Out of Hiding by Rachel Dylan

Reviewed by Desere

This was my first time reading a love inspired suspense and I will admit I was a little skeptical that it could deliver that major suspense punch that I am use to finding a the action suspense reads, but I was more than pleasantly surprised and so over the moon happy to have read this one.

The book had loads of suspense, enough to keep me on the edge of my seat and combined with a very unique love inspired blend of romance the author melted my heart and lifted my soul.

The read tells of Sadie, she witnessed the murder of her parents and from there on she went in to the witness protection programme but of course it did not make the nightmares go away. The killer's face remains with her and haunts her every waking moment. So when she sees her chance to go after the kiler she takes it, only she does not count on coming face to face with FBI agent Kip Moore.

He's leading his own investigation into the life of the crime boss , and basically the last thing he needs a helpless female tagging along,  or at least he thinks she's helpless, there's this nagging little suspicion that tells him Sadie is not the innocent she tries to be. Sadie soon starts to feel more than terrible for keeping her real identity from Kip but if there is one thing she has learned in life it's in order to survive you must never trust anyone.

Only as they face death and a race against time to bring the crime boss to justice, a relationship develops and soon Sadie has no choice but to come clean, the only question that remains is of course, will Kip send her packing or let her stick around now that she has destroyed his faith in the human race ?

As I mentioned I was very, happy to have read this book, I really enjoyed the author's writing style, it is not everyday I get to read a book that combines suspense with faith and romance. Three of my very favorite things all in one read, it was pure magic!

The characters were really well written and very realistic which gave me a really "I feel truly connected to these characters" feeling which I adored. I loved Sadie from the start , she's a real go getter, nothing stands in my way of justice heroine, and with her spunk and go get 'em attitude she made for some excellent entertainment. I felt so sorry for her with the murder of her parents, no child needs to see such evil and it broke my heart, but through this the author reminded me that bad things happen to everyone, and at the time it happens it never makes sense, but if you hang in there and allow God to show you the way to rise above it, you will eventually not only understand the why, but see that it made you stronger in order to handle so much more in life than you ever thought you would be able to handle.

The character of Kip was such a nice and refreshing hero that I hopelessly fell in love with him, I loved how the author let's him find his faith again through the eyes of Sadie and their relationship. Through this character the author showed that we all lose our way, but God always has a plan to bring us back to life as it should be, we just need to be able to see it and not make the first assumption we can think of and take off running back to the darkness.

I am taking away a message of keeping the faith is hard, things seem tough and you want to give up and just say " I give up and am letting go of it all" but giving up and taking your own route in life will only bring more misery. Try to always remember that everything happens for a reason, it won't make sense till later but it will eventually make sense and then you won't be able to imagine it playing out any other way. God works in mysterious ways to teach us to be stronger, lead us to the person we need to be with and most of all to be exactly who we're meant to be.

I highly recommend this read for all fans of reading. The author combines romance with action and suspense and blends in a large dose of faith making it a realistic read that everyone can relate to, this was so much more than just a book it's a message that will forever remain in my heart.

5/5 star review
" Coming out from hiding sends them both on a journey to happiness they never new could exist" 

Defender for Hire (Love Inspired Suspense) by Shirlee McCoy

Reviewed by Nancy Crocker

Five years ago Tessa Camry was on a mission with her husband Daniel when an insurgent group attacked wounding or killing 20 people including Daniel. Each year since someone has been leaving a black rose for Tessa on the anniversary of the massacre. And each time she moves to a  new place. But Pine Bluff feels like home and she is tired of moving.

Seth Sinclair works private security and has been put on desk duty until his shoulder heals. Sent to Centennial physical therapy he meets Tessa and he knows a woman in trouble when he sees one. Seth is strong, smart and more than able to kick some butt when needed.

No longer content with sending black roses. The mystery person has now sent a package with a live animal in it. And Tessa has been attacked while jogging. Seth has made it a point to keep Tessa safe and he will do whatever it takes.

I really enjoyed both of the main characters. I thought this was the perfect match of two people who have both loved and lost loved ones. I loved that they got their second chance at love. I also thought the author did a really good job of keeping me guessing on this one. It is filled with mystery, suspense and is action packed.

This is the second novel by Shirlee McCoy that I have read and I have really enjoyed both books now. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

5/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.