Found At Sea (Heartwarming #91)

Someone wants Jordan Castillo dead, but they don't know a woman lurks in the shadows. As three unidentified men heave his body off the dock, expert swimmer Aurora Collins dives to his rescue. Emergency surgery and recuperation time must pass before the truth begins to emerge.Jordan's family can trace their lineage back for centuries. He's also a salvager searching for sunken treasure, and dreaming of ways to provide for his extended family. All the men of his family perished in a desperate storm at sea, and Jordan has assumed responsibility for the remaining family members. So when Aurora presents her knowledge of a Castillo wreckage from the early 1800s containing gold, he yields to her pressure to a partnership. Despite the fact he wants a partner, not a woman, he soon finds himself irresistibly drawn to Aurora.Aurora left home when she was sixteen, accepting a once in the lifetime opportunity to crew a Florida salvage ship. Her departure created a permanent rift between herself and her family. Blamed for all the family's problems, she'd learned to stay away except for birthdays and holidays, just to keep the peace. But now it's up to her to save part of her family. She recently found a single gold medallion in a wreck. Now she wants to partner with the hereditary owner to salvage the remaining treasure. She intended to use her proceeds to keep the family business solvent to grease palms in an effort to rescue her sister, brother-in-law and niece from a Mexican prison.As danger and intrigue bring these business partners closer to affairs of the heart, they are both faced with tremendous obstacles. Someone wants them dead and wants the location of the treasure. Further, Aurora's sister is desperately ill, and must be rescued from the lack of health care in the Mexican prison before she dies. As the action and subplots increase, the reader will be pulled along in a wonderful adventure of danger and mystery in the exotic Pacific waters.Romantic suspense combines with dangerous waters in Anne Marie Duquette's CASTILLO'S BRIDE. Anne Marie Duquette clearly demonstrates her writing talent as she provides a suspense-filled and action packed story line containing two understandable lead characters and a strong secondary cast, especially the teenager who's foolish actions instigate the dire situation she family must confront. Her chilling descriptions of the Mexican prison system and the destitution incurred by extreme poverty juxtaposed by the wealth displayed at San Diego's boat docks make a profound image. And her vivid descriptions of the kelp beds and beauty of the sea are amazing. Very highly recommended.