Navy SEAL Commander Christopher "Fish" Hill is looking for a quiet weekend away after a hellish mission. On his way to his cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a small, ghostly figure standing in the middle of the road in the middle of the night changes his plans and his life.
When the tiny girl steals his heart, he vows to find her mother and stop the monster that took them.
Willa always knew that she would sacrifice herself if it meant saving the life of her child. She never thought she'd be called upon to do it though. But when Willa and Ariel are taken, she has to do just that.
She never expected to be saved or that the man that rescued and captured her daughters heart to also capture hers.
When Fish and Willa realize that the monster has two faces, it'll take a miracle for Fish to keep both his girls alive.
This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the first book in the Waterproof: Navy SEALs series. This book is all about the romance of Fish and Willa, and how a little girl melts Fish heart. I love the little girl in this book, and I love the nicknames of the Navy SEALs characters. The nicknames are just so funny. There are parts in this book that I laughed at and there are parts that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I loved the storyline, and I also love the characters in this book. The romance was very fast moving, but it worked. I really enjoyed this book.
This is a Romantic Suspense, and this is the first book in the Waterproof: Navy SEALs series. This book is all about the romance of Fish and Willa, and how a little girl melts Fish's heart. I love the little girl in this book, and I love the nicknames of the Navy SEALs characters. The nicknames are just so funny. There are parts in this book that I laughed at and there are parts that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I loved the storyline, and I also love the characters in this book. The romance was very fast moving, but it worked. I really enjoyed this book.
I re-read this book by listening to the audiobook for this book in November 2024.
This was a five-star read until the 70% mark. Insta romance out of danger, but I’m believing it. MMC is that night in alpha armor who’s all kinds of a good man. FMC is smart. Kid is just adorable. Suspense is holding my interest. Cool SEAL shit getting a little time in. Writing style is excellent. Love the Fish and Tadpole nicknames. Beginning of something sweet and good.
Until the storyline FAILS.
After 70%, I just don’t appreciate the direction of the storyline. Wtf would her ex be the best option to hide her? Why would she leave her sick kid for a party her ex demands she attend? Glam squad stupidity. Why would she go off into the woods for camping safety without telling the MMC or sheriff where she is going? It just feels so TSTL on both the MMC’s part for suggesting the ex and the FMC for following along with it after no contact for two years.
With less than 1/3 of the book left, I have no interest in a potential bonding moment with her ex and reminiscing about old times. The MMC has all but sold his left kidney to help her, and sitting around with her ex whilst not outright telling him she is with the MMC just doesn’t sit right.
Then, the plot takes unbelievable to the extreme. It’s not The Who… it’s the why. Ostracized over that in this day and age? Come the fuck on with something actually believable.
There’s also an animal death.
From 70-90%, nothing worked for me. Hated it.
We get a second bit of action in the last 10%, and that was all good.
Sweet HEA wraps things up and gives a lil glimpse into book two.
Downside:
70%-90% - plot climax just didn’t have logic to it.
Heat factor with sex scenes is vanilla candlelit, not inferno. Short, dry, and to the point. If sex scenes aren’t a priority and you like the sweet alpha thing, this is a good read for you. I like some dirty, gummy bears, whipped cream, cherries, and a shot of whiskey with my ice cream…. So heat was dull here.
Some retelling since d-POV offers some backtracking to give both characters the same perspective on some scenes. It wasn’t overbearing, but worth mentioning.!
Upside:
Alpha is immediately smitten. No fighting feelings. No denials. He goes for what he wants. FMC is hesitant, but she doesn’t do all the should/shouldn’t I inner thoughts BS.
Aside from 70-90%, great storytelling.
Cute kid that is part of the story.
Bottom:
Three stars overall because of that f’d up 70-90%. But I’ll be giving this author another read.
I loved this book. Were there some parts that had me scratching my head? Yup. Were there parts that I couldn't pulled me in so hard that I couldn't put it down? Yup.
We meet Chris Hill aka Fish, who's a Navy Seal who got back from a rough mission. He just wants to go to his cabin and relax and decompress. On his drive out to his cabin, he finds a little girl, Ariel, in the middle of the road that nearly kills him on his motorcycle. She tells him that a bad man had her and her mom, and that she got away but asks Chris to help find her mom. Chris immediately falls in love with this little girl and makes a personal vow to take care of her and to find her mom. Once Chris and his friend Mike, who's the sheriff find Ariel's mom, Willa, they have to figure out who would want to hurt both Willa and Ariel.
The characters in this book were great. Ariel, who is four years old is the cutest thing ever and has such a personality. I love that she somehow knew she could trust Chris and her and Chris' relationship was so stinkin' sweet. Chris is the ultimate lovable alpha hero. He is sweet, protective, caring and would literally sell his left kidney for Ariel or her mom Willa. I love that throughout the book, many times he told Willa he didn't expect anything from her, that he just wanted to ensure the safety of both her and Ariel Willa was a good character, I didn't dislike her, there were times throughout the book that I thought she was kind of bland and 'cardboard'. She had a lot of strength that was reflected in parts of the book but I also wish she would have been strong in the sense of breaking out of her shell a little more and not being so meek in certain parts of the book. I love the nicknames of the Navy SEALs characters, they all were great secondary characters who also bonded with sweet Ariel, which warmed my heart.
There are parts in this book where I was laughing up a storm, and parts that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Yes, there were also parts where I was scratching my head, like when Willa went with her ex husband to keep her safe after Chris had to leave on a mission, and the ex-husband's weird, rich, lavish lifestyle. Like, why couldn't Willa and Ariel stay with Sheriff Mike and his wife? Literally made no sense. But overall this was a great read, I really enjoyed the characters, and the romance between Chris and Willa and Chris and Ariel's sweet relationship. Can't wait to read the other books in this series!
😭 Where did it all go so wrong? Unbelievable and factually incorrect plots.
I’m so disappointed, this book started so well and deteriorated really quickly after the halfway mark. Ridiculous plots that were so unbelievable and that weren’t factually correct. I so wanted to like this book so I could the series.
When Fish/Chris is riding to his log cabin after coming back from a mission as a navy seal, he nearly runs a small child over. Ari is four and is trying to find help for her mother Willa, who has been kidnapped. Ari becomes very attached to Chris, (which was a bit bizarre.) and won’t leave him. Willa is found and taken to the hospital and it becomes clear that she’s still in grave danger, and can’t go home. Chris takes one look at Willa and feels a connection to her, and takes them to his log cabin to stay while they hopefully find the kidnapper. With more and more threats against her Willa feels her life will never be safe again. Chris/Fish with the help of his friends and team mates is determined to keep her safe. Of course they fall madly in love while he’s doing that. It starred out really well but to be honest I’ve no interest in reading about his missions, in great detail. The author even describes Willa having a shower in detail. I’ve no interest in that either!
******************************************************* PLOT SPOILERS THAT EXPLAIN WHY IT GOT SO RIDICULOUS.
******************************************************* Willa is slashed with a knife 53 times and has lost a lot of blood, and she can barely stand but the hospital discharges her the next day! After glueing her wounds. 😂😂😂 A lot of them are in the same place on her stomach, so it would need stitching after stopping the bleeding. Then Willa has to look after her four year old daughter on her own as Chris goes on a mission.
Willa is thrown over a cliff, catches her foot in the horses stirrup and manages to hold onto a tree with one arm for OVER TWENTY FOUR HOURS WHILE THE HORSE IS STILL CONNECTED TO HER!!! When Chris finds her she’s unconscious with a dislocated shoulder but she’s still hanging onto the tree with a horse connected to her!! No way! Absolutely ruined it!!! It has put me off reading anymore.
I have never read Jo Chambliss before, but boy am I glad I decided to read this book. Because (series addict that I am) now I have another series to look forward to. And judging by this book, it is going to be a great one.
Navy SEAL (or sea lion) Christopher "Fish" Hill is on his way home from a mission and crashes his bike in an effort to avoid the little girl standing in the middle of the road in the middle of the night. After being shot at and getting them out of danger and little Ari checked out by a doctor, Chris finds out that her mother Willa is in danger. He promises to find her mother and so a wonderful THRILLING adventure starts.
Willa is no push over and the story keeps you guessing as to who is the bad guy or is it bad guys?
You need to read this book / series.
Thanks Jo... you got a new fan!!!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
So much more than a Military Romance. Really. Jo Chambliss provides stories that go beyond the typical military alpha guys with some hot romance. Way beyond. Each book has a mystery running through it. I say each because this is a spin off of a previous series, which if you haven't read, I highly recommend. It is the Ranger Mine Series and you have 4 great books to read. This book takes place mainly in the mountains, where Fish has a cabin and rides Betty to escape from the real world, so to speak. I won't rehash the blurb, but that tiny girl reached out and just squeezed my heart with her little fingers. Loved the relationship between her and Fish. Completely bought the mom and Fishes relationship, it was done right, and steam commenced. We got to see some of the guys from the previous series in a helping capacity from a far. I will say I had a pretty good idea of who was behind it all, but Jo was excellent throwing out curve balls making me second guess myself. I have series that I love and I care about the characters, but what Jo Chambliss hits out of the park, each and every time I always feel like they are real and I know them. They are my neighbors and friends even if its just between the pages. I am truly thrilled with this author and the fact that I get arcs! Great books and arc is your favorite desert and more! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. As long as she continues to write, I will continue to read.
I love getting the notification that there is another Jo Chambliss book, and this book most certainly did not disappoint. Military, romance, mystery and cuteness - all in one story.
Chris/Fish/sea lion returns state side, decides to take Betty home on what proves to be quite a literal and figurative ride. En route he encounters Ari, a very brave little girl, and rescues her only to be totally wrapped round her little finger. Then learning that her mom, Willa, is in danger he promises that he will find her and keep them safe.
What follows is a good whodunnit, that just drew me into it. I love Jo's style of writing, the way the various kinds of relationships develop, learning more about what has happened to other characters from earlier books.
on that last point, if you can read the earlier books, do so. You'll have fun 'watching' how the storylines are intertwined as are the relationships, the special bonds between brothers, their friends and their women.
Next book please 🙏🏼
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first book I’ve read by Jo Chambliss and it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed Shatterproof and it held my attention until the end. I absolutely did not guess who the bad guy was and I love stories that keep me guessing. Chris is headed to his mountain cabin when he sees an “apparition” in the road. This turns out to be Ariel, a little girl running from the bad man. Ariel begs Chris to help find her mama and get her away from the bad man. Willa, Ariel’s mom, is eventually found. From there the storyline takes off and never stops until the end. I loved the secondary characters and can’t wait for their books! My only complaint was the repetitiveness of some parts of the storyline. We would get the heroine’s point of view and then the heroes point of view of the same part of the story. This happens several times and it made me want to just skip through the repeat of the story even though it was a different point of view.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I adore this book, it has everything you want it to have in a military romance. Hot hero, danger, intrigue, amazing teammates and the totally cutest ever little girl who is our buff, hardy, deadly hero wrapped around everyone of her tiny little fingers (well all the team to be fair...)
From the get go this book kicks off hard and the well written story develops quickly but with enough twists and turns that you wonder if a HEA is possible at all for Willa and Fish. I loved the brotherhood between the teammates but also the wider group, and the characters from the authors previous series also pop up (non spoiler alert....that series is also awesome and not to be missed!!) which was great.
Having now read up to book 3 in this series I can happily report that the author continues to write amazing books in this series that will make you laugh cry and gasp in shock. This one though remains my favourite (it’s Ariel....such CUTENESS!!)
Give this series a shot, I guarantee you won’t regret it
This is a wonderful new series though it does have links to Jo's previous series Ranger Mine In this latest series we meet the navy SEALS ans this first story is Commander Christopher "Fish" Hill's story
He has just completed a mission that has taken him to his limits and is looking forward to a break away from it all he knows he should have waited until the next morning to head to his cabin but he just wanted to get away This is what leads him to been on a dark country road in the middle of the night when a small child darts in front of him causing him to drop his bike and shots to be fired at them Soon he is involved in the mystery of where Ariel came from and the search for her mother Willa. What he doesn't expect is the feelings that this mother and daughter have him feeling When they are taken again he and his Seal team, will do whatever they need to get them back because they are now his life.
This was a good read. I enjoyed the suspense & romance parts of it. Ari was one of the most adorable little girls ever! I loved seeing the instant attachment she had w/Chris. And Chris was perfect. I loved how he took care of Ari while trying to find Willa, & then seeing him care for both of them afterwards. It would’ve been a 5⭐️ for me but at around 60% it kinda took a nosedive. I found it ridiculous that after 2 years of not seeing her ex husband & him having zero communication w/both Willa & their daughter, Ari, that he’d be the best person to keep them safe when Chris got called away. Then when another incident occurred instead of Willa contacting the person Chris told her to if anything happened, she agreed to go away w/Jonathan (her ex) to the mountains to… camp!?! And that ending w/Rachel! I don’t even know. But even w/those couple of things, I really enjoyed this book & want to read book 2.
This book is the first in the author's Waterproof series and also features character from the Ranger Mine series. I have to admit I've not read these in order and so far I've read three and have loved each one. This is Christopher "Fish" Hill, Willa and Ariel's story but it will be Ari who will steal the show and every man on SEAL Team 2s heart.
Chris has just come home from a rough deployment and all he wants to do is spend some time in his cabin. But when he suddenly sees a little girl appear on the roadway he'll end up crashing "Betty" his M/C and rescuing Ariel's mom Willa from a madman. Little does he know that it will be Ari who'll steal his heart before falling for her mom who is tough and strong on her own.
This book will keep you guessing to the end who is the bad guys that want Willa dead and will do anything to make that happen.
Chris is on leave when he needs to lay his motorcycle down to avoid hitting a little girl in the middle of the road, in the middle of the night. This is a very strong opening for the story that unfolds. In this book, little Ariel is a definite part of the characters and I loved her. The story has strong mystery and suspense elements.
While the relationship between Willa and Chris came easy, the mystery/suspense kept the story moving forward. I have to admit, although this book was well written and I totally enjoyed the story, the last bit of suspense seemed a bit superfluous after the already HEA. But perhaps other readers will find it difficult to leave the world of Chris and Willa and the added bit would sooth any book-hangover.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Solid 4.5 star This book has it all from mystery, attraction, bad guys, cute kids, life changing events, danger and fantastic characters along with a gripping story. The way Fish aka Chris meets Ari and then her mother Willa has you worried and thankful but full of questions on who did the horrible things and where are they now! Then you swoon at how fish is with Ari and how he is wanting to help Willa and try to work out how he feels for her, along with do his job and lead his team means this is a one sitting book so get comfy as you really won't be going anywhere until the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
What a great start to this new series "Waterproof" by Jo Chambliss. This is so much more than the typical military romance most writers produce. This is the story of Navy Seal Chris (Fish) and divorced single mom Willa and her wise and cute 4 yr old daughter Ariel. What I loved about this story was the relationship between all 3 characters. I loved the flow of this story. There were twists, turns, suspense, action, and steam. This series has a ton of potential and I look forward to hearing more from this team of Seals.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is Willa and Chris's love story she's a divorced single Mom with a four year old Daughter and both are snatched in the parking lot of a grocery store, Chris is a Navy SEAL that almost runs the little girl over on his way to his cabin in the woods. This is my first book by No and I wasn't disappointed.
I would recommend this book for mature readers (sexual content, and situations) that love stories that are a combination of funny lines, steamy situations, suspenseful, and romantic. The SEALS and RANGERS in the story don't disappoint the Author makes you feel like your right there in the room with the characters. Well done.
I was recommended this book via a Readers Facebook page, and it blew me away. This is so much more than a Military Romance because it covers suspense, mystery, life changing situations, action, romance and more. (I would add here that this book does contain situations that could trigger some stress). The initial blurb by the author immediately caught my attention and made me download the book.....Navy SEAL Commander Christopher "Fish" Hill is looking for a quiet weekend away after a hellish mission. On his way to his cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a small, ghostly figure standing in the middle of the road in the middle of the night changes his plans and his life. Does that grab your attention too.....? No spoilers from me...so would definitely recommend you read on. A brilliant read.
Why do so many caucasian writers assume that their audiance is also caucasian and only describe the races of all of the non-white characters? This adds nothing to the character developement and continues to reinforce seperation . The sentence that the 'black deputy stepped into the room..." was unecessary. What does this particular deputy's race have to do with anything? It is not as if he is named and we look for him further in the book. Micro-aggressions are just that. Subliminal but just as dangerous.
Fish is just looking for some peach and quiet after his last mission as a Navy SEAL, so he heads to his cabin in the mountains. He sees a small girl in the middle of the road and she ends up stealing his heart. He will do what he must to rescue her mother but what happens when the fall for each other? Can he keep them safe from the evil that took them? Fast-paced read with lots of twists and turns, loads of drama and steam. I really liked it.
The first book in the Waterproof series a well written story that kept me turning pages. This is a new Author to me, I want to read the next book. This is Navy SEAL Commander Christopher "Fish" Hill, and mother and daughter Willa and Ariel's story. There is suspense, drama, danger, shooting, kidnapping, evil, villains, and romance. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book. This is my honest and voluntary review All I can say is WOW!!!! I picked this amazing book up and couldn't put it down until I was done. I loved the storyline and all those SEALS. Chris and Willa were perfect. Ariel was such a cutie. This is book one in the Waterproof series and am looking forward to rest of series
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
christopher fish hill is navyseal on his way to the cabin when in the middle of the road he crashes his bike in order to avoid a young girl. even though this is an apparition of Ariel , telling Christopher about her mom willa and the bad men that have her.Eventually chris finds them and what ensues after is alot of mystery and suspense.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I was extremely impressed. The story gripped me from the start. There is plenty of suspence and action aswell as romance. The characters were very well developed and I loved the interaction between the two main characters, the daughter and the rest of the team. I have already downloaded the next book in the series and look forward to starting it.
When Navy SEAL Commander Christopher "Fish" Hill decides to get away for a while in his cabin in the mountains the last thing he expects is to almost run over a small girl on the mountain road. And he never expects for the little girl to steal his heart. When he learns that her mother is there somewhere on the mountain and in danger her will do whatever he has to to find her and bring her back safely. This is another great one by Jo Chambliss. I look forward to more in this series.
Twist and Turns that makes you wonder what is next
Someone recommended the Waterproof series by Jo Chambliss, all I can say is wow, I was not able to stop reading as I got sucked into this story about Chris, Willa and little Ariel. It was a great mix of action, angst, attraction, twist and turns, that made you wonder what the next page or chapter would bring. Can't wait to get to know the rest of the seal team better
I read another series by this author and while the premise of the stories kept me reading I wasn’t thrilled with the writing style but thought I would try her other series. This started out ok with some minor spelling and punctuation issues but I over looked them for the plot. By the middle of the story it became very unrealistic and the grammar and spelling errors became more abundant (example reigns instead of reins) and the whole falling off the cliff thing (face palm).
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, but there were a few things I just could not get past. First, the sheer amount of trauma one little girl went through. It felt overwhelming. Second, the brutal death of an animal, which was very hard to read. And finally, the ending. Honestly, I felt like the story should have wrapped up after the scene in the woods. The third dramatic event was not needed and took away from what could have been a strong, natural conclusion.