Review ~ The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ~ Elizabeth O’Roark

Posted 13 July, 2022 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 3 Comments

Review ~ The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ~ Elizabeth O’RoarkThe Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Elizabeth O'Roark
Series: Devil #2
Published by Selfpublished on January 20, 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 319
Format: Kindle
Source: Kindle Unlimited
5 Stars

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.

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It’s official. With The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, EO’Roark solidified her place as a new favorite author. And I don’t care what you say, I’m not choosing between Hayes and Josh. Nope. Not gonna do it. 😉

Okay, so I absolutely FLOVE the setup for this one. Drew, who we met in A Deal with the Devil, is invited to spend a vacation with her on again/off again boyfriend and his family. The only problem being that his brother also being present. His annoyingly judgemental but HOT brother. Did I mention he’s HOT?!? 😉 Josh is constantly getting in Drew’s business when Six (who does have a common name but he’s a rock star so…) doesn’t show for the vacay. And Josh’s constant intrusion aids in getting to know him better, demonstrating all the reasons he’d be a much better choice for Drew.

Drew is a musician and, let’s be honest, quite a pop star. She’d like to expand her horizons and make music that’s more her than the sexy she’s made to sing. She’s worked hard to get where she is though and a lot of her tenacity is due to her search for validation from her father. She’s been with Six on and off but the dude’s a douche. He makes her feel less than and that’s just not acceptable. But when he asks her to join his family on this vacation, she’s just had an incident on-stage that could negatively impact her career. So of course, she jumps at the chance to get away.

Josh is a doctor. Yep. He spends most of his time in dangerous locations helping those who need him most. And he does so, essentially donating his time and talent, as a middle-finger salute to his dad who’d rather he be making oodles of money. Josh is mature and seems to have his life together. He also seems to be constantly looking down his nose at Drew, especially in regards to her relationship with Six. However, when Six is a no-show for vacation, Josh is given the opportunity to really get to know Drew. And, well, let’s just say he kinda likes what he learns.

Omigosh did I love these two. The banter was excellent and I found the situations they found themselves in entertaining. They were so obviously drawn to each other but they couldn’t see it. That made for explosive chemistry. There was a lot of serious, too. Both Drew and Josh have daddy issues but Drew is actually estranged from her mom and dad. That part of the story broke my heart. And then there’s the whole reason for the family vacation as well as all that’s going on with Drew’s career. But these two have a world of differences and one big one could keep them apart.

The supporting cast, especially Josh and Six’s mom, played such integral roles in the story. They helped make the relationship that developed between Drew and Josh feel that much more genuine. The fact the story is set in Hawaii, with one part in Kauai where I’ve actually been, made the story even more special for me. It also helped that we got cameos from Hayes and Tali. 😉

EO’Roark’s writing is exceptional. She draws you in, creating characters who feel like friends, and the slow-burn romance is perfect. I’m eager to meet her at Book Bonanza as well as to read anything and everything she writes. 😀

 

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.

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3 responses to “Review ~ The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea ~ Elizabeth O’Roark

  1. WendyW

    What a wonderful review, I love your enthusiasm for this book. It’s going on my TBR!

  2. oh what a review you have there! I am so excited, that you loved this one and your excitement for this one has me eager to try this one out.

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