Ultimately, this is a story of overcoming and living life with the motto: When life hands you lemons, make lemon aid. The author, Lynette Eason, isn’t afraid of a challenge, and I love the feel of her characters because they’re real people.  We get to see their struggles as they face each day.

Juliana is the big sister to Dottie. They both come from a rough background, taking one day at a time trying to overcome the odds.  For Juliana, it was partially due to making some bad decisions as a teen, but she learned from them. As for Dotty, she had to grow up a little faster than usual.  It’s impressive when Dotty faces a bully, she handles her with composure. Both Juliana and Dottie have kind hearts, and it shows in their daily actions.

Clay Fox is a police officer who’s working to protect kids. He’s got baggage and is trying to figure out life in the aftermath of the Army. When Juliana and Clay bump into each other, sparks fly. Several other characters are involved and this wouldn’t be a great novel without bad guys playing their roles perfectly.

Lynette Eason is a Christian author who isn’t shy about having characters who have a relationship with God.  Like real people, some of the characters struggle with accepting God, but they are never belittled for their lack of faith.

This book had many moments of high stakes and is a thoroughly enjoyable to read. Like every great novel, there are a few curve balls that keep a level of enjoyable suspense. The pacing is spot on and the characters are enjoyable to get to know. Lynette Eason has written at least 58 books and co-authored many more. This is book two in a four book series and could be read as a stand alone or with the series.

Review of an audio version of the book

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language: None

Violence/Gore: Multiple hostage situations throughout the story, people shot, some dead, others with serious injuries; previously, a man had held people hostage, killing 6; a character is tackled to prevent her from entering a dangerous situation, no physical harm mentioned; multiple mentions of a woman who remembers a school shooting and the details, blood, death, but no gory details; character dies of a heart attack; a character remembers when a man held his family hostage and he was killed; man in the Army was killed by friendly fire; a character shoots another character and he dies; serious vehicle accident no injuries but character taken hostage; a character was drugged and tied up, the drugs made her violently ill; a character has serious mental health issues after sibling was killed, she previously tried to kill both of her parents, some details of wounds; a character tried to kill herself by setting herself on fire, serious wounds but not detailed; a character killed three people, mention of bullet wounds; a character’s hand is bleeding; doctor takes a classroom of student’s hostage, she gets shot by police officers, bloody but not gory.

Sex/Nudity: 2 characters are attracted to each other.

Mature Subject Matter:

Family relationships/conflict/mistreatment, hostage negotiation, theft, juvenile detention, PTSD, Pro-Life, emphysema, blended families, divorce, military service, friendly fire, suicide (attempted).

Alcohol/Drug Use:

Hostage is drugged.