughout the course of the novel but the reader also was allowed to see his growth as he relived his past mistakes and tragedies. The final culmination of these past events was very heartwarming to see. I also enjoyed the spiritual elements of the novel and experiencing the hidden spiritual battle that was also occurring.

Overall, I really enjoyed Erin Healy's Afloat, and I would highly recommend any of her novels to a reader looking for a powerful, interesting, and spiritually focused novel.

I received this novel for free from Thomas Nelson Books and Booksneeze.com in exchange for an honest review.