Underwhelming. I didn’t connect to the characters or the plot lines. Overall it felt forced and dramatic.

Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor has well-written characters, an original twist on a story, and a perfect setting--the gulf and beaches in and around Sarasota, FL. Taylor takes the plot of a family-owned resort and wraps it around the lives of Dr. Maeve Donnelly, a 30 year-old shark research scientist; her twin brother, Robin, an aspiring novelist who manages their grandmother's resort; Daniel, Maeve's first love who she left for a shark expedition; and Daniel's daughter, Hazel, a precocious six-year-old. Taylor combines these elements, that may seem typical in a cozy romance, and mixes them into a great original story. Highly recommended for summer and weekend reading--especially for readers who want to escape to southwest Florida.

I recommend this book on my blog Modern Mrs Darcy, in a blog post called "17 books everyone will be talking about this summer"

Ann Kidd Taylor has a written a fascinating romance combined with just the right touch of science. In this instance, Maeve Donnelly isn't afraid of much, especially if it comes in the shape of a shark in the open ocean. Her fascination with sharks began after she was bitten by one as a child. When it comes to love, though, she's been hurt, and it's not something she's ready to repeat. The author presents an admirable set of characters, and readers will find themselves cheering for them to find happiness and fulfillment whether on land or sea.

A wonderful reminiscent story of love found again after years.
Although not quite the ending I expected, I thoroughly enjoyed
the character development and felt as if I truly were on the same
emotional ride.

Part mystery, part romance, that reads very true to life. The character of Maeve could be your best friend or she could be you. A solid outing from Ann Kidd Taylor.

Maeve has been infatuated with sharks most of her life, ever since she almost lost her leg to one when she was 11 years old. Now, at 30, she swims with them, studies them, and fights to save them by educating others to their magnificence. Living in the shark world, gliding through the ocean, is the one place Maeve feels most comfortable, most like her true self. It is difficult for others to understand, especially her twin brother who resents that she puts herself in danger for predators and a fiance whose own traumatic childhood leaves him with a driving need to be the most important aspect of her life. Torn between her other half, her first love, an adorable little girl who idolizes her, and a new friend weaving himself into her heart, Maeve must decide if she wants to stand on the safeness of the sandy shore for the rest of her life or to dive into the undiscovered and unpredictable sea of the future.

Review: I was beyond excited to receive an e-ARC through NetGalley, especially having read an early excerpt via First to Read. Taylor did not disappoint - I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! As a lover of sharks for many years now, I can wholeheartedly relate to Maeve's fascination with them as well as the confusion and dismissal of others' when trying to share this interest. Sharks are one of the most feared yet misunderstood creatures on our planet and Taylor captures this notion, along with their beauty and importance, perfectly. The subplot focused on illegal shark-finning broke my heart, bombarding me at times like the SPCA commercials that leave me in tears. The love triangle weaved throughout the story, complete with a precocious little girl who pushes her way into Maeve's heart like a bull shark, left me rooting for both men trying to earn Maeve's love. My only caveat is that the background of Maeve and Daniel's relationship was described in much detail and so often that it was unnerving that there was no real conversation between them regarding how their relationship ended when they were younger. Despite this, I wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone who loves sharks, who loves a good love story, or both. Recommended for: Adults, public libraries.

There's no doubt that Ann Kidd Taylor can write. Her story flows smoothly, but regrettably the story is rather formulaic. There's little doubt what will happen, little suspense about the finning, and no doubt at all about which of the two men she will choose. What doesn't ring true is the way in which young Hazel handles the news that Maeve isn't going to be her new mother and the lack of consideration that perhaps neither of the two men in question is the right choice for her. While Taylor tries to emphasize the importance of Maeve's work to her, she never fully develops Maeve as a character who could make the choice to continue to focus on her work while taking a pass on both the men in her life at the current time. I learned quite a bit about sharks, but if there is an underlying message in this book, it eludes me. Taylor has a lot of potential and I look forward to her next book being a more serious and thoughtful entry.

I did not finish this book. I found it underwhelming and lacking.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Four and a half stars.

I had previously read Ann Kidd Taylor's memoir, Traveling with Pomegranates, written jointly with her mother, Sue Monk Kidd, and was eager to read her debut fiction book. The book description for The Shark Club will unfortunately leave some readers leary - a shark bite, a romance, a character writing a novel - it seems to have all the trappings of a book that is contrived and trite. However, this novel was meticulously researched and is full of the idiosyncratic details that make a story come to life. Taylor seamlessly weaves in fascinating details about sharks and marine life which help to bring her marine biologist protagonist, Maeve, to life. It is also clear that Taylor spent time on the Florida coast and was inspired by the environs. All of the characters have complete lives (a grandmother who owns a charming book-inspired hotel, for example) and interesting quirks that make this book a joy to read. Moreover, the book is not solely focused on romance or the love triangle; the synopsis fails to mention Maeve's quest to discover who is cruelly finning her beloved sharks for profit. All of these qualities combine to create a charming and enjoyable novel that should not be overlooked, and leave me excited to read more books by Taylor in the future.