This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I am always up for getting more exposure for writers. When the author of Somewhere in the Shallow Sea, Dennis Macaraeg, reached out to me asking if he could send me a copy of his book, I immediately said yes.

Dennis described his book as a romance thriller, with lots of action. The bulk of the story takes place in the Philippines, and you could tell that Dennis was fairly familiar with the island nation.

The book revolves around Danny, a marine biologist. Danny's best friend Blake is kidnapped and taken to the Philippines. Danny and Blake have been working on a compound in marine biology, something that could possibly save fish species. Danny heads to the Philippines to save Blake, meeting up with some old friends, including his ex-girlfriend Helen. They go on a journey to try and save Blake, and hit some challenges along the way.

Now I don't want to spoil the story, but my favorite part of the book was probably the description of life in the Philippines. I learned many new traditions and I was very immersed in the culture that Dennis showed.

I wish the story had given a little more background on Blake, as I didn't feel like I knew him very well, even though the whole point of the book was to save him. Danny and Helen were more rounded out characters, and I enjoyed following them on their journey.

If you're a lover of travel books, and enjoy a short action novel, then you'll enjoy Macaraeg's novel.