Priceless

Mariah Stewart

Rachel is a ship salvager like her father and brother in the family business. As they are coming close to a pirate ship, she is finally given the chance to run another salvation job alone. While not wanting to give up the special find, she knew this was her chance to prove how well she could do. Too bad Sam McGowan, the archeologist on the dig, was not sure her work could match her father's.

Rachel and Sam start on the salvage of a Confederate blockade runner off the coast of North Carolina. It has more than the normal pull for Sam because this ship had been owned by his ancestor. The man who discovered the ship had bought the family home and was restoring it for posterity. He now was pulling up the final piece of the family history.

Sam has to correct the bad impression he had made on Rachel at their first meeting. People working under water together in a dive have to be able to trust each other with their lives. As their trust and feelings grow, so does the mystery around the ship. This was a blockade runner and should have had guns and ammunition aboard. What was the chest of gold?

This is a warm, fuzzy romance. Sam and Rachel continue to come together and grow in their relationship. There is no misunderstanding that makes them distrust each other. Instead, the mystery surrounds the sunken ship and the family secrets. This mystery is nicely crafted, even though I was easily able to put together many of the clues. I still missed one piece that finished it.

Notice: Strong sexual content

The Reef by Nora Roberts