Present Danger (Rocky Mountain Courage, Book 1)

 

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, April 2021.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program

First line: Chance Carter should have known this last delivery wouldn’t go down without a hitch.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: Elizabeth Goddard has quickly become a favorite author for me, after having read her Uncommon Justice series, and I’ve since acquired several books from her back list. So I was thrilled to get this first book in her new Rocky Mountain Courage series, set in the same area of Wyoming as the Uncommon Justice series. In fact, in one scene a couple of characters from that series make a brief and welcome appearance.

The plot hits the ground running as the story opens with a small plane losing power and the pilot desperately trying to safely land, only to crash, leaving him injured and fearful of what will happen if he’s unable to complete delivery of a package. From there we’re off and running. We’re then introduced first to Grayback County Sheriff’s Detective Jack Tanner, and then US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors (along with other characters sporting long awkward titles!).

I’ve never been to Wyoming, but Ms. Goddard’s descriptions of the landscape make me wish I could travel there some day. Terra has vast knowledge of the mountains, which makes her an asset in Jack’s investigation of the murder of a local insurance salesman whose body is found at the bottom of a cliff.

As much as I loved the book, I will admit that the plot seemed a little more convoluted than the author’s other books, as I sometimes had to reflect back on previous happenings to understand what was going on, or felt a little confused. But that may have been an issue with my own concentration, especially since work has kept me so busy lately that I often could only read two or three chapters at a time (with sixty-five chapters most of them are fairly short). But that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Along with the evocative descriptions, Ms. Goddard does a wonderful job with characterization. I love a good character study, and prefer character driven stories over plot driven, but Ms. Goddard’s books fall into both camps.

PRESENT DANGER is a well written and suspense filled story with a second chance romance. I can’t wait for the next book!

Goodreads synopsis: Former FBI Special Agent Jack Tanner is working as a detective in Montana when he comes across a body in the national forest during a search and rescue mission. He's committed to finding the killer, even if it means working alongside his old flame, US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors.

When Terra discovers that the murder victim had ties to a powerful and dangerous trafficker of archaeological artifacts, the investigation takes a deadly turn--one that hits too close to home. As Terra fears she lacks the courage to face what comes next, Jack is more determined than ever to protect her. But he's failed her before. And if he fails this time, it will cost them far more than just their hearts.

Join bestselling and award-winning author Elizabeth Goddard as she plunges you into a web of deceit made of hidden crimes, open threats, and long-buried family secrets in this gripping first book of an explosive new series.

Never Let Go

ELIZABETH GODDARD

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2019.

How acquired: Revel Reads Blog Tour Program

My thoughts: When I opened the email from Revell Reads and saw this book listed, I didn't even bother to read the synopsis before requesting it. I wasn't familiar with the author, but over the last year or so I've gotten more and more into suspense and psychological thrillers, and I also love books about agents and elite investigative groups. The cover and title hinted at the first, and the words “Uncommon Justice” under the author's name hinted at the second, so I was already sold, and was very excited when my copy came in the mail and I did finally read the back cover synopsis. Austin reminds Willow to trust her instincts and follow her hunches, and I'm glad I did the same.

Willow is a forensic genealogist, a career I've never come across in a book, and I'm pretty fascinated by it now. Not genealogy in general. I have family members who've gotten those DNA kits and I have no interest in doing that. But the investigative side, the forensic side, was fascinating. Austin is a former FBI agent, and that's one of my catnips. Agents, former agents, I love them all. They both live in Washington, but when they visited the ranch in Wyoming where Austin grew up, this happened:

Austin stepped up to an old-looking brown horse in a stall and pressed his hand against the horse's muzzle. “Hey, Jinx. It's been much too long since I've seen you.”

Realization slowly dawned.

Austin...he was a cowboy. Her heart rate kicked up a few notches and the barn tilted, but she put her hand against a wooden rail to steady her fluttering nerves.

Cuz who doesn't love cowboys?! Yep, also my catnip.

Willow and Austin had previously split up after Austin refused to tell Willow anything about his past or his family. She couldn't be in a relationship with a man who kept secrets, and he couldn't bring himself to reveal a part of his life that he escaped from and pretended no longer existed. But after Willow's grandfather dies, and it becomes apparent that someone is also trying to kill Willow, they join forces to tackle the case her grandfather had been working on – searching for a child who had been abducted from the hospital shortly after birth twenty-one years ago. A child that somebody does not want them to find. 

I liked Willow, and I loved Austin. Secretive, tortured heroes? Yeah, more catnip. The characterization is written masterfully, and I enjoyed the passages of Willow or Austin internally monologuing as much as the passages of tense action. The case kept getting more and more intriguing, and the tension and suspense kept ramping up more and more throughout the second half of the book. The descriptions of the Wyoming park land and wilderness was evocative, I felt as if I were there in the woods with Willow, running for my life.

Revell is a Christian publisher, but the religious aspects of this book do not hit you over the head, and the building rediscovery of feelings between the characters is tame, with just a few kisses. While I've nothing against reading sex scenes, it's refreshing to read a wonderful love story that doesn't need sex to drive the romance forward, and Revell is quickly becoming a name I seek out more and more. I'm very much looking forward to the next book in this new series, and in the meantime will be on the lookout for the author's other books.

A solid five stars for this book.

Goodreads synopsis: As a forensic genealogist, Willow Anderson is following in her late grandfather's footsteps in her quest for answers about a baby abducted from the hospital more than twenty years ago. The case may be cold, but things are about to heat up when someone makes an attempt on her life to keep her from discovering the truth.

Ex-FBI agent--and Willow's ex-flame--Austin McKade readily offers his help to protect the woman he never should have let get away. Together they'll follow where the clues lead them, even if it means Austin must face the past he's spent much of his life trying to forget. And even if it puts Willow's tender heart at risk.

In this fast-paced and emotional page-turner, bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard keeps the stakes high, the romantic tension sparking, and the outcome uncertain until the very end.