Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
READY FOR THE NEW YEAR?
At this time of year, we have just finished reflecting on Christmas, when God gave us the greatest Gift ever possible. Now our thoughts are to the new year, with its upcoming rewards and challenges. Many of us will once again come up with New Year’s resolutions. This year I’m going to stick to my diet. This year I’m going to get into shape. This year I’m going to break that 5-minute mile. Okay, okay; it’s been a LONG time since I had that New Year’s resolution. And many will once again fail to live up to those resolutions, with their often unrealistic expectations. But enough about that.
Cheryl has chosen her word for the new year. It is solace. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, solace means:
1. comfort in grief: alleviation of grief or anxiety
2. a source of relief or consolation
Rather than discouraging anyone, our prayer for you is that God will grant you solace as you face the new year's rewards and challenges.
The author includes enough information about the setting and people from previous books to keep it familiar to readers. This book is based on the life of Willow Traynor, who has experienced tragedy in the form of a murdered husband, a miscarried baby resulting from one of the multiple attempts on her life, insomnia, nightmares, the fear of developing the mental illness that her mother suffered from, and her anger at God.
After one of her patients in the ICU nearly died on her watch due to her inability to function properly, she quit her job to avoid being responsible for another death in her life and agreed to go live with her brother, Preston. Preston's home was set on fire and ultimately destroyed by an arsonist while she was sleeping in it and he was badly injured trying to save others.
Willow is determined to hold on to her independece and not allow anyone to try to take over her life. Finally she finds comfort and friendship with Preston's boss, Dr. Graham Vaughn, and his sister, Ginger. They are the only people that have believed that her life is in danger. After additional attempts on her life, Willow gives in and stays with Graham and his sister, while still maintaining conrol of her life. Once she restores her faith in God and let's go of the fear, she is freed from the danger that has been threatening her for so long.
Guess I'm into Christian-suspense these days, but this is another one recommended to me by a couple of people. It was a quick read, but I enjoyed it. One particular part actually made me almost jump. Eek! :) But I wasn't surprised at the ending.
This is an older book, published in 2006, however the first time reading a book from this author.
The opening chapter draws you right in, but as we span the next month, which is the duration of this storyline, it’s a bit unbelievable the MANY chaotic happenings.
We have a smart ICU Nurse that has lived the past 2 years without much incident after her husband’s death, and now suddenly one mishap after another. Surrounded by caring and protective people all around, the main character is hard headed about staying in a motel / driving a rental car alone / meeting up with someone that she’s required to satisfy away from…it just feels a bit over the top.
And it’s always nice to incorporate faith, however it almost felt like an afterthought. It didn’t feel genuine.
Graham’s character is also underdeveloped. We know he’s a doctor, but the reasoning for opening a free clinic and the demise of his divorce, feels unfulfilled. Lots of conversation about a bitter divorce, yet resolved with one phone call, and a cryptic call back from the ex?! Hmmmmm….again, felt like an untold story.
However, I was surprised by the killer in the ending. The writing is easy to follow and kept me interested. I may jump ahead a few years and see what new books have been written by this husband / wife duo, maybe some growth since then.
Fair Warning kicks off quickly, which I really appreciated after reading several slower-paced books. The story moves with a good amount of action and suspense, and there’s a steady sense of tension about where things are headed. While there are twists throughout, one character gave me an uneasy vibe early on, so some reveals were easier to guess.
At times, the writing leaned a little cheesy, especially in the romantic elements and in some of the main character’s inner thoughts. I also found myself occasionally frustrated with her stubbornness—it made me want to shake her and say, “just listen!” Still, the fast pace made it easy to get through, and it delivered enough action to keep me turning pages.
Overall, I enjoyed the suspense and how quick of a read it was, but it’s not a book I see myself rereading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
If you are looking for an all-around good Christian Romantic Suspense without too many scary scenes, I recommend this book... Fair Warning by Hannah Alexander. The story is well written and moved along at a good pace. I couldn't put the book down until I knew who was terrorizing this woman. There are enough twists and turns to keep things interesting and real. This is a good, clean, Christian Romantic Suspense. I give 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Dark, quick contemporary Christian romance story. Willow Traynor loses her husband and her unborn child, two years later she almost loses her brother. Dr. Graham to the rescue! This was an interesting story but the suspense could have been more intense and less bloody. I wish the author had made us uncertain about Willow's mental state.
Never have I read romantic Christian suspense such as this!! A story that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout! I can personally relate to Willow as she struggles with her anger towards God as she tries to find a new path. This book deals with some of the messier aspects of faith that a lot of us experience. I highly recommend it!
I really enjoyed the general plot of this book and it was a good, quick read. There were some things in the plot that could have been developed better, I feel like there were quite a few gaps that could have been filled in. There were also quite a few grammatical errors and places I thought the word choice wasn’t accurate for what was trying to be conveyed.
Who is trying to kill Willow Traynor and her brother Preston Black? Other crimes happen and point to Willow. There are lots of twists and turns in this suspense novel. I enjoyed it.
My first book by this duo. Some good writing here. I didn’t like the technique for building suspense .. frustrating for this reader. But I would read another book by them.
A nice paced story, with plenty of action and suspense along with a bit of romance. I really liked that this one tied in to the previous stories a little bit more than book four did. I love to see some old friends show up. I love how the author handles the medical side of the stories, giving detail without too much medical jargon or graphic descriptions.
Liked the twists and turns in this book... it kept me guessing through to the end. It was somewhat scary for me at times because I tend to like happy, warm, cozy books. However, I got caught up in the suspense and couldn't stop reading. I loved It!!! Great read!
Pretty good. I got almost all the way through it and then set it down for several days. When I picked it back up, they were revealing the perpetrator and his motivation and I couldn't remember what they were talking about!
Great book! It has a lot of suspense and it is a Christian fiction so I knew it would not have anything bad in it. I really look forward to reading other books that they have written.
I liked this book. I like the mystery of it especially. It was written well enough that I didn't suspect the real killer, even though there were clues all through the book. Nice job, Henderson.
I liked this book. I like the mystery of it especially. It was written well enough that I didn't suspect the real killer, even though there were clues all through the book. Nice job, Henderson.