Falcon by Ronie Kendig

Special Forces operator Salvatore “Falcon” Russo vowed to never again speak to or trust Lieutenant Cassandra Walker after a tragedy four years ago. But as Raptor closes in on the cyber terrorists responsible for killing two of their own, Sal must put his life—and the lives of his teammates—in her hands. Despite his anger, Cassie is ill-prepared for his resistance and the fallout when she must protect the one asset who can end the attacks. As allies become enemies and hostiles become unlikely partners, Raptor fights for its very existence.




My review:

  Ronie Kendig is an all around great lady. She is one of the handful of authors I am blessed to have as a Facebook friend, and it is nice to get a glimpse into an author's life and see how ordinary they are. She may lead an ordinary life, but she is an extraordinary author. She had me at her first book, which was suspense. She then went on to find her true niche in military fiction that has suspense and drama.  With each book and series she writes, she only gets better.

  This whole series has been a roller coaster of non-stop action, drama, and suspense. Each novel in the trilogy has focused on a different member of an elite team of special ops soldiers, and this one focused on Salvatore Russo, or "Falcon." Although the book centers on him, there is a continuing mystery and drama that has been going on through all three books that also takes center stage in the book.

  I was given this book to be an "influencer." They wanted people to help promote the book, and there are suggestions given as to how to do that. If you don't like the book, there are a couple of things to do. I didn't even read that part. The fact that I wouldn't like this book didn't even enter my mind. I knew I would. and I did. This was a fantastic conclusion to this great series, and it was so good, Ronie may scramble to do a series of the same caliber for her next project. But I have faith.

  Readers have had a glimpse into the character of Falcon in the other books, but since he was the central person in this book, we learned even more about him. And he turned out to be an even more interesting and complex person than we had seen. Since this is the final book in the trilogy, a lot had to be wrapped up, which made for an even more action-packed novel. A lot happens in the book, and the identity of the mole is finally revealed. Ronie did an excellent job of keeping that a secret, and I was totally surprised. 

 There were a couple of other surprises in the book. You never know when someone might get killed, or appear to be killed. And people are not always who they seem to be.

  As with any of Ronie's books, I could not put it down. It was full of drama, military action and suspense, faith, and romance. I completely, 100% enjoyed the book and loved the ending. And though the book is definitely Christian in content, that element is woven seamlessly through the book and isn't what some would call overbearing or "preachy." Not everyone has a miraculous conversion before the end of the book, but that isn't needed to have great Christian fiction.

  I definitely recommend this book, and all of Ronie's books. This is the third and final book in the Quiet Professionals Series, and the books should be read in order. The first book is Raptor 6, and the second is Hawk.

 Visit Ronie's website and her Facebook author page.

About the author:

An Army brat, Ronie Kendig grew up in the classic military family, with her father often TDY and her mother holding down the proverbial fort. Their family moved often, which left Ronie attending six schools by the time she’d entered fourth grade. Her only respite and “friends” during this time were the characters she created.

It was no surprise when she married a military veteran—her real-life hero—in June 1990.  Married more than twenty years, Ronie and her husband, Brian, homeschool their children, the first of whom graduated in 2011. Despite the craziness of life, Ronie finds balance and peace with her faith, family and their Maltese Menace in Northern Virginia.

Ronie has a deep love and passion for people, especially hurting people, which is why she pursued and obtained a B.S. in Psychology from Liberty University. Ronie speaks nationally, volunteers with writer’s organizations, including American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and My Book Therapy, and mentors other writers.

Since launching onto the publishing scene in 2010, Ronie and her books have hit bestseller lists and garnered awards and critical acclaim, including:

• 2012 Christy Award Winner – Wolfsbane(Contemporary Romance)
• 2013 HOLT Medallion Winner – Trinity: Military War Dog (Best Book by a Virginia Author)
• 2013 Selah Award Winner  – Firethorn(Fiction – Suspense)
• 2013 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award Winner – Trinity: Military War Dog (Romantic Suspense)
• 2012 Lime Award Winner – Firethorn (Suspense)
• 2012 Carol Award Finalist – Wolfsbane (Romantic Suspense)
• Christian Retailing’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards Finalist – Nightshade
• 2011 Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award Finalist – Nightshade (Romantic Suspense)
• Named one of the Top 25 Christian Fiction Suspense, Mystery, and Thriller Writers by FamilyFiction (Sept 2011)
• 2011 FamilyFiction Readers’ Choice Awards – 3rd place as New Favorite Author, 8th place with Nightshade for Novel of the Year.
• INSPY Award Shortlist final in Mystery/Thriller (Dead Reckoning)
• The Christian Manifesto’s 2010 Lime Award for Excellence in Christian Fiction (Nightshade)

Falcon and the other books in the Quiet Professionals Series is available from Barbour Publishing.

Thanks to the author for the review copy.