Sunday, February 19, 2023

About the Book

Book: Courage in the Shadows

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: Febraury 14, 2023

When she crosses paths with a killer from her past, can she survive long enough to step into her future?

Ever since she and thirteen other models were kidnapped years before, Summer Lake has fought to ensure that she can protect herself. But when her job as a bodyguard brings her into contact with a man she believes masterminded her kidnapping, her first urge is to run, terrified of being taken again. Instead, she follows the stranger, determined to bring him to justice.

Bodyguard Grant Wright fell in love with Summer the instant he saw her, a fierce protector standing in front of the other endangered young women he’d come to rescue. Years later, Summer still sees him as barely more than a coworker. Grant bides his time, sticking close in an effort to keep her safe and hoping she’ll eventually open her heart to him. When her life is threatened, he’s not about to allow her to fight her enemies alone. He’ll stay by her side whether she wants him or not.

But Summer and Grant have an enemy whose global smuggling organization is so powerful, so pervasive, that it’ll be a miracle if either of them emerges from this battle alive.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.

More from Robin

In Lineage of Corruption, the heroine offhandedly refers to her bodyguard as a “Venus statue.” It seemed a fair description of the woman known at the time only as Lake.

But it made me wonder… Why would a nearly six-foot-tall, drop-dead gorgeous blonde become a bodyguard?

We learned a little more about Lake in Wreathed in Disgrace, including the fact that her partner, Jon, was also her cousin—a man who considered her as close as a sister.

We also learned that Lake didn’t have the happiest background.

Slowly, over the course of writing two books, Lake became more than just the pretty bodyguard in the corner. She became real to me.

And her murky background came into view. What would make a beautiful woman, a woman given the whimsical name Summer Lake, a woman who could easily grace magazine covers—and has in the past—decide to lay down her curling iron and pick up a sidearm?

I won’t tell you her secret, but suffice it to say, Summer has good reason to carry a gun. She’s been threatened in the past. And when she was a kid, she didn’t even feel safe in her own home. She’s seen people she loved and cared about harmed, and she loathes nothing more than watching the strong prey on the weak.

She decided a long time ago that she’s never going to be counted among the weak again.

But when Summer follows a man she’s pretty sure was the mastermind behind her own worst nightmare, she inadvertently overhears his nefarious plans. Only she wasn’t as hidden as she thought, and if not for Grant, her new partner—a man who’s doggedly determined to make sure she stays safe—she might have been killed.

With just enough information to know something terrible is going to happen, Summer and Grant embark on a quest to bring down Summer’s old enemy.

But he knows who she is, and he’s not going down without a fight.

This book was a blast to write, and I absolutely can’t wait for you to get your hands on it. It’s got a hunky and protective hero, a strong yet vulnerable heroine, and a villain who’ll keep you awake at night.

I hope you’ll check it out!

MY REVIEW

I love reading books by this author because she delivers action, suspense and characters that are strong in faith. I enjoy getting to know them on a deeper level and this story especially was geared toward safety, forgiveness and family. We learn more about Summer in this book which helped me understand some of her decisions. She is flawed but still desires to have a family bond. That was almost taken away at one time so she works even harder to protect those close to her. When danger comes her way she reaches out to her cousin for help. I liked her cousin and how he was always there for her. One thing I really liked about Summer was that she refused to ever be weak again. Having that taken away from her has drawn her back to her faith.

With the addition of Grant to the story he brings intelligence, deep feelings for Summer and the intense need to protect her. Summer is on the run from someone from her past who is not just dangerous but vindictive. Grant has this sense of trying to out wit the enemy but at times Summer tries to exclude him. I wonder if sharing his feelings for her was such a great idea? She is nowhere near wanting to let anyone in and Grant will have to break down emotional walls to make her feel loved.

There is a part in the story when Summer meets Grant’s family. The tension between Grant and his brother Bryan has been stewing for years. I liked how the author showed how important it is to keep a close relationship with your family. As Summer observes Grant with his siblings and parents her heart hungers for a family like his. I could relate to Summer yearning for a close knit family. She knows that Grant and Bryan have issues with each other, but she prays that they can work it out. It is interesting to see that Grant can’t forgive himself for something that happened to his brother when they were younger, while Bryan comes to realize he needs to forgive Grant.

Be ready for a story with non stop action as the author delivers us a lesson in forgiveness and trusting God. The ending is worthy of an Emmy as we are taken deep into the world of drugs with danger on a yacht and lives at stake. In the midst of danger our characters turn to God for help and put their faith in him.

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