Brent & Brie’s Adventurous Quick Read Includes Suspense, Romance, & The Search For Lost Treasure! The Description is Beautifully Written. It Takes You Into Brent’s World Of Underwater Archeology.
This is book two of The One I Want series, Brent and Brie’s story. Book one, Saving Ariel, was Aiden and Ariel’s insta-love story set on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico as a category five hurricane barreled towards them head-on.
This story opens in Tampa as Brie Hamilton, a licensed commercial boat captain, makes her way to port after picking up some men she rescued out at sea. She had been relocating a yacht from Brazil at the time. Aiden Cole shared his amazing story with her and she was happy to have come to his rescue, but the delay has cost her a bonus, and she needs another job to make up for the loss. She does well getting hired to relocate private yachts and working on charters. Although she enjoys the money, much of what she earns go to help her family – her parents and her brother’s college tuition. And then there is the sting of bad choices in men that have left her high and dry.
Brent Calloway has spent a decade researching and planning for the opportunity of a lifetime. Not just a salvage operator, he is also an underwater archeologist. He is meticulous in his plans as well as his operations. He comes from money; his father attended Harvard law and has a practice, specializing in corporate finance. Brent wasn’t interested in joining the family business. Money isn’t his biggest motivation, although he might just make a huge windfall from his business. His family doubts his efforts, but it doesn’t stop Brent. He owns a research rig, the Pendragon, and does underwater excavations. His business partner is his best friend, Donald Talbot.
Bent’s and Donald’s fathers attended law school together, and the pair have been friends forever. While Brent might be the brains behind their work, Donald brings with him the kind of connections that can open doors. Thanks to his father’s diplomatic career, Donald can help forge the relationships needed to get their work approved through the proper channels. It is not finders keepers out on the open seas – there are international laws that must be followed in order to get permission to recover lost relics hidden beneath the water. The devastating CAT 5 Hurricane Julian has just opened a window of opportunity, and Brent needs to act fast before that window closes. The hurricane tore past the Florida Keys, unsettling the ocean’s floor. Some things previously buried may now be exposed. Brent’s years of researching and planning may be about to pay off. He knows where to look for the San Fernando, a ship Spain lost 300 years ago, and with any luck, he and Donald will find it.
The search can be dangerous, though. Pirates will converge if they catch wind of a newly discovered treasure, so secrecy is of the utmost importance until they can positively identify a sunken ship and make a claim to it. Only then will the US Coast Guard lend a hand to secure the sight. Fortunately, Brent’s old high school friend Erika works as an Executive Officer on the Coast Guard’s nearby US Charles Sexton. She is aware of his efforts and remains on standby. But when their trusted captain, Gus, suddenly cannot make the trip for health reasons, Brent has no choice but to take a risk on someone new. Gus and Brie are old friends, and Brent reluctantly hires her for the job.
But even before Brent learned that she was a licensed commercial captain, he had eyes for Brie. Hiring her wasn’t exactly what he had in mind, and it would definitely throw a wrench in his plans. Brie is stubborn, independent, and smart, and though she tries to hide it, she also finds herself inexplicably attracted to Brent. Determined to keep things wholly professional, she and Brent strive to hide their growing feelings for one another. Donald, however, has no qualms letting his feelings be known. Things are tenuous aboard the Pendragon as they head toward the Keys, but that all falls into the background once they reach their destination.
Brent and Brie’s insta-love story has plenty of steamy chemistry, but they really do try to stay professional. The tension between the pair builds throughout the story. They face an incredible challenge out at sea, which serves to bond the pair and builds upon whatever they have brewing. The couple eventually finds a happy ending.
There are hints at book three of the series. Saving Cate is Caitlyn Quinn and Caleb’s second chance love story set against a mountain rescue mission. Cate is Brent’s old high school friend. She was left behind when Caleb went off and joined the military. Today she is a certified wilderness guide. She and her trusted dog named Bear help visitors enjoy all Bear Creek has to offer.
There are a few issues in this book that merit mention. Brent and Donald have been friends through their fathers for years and went to high school together, but it later says they met during college, giving Brent some new friends in Bear Creek, Montana. It claims Brent went to high school in Bear Creek and lived with his mother – a time when his parents were separated for a while. But it also states that his family (not just his mother) moved away from Bear Creek when he went off to college. Presumably, his mother would have left then to reconcile with her husband. It also states that Brent grew up in Bear Creek when he was supposedly raised in a wealthy family (no mention of a single mom), living a lifestyle Donald was jealous of. In the beginning, we just know that he was from a very wealthy family with a hugely successful law practice. Note that a lucrative and successful law practice in Bear Creek, Montana just won’t work. It seems like there were probably some alterations made near the end in order to link this to book three of the series, which would be great, but it just doesn’t all fit together nicely. It gets very messy. It is a little too ambitious, when a simple summer camp friendship, for example, would have worked to link the stories. The ending was fine, but not great as a result. It also didn’t seem to be the best venue for what Brent had in mind.
Brent and Brie’s adventurous quick read includes suspense, romance, and the search for lost treasure. The description is wonderfully written. It takes you step-by-step into Brent’s world of underwater archeology, detailing methods and various equipment used. It really immerses the reader into the story. The plot is somewhat simple. It is mostly predictable. The characters are nicely developed, though there are some issues with Brent’s background as noted above. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Brent and Brie. I rate this book four stars.
I received an advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.