Thank you in advance to the author, Sara Davison, and JustRead Publicity Tours for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required, all words are my own.

Davison is a “new-to-me” author.

I was curious about the title “Lost Down Deep”, which still didn’t make any sense to me as I read this. And, looking at the cover had me wondering “why is this lady wearing that dress in the snow?”

This is definitely different than the other Mosaic Collection books. This is a suspense story, and it starts right off with the proverbial “bang” (well, more like thud down the stairs). It doesn’t stop. It is definitely suspenseful all the way up until almost the end. Davison truly kept this interesting with stalking, suspense, and slight romance.

This might have certain “content” or “trigger” warnings:

** Alcoholism
** Drug Abuse (past)

What helps this story is the author’s use of short chapters making it a relatively quick read. It has 57 chapters.

Since this is part of The Mosaic Collection, there will be a strong theme of faith. This is quite central to the story given Summer’s experiences as well as Nancy, the woman she stays with in the small town of Elora. Summer has no recollection of the last few years of her life due to being attacked. Still, she feels unsafe and leaves her home.

She also doesn’t have a good relationship with her parents who insist on watching her. She is also, for some reason, mistrustful of them.

After the attack, Summer tries to lay low in the small town of Elora. What she doesn’t know is that two men are “stalking” her. Diáz and Jude. And, neither one seems too trustworthy as the story begins.

It is through Jude, albeit she doesn’t know it, that Summer meets Nancy who happens to have a room for rent. Summer is using an alias (Ana Santos) and Jude is using one too (Ryan Taylor).

Despite how Nancy comes to meet Summer, she soon becomes a mentor and friend to her. Nancy was one of my favorite characters next to Daphne. I really loved the supporting characters a bit more than Summer or Jude. That’s not to say I didn’t like them – just not as much.

Daphne is the one who hires Summer at the bakery, and I loved their friendship as well. I would’ve loved to have seen more of it outside the bakery though.

Of all the towns for Summer to pick, she happens to pick the one town that harbors bad memories for Ryan and it is because of Summer’s plight that he is forced to confront what has happened. He also feels it is time to reconcile with his family – brother, sister, and mother over an accident he blames himself for. His brother points out something that we often forget – if God forgives us, and we don’t; is our court higher than his?

The writing was fluid, and kept the pace at an even level – not too much action, not too little; it doesn’t linger in any moment. The romance between Jude and Summer, or rather the “rekindling” given her memory loss, is sweet and beautiful. And, it gives the reader an insight as to Jude’s motive for what he is doing.

Equal attention is given to both the suspense and romance. The writer doesn’t disclose major plot points right away.

The only problem I had was the conversations in Spanish. One character would think (thus tell the reader) slightly what the person was asking; or answer in a way that gave hints to the reader; it was hard to figure it out though. This starts around chapter 10 and continues throughout.

It is in chapter 25 that we finally figure out who Jude really is and it was something I didn’t even expect; so that was about halfway. When we find out who Summer is in chapter 52, it comes as quite the shock since that is almost near the end of the story. There are no warnings or indications as to who she was or what she did for a living. That was definitely a surprise. As there wasn’t enough time to explore that particular plot line, I am still uncertain how I feel about it, whether it was realistic or not given her relationship with her parents.

As to why Summer was attacked, it leads back to her family. The plot was a solid idea and unique. However, it fell short in places with the delivery. And, we find out why Diáz is stalking her as well. That leads the reader to assume who his “boss” was. The story is left “open ended” as to what will happen with Summer’s parents. While this is the first of a trilogy, I am hoping those issues get resolved with the remaining stories.

While I truly enjoyed this story, the Spanish was distracting for me as I felt lost in reading these interactions since I didn’t understand it. Those parts I skipped over, skipping over it didn’t detract too much from the story.

This had a STRONG message of faith, forgiveness, trust, reconciliation, and repentance.

This takes place in Canada so there might be some spelling and grammatical issues that U.S. readers could have problems with.

I’d recommend this to people who enjoy a story with bilingual characters and/or fans of the author. ( )

From the first page, Sara Davison draws readers into Lost Down Deep and leaves plenty of questions that need answers. An attach, amnesia, a woman on the run, and the questionable men who follow her.

There is an excellent balance of action, tension, romance, and lighter moments throughout this story. As Summer struggles to regain her memory, she ends up in a little town that enraptures her. Nancy and Daphne become her family (and both ladies are wonderful secondary characters).

It took me a little while to figure out what Ryan’s deal was, but it did not take long to grow on me. Especially once his story comes to light. The complete opposite was true of who was, in part, responsible for everything happening to Summer.

This is book one in The Rose Tattoo trilogy, and I’m hoping to reconnect with some (or most) of these characters again in the next two books.

Disclosure statement: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own. ( )

If you're looking for a good mystery with a hint of suspense, a dash of sweetness, and whole lot of charm, then you've come to the right book. Lost Down Deep immediately plunges you into a mystery, and keeps you guessing until the very end. With a picturesque small town as the backdrop, and charming characters to boot, this novel was quite a sweet read!

As with the other volumes in The Mosaic Collection, faith is a thread that is woven throughout the story, a graceful note that that is not pushy or overpowering, but more of a whisper of grace and forgiveness.

My heart went out to Summer and the unique situation that she finds herself in, but Daphne, the happy-go-lucky bakery owner is the player that stole the show for me. I enjoyed the bright energy that she brought to the story, and would love to see more of her and her delicious baker husband in future novels.

Though not a quick read, Lost Down Deep kept my interest, was well written with wonderful characters, and told a delicate story of family, forgiveness, and truth. ( )

This story is packed with drama and intrigue and there are several characters who aren't who they seem to be. Lost Down Deep begins with a horrific attack on Summer Velasquez that leaves her unable to remember her attacker and the last seven years of her life. What she does remember is that she's never felt deep parental love and even now, after coming out of a coma, she believes that her parents are keeping something from her. Her flight to another town and a new identity offer her the chance to finally experience friendship and maternal love from her landlord Nancy , a return to faith, and the attention of several men. Summer feels a special connection to Ryan Taylor but is his interest in her a recent occurrence or does he already know her? How does Jude McCall fit into the equation? Who is the other man who seems to be paying a lot of attention to the new waitress at the Heaven Cafe? Who can Summer truly trust?

Author Sara Davison kept me in suspense for a long time and it wasn't until several chapters into the story that I understood the significance of the title and the cover. I was also very surprised to learn the true reason for Summer's initial attack and the danger that she was still in. As the lies and deceit are uncovered, it becomes obvious that this story has many layers and that trust has certainly been lost!

Amnesia, drug abuse, deep guilt, and alcoholism all play a role in Lost Down Deep but I love that Davison chooses to focus on hope, faith, and forgiveness. This is the first book of The Rose Tattoo Trilogy and I look forward to reading what Davison has in store. I heartily recommend Lost Down Deep to all who enjoy romantic suspense and Christian fiction.

I received an e-copy of this book from the author but there was no obligation for a favorable review. These are my own thoughts. ( )