"Without Warning" by Lynette Eason

Without Warning (Aug. 2, 2016) by Lynette Eason.*
A Taste of Yesterday Restaurant’s owner, Daniel Matthews, is being targeted. Someone wants him out of business and him out of the picture completely, and this someone will go to any lengths to make it happen. There’s a dead body, gunfire, arson and bombs involved. It all makes for a very bad week. As a former Marine and Criminal Investigation Division (CID) agent, Daniel feels he’s more than capable of watching his own back. But there’s his niece, Riley, to keep safe, and she’s just as determined to be a keeper for Uncle Daniel.

            Though Katie Singleton of the Elite Guardians Protection Agency falls into the assignment, Riley also approaches her about hiring her to be Daniel’s bodyguard. With the threats and stalking, having Katie and her partners on hand is an asset. The Elite Guardians are adept at everything from self-defense to hostage negotiations to hand-to-hand combat. Katie is a Certified Fire Investigator (CFI), a Certified Explosive Specialist and now a bodyguard. The Guardians are all exemplary, but they’re not exempt from harm. They will all have to work together to halt the killer – and perhaps an accomplice – before more lives are lost.

            A Christian, romantic suspense fiction novel with an independent, capable and strong lead female character? A character that can defend herself and others with dexterity and strength? Yes, please! I will root for a strong lead female character every time and the fact that Katie is of mixed heritage is even more favorable. Although I’ve read a short story from Lynette Eason, this was my first novel by her, and I loved it. It was stimulating to read, as you took the clues in along with the characters. You paid attention. The novel starts off strong from the starting gate and only keeps building. This is the second book in Eason’s “Elite Guardians” series, and I definitely plan to purchase the first book, because this is a series I want to be in the know of! With her combination of exciting plot, three-dimensional characters and suspense, this is a story for anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel, though one without all of the graphic violence and gore. There’s inspiration as well, though not of the preachy variety. I’ll leave you with one of Riley’s beyond-her-seventeen-years quotes: “It helps that I know God’s motives are good even when he allows bad things to happen.” That is so true, and I know we all need that reminder from time to time, myself included!

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”