too much about sharks, not enough romance smh

I absolutely loved this book. If you like romance with a thrilling plot and you LOVE sharks then you have to read this book! I am a huge shark lover and this was right up my alley. Great job!

This book was so cuteeee. This was my first read after finishing throne of glass (tear

3.5-3.75 Stars
There's no doubt the author did her research on sharks. If you're not a shark/marine biology enthusiast you'll probably won't enjoy this novel fully. The novel is brimming with marine and shark info/jargon. I have to admit, it got a bit over whelming at times. I ended up skimming over those parts. The main plot/storyline itself is good, it had me at the edge of my seat multiple times. The romance on the other hand, is a bit of a slow burn, things didn't get going until the 60% mark-ish.

Overall, a bit slow paced but a good read.

***I would like to thank Goodreads for hosting the giveaway and Kristy McCaffrey (the author) for graciously giving me a free copy of the novel to review.***

I really appreciated this book for portraying Grace as such a strong and smart woman working to save great white sharks. I loved reading all the details and information about the sharks, as well as learning more about free diving. I really liked Grace as a character but, at times I got annoyed with how little regard she had for her own safety when in the water. After a while it got a little old, and at times it just felt like it was written so Alec could save her. Other than that though I did enjoy the book overall.

3.5 stars rounded up because this was exactly what my shark fascination (with a healthy dose of fearful respect), shark week-lovin self needed

Deep Blue is lighter on the romance and steam than I’d prefer but it's also chockfull of scientific details and beautiful imagery of sharks, as well as descriptions of diving with them. This made for a unique read that I was immersed in. Additionally, I loved that Grace (h) was a shark researcher who also had skills in computer programming, adding a great women in STEM element. Grace is hyper-focused on her work to bring awareness to and protection for sharks so while she's an admirable and interesting main character, she wasn't the easiest to relate to for me. Alec (H) specializes in underwater filmography and is hired to do a documentary on Grace's latest research trip. He made for a nice foil for Grace because he felt the fear and concern for some of the dangerous situations she put herself in with the sharks that she lacked. He was caring, protective, and truly admired Grace. I wish there had been more sweet alone moments between them. The story focuses on the research trip, interactions with the sharks, a side of professional angst over the research and documentary, and the romance. Written in third person, dual POV. No ow/om drama (there are a couple of side characters who show interest in the H, but he's only focused on the h; one of the h's coworkers is an ex who causes drama but not because he wants her back) and neither were virgins (H wasn't a manwhore and h didn't date much).

This is forced proximity and since Grace and Alec are working together on a project, both are hesitant to give in to their mutual attraction at first. Many of their interactions occur around other people, which is why I wished there were more solo times. I did like them as a couple, but the book also lacks regular life moments between them (although after I finished, I saw that there are a few novella stories featuring them that may fill in some of these gaps I felt they book had). There are multiple steamy moments that are open door, but they're not long scenes or super explicit.

I really enjoyed the side characters of Grace's friend Missy, Alec's friend Double D, and others on the ship. I did feel that the "bad guys" were somewhat muddied in why they were given the opportunities to attempt to mess up the research or documentary. For example, Grace has made concerns about her ex and coworker apparent to the group they work for, but nothing was being done potentially until after the trip, I didn't understand why. And there's a shady documentary producer introduced who acted like he had leeway that he didn't necessarily have. Some of their interactions just confused me.

The sharks deserve their own mentions, because Grace has a special connection with them (there is a bit of a hint of a possible paranormal aspect but it's tiny). I loved the scenes with the sharks, even the heart pounding moments where the crew or the shark were in danger. The author also clearly did her research and shares notes about this at the end of the book. I also thought it was great that there were anecdotes in the book of Grace's love of sharks since she was a child, thanks to her father also being a shark researcher. It was his life's work and her passion as well so that connection was a great one.

The ending is HFN but also abrupt. There's a transition from their research trip to the next thing Grace is doing that was jarring for me. Then a reunion with Alec that was sweet, until something happens that breaks up that sweet moment, but then the sweetness is back. The epilogue is several months later focusing on a showing of the completed documentary and some wrap-up details. There are mentions of both of them meeting each other's families but nothing on page except for a brief intro of Alec's brother because he was at the film showing, and that felt more like a lead-in moment because apparently he has a book with someone who's also introduced at the same time. I truly enjoyed this story, but I don't know if I would have as much without my love of sharks. As I said before, the novellas probably give more of those romantic moments and how their relationship works outside of shark research, but I wanted more of that in this book. But if you love sharks like I do and appreciate a determined woman pursuing science, you may also want to take a bite out of this story (pun intended).

Ok so if you like shark week this is the book for you. Although I love animals I just found at least the first half of the book bland and dragging. I found both the main characters and the side characters bland. The romance was a little lacking and anticlimactic. I really wish I had more positive things to say .. I guess I learned a lot about sharks and their behavior?
Overall I felt like I was reading a section in national geographic. If you like that sort of thing give it a try.

Spice:

While the summary was quiet appealing to me, the story itself; did not. It has been a while since I had so much trouble finishing a book. Not only did nothing really happen (as in: the plot was completely flat), this 'romance' did not even contain anything romantic.
Around 2/3 of the book, there was intimacy. Oh, and at the end. Yet, nothing romantic happend and there was absolutely no chemistry between both characters. There was more chemistry between the sharks. I also felt like the tropes used, were not suiting for the story itself.
There were, instead, lots of sharks. I know nothing about these creatures, but I learned lots about them while reading this book. Not my intention when first picking this one up. It was interesting, but if readers expect a romance: a romance it should be. Besides, the diving scenes made the book very repetitive and that made it boring sometimes.
I was looking forward to read the full series, but unfortunately; it will end at book one.

3.5