Holy Moly - talk about starting off a new series with a bang! Fiona Carver is a Naval Archaeologist. She deals with sites of interest that may be impacted by naval installations, etc. But her latest assignment has trouble written all over it. Colleagues having flings, female sexual predators, weird goings-on in general - now one of her former campmates seems to have disappeared. They were originally told that he had attacked said female predator - something smells rotten and it's not the fish! Alaska is many things but tropical it is not. Wildlife photographer Dean is used to his locations being on the tropical side but when his brother "goes off-grid" he knows something hinky is going on. He manages to finagle himself onto the next group going to his last known location. He also meets the archaeologist he was raving over - and after the bitter divorce he endured, Dean is more than happy for his brother. But Fiona doesn't act like someone in love and missing their partner. Just what is going on? Aleutian Islands, mysterious metal objects, missing brothers, dodgy military deals, and a very mysterious local tribe - all this mixes into a wonderfully thought out and highly descriptive story. I loved learning about local tribe history and whilst not everything is tied up with a big bow at the end, the loose ends hopefully tie together in book 2! Dylan is like McGyver! Plunk that man anywhere and he'll survive! The brother's bond is strong, even whilst they are both off doing their own thing. I'm hoping that this series really develops both the brothers along with Fiona's character. They are all intriguing in their own way and I may be slightly desperate for Dean and Fiona to become a new archeological wonder-team!

Archaeologist, Fiona Carver, is headed back to Chiksook Island in the Aleutians to continue her research on the recent find of a prehistoric village she made before a storm caused immediate evacuation of the island. Along with Fiona on the trip is Dean Slater who has faked his name and credentials to search for his brother, Dylan, a volcanologist that was last seen on the island before he went missing. Thinking that Fiona and Dylan had been in a relationship, Dean seeks out her help in finding Dylan, but, for a girlfriend, she has a surprising lack of interest in Dylan's fate. What's worse is that Dean finds himself attracted to Fiona, knowing he will never cross that line if she truly is involved with his brother. While worsening weather puts Dean and Fiona at risk, other surprising events leave them in a situation that they may not be able to save themselves from. Dangerous Ground is the first book in the Fiona Carver series. *Readers' note - the story of Fiona, Dylan, and Dean is not finished at the end of this book. The archaeological details, as in all of Rachel Grant's books, seem accurate and add a level of realism to the story, but at times overwhelm the plot a bit. The romance is evident in the story, interlaced with the adventure, but does not devolve into sex scenes at inappropriate moments when the characters are trying to survive. Even though the characters are well developed in the story, there is still some disconnect between them and the reader. Overall, however, Dangerous Ground is a good beginning to the Fiona Carver series, leaving this reader anxious for the next installment.