Book description:
You can't give up on love
When she was just five years old, Melissa Braxton watched her father take her mother's life and suffered the pain of separation from her sister, Lola. Melissa grew up with a strong desire to help those stuck in abusive relationships. It's why she became a therapist and opened a domestic abuse shelter.
After losing a leg to a gunshot wound in the line of duty, Phil Osbourne has felt like a man without a purpose--until he hears Melissa's story and decides to use his Special Forces contacts to track down her missing sister, the wife of a Colombian cartel teniente. He knows what he discovers will break Melissa's heart. What he doesn't realize is that helping the women reunite will bring the cartel down on them like the category 5 hurricane striking Miami.
Bruised yet not quite broken, Melissa and Phil battle the storm and the cartel, calling on strength they didn't know they had to escape death, save the innocent, and--just maybe--find healing in each other's arms.
My review:
I have been eagerly anticipating this book since I read the second a month ago. It is awesome that all three books came out a month apart. Most series has books come out at least 6 months apart.
It was well worth the wait. This has been an awesome series, and introduced me to a great author whose other books I have been reading. (I highly recommend the Song of Suspense Series)
Honor's Refuge is not as military in nature as the first two. Two of Phil's former Special Forces buddies make an appearance for part of the book, and he makes use of his Special Forces training in the book, but it all takes place in Miami. The other two books involved all of his former team, and took the reader to other countries.
Not to say this book was not as good. It was definitely as good. I really enjoy books that have a character that has some handicap or past to overcome. Though the characters are fictional, it is not fictional that no matter what our past or handicap is, we can persevere and God can help us in whatever it is.
Phil lost his leg on a mission in the first book. He also had a previous medical drug addiction made easier by his being in the medical field. Though he has a great attitude about the loss of his leg, he is letting those two things keep him from a couple things he wants in life: to be an ER doctor instead of an EMT, and to admit his love for Melissa and have a relationship with her.
The book didn't just have romance, but also a lot of suspense and bad guys. There was one part of the book that I was saying in my mind to the author "How could you?!"...but even with that very sad part of the book, it was truly a masterpiece of Christian fiction. The author is new to Revell Publishing with this series, but it is such a great series that her place as one of their authors should be firmly cemented in place.
A big part of the book is Melissa's work with abused women and men. Again, though the book was fiction, I was saddened by the thought of how prevalent that is, and am thankful there are people out there in real life helping those in that kind of situation.
Faith played a large part in the book. Things happened that made Phil crave the drugs he used to be addicted to, and his praying and Melissa's praying with him happened a few times. I appreciate authors who do not shy away from that.
I really enjoyed this series, and loved the characters. Phil may be my favorite, with all he had to overcome, but the author did a great job on the characters she created and the interplay between them.
The book did have a happy ending, worthy of not just the book, but the whole trilogy. It has left me wanting to read more by this fairly new-to-me-author, and I am looking forward to what she writes next.
I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.
Hallee Bridgeman is the USA Today bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee and her husband finally settled in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she's not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. An accomplished speaker and active member of several writing organizations, Hallee can be found online at www.halleebridgeman.com.
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