PUBLICATION DAY: September 5, 2023

The Kingsley’s have all been invited on a family vacation on the patriarch’s new yacht. An overnight trip to the Catalina Islands - what could go wrong? In a family filled with jealousy, insecurity, and intense competition - well that just about anything can. And when the unpredictable sister unexpectedly joins in the fun, and a storm begins to brew - it’s not just nature who is preparing to unleash their fury.

PROS and CONS:
Family dynamics are key in this fast paced book! And toxic ones only are allowed onboard this yacht. This book was quite repetitive, with characters repeating their motivations quite regularly. But there were bombs to be dropped and lives to be ruined, so it was entertaining to say the least!

READ IT?
If you’re looking for…a super easy read with drama aplenty - then this one’s for you!

3 Stars

Unless she writes dystopian, science fiction, or fairy tales, I will always read Kaira Rouda‘s books. I have read almost all of them and she’s an automatic, must-read author. When I saw the cover, I didn’t even need to know what this book was about. I just wanted to read it. And I was not disappointed! Beneath the Surface is about a billionaire who invites his sons and their wives to Catalina Island. They are all dying to know who he will make the next CEO of his business and it’s just as cut-throat and nasty as you’d expect.



Synopsis:

An invitation to Catalina Island from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. For his sons, Ted and John, and their wives, it’s an opportunity to curry favor, gain control of a real estate empire, and secure their family’s futures. For the controlling patriarch, succession is a contest. He and his newest wife won’t make it an easy win.

Then Richard’s estranged live-wire daughter, Sibley, crashes the party. She’s the least of the night’s surprises. As the stakes for the inheritance of the Kingsley legacy are raised, the beautiful waters of the Pacific look more like a menacing illusion.

Let the games begin for a family who has everything money can buy, and has used lies, deception, and more to keep it. This weekend one of them will be crowned heir. One is in line to lose everything. That’s the plan. But in the coming storm, so much can go dangerously wrong.

SO GOOD.



This book will be out on September 5, don’t miss it!

This book is essentially a book about a horrible family who do awful things (to each other and others). It's fast-paced, which I always like, but a few things irritated me such as inaccuracies and inconsistencies. ("Reverse split sharing" doesn't make the shares of a company worthless. And at the beginning one of the characters says they're working on their MBA and will graduate in 6 months, and then near the end she says she's "graduating next month", as an example of each.) The characters are also supposedly on this mega-yacht, and I don't think yachts that big would be affected by ocean waves as badly as it supposedly was in the story.

It was also sort of weird that the sons called their dad by his first name when talking about him, but then called him "Dad" to his face. It got pretty repetitive with the characters repeating the same things over and over. I was thinking "We KNOW! We GET IT ALREADY!" but that might just be building the characters' whiny and entitled personalities.

This book needs a bit more research put into it, but willing to put those things aside it was a good read.

Beneath the Surface is an American family drama featuring the most hideous cast of characters I’ve encountered in a long time. I requested this because I really enjoyed Best Day Ever by this author, and while it seems she usually writes domestic suspense thrillers, which I’ve gone right off, the blurb suggested a change in genre, and I liked the sound of a mystery set on a yacht. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it - the only mystery was which one of these revolting people would meet a sticky end, how and why, but by the time this was revealed, I really didn’t care.

Three Kingsley heirs are summoned to their ghastly domineering father’s new luxury superyacht for an overnight trip to Catalina island, each hoping to be announced as his successor at the family company. They and their partners can’t stand each other, or the billionaire’s much younger new wife, but each of them has their own agenda - and one is prepared to kill to get what they want.

This is narrated in clunky first person present from four different perspectives - Paige the neurotic wife of Ted, the charming younger son, Richard the controlling patriarch, Serena his calculating spouse, John the bitter eldest son, and eventually Sibley, the wild-child younger daughter. They’re all obsessed with status and their wealthy-folk problems - principally not having enough money to lord it over everyone else, and they wonder why no one loves them. While I don’t need to like characters to enjoy a book, they do need to have something to make them interesting, but this bunch don’t have a redeeming feature between them: even Paige, who works for a charity, does it to look good not because she actually cares. Their internal monologues are horribly repetitive, and the dialogue so banal I would’ve bailed had this not been an ARC for NetGalley. Nobody gets what they deserve and the ending was most unsatisfying. This appears to be the start of a series but I will not be continuing it. Very disappointing.

Deplorable characters, dysfunctional family all invited for a weekend trip on a yacht with some thinking they were the only invites. Lies, backstabbing, and scandal all come to the surface, and you won't be able to put this book down until you reach the conclusion.

Talk about family drama….this family takes the cake! The Kingsley family is extremely wealthy, and with this wealth comes secret after secret. In trying to decide which family member will inherit control of the family, Richard brings them all together on a fateful cruise, and the Kingsley family will NEVER again be the same!

Billionaire Richard Kingsley along with Serena (wife number 5), invite his children and their significant others to a weekend get together on his new yacht. Little do they know that Richard will be springing some news on them and having them play a little game of who will inherit his company. None of these people like each other and we learn more about their nasty lives as the story is told from each of their point of views. This was my first read by this author and it wasn't a bad story but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I like a bit more action in my fictional stories. There were a few twists to the story, some I figured out beforehand and some I didn't see coming. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this! Rich people in the middle of the ocean all with something to gain…..this was fast paced and intriguing. I was pleased that I never saw the next twist.

Richard Kingsley is a billionaire at the helm of his very successful enterprise. He is on wife number 6 (who’s counting?!) and has invited his children and their spouses to join him for a weekend on his massive yacht, The Splendid Seas. Richard and his newest wife Serena welcome them aboard hoping for a wonderful weekend. Everyone seems to have their own agenda and no one is very truthful.

Ted and John, sons of Richard join the ship and tension is almost immediate between these two. They have a long deep seated competitive past and both are jockeying to take over the company once Richard isn’t around. But the dram doesn’t stop there! Sibley, Richards estranged daughter also was invited making quite the waves when she joins them aboard. She definitely is a black sheep but Richard is quite loyal to all of his offspring!

A storm rolls in making it quite the dangerous trip and before we know it lies are being uncovered and tragic events happen. Not everyone who boarded the ship will leave the ship! 😱 Let me tell you the drama is quite intense! If you’re looking for a good backstabbing, scandalous story with devious spoiled characters make sure to grab a copy of this book!

An interesting start to what seems like will be a new series for Rouda. I didn't initially know about it being a series and it made me more skeptical as that isn't usually my thing. I feel like those often end up as cozies or just too drawn out.

Her writing had been kind of hit or miss for me before but I have been really liking her more recent releases. I feel like she's grown as a writer and I'll keep tuning in and keep an eye on this Succession at sea story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

3.5 Stars

I received an advanced copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley.

A wealthy family gathers on Catalina Island following an invitation from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. The purpose is to secure their futures and gain control over a real estate empire, leading to a succession battle among his sons and their wives. Sibley, Richard's estranged daughter, adds a surprising twist to the event. As the contest for the Kingsley legacy intensifies, the idyllic atmosphere of the island contrasts with the escalating tensions and deceptions within the family. With money, lies, and deception at play, the weekend unfolds as a high-stakes game where one member stands to gain while another risks losing everything. Amidst a brewing storm, the family's plans could easily go awry.

In this novel, imagine a dysfunctional family saga set against the backdrop of a luxurious yacht. The initial half of the book brims with captivating family dynamics, adding a generous dash of tension and intrigue. However, as the story progresses, the family drama takes on a life of its own, verging into the realm of overwhelming.

By the time the conclusion approached, the narrative took an unexpected turn, delving into territories that stretched the bounds of believability. While the story's outset was engaging, the culmination seemed to take a detour into the realms of the implausible and downright outrageous.

Kaira Rouda is underrated, in my humble opinion. I have enjoyed all of her books. This one reads like one of those night-time soaps from the 90's. And that's a good thing, as I loved those shows! Oh, the over-the-top drama! We basically have a family of rich, spoiled brats on a yacht cruising off Catalina. The yacht is owned by much-married, billionaire Daddy and he has a plan for one of his horrible offspring to "win" his fortune. To say backstabbing ensues is putting it mildly. We also have lies and secrets revealed, and I couldn't stop reading. The story is told from multiple POV's and that got to be a little much at times but was all brought back together for the big reveal. This family is just bonkers, and I had a lot of fun reading this. I especially enjoyed Sibley. My understanding is that this is the start of a series. Well, cool beans! I'm there!

Thank you to #NetGalley, Kaira Rouda and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. All opinions are my own.
I will post my review to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram and various other retail and social media sites upon publication.

This is a really good book! I have read several of Rouda’s novels, and she has become a go-to author for me. Her latest, the first of a new Kingsley series, is about an overnight family cruise to Catalina Island on the Kingsley family patriarch’s new luxury yacht. The story is told in chapters from various perspectives of those family members onboard. Rouda is a master at creating compelling, multi-level stories, and I’m here for it! Recommended this book and all of her other books.

*****Publishing September 5, 2023*****

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you need a book that will keep you guessing, then you need to read this book!

A billionaire father, Richard, a stepmother and 5th wife, Serena, Ted and John, Richard’s sons are all aboard Richard’s Mega Yacht to cross one of the deadliest bodies of water near Catalina Island. Ted and John, along with their wives, are all vying for the succession of their father’s company. A surprise guest throws them all for a loop. How more scandalous and adventurous can you get? Which brother will ultimately win their father’s heart to take over the business? Will it be smooth sailing? Is it what it seems?

This book just draws you from the beginning as each chapter is from a different perspective. With all the twists and turns, this book is so hard to put down. The drama will keep the pages turning! Wow, such a great book! Definitely one to add to your TBR list!

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, I was provided an ARC of Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a book that I was really looking forward to - a family entirely made up of unlikeable people with a heap of secrets sounded right up my alley. Oh how wrong I was! I found the writing to be very simplistic and that the entire story was a case of tell not show. The members of this dysfunctional family immature, entitled, self-obsessed, and would kill their nearest & dearest just to get ahead. I love stories with unlikeable characters, but they’ve got to have some depth to them to make me care. These characters are one-dimensional and the dialogue is wooden, and I was disappointed that the boat didn’t capsize, taking them all out.

Well, I'm not entirely sure what the plot of this book was. About 50% through is when I realized nothing had happened and I didn't connect with a single character. By 100% through.... I still didn't connect with a single character and nothing happened.

I had held out hope it was a slow burn but, every character was frustrating or annoying and the one big twist was breezed right over in a single.parahraph.

I loved Rouda's other books but, this one wasn't it for me.

Wow! What a book full of lies and cheating and extraordinary wealth and just all around bad people! I loved every minute of this juicy juicy read.

Kaira Rouda never disappoints with her books that have you racing through them! If you like Succession then this book is for you!!!

If you’ve read my reviews previously, you know I can’t get enough of books where rich people have secrets and huge problems. Like mega-yacht huge. While this one was a slowwwww burn, and not too many people died, the secrets and problems did NOT disappoint.

By slow burn, I really do mean slow. The first 50? 60? percent of the book was just a handful of couples on dad’s new yacht rehashing whether they believed they’d be dear old dad’s heir apparent to the corporate greed…I mean boardroom of the billion-dollar company. They all had major secrets, even from their spouses. None of them were good people. Not even close. Then dad revealed a secret of his own…and it was more of the same. Closed-door whining and internal monologues.

Then there was a huge storm, and the yacht had problems, so they went to play golf. The action picked up and it was nonstop secrets being revealed until the bitter end. I loved it.

I would rate this as more of a domestic suspense than a thriller.

I was held hostage by this book, equal parts repugnant because the characters were absolutely horrible and obsessed with finding out what the actual succession plan was. I found the dialogue somewhat robotic and weird at times which made it a little cringey but it didn’t detract too much from the overall story.

If you’re a fan of the show Succession, this is basically it but in book form.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for a copy of Beneath the Surface in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

An aging billionaire invites his two sons on a weekend trip on his mega-yacht. From the beginning there are surprises for both the sons and their wives that they didn't see coming. Both sons are trying to show their father that they should be the heir apparent to his fortune and business empire, but when their sister shows up unexpectedly, things take a turn and the stakes are even higher for everyone out on the water.

I didn't love this book. The dialogue was very stilted and it made it hard for me to stay immersed in the story. It seemed to bounce around a lot with not a lot of purpose, and I questioned why certain scenes were included. The characters weren't as well-developed as I would have liked, and the plot was tired much of the time. Overall, this book was a disappointment.