HELL OR HIGH WATER is book one in a new series, The Deep Six, by Julie Ann Walker. This series follows six ex SEALS who left the military last year. While on a botched mission in Syria, they promised a dying teammate that they would quit the military when their terms were up and start making real lives for themselves. They remain banded together working in marine salvage under their prior lieutenant, and now ship captain, Leo "The Lion" Anderson. Leo's father had the dream to find lost Spanish treasure from the sunken galleon La Santa Christina, and now Leo is pursuing that dream in his dad's footsteps.

Then in walks Central Intelligence Agency operative Olivia Mortier, who worked with Leo in Syria a year ago. They flirted for months and shared one smoking kiss overseas, but when the mission fell apart, the two went their separate ways without consummating their "interest". Now Olivia and her boss need to recover chemical weapons stolen by al-Qaeda faction flunkies then dropped on the bottom of the ocean by the fleeing terrorists, and Leo is the right man in the right place that the government can tap to make things happen. Olivia and Leo must work together closely to thwart the terrorist plot, and that closeness makes their attraction flare out of control. The lust between Leo and Olivia is off-the-charts steamy, and adds a lovely fillip to the story.

HELL OR HIGH WATER is the usual wild and over-the-top military action/suspense romance with all kinds of events that strain the bounds of credulity. While I can willingly suspend my disbelief to a fairly extended point to enjoy this kind of action-packed book, there are far too many unbelievable things in this book which pulled me out of the moment repeatedly. Procedural issues, safety and security goofs, medical things. I found myself rolling my eyes a number of times, unfortunately. Additionally, while I like the characters of Leo and Olivia, I do NOT like their constant inner monologues. What makes these even worse for me is the constant injections (in italics) of silly slang or pithy curses in those inner musings. There are too many run-on sentences in the book for my taste. I don't know if these are meant to provide a sense of heightened or rapid action, but they merely make me grind my teeth.

Walker's books have been a mixed bag for me. Some of her books in the Black Knights series have been absolute hits with me, but HELL OR HIGH WATER is a miss in my opinion.

There is the obligatory introduction of not only one but two future love interests in this book, setting up the next in the series. I do plan on picking up the next in the series, but it will take some work to redeem The Deep Six series for me.

Book Summary

In a world on the brink Six men. One sunken Spanish galleon. Millions in gold and silver coins lying on the ocean floor. And a past that refuses to let the guys of Deep Six Salvage forget the Navy SEAL motto: the only easy day was yesterday...

There's more than one kind of treasure The nation's security has always been CIA agent Olivia Mortier's top priority. But a mission-gone-wrong has begun to make her wonder if there's more to life than risking hers.

And more than one secret at the bottom of the sea Only two things could make Leo Anderson abandon his hunt for the legendary lost ship, La Santa Christina, and return to the world of weapons and warfare he swore to leave behind: a capsule of enriched uranium, lost on the ocean floor, and a plea for assistance from the one woman he can't seem to forget...