What do you think?
Rate this book
The Open Water Swimmer
When children's mystery writer Dana Thomas has recurring nightmares about a swimmer drowning in a race, she aims to change his fate. Her plan to remain objective makes a serious splashdown when she meets her "mission," a towering blue-eyed man with the best cut set of pectorals she's ever seen. Going incognito as a feeding station volunteer for FINA World Cup series races, Dana travels to Greece, Portugal, Honduras, and Tunisia to try to protect him. When heat between the pair sizzles, Dana falls hopelessly in love with this man destined to die. Elite swimmer and former Navy fighter pilot Jeff Dickson keeps dreaming he's drowning. Recently dumped by his long-time girlfriend, who found him too competitive, Jeff believes his driven personality and international travel schedule can't mix with love. When Jeff meets Dana, he's instantly attracted to her voluptuous body and mysterious personality. When Jeff learns she's been stalking him for weeks at swimming races, he decides she must be psycho. A series of fateful events before the final race lead Dana to believe her nightmare is about to unfold. Anticipating a dive-in and rescue scenario, Dana is shocked to discover that's only the beginning. Can she change the fate of the man she loves and survive?
236 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2012
791 people want to read
About the author
Sabrina Devonshire
25 books192 followersSabrina Devonshire, an avid swimmer most of her life, can usually be found near or immersed in a body of water. If she's not seeking an endorphin rush in a pool, lake or ocean, she's usually writing or practicing yoga.
She received a John Woods Scholarship and an Arizona Commission of the Arts Professional Development Grant toward her participation in a 2007 Prague Summer Program writing workshop. She also studied writing in Arizona and northern California and has a M.S. degree from the University of Arizona.
Sabrina loves traveling to off-the-beaten-path places where outdoor adventure awaits. She especially enjoyed Peru, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Greece. Sabrina lives in southern Arizona with her husband. They are planning to live as expats somewhere south of the border and fun in the near future!
She received a John Woods Scholarship and an Arizona Commission of the Arts Professional Development Grant toward her participation in a 2007 Prague Summer Program writing workshop. She also studied writing in Arizona and northern California and has a M.S. degree from the University of Arizona.
Sabrina loves traveling to off-the-beaten-path places where outdoor adventure awaits. She especially enjoyed Peru, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Greece. Sabrina lives in southern Arizona with her husband. They are planning to live as expats somewhere south of the border and fun in the near future!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 23, 2016
"The Open Water Swimmer" by Sabrina Devonshire is another surprise hit by Sabrina Devonshire. A surprise because of the way the storyline develops.
Dana lives with a premonition about the death of a swimmer and determined to save his life she sets out to find him. To the dismay of her boyfriend she flies halfway across the continent to act on her impulse. Luckily for Dana and us readers the object of her premonition is a Greek God of a man and not impartial to her either.
But as the heat between them rises the plot thickens and continues towards a dramatic finale.
Well written with a very engaging narrative the story flows easily and makes for a very captivating reading experience. Devonshire knows how to give heat and chemistry to her partners, her descriptions of the landscapes and swimming are immaculate and flesh out the story nicely.
There is much more substance to the plot than I had anticipated and so the book left me quite impressed and breathless in the end.
For fans of romantic suspense and hot swimmers this is a must.
Dana lives with a premonition about the death of a swimmer and determined to save his life she sets out to find him. To the dismay of her boyfriend she flies halfway across the continent to act on her impulse. Luckily for Dana and us readers the object of her premonition is a Greek God of a man and not impartial to her either.
But as the heat between them rises the plot thickens and continues towards a dramatic finale.
Well written with a very engaging narrative the story flows easily and makes for a very captivating reading experience. Devonshire knows how to give heat and chemistry to her partners, her descriptions of the landscapes and swimming are immaculate and flesh out the story nicely.
There is much more substance to the plot than I had anticipated and so the book left me quite impressed and breathless in the end.
For fans of romantic suspense and hot swimmers this is a must.
November 23, 2012
Children’s author Dana Thomas has recurring nightmares about a man drowning. She doesn’t know who he is, only that she sees a Greek god perfect body laying at the bottom of a body of water.
Elite class swimmer Jeff Dickson, who gave up a career in the Navy as a fighter pilot to return his first love, swimming, also has a recurring dream of death by drowning. His death.
Dana takes the dreams as a calling to find and save this swimmer from his death. Always a free spirit, her current, routine bound, practical, never do anything on a whim, boyfriend deep-sixes their relationship when Dana sets off to find, and save this man who’s invaded her nighttime.
Jeff’s last relationship self-destructed when the woman got fed up with being second place to his global travel and brutal training and competition schedule.
…
This is the setup for The Open Water Swimmer by Sabrina Devonshire.
What follows is a wonderful, at times funny, story of Dana hunting down, finding and becoming a hovering guardian of Jeff, all while trying not to look, or sound, like a stalking psycho.
This is also the story of their budding relationship. Jeff’s finally met someone that “gets it”. Dana understands that he needs to do what he needs to do, which is be a professional, competitive swimmer, and everything that comes with it.
Mrs. Devonshire has put together a good story, both artistically and technically. Her love of swimming shows through with the level of detail she puts into the story.
I highly recommend putting this in your To Be Read stack.
Elite class swimmer Jeff Dickson, who gave up a career in the Navy as a fighter pilot to return his first love, swimming, also has a recurring dream of death by drowning. His death.
Dana takes the dreams as a calling to find and save this swimmer from his death. Always a free spirit, her current, routine bound, practical, never do anything on a whim, boyfriend deep-sixes their relationship when Dana sets off to find, and save this man who’s invaded her nighttime.
Jeff’s last relationship self-destructed when the woman got fed up with being second place to his global travel and brutal training and competition schedule.
…
This is the setup for The Open Water Swimmer by Sabrina Devonshire.
What follows is a wonderful, at times funny, story of Dana hunting down, finding and becoming a hovering guardian of Jeff, all while trying not to look, or sound, like a stalking psycho.
This is also the story of their budding relationship. Jeff’s finally met someone that “gets it”. Dana understands that he needs to do what he needs to do, which is be a professional, competitive swimmer, and everything that comes with it.
Mrs. Devonshire has put together a good story, both artistically and technically. Her love of swimming shows through with the level of detail she puts into the story.
I highly recommend putting this in your To Be Read stack.
October 18, 2012
Sabrina Devonshire's debut novel is pure gold. Well-developed characters with sophisticated dialogue set amidst a breath-taking, well-crafted locale, made Open Water Swimmer a pure pleasure to read. The powerful narrative made me feel as if I were walking right beside Jeff and Dana. Devonshire's obvious expert knowledge of open-water swimming, has me considering taking swimming lessons for the first time in my life...perhaps not from Takis or Adelina. Open Water Swimmer delivers not only a solid, realistic romance, but an education as well. From the beginning to the thrilling end, Devonshire delivered a fast-paced, fully engaging, vivid love story that will leave you wanting more from this author.
January 23, 2013
I read The Open Water Swimmer in less than twenty-four hours. It's a fine piece of storytelling, filled with romance and intrigue and some scenes that made me laugh. The central couple, Dana and Jeff, are richly drawn likeable characters, and the dialogue between is witty and realistic.
With a master's eye for description and expert knowledge of open water swimming, Sabrina Devonshire brings the book's exotic locations to life while offering us a detailed look at the complexities of competitive swimming, which I found fascinating.
I would recommend this refreshing book to all my friends, and I look forward to more stories from this talented author.
With a master's eye for description and expert knowledge of open water swimming, Sabrina Devonshire brings the book's exotic locations to life while offering us a detailed look at the complexities of competitive swimming, which I found fascinating.
I would recommend this refreshing book to all my friends, and I look forward to more stories from this talented author.
May 15, 2013
It was a very cute book! It was not what I expected in the plot. The twist in the story line was really kind of fun! it is defiantly a romance but it is not typical in the way that it is guy meets girl they fall in love and that is it. This couple does have actual fights and rough spots in their relationship, but love does end up winning in the end. Plus this story is every action packed with some twists that are very surprising. I loved it, Thank You Sabrina Devonshire for choosing me to read your book it was a good read!
December 23, 2016
Thank you for choosing me on the giveaway winning list. Sorry late on getting a review done on it. Won it Oct 10th 2015
The story was good. I liked the characters. The story had some twist I didn't see coming.
At the beginning the character bouncing from one to the other confused me at first. but the middle had me laughing and crying on things that happen in the book. Towards the end some of the things that happen seemed hard to believe. But think if was because of her dream that put me in a different mind set. So having something else happen kind of threw me a little. But all in all good story and probably look to reading other stories from Sabrina Devonshire.
The story was good. I liked the characters. The story had some twist I didn't see coming.
At the beginning the character bouncing from one to the other confused me at first. but the middle had me laughing and crying on things that happen in the book. Towards the end some of the things that happen seemed hard to believe. But think if was because of her dream that put me in a different mind set. So having something else happen kind of threw me a little. But all in all good story and probably look to reading other stories from Sabrina Devonshire.
October 27, 2013
First let me state that his is a Goodreads sweepstakes win. Let me also state that I am not much of a romance reader so in ways I am not sure if I am being fair to the author in regards to the number of stars I gave it because it is not my genre. That said, the novel is a very interesting story where I learned much about open water swimming. The author certainly made the sport seem exciting and it was great to read a book that taught you something in such a casual way.
The Bad-While I liked the characters of Dana and Jeff and the chemistry that erupted between them I found the premise that Dana would leave her boyfriend and travel around the world to save a man she barely knew unbelievable. She must have been making TONS of money as a children's author to be able to do so. I also found the dialogue somewhat stiff and lacking at times.
The Good-The author certainly knows how to keep a book moving along and is very good at developing a plot. She knows how to change up the tempo well too. Her characters are interesting and engaging. It would appear that she researched her subject well. In addition, she has a great cover that draws the reader to it. If this writer gets her dialogue flowing a little freer then I am sure her next book will a winner. I will be looking forward to hearing from this author again...she knows how to tell a story.
October 24, 2012
Children's book author, Dana, has been plagued with nightmares of a mysterious, yet mesmerizing swimmer drowning night after night. Her dreams compel her to travel to Long Beach, for the USA Swimming 10K Open Water National Championships. There, she comes face to face with her dream man, Jeff Dickson. Travelling incognito, she follows the circuit Jeff takes through various exotic locations, posing as a volunteer.
Jeff Dickson, former Navy fighter pilot and champion open water swimmer, pushes himself to excel. His training regimen is ruthless, his control over both body and mind unbreakable...well it would be if it weren't for the reoccurring dream of drowning haunting his nights.
Tensions run high between the pair, as their undeniable attraction wars with the ever growing sense of unease produced by the dreams.
Twists and turns abound in a story that will keep any sports enthusiast on the edge of their seat right to the explosive ending.
Sabrina Devonshire leaves a lasting impression with this unique, athletically driven romance
Jeff Dickson, former Navy fighter pilot and champion open water swimmer, pushes himself to excel. His training regimen is ruthless, his control over both body and mind unbreakable...well it would be if it weren't for the reoccurring dream of drowning haunting his nights.
Tensions run high between the pair, as their undeniable attraction wars with the ever growing sense of unease produced by the dreams.
Twists and turns abound in a story that will keep any sports enthusiast on the edge of their seat right to the explosive ending.
Sabrina Devonshire leaves a lasting impression with this unique, athletically driven romance
November 2, 2012
The Open Water Swimmer is a unique story filled with exotic locations, quirky characters and steamy sex scenes. After Dana is traumatized by a nightmare that Jeff, a competitive swimmer, will drown, she goes to great lengths to save his life. Unable to tell him about the nightmare, Dana in thrown into hilarious situations, and her strange behavior convinces Jeff that the woman he’s falling for has a screw loose.
July 17, 2013
Just finished reading my goodreads win The Open Water Swimmer. It was a nice easy read but I feel like the terrorist plot at the end came from nowhere. Otherwise it was a good read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews