At The Deep End

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

At The Deep End

By Deja Elise

There are those times when one’s life is at a crossroads, where something that’s been comfortable for so long is simply not working. There comes a time when carpe diem is appropriate. Sometimes, what we want shows up in a different package than we expect. Such is the case with my next review for Pride Month, Deja Elise’s novel

At the Deep End.

30- year-old Abrianna (Bri) Davis is a high-powered attorney from Chicago. A hopeless romantic, Bri wants the total package of marriage and children. Having been strung along by her boyfriend Quinton for years with no hope of a marriage proposal in sight, she breaks up with him. With her married BFFs/law school alums Charisse, Kayla, and Sunny, they take off for a winter holiday in Miami. With sisterhood support, Bri is healing and ready to have a good time on the shores on Miami Beach.

While relaxing by the pool of their vacation condo, she meets 32-year-old Dorothy Divine (DeeDee) Renier, a WNBA player for the Los Angeles Sharks who has been sidelined with a knee injury and weighing her options as an entrepreneur. In addition to her bodily injury, DeeDee has suffered a breakup with her ex-girlfriend Tori.

Their chemistry is explosive, and for the bi-curious Bri, chemistry morphs into an intense, passionate, steamy affair within 48 hours. DeeDee makes her feel alive in a way she hasn’t felt in a long time, and Bri has fallen hard and fast. But Quinton wants to reel Bri back into the same-old-same-old holding pattern. DeeDee needs closure from her ex, and she has a secret from her past. And then there’s that pesky issue of the long distance between Miami and Chicago…

This is the first installment in Elise’s At the Deep End series, and she grabs the reader right out of the starting blocks. While dealing with exes gives the story some angst, it’s moderated by a healthy dose of humor and camaraderie, especially between Bri and her BFFs. Overall, they

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MICK take Bri’s awakening in stride, and welcome DeeDee into the fold.

I appreciated Bri for recognizing when it was time to cut her losses and move on; like that saying goes, “What one man won’t do, another man will.” Of course, in this case it was another woman, and I look forward to reading more of Bri and DeeDee’s budding relationship.

At The Deep End is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Thank you, Deja, for bringing a fun read and more Black Love to Pride Month. Hat tip to sisterhood and carpe diem!

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