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Courage in the Shadows by Robin Patchen Review and Giveaway

February 16, 2023February 16, 2023 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Courage in the Shadows

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: Febraury 14, 2023

When she crosses paths with a killer from her past, can she survive long enough to step into her future?

Ever since she and thirteen other models were kidnapped years before, Summer Lake has fought to ensure that she can protect herself. But when her job as a bodyguard brings her into contact with a man she believes masterminded her kidnapping, her first urge is to run, terrified of being taken again. Instead, she follows the stranger, determined to bring him to justice.

Bodyguard Grant Wright fell in love with Summer the instant he saw her, a fierce protector standing in front of the other endangered young women he’d come to rescue. Years later, Summer still sees him as barely more than a coworker. Grant bides his time, sticking close in an effort to keep her safe and hoping she’ll eventually open her heart to him. When her life is threatened, he’s not about to allow her to fight her enemies alone. He’ll stay by her side whether she wants him or not.

But Summer and Grant have an enemy whose global smuggling organization is so powerful, so pervasive, that it’ll be a miracle if either of them emerges from this battle alive.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.

More from Robin

In Lineage of Corruption, the heroine offhandedly refers to her bodyguard as a “Venus statue.” It seemed a fair description of the woman known at the time only as Lake.

But it made me wonder… Why would a nearly six-foot-tall, drop-dead gorgeous blonde become a bodyguard?

We learned a little more about Lake in Wreathed in Disgrace, including the fact that her partner, Jon, was also her cousin—a man who considered her as close as a sister.

We also learned that Lake didn’t have the happiest background.

Slowly, over the course of writing two books, Lake became more than just the pretty bodyguard in the corner. She became real to me.

And her murky background came into view. What would make a beautiful woman, a woman given the whimsical name Summer Lake, a woman who could easily grace magazine covers—and has in the past—decide to lay down her curling iron and pick up a sidearm?

I won’t tell you her secret, but suffice it to say, Summer has good reason to carry a gun. She’s been threatened in the past. And when she was a kid, she didn’t even feel safe in her own home. She’s seen people she loved and cared about harmed, and she loathes nothing more than watching the strong prey on the weak.

She decided a long time ago that she’s never going to be counted among the weak again.

But when Summer follows a man she’s pretty sure was the mastermind behind her own worst nightmare, she inadvertently overhears his nefarious plans. Only she wasn’t as hidden as she thought, and if not for Grant, her new partner—a man who’s doggedly determined to make sure she stays safe—she might have been killed.

With just enough information to know something terrible is going to happen, Summer and Grant embark on a quest to bring down Summer’s old enemy.

But he knows who she is, and he’s not going down without a fight.

This book was a blast to write, and I absolutely can’t wait for you to get your hands on it. It’s got a hunky and protective hero, a strong yet vulnerable heroine, and a villain who’ll keep you awake at night.

I hope you’ll check it out!

My Impressions

If you’re ready for heart-pounding suspense, combined with great truths and an unrequited love trope, consider Courage in the Shadows by Robin Patchen. Although it’s book 9 in the Coventry Saga, I had no trouble following the action without having read most of the previous books.

It’s a little hard to identify with two very gorgeous looking people who are also security guards, but not so hard to identify with their insecurities. And don’t we all have them? Summer Lake wants to depend on no one, because people in her past have failed her. Grant Wright, her coworker, can’t overcome guilt from his past, which robs him of his family. Can these two hurting souls find peace or will their lives be extinguished before they know where to search for what they most need?

This romantic suspense tale kept me on pins and needles. I loved the way Patchen weaves Truth into the story, such as when Bryan informs Grant, “…you don’t have the power to destroy God’s plan for my life. He was in it all along.” Or when a character muses, “Maybe that was the lesson of life, that there was no true security…But…but God. God offered a true foundation.”

Patchen also gives levity at some serious moments, and I loved it!

“There’s nothing more important than confidence, especially when you have no idea what you’re doing.” I just want to laugh hilariously at the next statement.

“…if she was a believer, then that meant the last obstacle to their being together was gone. Well, except that she could barely stand him.”

I have a penchant for choosing favorite secondary characters. Bryan is my choice here. He has matured so much since childhood and helps both Grant and Summer invaluably.

One last note. Rather than provide an epilogue at the end of the book, there is a link to get it.

I was provided a copy of the book by Celebrate Lit. I also bought my own copy. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.

My Rating

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent! I loved it!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 17

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions , February 17

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 18

An Author’s Take, February 19

Texas Book-aholic, February 20

deb’s Book Review, February 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 22

Holly’s Book Corner, February 22

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, February 23

Betti Mace, February 24

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, February 25

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 26

Blogging With Carol, February 27

Spoken from the Heart, February 28

Mary Hake, February 28

For Him and My Family, March 1

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 gift card and a paperback copy of Wreathed in Disgrace!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/24518/courage-in-the-shadows-celebration-tour-giveaway

BLOG, Celebrate Lit Tour

Beauty in Hiding:#1 Beauty in Flight by Robin Patchen

April 13, 2019April 13, 2019 Babbling Becky L

About the Book

Book: Beauty in Hiding

Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian romantic suspense

Release Date: March 12, 2019

Book 2 in the Beauty in Flight series:

Harper’s second chance at life will become a second stint in prison if anyone connects those two dead men to her.

Nutfield, New Hampshire, is as good a place as any to hide from the murderer Harper left behind in Maryland. All she has to do is lie low and make enough money to keep herself and Red alive until she can figure out who her enemies are.

Jack Rossi isn’t sure what to make of his beautiful new tenant and her confused grandfather. Something’s not right, but the love he sees between them and the care she takes of the old man convinces Jack they’re trustworthy. As drawn as he is to Harper, she’s his tenant, so she’s off limits.

Derrick, Harper’s ex-boyfriend, and Red’s grandson, needs to find his grandfather and get his hands on the old man’s money before Derrick ends up with a bullet in the skull. And when he gets his hands on Harper, she’ll be sorry for what she’s put him through.

Harper and Jack grow closer, but so do her enemies. If Harper can’t trust Jack with the truth, she may lose more than just this glimpse of true love. She may lose her freedom—or her life.

Click here to purchase your copy.

MY REVIEW:

Robin Patchen has won me over to her style of romantic suspense with this novel, Beauty in Hiding. You will notice in my meme that there are three books pictured. Beauty in Hiding is book two of a series of three titled, “Beauty in Flight” (also the title of book one). Why do I belabor this point? I strongly urge you to purchase all three books before starting any. You will want to read them all together. I read two and three without one, but these seem to be a continuing story. ‘Nuff said.
What a whirlwind of action and intrigue this book is. An elderly man with dementia; his young, beautiful caretaker, who moves them both far from home; a great-looking landlord who wants to share his faith and some friendship with these two; numerous squirrelly and questionable characters who are best avoided at all costs. It took me very little time to become engrossed in the story and personally interested in sweet, scared Harper; friendly, undemanding Jack, and uncertain Red.
Why am I laughing (or is it sighing) over the town name of Nutfield where one character has dementia and another’s actions seem nutty if one doesn’t know her backstory? The faith element is real, timely, and appropriately woven into the novel.

Some shareable quotes:
“If not for the kindness of strangers, I do not know where I would be. So I will be a kind stranger to you.”“She needed more than a drive in the country and some ice cream. She needed a brain transplant.”

“Harper’s perch was her floor and her knees, and her prayers were for a glimpse of freedom from this crazy situation she’d found herself in. A hope for the future.”

“My brain…I used to be able to rely on it. Now it’s turning against me. Now, I never know if I can trust what I remember.” (This one made me want to cry.)

Run to your nearest bookstore and purchase the entire series, Beauty in Flight, Bks 1-3, to add to your collection if you like sinister Christian romantic suspense. I bought books one and three but was given a complimentary copy of Beauty in Hiding by the author through Celebrate Lit. No positive review was required, and all opinions are my responsibility.

MY RATING:

About the Author

Aside from her family and her Savior, Robin Patchen has two loves—writing and traveling. If she could combine them, she’d spend a lot of time sitting in front of her laptop at sidewalk cafes and ski lodges and beachside burger joints. She’d visit every Robin-Patchen-300x199

place in the entire world—twice, if possible—and craft stories and tell people about her Savior. Alas, time is too short and money is too scarce for Robin to traipse all over the globe, even if her husband and kids wanted to go with her. So she stays in Oklahoma, shares the Good News when she can, and writes to illustrate the unending grace of God through the power and magic of story.

More from Robin

I was raised in a Christian home. Our parents took my sister, my brother, and me to church every Sunday. They taught us right from wrong, but eventually, kids have to make their own choices. In my case, I chose wrong for a long time.

Don’t misunderstand: I was always a pretty nice person. I wasn’t a thief, and I didn’t kill anybody, but I made a lot of bad decisions. Sinful decisions. I discovered that one bad choice often led to the next and the next until I was trapped in a life of my own making with no idea how to get out.

But God… two of my favorite words in the English language.

God had a different plan, and He pulled me out of the muck and changed my life. He showed me that I was not the person I’d been acting like. He showed me who I was, and He taught me to walk in the truth of my identity.

Harper Cloud isn’t me, not at all. First of all, she is tall and blond and drop-dead gorgeous. More than that, her choices are nothing like mine were. But she’s in the same boat I was. Thanks to a series of bad decisions, Harper was in a hole, and she didn’t know how to get herself out of it. She used drugs to quiet the condemning voices and told herself lies to make herself feel better. Someday, she told herself, she’d get her life together enough to go home to her parents. Because she couldn’t go when she was a mess. She couldn’t go until she’d done something they could be proud of.

Thanks to a bad choice in boyfriend, Harper not only didn’t go home, she ended up in prison.

Harper’s story begins two years after she’s released. It’s the story of a woman desperate to be free of her past, clinging to hope when there’s every reason to despair, and desperate to believe what she’s been told about this Savior, Jesus Christ.

Harper will learn about love and redemption and salvation in the course of the three books that make up the Beauty in Flight series. That is, if she can survive the danger that seems to follow her wherever she goes.