"Active Defense" by Lynette Eason

Active Defense (Jan. 5, 2021) by Lynette Eason.*

Four months home after serving active duty in Afghanistan, and something is off. Surgeon Heather Fontaine has a stalker, and she assumes that it’s the same stalker who has threatened her friends. Growing up in foster homes, she learned early on not to trust others, so she doesn’t reach out, despite the good group of core friends she now has. Friends like Travis Walker. He’d like to be more than friends, and, when she’s being honest with herself, she wants likewise, but she stubbornly doesn’t reach out, even though Travis happens to own his own security agency. Heather goes into hiding without disclosing her location, but her friends are very good at investigating, and Travis has been keeping tabs on her for weeks in the tiny town of Sunrise, North Carolina (not a real town). But whoever’s following escalates her/his aggression by taking Heather by surprise on the road and running her right off. Travis is following not far behind, and they shakily get to safety, meeting a self-reliant teenager named Ryker, whose growing-up years somewhat mirror Heather’s own. As the trouble increases, so does the protection surrounding Heather, but that means more friends could potentially be hurt, and she doesn’t want that on her conscience. She isn’t making headway figuring out who her stalker is, so hopefully she can accept help before someone is killed. Because, if the person she suspects is her stalker isn’t the current stalker, then who is? And why the interest in her?

            The third in the Danger Never Sleeps series is a tour de force in inspirational, romantic suspense writing. Reading this is no casual hike along a straight trail; it’s a rigorous workout on a winding trail featuring uphill climbs, some precarious terrain and even the momentary serenity of an idyllic homestead. I appreciate that Eason’s female characters are strong, independent women and that the men around them appreciate such characteristics. I also like the introduction of Ryker, an almost-eighteen-year-old making lemonade out of too many lemons. Of all the characters, I found Ryker to be the most inspiring, and even though he’s a fictional character, I couldn’t help but want the best of things in life for him. “Active Defense” is a fast-moving thriller and, equally, a heartening story.

            Extra: I am a sucker for pets, especially pets with fur, and so, when a long-beloved pet is put down, I’ll admit that I cried. A character words it so well when she says to her son, “…but God created Herman to live his life on earth with us as a temporary arrangement.” “Like he loaned him to use?” he asks. The mom replies in the affirmative and then her son says, “I think it’s time to give Herman back to God so he can make him feel better” (p. 229).

            Book One: Collateral Damage

            Book Two: Acceptable Risk (I have read this, but it’s awaiting a compilation post.)

* 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.”