RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
SALVAGING TRUTH (Hunters & Seekers Book 1) by Joanne Jaytanie is the exciting start of a new romantic suspense series. The books revolve around a salvage and investigation company called Hunters & Seekers run by three ex-SEAL friends.
Dagger Eastin, Kaleb LaSalle and Stone Garrison are partners and friends who run Hunters & Seekers. As ex-SEALs, they all have a love of the sea and have found the perfect way to carry on in the private sector while still getting that punch of adrenaline they all still seek by being private investigators.
Riley Rawlings is in shock as she listens to her mother’s message on her phone. The research vessel Claudia is on is sinking. Riley does not know exactly what her mother was working on when she died, but it was going to change the balance of power in the energy business world. Riley was left clues by her mother to follow in a scavenger hunt to retrieve her research and get it into the right hands.
Riley needs help solving her mother’s murder and someone watching her back as she follows the clues to her mother’s research. It seems everyone wants Claudia’s research and are willing to kill to get it. Riley and Daggar have to deal with universities, the military, energy corporations and Russian spies. Daggar has Riley’s back as they follow the clues, but can Riley trust him with more?
I really enjoyed the whole premise of this story and the execution. Ms. Jaytaine’s writing was easy-to- read and the scavenger hunt kept me turning the pages. Riley was an intelligent heroine with an interesting career. Daggar was the strong ex-SEAL hero. I had a little difficulty with the romance because for me it felt forced. The author gave reasons for the back and forth, but for me, it was not really believable if he cared for her so much, but the suspense plot in the book more than made up for the weakness in the romance. Kaleb and Stone are strong characters in this story and I am looking forward to reading about future adventures featuring each.
I can highly recommend this first book in this series and I am looking forward to reading more.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
