Review: Hell or High Water by Julie Ann Walker (Deep Six #1)
Note: This ARC was provided by Sourcebooks Casablanca via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Neither former Navy SEAL Lt. Leo Anderson nor CIA Agent Olivia Mortier has forgotten the one kiss they shared after months of working together in Syria. A year and a half later, Leo is spending his retirement with five of the men who was part of his team, all of them working together and preparing for their first salvaging project, one that involves a legendary ship and the yet-to-be found treasure hidden within. But their plans get put on the back burner when Olivia suddenly shows up and tells them she needs their help in a completely different kind of salvage job--she needs them to come out of retirement and bring up weapons that have sunk to the bottom of the ocean before they end up in the wrong hands. Call of duty and the one woman Leo's wanted for nearly two years are things he can't seem to be able to say "no" to...
I'm both embarrassed and excited to say that Hell or High Water, the first novel in the Deep Six series, is the first Julie Ann Walker book I've ever read. Embarrassed because her Black Knights Inc. series has quite a following and I have yet to read them, though I did add them to my to-be-read list a couple of months ago. Excited because this book was one heck of an introduction to Julie Ann Walker's writing! The story was wonderfully action-packed and surprisingly fast-paced, filled with intrigue and tension that make you keep flipping through the pages until you realize that you've already finished reading the whole thing. Hell or High Water does not disappoint and delivers every bit of romance and suspense I could want or need. I just found out that there's a prequel to the series, which I suspect is Michael "Mad Dog" Wainwright's story, and will reading the The Way of the Warrior anthology that it belongs to very soon.
Retired Navy SEAL Leo Anderson is following in his father's legacy by going into the salvaging business and he and five of his former team members, all of whom have also retired, join him in the venture. When CIA Agent Olivia Mortier approaches them for the expertise in retrieving several weapons that were virtually handed over to terrorists while trying to trap a mole in the Agency, he and his team know there's really no other option but to help out. The team is familiar with Olivia because they all worked together in Syria, the same place where they lost a team member of theirs and where Leo and Olivia shared an attraction that culminated in a kiss both of them still remember eighteen months later. Time is of the essence with this story, so you don't get a lot of dilly-dallying here but the author never rushes nor does she take her sweet time playing things out to their breaking point. I wasn't left wanting or overwhelmed.
It's difficult to not like any of the members of the men that comprise Deep Six and I'm going to hazard a guess that the next book will be about Bran Palladino and Maddy Powers, both of whom shared quite a connection in this first full-length book. Leo Anderson takes his being a leader to heart, always concerned about his team and considering more like family than men who serve under him. Olivia Mortier is a walking contradiction in that she's brave and strong-willed but also has difficulty with the fact that witnessing the deaths of others is a hazard of her job and that having to take a life is something she needs to live with. There's a heck of a lot of pent-up passion between Leo and Olivia, especially since all they had to really tide them over was one kiss back in Syria and fantasies galore after they had to go their separate ways. With an exciting story and characters you can't get enough of, Hell or High Water gets five stars! ♥
Release Date: 07 July 2015
Date Read: 04 July 2015
Learn more about Julie Ann Walker here.
Pre-order Hell or High Water on Amazon | Kobo.
I'm both embarrassed and excited to say that Hell or High Water, the first novel in the Deep Six series, is the first Julie Ann Walker book I've ever read. Embarrassed because her Black Knights Inc. series has quite a following and I have yet to read them, though I did add them to my to-be-read list a couple of months ago. Excited because this book was one heck of an introduction to Julie Ann Walker's writing! The story was wonderfully action-packed and surprisingly fast-paced, filled with intrigue and tension that make you keep flipping through the pages until you realize that you've already finished reading the whole thing. Hell or High Water does not disappoint and delivers every bit of romance and suspense I could want or need. I just found out that there's a prequel to the series, which I suspect is Michael "Mad Dog" Wainwright's story, and will reading the The Way of the Warrior anthology that it belongs to very soon.
Retired Navy SEAL Leo Anderson is following in his father's legacy by going into the salvaging business and he and five of his former team members, all of whom have also retired, join him in the venture. When CIA Agent Olivia Mortier approaches them for the expertise in retrieving several weapons that were virtually handed over to terrorists while trying to trap a mole in the Agency, he and his team know there's really no other option but to help out. The team is familiar with Olivia because they all worked together in Syria, the same place where they lost a team member of theirs and where Leo and Olivia shared an attraction that culminated in a kiss both of them still remember eighteen months later. Time is of the essence with this story, so you don't get a lot of dilly-dallying here but the author never rushes nor does she take her sweet time playing things out to their breaking point. I wasn't left wanting or overwhelmed.
It's difficult to not like any of the members of the men that comprise Deep Six and I'm going to hazard a guess that the next book will be about Bran Palladino and Maddy Powers, both of whom shared quite a connection in this first full-length book. Leo Anderson takes his being a leader to heart, always concerned about his team and considering more like family than men who serve under him. Olivia Mortier is a walking contradiction in that she's brave and strong-willed but also has difficulty with the fact that witnessing the deaths of others is a hazard of her job and that having to take a life is something she needs to live with. There's a heck of a lot of pent-up passion between Leo and Olivia, especially since all they had to really tide them over was one kiss back in Syria and fantasies galore after they had to go their separate ways. With an exciting story and characters you can't get enough of, Hell or High Water gets five stars! ♥
Release Date: 07 July 2015
Date Read: 04 July 2015
Learn more about Julie Ann Walker here.
Pre-order Hell or High Water on Amazon | Kobo.
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Congratulations on the book's release. :)
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