Review: Devil and the Deep

Devil and the Deep by Julie Ann Walker
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

New to me author, Ms. Walker pens a fun adventure. Full disclosure, I read this book without reading the first book in the series. It can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading it in order. This story is a full of amusing repartees between Maddy Powers and Bran Palladino. Other secondary characters jump in with a few zingers too. This is what kept my attention because the pace of the book is a bit slower than I usually prefer.

"I don’t think I’m always right,” Mason said. “I just think I’m hyper-fuckin’-competent, which leads to a higher-than-usual occurrence of being right.” (kindle loc. 341-343)

I have to admit, this is my favourite line in the book and really the main one I remember. Sadly, this book is a bit forgettable for me. After reading it, I remember enjoying it, but to recall the actual details and the characters is a bit difficult. This happens because I couldn't connect with either Maddy or Bran. They didn't move me in a positive or negative way. From a character perspective, if I am not emotional involved, I'm not going to enjoy the book as much. The sexual chemistry between the two is also lackluster for me. Granted, I tend to be more along the kinky side of the house so this is probably me, not the book.

The pace of the book seemed to drag because sometimes, the descriptions of the action seemed overly long. I'm not saying that scenes should be just chopped out or that high level summaries which end up as telling rather than showing should be done. I just felt as if I wanted to hurry it up. This could be a personal preference just like how many people enjoyed the TV show 24 and I felt it took too bloody long. Overall the story is well edited and written. It just missed an element to spark my interest and retain it. This 2.5 star book is recommended to romantic suspense lovers who enjoy a lengthy book for a relaxing weekend.

*provided by NetGalley