BOOKWORM REVIEW: The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth O'Roark

January 20, 2022

BOOKWORM REVIEW: The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth O'Roark

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
STEAM: 🔥🔥🔥

"It's not as if we are going to be friends when this trip is over."

Oh Joshua Bailey, you sweet summer child.

Josh is on vacation with his parents in Hawaii. This vacation has been planned by his mom who just wrapped up a round of chemo, and she has invited Sloane, a woman Josh briefly dated while in Somalia for work, and Drew Wilson, his brother's ex.

Too bad his brother Six is nowhere to be found. He's currently detained in Asia for doing something stupid, which is on-brand for Six. Meanwhile, Drew is feeling like a fifth wheel on this vacation and continues to lock horns with Josh. But as they spend more time in close proximity while the Bailey family hop around the Hawaiian islands, they start to learn more about each other. New information that breaks their previous assumptions.

I love the slow-burn angst in this book. The back-and-forth between Josh and Drew just draws us to them individually and as a couple. On the surface, they might seem like complete opposites but as we peel back their layers and uncover their history and emotional baggage, we learn along with them that they have more in common than they thought. Josh is blunt and broody, but while Drew seems to annoy him, he is also fiercely protective of her and notices tiny details about her.

And Drew. My heart broke as we learn more about her and her history. Knowing that also makes her courage and resilience even more admirable. She is sassy and does not take any of Josh's crap.

Hawaii plays an important supporting role. I love that some of my favorite places on the islands were featured, and it made me miss my favorite state (sorry Maryland) even more.

Finally, I was not kidding about the slow burn. But it is absolutely worth the wait. Elizabeth O'Roark does a phenomenal job in building simmering chemistry and creating heart-wrenching angst. I know it is only January, but these two might be in contention for my favorite book couple of 2022.

This was my first Elizabeth O'Roark, and it absolutely will not be my last. I am going back to read about Tali and Hayes, and I am already counting down to Ben's story.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. **

ABOUT THE BOOK

You don't really know a guy until you've vacationed with him...

When Drew Wilson's ex-boyfriend Joel "Six" Bailey asks her to go on his family trip to Hawaii with him just as her life is falling apart, she decides it's the perfect time to give him another chance.

The hitch? The Bailey family includes Six's rude older brother, Joshua--a hot-nerd doctor who has hated Drew since the moment they met and once suggested she'd steal the family silver.

Drew is determined to win the Baileys over and give this thing with Six a fair shot...but Joshua is making that difficult. Not simply because he is in her way at every turn, but because--as one tropical adventure leads to the next--she's beginning to wonder if obnoxious, odious Joshua might be the brother she actually belongs with.

Get Your Copy (Free with Kindle Unlimited)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Ey6M7V
Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/DeepBlueSea

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