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The Reluctant Witness
LEFT FOR DEAD
When his partner turns on him and tries to kill him, FBI agent Jack Mitchell is framed for murder and abandoned…until a blue-eyed beauty saves his life. Even in his wounded haze Jack sees Casey Johnson is hiding a secret. As the only witness to his innocence, Jack needs her. But Casey doesn't know who's more dangerous—the man who wants Jack dead or the handsome agent himself. For if Jack knew the reason she escaped to the wilderness with her niece, he'd have to arrest her. But on the run with Jack, Casey realizes that more than her secret is at stake now. So is her heart….
When his partner turns on him and tries to kill him, FBI agent Jack Mitchell is framed for murder and abandoned…until a blue-eyed beauty saves his life. Even in his wounded haze Jack sees Casey Johnson is hiding a secret. As the only witness to his innocence, Jack needs her. But Casey doesn't know who's more dangerous—the man who wants Jack dead or the handsome agent himself. For if Jack knew the reason she escaped to the wilderness with her niece, he'd have to arrest her. But on the run with Jack, Casey realizes that more than her secret is at stake now. So is her heart….
224 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
17 people are currently reading
108 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 12, 2016
This book uses one of my most favorite romance tropes of all time! It's called: find-a-wounded-dangerous-man-on-the-side-of-the-road-and-take-him-home-and-nurse-him-back-to-health trope. This trope fills me with extreme excitement, so I was eager to read this book.
Of course, I do have to deal with the sad fact that is is almost completely neutered due to the no-sexuality-in-Christian-romance-novels clause.
How neutered is it?
So neutered that a chin is the only body part admired. You know, we need something completely unoffensive and not sexual at all for the hero or heroine to admire. In one Christian romance I read it was ankles - which led me to erroneously believe that the book took place in the 1840s, but I digress. In this book it is a chin.
A dribble of soup ran down his chin and she caught it with a cloth napkin. It was actually a very nice chin.
I really just can't deal with this. Why don't you just say he has a heart-stopping smile or silky hair or something? Is that too scandalous? I don't know, I've just never seen a guy and said to myself, "Wow, look at the chin on him!!!!" o.O
PLOT
Agent Jack Mitchell is shot and left for dead in the woods. Casey (who is on the run from the law with her little niece) sees the whole thing and decides to bring him back to her cabin to nurse him back to health. She just happens to have a medical degree.
"I know this isn't what we planned to do when we came up here, sweet pea, but life is precious. We can't leave this man out in the woods to die because of our secrets. God wants us to always love our neighbors and to help other people whenever we can, not just when it's convenient."
Casey's sister was murdered by her abusive husband who is a cop. Casey "kidnapped" her niece in order to save her from her abusive father, and that's why she and the little girl are in hiding.
GOD
This book is pretty heavy on the God stuff. Christian romance novels vary. Some have a lighter touch, some make it a point to talk about God all the time. This is one of the latter.
Here are the God quotes. I'm going to hide them under a spoiler tag so that it's easy to skip them if you want to.
"A slow peace invading him." I mean, what?!
And we have other gems like, "Jack felt his heart squeeze and he tightened his fists. He knew she had been hiding a secret, but deep down he'd hoped that it was something simple like tax evasion."
Something simple like tax evasion. Are you kidding me right now?!?!? I'd like to think Tailer was tongue-in-cheek while writing this particular quote, but I doubt it.
PRINCESS
This is one of those books where the hero nicknames the heroine "princess" and calls her that incessantly. You're warned.
ENDING
Then, there's the ending to deal with. Jack I don't know, this kind of annoyed me.
Tl;dr - One of my all-time favorite tropes being used as the main plot of this book is jacking up its star-rating for me. I adore when women find a wounded man and take him home to nurse him back to health!!!! But there are a lot of drawbacks, like the absence of long or even slightly described kissing. :( I was also pissed that
That's realistic, Carmen.
Fine, true, but I don't like realism in my romance novels. o.O
ONE REAL STAR, TWO ROMANCE STARS
Of course, I do have to deal with the sad fact that is is almost completely neutered due to the no-sexuality-in-Christian-romance-novels clause.
How neutered is it?
So neutered that a chin is the only body part admired. You know, we need something completely unoffensive and not sexual at all for the hero or heroine to admire. In one Christian romance I read it was ankles - which led me to erroneously believe that the book took place in the 1840s, but I digress. In this book it is a chin.
A dribble of soup ran down his chin and she caught it with a cloth napkin. It was actually a very nice chin.
I really just can't deal with this. Why don't you just say he has a heart-stopping smile or silky hair or something? Is that too scandalous? I don't know, I've just never seen a guy and said to myself, "Wow, look at the chin on him!!!!" o.O
PLOT
Agent Jack Mitchell is shot and left for dead in the woods. Casey (who is on the run from the law with her little niece) sees the whole thing and decides to bring him back to her cabin to nurse him back to health. She just happens to have a medical degree.
"I know this isn't what we planned to do when we came up here, sweet pea, but life is precious. We can't leave this man out in the woods to die because of our secrets. God wants us to always love our neighbors and to help other people whenever we can, not just when it's convenient."
Casey's sister was murdered by her abusive husband who is a cop. Casey "kidnapped" her niece in order to save her from her abusive father, and that's why she and the little girl are in hiding.
GOD
This book is pretty heavy on the God stuff. Christian romance novels vary. Some have a lighter touch, some make it a point to talk about God all the time. This is one of the latter.
Here are the God quotes. I'm going to hide them under a spoiler tag so that it's easy to skip them if you want to.
"A slow peace invading him." I mean, what?!
And we have other gems like, "Jack felt his heart squeeze and he tightened his fists. He knew she had been hiding a secret, but deep down he'd hoped that it was something simple like tax evasion."
Something simple like tax evasion. Are you kidding me right now?!?!? I'd like to think Tailer was tongue-in-cheek while writing this particular quote, but I doubt it.
PRINCESS
This is one of those books where the hero nicknames the heroine "princess" and calls her that incessantly. You're warned.
ENDING
Then, there's the ending to deal with. Jack I don't know, this kind of annoyed me.
Tl;dr - One of my all-time favorite tropes being used as the main plot of this book is jacking up its star-rating for me. I adore when women find a wounded man and take him home to nurse him back to health!!!! But there are a lot of drawbacks, like the absence of long or even slightly described kissing. :( I was also pissed that
That's realistic, Carmen.
Fine, true, but I don't like realism in my romance novels. o.O
ONE REAL STAR, TWO ROMANCE STARS
January 15, 2014
The Reluctant Witness by Kathleen Tailer was a action packed book. Casey kidnapped her niece Chloe and was hiding out in a friends cabin. Chloe's dad beat and killed his wife in front of Casey. Investigator was a friend of Chloe's dad and nothing was done to him. Jack, an FBI agent was shot and almost died near the cabin Casey and Chloe were staying. Casey was it all happen. He took Jack to the cabin. He was shot four times. She took care of the wounds. Casey had just graduated from medical school. A lot goes on before the bad guys are caught and the dad goes to prison. A very good read. Won't be able to put the book down.
October 7, 2014
This book was a huge surprise to me. I read Love Inspired stuff all the time because I don't have to worry about sex or swearing popping up, but this book is in a league of its own. You would never guess it was published by the same people that print so much fluff (don't get me wrong, fluff isn't necessarily a bad thing). This book was epic and enthralling and I couldn't put it down. It's good enough to be a movie!
May 21, 2014
I picked up this Love Inspired book at Walmart because it looked interesting and the synopsis on the back sounded good. I certainly am glad I did.
Kathleen Tailer writes a tight and action filled suspense tale. (No pun intended) Her characters feel real and the premise is sound.
Actually, I think she could have written a great full novel, instead of this smaller book. I will be watching for more from this author.
Kathleen Tailer writes a tight and action filled suspense tale. (No pun intended) Her characters feel real and the premise is sound.
Actually, I think she could have written a great full novel, instead of this smaller book. I will be watching for more from this author.
July 19, 2016
I decided to give this book a quick read. I don't remember ever reading a Harlequin book.
It is about an FBI agent who gets injured and is found by a woman who mistrusts any and all Law Enforcement people. But despite her suspicions she helps him to get better and to get away from those who injured him. In the process she is dragged into his investigative drama, and he delves into her past without her permission and it leads to events neither wanted to happen.
I found the basic concept of the story interesting. The fact that they meet and fall in love within a few days to two weeks time is just not plausible enough for me. It lacks the technical detail which I need to seriously believe in the FBI world and their investigations. But considering the length of the book, 279 pages, it's kind of forgivable.
It is about an FBI agent who gets injured and is found by a woman who mistrusts any and all Law Enforcement people. But despite her suspicions she helps him to get better and to get away from those who injured him. In the process she is dragged into his investigative drama, and he delves into her past without her permission and it leads to events neither wanted to happen.
I found the basic concept of the story interesting. The fact that they meet and fall in love within a few days to two weeks time is just not plausible enough for me. It lacks the technical detail which I need to seriously believe in the FBI world and their investigations. But considering the length of the book, 279 pages, it's kind of forgivable.
September 14, 2013
Actually, 3 1/2. It is better than average, and a nice story, but the things that happen are VERY coincidental. For example [this is not a spoiler, as it is the start of the story], what are the odds that a person shot 4 times in the wilderness, in the middle of nowhere, would be observed by a runaway medical doctor.
February 27, 2014
This a very enjoyable and very believable story within a story..Deals with the FBI,corrupt officials,a previous murder and child abuse...Fast paced and I adore the main characters FBI agent Jack,Casey and her neice Chloe..Highly recommend if you enjoy a top notch mystery with a Christian theme..
April 18, 2014
This was a quick read about an FBI agent who finds out his partner is into some serious crime and almost dies trying to bring him to justice. Romance enters in the form of a young woman who has kidnapped her niece to protect her from an abusive father. Lots of twists and turns in this one.
September 12, 2014
This is a plot twists, turns and nervous draws the suspense novel; The book is structured in the author's trademark distilled style, chapters given in turn to leading character's voice, events building on events, highly recommend.
November 12, 2015
very enjoyable--easy read. a story of friendship formed into love. with lots of twists and turns.Casey befriends a man who she witnessed being shot, but she refuses to be a witness to what she saw, because she is running from the law herself. A good solid story.
December 7, 2013
Lots of action and great characters! This was a good story and had no trouble keeping my attention.
Fast paced and kept me wondering what could possibly happen next.
Fast paced and kept me wondering what could possibly happen next.
January 26, 2014
Fast-paced suspense. Finished reading the book before I even got it out on goodreads. Highly recommend!
May 30, 2014
Good story - easy reading.
August 19, 2014
This rating is on the up side of 3 stars. So maybe 3 1/2 stars then.
April 20, 2015
4.5 stars
January 15, 2015
It was a good story. But I wish a few more things had been wrapped up by the end.
October 27, 2023
3.8/5
Honestly this was a good book. I had no idea it was a Christian book but I did really enjoy that aspect of it. The book is definitely full of suspense and kept me on my toes sweating till I finished it. I did also finish it in a couple hours.
Overall the thing that bothered me the most was everything that happened to Casey and Chloe. I understand feeling the need to help a stranger, and the opening verse is about the powering of laying down one’s life for another, but Casey ‘laying down her life’ of being arrested directly affects the life that Chloe will live. Also I’m so sorry but if the man I loved turned me into the cops after I saved his life multiple times, KNOWING that my niece (who I’ve literally put my life on hold for) will get taken away I would actually riot. Like I would never pursue him after that. I think I haven’t experienced this kind of love yet to really say who I would pick, but right now, I would easily pick family over love and if it was me I would’ve run out that window taken Chloe and gone to a different country.
Overall I did enjoy it and I do think Jack was a really sweet character and I liked seeing his growth of moving past his wife’s death, as well as, him always believing what Casey said.
I still think it was a little bit cliche and I honestly don’t think someone would realistically marry someone who put them in jail for 6 months (yes he made sure she got a job, and that Chloe was safe in the meantime) but still.
Honestly this was a good book. I had no idea it was a Christian book but I did really enjoy that aspect of it. The book is definitely full of suspense and kept me on my toes sweating till I finished it. I did also finish it in a couple hours.
Overall the thing that bothered me the most was everything that happened to Casey and Chloe. I understand feeling the need to help a stranger, and the opening verse is about the powering of laying down one’s life for another, but Casey ‘laying down her life’ of being arrested directly affects the life that Chloe will live. Also I’m so sorry but if the man I loved turned me into the cops after I saved his life multiple times, KNOWING that my niece (who I’ve literally put my life on hold for) will get taken away I would actually riot. Like I would never pursue him after that. I think I haven’t experienced this kind of love yet to really say who I would pick, but right now, I would easily pick family over love and if it was me I would’ve run out that window taken Chloe and gone to a different country.
Overall I did enjoy it and I do think Jack was a really sweet character and I liked seeing his growth of moving past his wife’s death, as well as, him always believing what Casey said.
I still think it was a little bit cliche and I honestly don’t think someone would realistically marry someone who put them in jail for 6 months (yes he made sure she got a job, and that Chloe was safe in the meantime) but still.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2018
I am not a fan of Christian Romances as I have posted elsewhere, mostly because of trite dialogue. In this case, I feel that Carmen (reviewer with many followers) has got it wrong ... very sorry Carmen sincerely but at 82% of the way through the book which I did not realise was CR when I started it, as a non-Christian, the references to God are not OTT or excessive in my opinion but are appropriate in context.
I am enjoying the story, if I want to read erotica, well then I read erotica, suggest you do the same, so the 'quote' about Jack's chin being the only reference to 'body parts' is irrelevant ... actually it is quite pleasant to read a story that does not focus on sex which let's face it, unless it is well written just detracts - so rarely well written!!
If I wanted to raise a point about the story, it would not focus on the lack of sex, rather on the naivety of the central characters when it comes to the protagonist .... nevertheless I would read another of Kathleen Tailer's novels irrespective of whether they are designated CR or not ....
I am enjoying the story, if I want to read erotica, well then I read erotica, suggest you do the same, so the 'quote' about Jack's chin being the only reference to 'body parts' is irrelevant ... actually it is quite pleasant to read a story that does not focus on sex which let's face it, unless it is well written just detracts - so rarely well written!!
If I wanted to raise a point about the story, it would not focus on the lack of sex, rather on the naivety of the central characters when it comes to the protagonist .... nevertheless I would read another of Kathleen Tailer's novels irrespective of whether they are designated CR or not ....
October 25, 2017
I've loved this book since I was in high school, and I'll read it again and again for years to come! For some reason, the story has stuck with me ever since I read it for the first time.
That being said, it does have its issues, chief among them being an unrealistic time-span during which the characters fall in love. This time-span is more realistic than others I have read, but still far-fetched, especially when you throw in the circumstances in which they met.
If you're looking for a quick, fast-paced, fun read, I'd tell you to pick up The Reluctant Witness in a heartbeat. If you want something that has deep characters, a plot filled with twists and turns, and a realistic romance, I'd tell you to look elsewhere.
That being said, it does have its issues, chief among them being an unrealistic time-span during which the characters fall in love. This time-span is more realistic than others I have read, but still far-fetched, especially when you throw in the circumstances in which they met.
If you're looking for a quick, fast-paced, fun read, I'd tell you to pick up The Reluctant Witness in a heartbeat. If you want something that has deep characters, a plot filled with twists and turns, and a realistic romance, I'd tell you to look elsewhere.
September 7, 2021
"Jack had seen a princess. She had hovered over him for a few minutes and then disappeared, but he had definitely seen her." Thus began a sweet love story formed in the midst of pain, suffering, and running for his life.
The suspense is believable and intense at times. This is a great suspense story by a well known Love Inspired Suspense author. If you've ever read Kathleen Tailer you know her stories are engaging and edifying.
Definitely Recommend!
The suspense is believable and intense at times. This is a great suspense story by a well known Love Inspired Suspense author. If you've ever read Kathleen Tailer you know her stories are engaging and edifying.
Definitely Recommend!
April 1, 2020
This was a well-paced romance. I loved Casey's relationship with her niece Chloe, and Chloe's abusive father was well foreshadowed. The fact that Jack and Casey's relationship spread out over several months made it more believable. However, Jack surviving four bullet wounds and then NOT thinking about the possibility of being bugged (when he's an FBI agent) both felt like a stretch.
Read
May 9, 2022Just the kind of story you want to read on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Everybody got a secret, or something to hide. These kinds of stories are snacks while you wait for the next full length mystery. I enjoy these stories because they are quick easy reads and you want to root for the star crossed "lovers" who manage to fall in love in spite of being left for dead or running for their lives
September 17, 2017
It was an interesting and fast paced storyline to start with. Near the end it took a turn into the realm of rose colored glasses and religious overkill that seemed uncharacteristic.
November 4, 2017
Kept me going until the end.
September 25, 2019
A truly wonderful book
This book kept you on your toes.Hard to put down. Read it you won't regret it. All I can say is wow
This book kept you on your toes.Hard to put down. Read it you won't regret it. All I can say is wow
July 22, 2020
loved it, couldnt put it down. read it all in one sitting.
June 26, 2024
It was a good book. I enjoyed the twist and turns and although as suspected the main characters fall for each other it was not filled with explicit detail. I did find myself identifying with Casey.
March 4, 2017
Look on Facebook for my review.
July 17, 2023
FBI agent Jack Mitchell is double-crossed by his partner, shot, and left for dead. Casey, on the run from the law, saves his life in more ways than one.
Clean language.
Contains: Premarital kissing, blood, references to murder and abuse.
Clean language.
Contains: Premarital kissing, blood, references to murder and abuse.
February 25, 2017
Was a really quick read and fast paced. I like the quickness and corruption of the story but for me it was more fluff. I like a bit more "meat" to the story. Although the corruption and events could be believed, the fluff part just doesn't do it for me.
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