Just like 'Romancing the Stone', an author called Stella Mills has written a best-selling historical romance, and the swashbuckling hero was secretly based on a real life friend. But her inspiration has dried up and her publisher comes to visit her seaside hideaway in Cornwall, ordering her to get a chapter of a new book written. Stella's friend Rick, who is half-Spanish, turns up as well and asks her to accompany him on a quest for a reputed pirate treasure. The two spent their early years messing around on boats with Stella's firm but fair father supervising, and Rick now sails for a living.

Since her publisher believes this might give her inspiration, Stella accepts and the two fly off to Cairns to board a yacht. Rick is a born flirt and women they meet swoon over his good looks. Stella knows he doesn't mean any harm, but she does find this manner insulting to her, and she dares him to stop flirting for the rest of their journey. In Rick's company she again starts writing. Rick has secretly smuggled aboard a copy of her blockbuster and is intrigued to find that the pirate captain is recognisably based on himself, although the lusty scenes between him and Lady Mary are entirely the product of her imagination. We get several of these scenes shown to us while the pair struggle against a blossoming romance, for fear it would spoil their friendship.

THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP is a light read with a small cast of characters and several flashbacks and excerpts from the book, because not a lot of adventure happens. I would feel very sorry for any writer who couldn't get a line down for eighteen months, but Stella made it big with her first novel and could not live up to that standard again. Author Amy Andrews shows a very forgiving side of publishing and I suspect only big sellers would be treated so leniently. Read this to put you in a good, summery mood if winter is too bleak and grey outside your window.

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