Thursday, August 27, 2020

About the Book

Book: Rescued Hearts

Author: Hope Toler Doughtery

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: September 19, 2017

Children’s clothing designer Mary Wade Kimball’s soft spot for animals leads to a hostage situation when she spots a briar-entangled kitten in front of an abandoned house. Beaten, bound, and gagged by the two thugs inside, Mary Wade loses hope for escape when a third villain returns with supplies.

Discovering the kidnapped, innocent woman ratchets the complications for undercover agent Brett Davis. Weighing the difference of ruining his three months’ investigation against the woman’s safety, Brett forsakes his mission and helps her escape, the bent-on-revenge brutes following behind.

When Mary Wade’s safety is threatened once more, Brett rescues her again. This time, her personal safety isn’t the only thing in jeopardy. Her heart is endangered as well.

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MY REVIEW

I loved the twists the author cleverly puts in throughout the story to add an element of intrigue . Mary Wade is out for a bike ride when she discovers a kitten trapped . She can’t just ignore it, so she goes to help it. Unfortunately she stumbles upon a place that may look deserted, but is surprised when someone kidnaps her and throws her in one of the rooms of the abandoned house. The minute Mary Wade realizes she is in danger, I could feel her heart beating faster and faster. The men who have her are not very friendly and horrible things run through Mary Wade’s mind. I did like that she was a very strong and intelligent person. She didn’t seem to ever really panic and I loved that the author didn’t make her a helpless woman.

I did like the surprise of the third man who seemed to be the leader. Brett is not happy at all that there is a strange woman tied up in the house. It does complicate things for him since he is an undercover agent. Brett was a very well written character with determination and a knack for getting out of tough situations. Will he risk blowing his cover to rescue Mary Wade? The action is good and kept my attention. I liked the references to their faith and especially liked Brett’s grandmother. She is a feisty woman who secretly plays a little matchmaking between Brett and Mary Wade. The story will definitely keep your attention as Brett and Mary Wade try to keep one step ahead of the men who kidnapped her. I did find the ending a bit of a surprise. There seemed to be another plot going on at the end that didn’t really fit with the overall story. The book was good, but a little disappointing to add the extra story at the end.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Hope holds a Master’s degree and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her novels include Irish Encounter and Mars…With Venus Rising, Rescued Hearts, and Forever Music. She’s a member of ACFW and RWA. Residing in North Carolina, she and her husband enjoy visits with their daughters and twin sons.

More from Hope

I live in the country on land my great grandfather owned. For exercise, I ride my bike on our two-lane roads. One afternoon a few years ago, I took a detour off the paved road and onto a dirt path not too far from my house.

The lane meanders by the location of a distant cousin’s long-since demolished house. Trees and a few bushes still outline the phantom house’s parameters, but no boards or bricks mark the spot. Farm equipment waits under nearby shelters.

As I passed the lonely trees and silent tractors, a creepy sensation tickled the back of my neck. My imagination kicked into gear. What if a bike rider rode by an abandoned house? What if she saw a kitten entangled in a honeysuckle vine at the porch steps? What if, while she tried to free the kitten, someone grabbed her and dragged her inside where she was beaten and threatened with rape?

My pedaling picked up speed, and I reached home in record time.

Those questions continued popping up in my mind, however. I began seeing the characters, then hearing them speak every night as I dropped off to sleep. I’d never written a romantic suspense story before, but the characters refused to leave me alone.

Those initial questions led to the first chapter of Rescued Hearts.