NOTE: I won a free eBook copy of this book in MOBI format from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers (January 2022).

I started this novel expecting the usual romance fare, with a dash of undersea adverture thrown in. I did not expect a subacquatic thriller with rogue robots, a mysterious illness, and life-or-death scenarios thrown in. Yet the twists and turns kept me reading, and blended well with the steamy romance between the main characters. Sam, the protagonist, serves as Gayle's way of voicing concerns about the implications of artificial intelligence in the near future. The underlying ethical questions posed by the main character and the plot give "Love at 20,000 Leagues" more moral weight than the typical adventure romance, but steers clear of literary fiction territory. My one big complaint is the epilogue, a nonsequitur that only serves to set up the rest of Gayle's series. Still, the novel is great fun and Gayle's storytelling will keep readers engaged until the very end. ( )

They say never judge a book by it's cover! It's an old saying but in this books case it's true!

When I first saw this cover I passed over it, due to thinking it was just gonna be a novel of smut - nothing wrong with that but not what I was looking for - this time 😉

I read the synopsis and I was intrigued an underwater adventure with the main character having an ocean phobia - what could go wrong.

Well as soon as I started it, I couldn't put it down. I devoured this novel in one sitting. The writing was excellent in being descriptive - painting each scene and transporting the reader. The characters had their own quirks and seemed relatively relatable. The steam was there between Sam and Mason - predictable lovers.
The plot, the twists, the turns - wow! It was brilliantly written.

The novel not only based on futuristic travel - underwater resort in the middle of the ocean but it had AI and best of all it turned into a who dunnit mystery! Utter brilliance! I'm actually gobsmacked that this novel turned out like this.

I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter of this. I would highly recommend this novel ( )

It's not a good sign when you have to remind yourself that a book is written by a woman because of how badly the female character is portrayed. This book was cringe inducing, from the main character having a poster of her crush and then sex-buddy hanging on her bedroom wall to wanting a threesome with two guys who clearly can't even be in the same room together, and poorly structured. A lot of nothing happened and then everything happened all at once but in a very rushed way that explained nothing. On one page alone a female character flipped her hair over her shoulder three times.  There was little to no character development, with the whole "romance" being solely based on looks and nothing more. No emotion was expressed besides just an animalistic desire. Authors also need to stop writing books where the only purpose for a condom is to stop unwanted pregnancies. They do so much more regarding protection and should be included in book as such. ( )

I know there is an age old saying about it, but I will admit that I judged this book by it's cover and title. I expected something cheesy with mediocre plot that focused on romance. I have NEVER been so happy to say that I was wrong! The writing was superb and I couldn't love these characters more. The descriptions and the character development was great, and the plot was so fun! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to figure out how it was going to end. Can't recommend it enough and I will definitely be reading the rest of the Fantasy Resorts series! ( )