Behind Enemy Lines: A Wholesome Christian Historical Romance

by Jennifer Purcell

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2026

Reviews

[Melissa (christianbooksandcoffee)]

This was a great story! Finn is Sheriff running for re-election and he also has a prosthetic leg. He ends up having to assist the Marshal with arresting Finn’s opponent. Delilah is furious with Finn arrested her father. He must be as horrible as her and her father think. However, she starts to change the way she thinks about Finn when he seems to care more about her than her father. Like I said I really liked this book. I loved both Finn and Delilah. Finn was so caring towards everyone but I loved how he stood up for Delilah even when she didn’t like him. I liked how Delilah changed her attitude towards Finn. Good Christian content. I definitely recommend.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content: death/murder
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

[Janette Johnson Melson]

“Finn Lancaster hated few things more than his name. Not that there was anything necessarily wrong with the name Finn. But most people thought it was short for Phineas, and he wasn’t fond of that name at all. It reminded him of old grumpy Phineas Shumaker who only knew how to scowl.

‘You’re scowling again.’

Finn glanced across the desk at his friend and deputy Harrison McKamey. “No, I’m not.” He straightened his expression so it didn’t resemble the mean old man.”

These first lines of Jennifer Purcell’s latest book Behind Enemy Lines made me chuckle and want to keep reading. And as usual, I wasn’t disappointed in this sweet, clean enemies-to-lovers novel with plot twists I didn’t see coming.

As the grandma of a precious child with special needs, I love how this book portrays a character who is a successful person with special needs and the obstacles he must overcome to prove himself worthy. Finn Lancaster, interim sheriff who is running for re-election, has done just that as sheriff, in spite of his prosthetic leg and his opponent’s claims that it makes him unsuitable for the role.

When a U.S. Marshal arrests the sheriff’s opponent for murder, the man’s daughter, Delilah Mealor, believes her father’s allegations that Finn is trying to smear his name. But this supposedly bad man shows her more care and kindness than her father ever has, even when Delilah sees him as the enemy. And she begins to doubt not only her father but everything he’s told her about her past.

Unable to trust each other but finding they need each other’s help, Finn and Delilah must decide if they are truly behind enemy lines or if they’re fighting on the same side—fighting and falling for each other.

If you have read the other two books written by Purcell, A Different Kind of War and The Battle Within, you will recognize Finn Lancaster from them. Not always a likable character before, Finn won me over, and I pulled for him to win the heart of Delilah, especially after a hair-cutting scene that made me think of Samson and Delilah.

I received a free copy of this book, but my review is my honest opinion.

[Joy Burke]

Once I got past the first couple of chapters and understood more about the characters, I didn’t want to put it down. Even though this is the first in a new series, there are characters from another series in this book. Now I want to go back and read that series so I can see the whole picture and background of the secondary characters.Finn is the sheriff in Sugar Hollow and has only one leg, from his time in the war.There is an election coming up and Martin Mealor is running against Finn. But what will happen when the U. S . Marshal comes into town to arrest Mealor for murder? Then there is Delilah who is Mealor’s daughter, who is now out of a place to live since Mealor has been arrested. I really enjoyed the twists and turns this book had in it and looking forward to reading more from this author. I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are what I thought of the book. There is a few sentences that caught my attention, and this is one. “Delilah Mealor might be beautiful , but she was trouble. Just like Delilah in the Bible.”