#OctobeRecFest Review ~ Hell or High Water ~ Julie Ann Walker

Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker
Deep Six #1
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Genre: Adult, Romantic Suspense
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher at BEA
Rating: 4 Bookworms
Challenges: #ShelfLove
Recommended by: Braine @Talk Supe
Goodreads

Synopsis
In a world on the brink...

Six men. One sunken Spanish galleon. Millions in gold and silver coins lying on the ocean floor. And a past that refuses to let the guys of Deep Six Salvage forget the Navy SEAL motto: the only easy day was yesterday...

There's more than one kind of treasure...

The nation's security has always been CIA agent Oliva Mortier's top priority. But a mission-gone-wrong has begun to make her wonder if there's more to life than risking hers.

And more than one secret at the bottom of the sea...

Only two things could make Leo Anderson abandon his hunt for the legendary lost ship, La Santa Christina, and return to the world of weapons and warfare he swore to leave behind: a capsule of enriched uranium, lost on the ocean floor, and a plea for assistance from the one woman he can't seem to forget...

Hell or High Water was quite a ride! It's romantic suspense that focuses on the suspense. In fact, I think I've talked my Hubs into reading it. :) Thanks, Braine!

Highlights:

• SEALs. I've always been fascinated with these highly skilled and trained warriors. It was interesting to learn a bit more about their training and abilities.
• Sea salvage and history. I so enjoyed the historical element Walker added with the inclusion of scenes from the Spanish galleon's Captain - in 1624 - dealing with a ship full of precious cargo and a hurricane. It added an extra element to hook me. Add to that the SEALs starting a salvage business in order to search of any clues to the Spanish wreckage and I was in deep.
• A kickass female spy! Olivia is a CIA agent and she's a heroine I admired. She knew how to shoot with both her mouth and her gun.
• Relevance. One of the suspense elements was via an operation where our current world political arena is highlighted.
• Humor and camaraderie. There was a lot of humor injected with Leo and Olivia throwing about witty and sexually charged banter. But the camaraderie between Leo and his team, the closeness between them as well as the barbs they threw and timely interruptions were a lot of fun and broke the tension. The internal dialog did get a little irksome by the end though.
• Believable plot and romance.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this introduction to the Deep Six series and I'm eager to move onto the next one.