Good book. This one centers on Maddy, who was a secondary character in Hell or High Water, and Bran, another member of the Deep Six team. There were obvious sparks between them previously, ending with a toe-curling kiss, but Bran doesn't follow up the way Maddy expects. Instead, there are three months of friendly email exchanges as Bran helps her through the aftermath of the previous events but ignores the signals she sends. Maddy decides to be a little more proactive and, using a field trip for some interns as an excuse, shows up on an island close to the team's dive site. She then invites Bran to talk to the girls about their treasure hunt.
Bran is in a quandary. There is nothing he'd like more than to spend more time with Maddy. But he also has some very personal reasons for avoiding the closeness he knows that she wants. Bran grew up with an abusive father and is convinced that he carries the same darkness in him. He refuses to put himself in a position where he could hurt someone he cares about. He's just about made up his mind to ignore her invitation when Mason and Alex get involved.
As it turns out, Bran, Mason, and Alex arrive at the island at just the right time. Maddy is at the center of a kidnapping plot, and she and her charges are held at gunpoint. I had to chuckle a bit at Maddy's reaction as it is happening again. Things get pretty intense as Bran and Mason come to the rescue, but it doesn't go quite as planned, with the three interns still in the hands of the kidnappers.
What follows is a good mix of action and romance. Bran, Maddy, and Mason must find a way to free the girls from the men holding them. Bran has his ideas, and none of them include Maddy, but she refuses to be left behind. There is a terrific scene of Maddy standing up to his protectiveness, with information that will give them a better chance of success and the need to help those she feels responsible for. As they whittle down the number of bad guys and regain possession of the girls, there are some moments of down time. Bran and Maddie take advantage of these times as their movie-quote-laced banter is interlaced with some serious conversation. Bran is determined to make it clear to Maddy that he isn't relationship material and she is just as determined to show him that he is. I ached for them both as Bran opens up about his past and Maddy sees just how deep his fears go. Maddy proposes the idea of friends with benefits as a way to get at least some of the closeness she wants with Bran. And though the scene was intense, I thought the timing was illogical, with them not knowing if there were more bad guys out there.
There are still a few more twists and turns before Maddy, and the others are truly safe. The final confrontation was not unexpected in how it happened. Even Bran and Mason can see the writing on the wall as the setup reminds them of what happened in the previous book. However expected, the fight is intense and deadly. I ached for Maddy when she found out who was behind the kidnapping attempts.
When it's all over, Bran does his usual escape and deny, but something has changed. I rather enjoyed his misery as he fully deserved it. It takes his friend Leo to snap him out of his self-pity by pointing out some things about all of them that Bran hadn't considered. I loved his "aha" moment as he realized the truth. His reunion with Maddy was sweet and romantic and exactly what you'd expect from them.
There was also a secondary story going on between Mason and Alex. The two of them have been antagonistic from the moment that Alex arrived on their island. It was fun to see the extremely untalkative Mason deal with the motormouth Alex. Under the antagonism are sparks of attraction that start to burn hotter the more time they spend together. Mason isn't happy about what he is starting to feel, while Alex wants to explore it. I'm looking forward to their story, which should be another good one.
We don't get much about the treasure hunt. The first and last chapters are flashbacks by the captain of the ship, and we learn a little more about the wreck and the treasure. In the present day, Alex continues to search the records for more information, while the others find the occasional artifact.
Bran is in a quandary. There is nothing he'd like more than to spend more time with Maddy. But he also has some very personal reasons for avoiding the closeness he knows that she wants. Bran grew up with an abusive father and is convinced that he carries the same darkness in him. He refuses to put himself in a position where he could hurt someone he cares about. He's just about made up his mind to ignore her invitation when Mason and Alex get involved.
As it turns out, Bran, Mason, and Alex arrive at the island at just the right time. Maddy is at the center of a kidnapping plot, and she and her charges are held at gunpoint. I had to chuckle a bit at Maddy's reaction as it is happening again. Things get pretty intense as Bran and Mason come to the rescue, but it doesn't go quite as planned, with the three interns still in the hands of the kidnappers.
What follows is a good mix of action and romance. Bran, Maddy, and Mason must find a way to free the girls from the men holding them. Bran has his ideas, and none of them include Maddy, but she refuses to be left behind. There is a terrific scene of Maddy standing up to his protectiveness, with information that will give them a better chance of success and the need to help those she feels responsible for. As they whittle down the number of bad guys and regain possession of the girls, there are some moments of down time. Bran and Maddie take advantage of these times as their movie-quote-laced banter is interlaced with some serious conversation. Bran is determined to make it clear to Maddy that he isn't relationship material and she is just as determined to show him that he is. I ached for them both as Bran opens up about his past and Maddy sees just how deep his fears go. Maddy proposes the idea of friends with benefits as a way to get at least some of the closeness she wants with Bran. And though the scene was intense, I thought the timing was illogical, with them not knowing if there were more bad guys out there.
There are still a few more twists and turns before Maddy, and the others are truly safe. The final confrontation was not unexpected in how it happened. Even Bran and Mason can see the writing on the wall as the setup reminds them of what happened in the previous book. However expected, the fight is intense and deadly. I ached for Maddy when she found out who was behind the kidnapping attempts.
When it's all over, Bran does his usual escape and deny, but something has changed. I rather enjoyed his misery as he fully deserved it. It takes his friend Leo to snap him out of his self-pity by pointing out some things about all of them that Bran hadn't considered. I loved his "aha" moment as he realized the truth. His reunion with Maddy was sweet and romantic and exactly what you'd expect from them.
There was also a secondary story going on between Mason and Alex. The two of them have been antagonistic from the moment that Alex arrived on their island. It was fun to see the extremely untalkative Mason deal with the motormouth Alex. Under the antagonism are sparks of attraction that start to burn hotter the more time they spend together. Mason isn't happy about what he is starting to feel, while Alex wants to explore it. I'm looking forward to their story, which should be another good one.
We don't get much about the treasure hunt. The first and last chapters are flashbacks by the captain of the ship, and we learn a little more about the wreck and the treasure. In the present day, Alex continues to search the records for more information, while the others find the occasional artifact.
