My review of Active Defense by Lynette Eason

About the book:

She's used to life-or-death situations. 

She just didn't expect them to follow her home. 

When former field surgeon Heather Fontaine returns from a party to find that someone has broken into her house--and threatened her friends--she assumes it is the stalker who has been creeping her out. She hopes to find safety and peace of mind by leaving the city and hiding out in a small town. But trouble follows her even there. 

Luckily, a stalker isn't the only one observing Heather. Travis Walker has been secretly watching out for her for weeks. As owner of his own security agency, it's what he does. Together, Travis and Heather must figure out who wants her dead--and why--before it's too late.

My review:

I am not a typical suspense fan. I prefer a suspense novel with deeper issues included. Well-rounded and complex characters are a particular favorite. Oh, and if a book can make me cry it gets a higher rating from me. This book included all of the above. I felt stressed a few times over some characters' welfare. I found their issues and background believable (having been a social worker for 30+ years I can vouch for their dysfunctional way of thinking.) I haven't read all the prior books in this series so I was not able to get attached to some of the main character's friends, but that wasn't necessary in order to enjoy this book. 

There was a particularly touching seen that got my tears going and it was toward the end. I won't post a spoiler but if you read it you will know what scene I am referring to. The hero was detained and unable to reach the heroine because he was needed to deal with a situation on the family farm. I still get choked up when I think about the conversation. Wow. 

What I mean by complex characters is this... Heather, the heroine, was a former soldier and complex because of PTSD. Ryker, a young teen, was complex due to a history of abuse by his father. And the hero was just sweet and patient. Gotta love heroes with a soft heart. Anyway, Lynette is one of those authors that I enjoy reading because her characters seem like real people and aren't cardboard cutouts of what we think characters need to look like in Christian novels. That said, I hope you enjoy this book too.   

Active Defense was published by Revell Publishing and released in January 2021