Traces of Virtue

Coventry Saga #4

by Robin Patchen

Don't miss this plot-twisting thriller, the latest in the addictive Coventry Saga from a USA Today bestselling author.

When doing what's right goes terribly wrong...
From her deathbed, Carly Garcia's mother asked Carly to look after her stepfather and stepsisters. Carly is trying to keep that promise, but now she has a new life to protect, this one innocent and vulnerable. She visits her ex to tell him a truth he doesn't deserve to know... and witnesses his murder. Now, Carly's on the run from killers whose faces she never saw.

Braden Reilly is building a career in Coventry, New Hampshire, happy to put the drama of his crime-ridden Boston neighborhood behind him. When a woman he's spent years trying to forget shows up on his doorstep, his first instinct is to turn her away. But the wounds on her arms and the fear in her eyes have him offering sanctuary. The story she tells makes his blood curdle.

Join Carly and Braden as they seek to discover who's behind a murder nobody believes occurred before the killers catch up to Carly and her unborn child.

Buy it today and read all night.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2021

About the author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Nutfield Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. After college, working in marketing and public relations, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball-and-chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while she homeschooled her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit https://robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.

Reviews

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite of the series so far!

This suspense novel starts off with a Cinderella vibe. Carly Garcia puts most of her energy taking care of her step-father and step-sisters. With her mom deceased and her biological father never in her life, she clings to the step family she has remaining. Even if it feels like she is being used.

Her world quickly spirals out of control when she overhears a murder. "Only God could get her out of this mess".

Lots of action in Traces of Virtue. Recommended!

My gratitude to the author for a complimentary e-copy of the novel. I was not required to post a review and all opinions expressed are my own.

[Erin Laramore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great romantic suspense novel from Robin Patchen! This is book 4 in the Coventry saga, but if you haven't read the prior books, you won't be lost at all as this story stands alone. Jacqui and Reid from Betrayal of Genius are background characters in this book and we also see a few "old friends" from the Legacy series in the Nutfield saga. So, if you're a fan of the author's prior works, it's fun to see how those relationships have progressed. This book follows Braden Reilly (who was a background character in Betrayal of Genius) and Carly Garcia, his former girlfriend. When witnessing a murder puts her on the run, Carly finds herself back in Braden's life. As they struggle to convince the police that a crime has happened worth investigating, they find themselves in the killer's crosshairs time and again as they try to determine who the killers are and why the murder happened. This book had wonderful characters with great character development, a sweet rekindled romance, and lots of action and suspense that had me turning pages to see what would happen next. The spiritual thread in this one was on point as well as Carly and Braden had to trust God to guide them and keep them safe. I understood and appreciated their struggles with that and enjoyed how the story tied up at the end. This one had me both laughing and crying and freaking out trying to figure out how they were going to get out precarious situations. If you enjoy romantic suspense novels, this is one I'd highly recommend! Special thanks to the author for an advance e-copy of the novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
"She wanted to hate him . . . for being a criminal. For stealing from their neighbors. For lying to her. But Ian was dead."

Carly Garcia's life took yet another dramatic turn when she witnesses her former boyfriend's murder. What in the world? She had gone to see him in order to discuss a personal matter and ends up with what is sure to be important evidence, if the police will believe her story. Running from the scene, she is chased down and barely evades notice. Where can she go to keep her family safe; the answer to that question sends her down memory lane.

Braden Reilly is predictably shocked when Carly shows up at his front door, driving his old car and clearly exhausted, with only the clothes on her back. He can scarcely believe her tale or that his parents were complicit in sending her from Boston, Massachusetts to Coventry, New Hampshire. He has a good life, wonderful friends, an excellent job, a supportive church community . . . . . what role does God want him to play in securing Carly's safety?

Fast and furious, along with an impressive amount of spiritual depth, this story is an attention grabber and a heart breaker . . . . and not for the reasons you might assume. Family relationships are often messy, broken, full of misunderstandings. Life's mistakes leave a trail of repercussions, missed opportunities and "traces of virtue". The good news? God is in the redemption business. He is also a rescuer. Will He rescue Carly one final time? She and Braden can only pray that He will.

"He rescued me because He delights in me." . . . . . "would He rescue her one more time?"

[Diane Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Traces of Virtue” by Robin Patchen was an exciting read! This is the fourth book in the Coventry Saga. I believe this is my favorite book in the series and my favorite book of Robin Patchen’s, so far.

I love the main characters in this novel, Carly and Braden. Carly has had a hard life and ends up witnessing the murder of her ex-boyfriend. So begins a cat and mouse game of her trying to avoid the murderers, even though she never saw their faces. Carly reconnects with Braden (her first ex), and together they work to solve this crime.

This book keeps you guessing onto the last page. There is plenty of non-stop action and a little romance along the way.

I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from the author for my honest opinion.

[Pegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Robin Patchen's writing, but even so, this is one of her best! The twists and turns and heartwrenching decisions will keep you turning each page!

[Wilma Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robin has written a very suspenseful and enjoyable book for this next in the Coventry Saga. As per normal with Robin’s books, I had a difficult time putting it down. I loved Braden. He is a man very committed to his faith and doing what is right. Braden’s parents go beyond and help Carly get to safety. Carly is a fairly new Christian who has her faith put to the test when she witnesses a murder. Lots going on in this book, danger, intense life and death situations with believable outcomes. Keeps the reader on their toes, not sure what the next chapter is going to expose. This is one book I will pick up and read again. Highly recommend.

I received an advance copy from the author. This review is my honest opinion.

[Bill McEachnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Robin Patchen. This story is about redemption, love and family. It is exciting, thrilling, suspenseful, romantic and a warning, once you start the story you will not want to stop or put the book down. This story is engaging and the characters come to life in a story that is filled with non stop action. Get it-read it-enjoy it !!!!

[Stox4story · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart pounding suspense, chilling thriller, a second chance that’s anything but easy. Carly is collateral damage.She’s an innocent bystander to premeditated murder. Now the ki11ers must find her and do cleanup … meaning make sure she disappears the way they made their murder victim disappear …. ki11 her. It’s a good thing the bad men underestimated her. And they definitely underestimated her friends. You’ll see all the action unfold reading this story…. don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Oh, I said ‘see’ because the way the story is written makes you think you’re right there, looking on.

👁^👁 OBERSERVATIONS

✔︎ Carly…. naive, very naive, frustratingly so….. very obsessive and bullheaded. At times she was just to caviler about her dangerous situation.

✔︎…Silly girl…. why not slam on the pedal in reverse and show those men just how powerful a pickup truck can be when it’s coming their way. No way they would have fired that gun then. They’d be running for their own lives.

✔︎ Ian …. kept wondering WHY… why he wasn’t more prepared? He knew what the score was but had no plan of protection? With his background, surely he would have been ready … he didn’t even put up a fight.

✔︎ My heart went out to Ian. He made bad choices but also had a protective side to him. He cared about his neighbors. And in the end, we see he cared about Carly too. And the time he took with her could have cost him his life. Hope he had time to make things right before his last breath. 🙏🏻

✔︎ Same with Carly and Braden … there were several occasions where Carly and Braden put themselves in danger with no thought or forethought of protection. They knew and even discussed the dangers but didn’t try to have any type of protection. Carly was very fortunate her ‘brain’ took over in the locked up room with that cheap carpet. And, once she had the ‘bad guy’ down, she needed to make sure he wasn’t getting back up anytime soon.

✔︎ Carly should give thanks daily for having Braden in her life. She put him last in just about everything but he was the one there for her when the going got rough, err, should I say deadly.

✔︎ I definitely can see Carly and Braden actively working to get Lynch elected. Revealing their story and how Lynch saved Carly's life would be powerful.😇

I received an advance copy of this book and am leaving my personal thoughts and opinions.

[Doris Bernethy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Robin Patchen's latest release. When Carly Garcia finds herself in dire straits, she turns to the only people she knows she can trust--the parents of the young man who wanted to marry her three years earlier. She turned him down because of a misguided sense of duty, but now her life is at stake. Braden Reilly's parents convince her to go to Braden for protection, but Carly wonders what will happen when he discovers the entire truth about her predicament and how will Braden cope with having the woman he still loves show up on his doorstep; even more, how will he keep her safe? This is a suspenseful book, well-written, and very intriguing. I highly recommend it. I also enjoyed the continuing characters. I look forward to Ms. Patchen's next release.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again I am highly impressed with Ms. Patchen's writing ability. This one tugged at my heart as Carly struggles with being present at a murder, tries to protect her step-sisters, ends up at Braden's home for protection & struggles with the police who don't believe her story about the murder. She & Braden, along with his friends, do most of the police leg work figuring out who the men are in the murder. A very excellent mystery that I very much enjoyed & couldn't stop reading until the end. I received an ARC. This is my voluntary opinion.

[Carlien Peens · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you get your hands on one of Robin Patchen's books you can rest assured you will be swept away by it!! She has the truly unique ability to draw you into her story. The dishes and even sleep can wait as you'll be on pins and needles to see what the conclusion of the story is going to be! Carly had to weather some awfull setbacks to learn the truth about love! Braden must learn to face his fear to find his peace and love. Will they do it in time before Carly is killed? Well you will just have to buy to book to see 😉

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

[Lyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Oh my word, I absolutely loved this book! This author never disappoints. The story was captivating and had me hooked from the start. I loved how the characters leaned on God through their struggles, even when it was tough.❤️ The main character’s growth in faith was beautifully portrayed, and I adored how she and the love interest both helped draw each other closer to Christ. The book is filled with suspense, kidnapping, and murder, yet it remains a powerful story of resilience and hope. It’s an incredibly gripping read!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book in the Coventry Series by Robin Patchen. I enjoyed reading Braden & Carly's story. This book is full of suspense and kept me riveted until the end. Read it, you won’t be disappointed. I received an advance copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book filled with lots of secrets and action to keep you intrigued. Carly promised to take care of her extended family. A Cinderella type story, but with murder added. Don’t miss out.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. Was suspenseful throughout the book but also heartwarming. A real page turner. Had a hard time putting it down. A murder who the police are certain never happened. No body or evidence of a crime is discovered. Carly must go on the run but where can she go? Who can she turn to, in her hour of need? Her ex boyfriends' parents tell her to go to his place, but is that right decision? Would he help her or send her away? Braden is struggling with his decision as how to handle the situation with Carly, while he is facing turmoil at work. Will he help Carly, risking his heart again? What a wild adventure the two will undertake so Carly can be safe again. Can Carly and Braden collect enough evidence and information to convince the detective that a murder was committed before the killers find Carly, the only witness? An unrealized betrayal leads to a kidnapping. Can hope, love and faith in God, save the day? Must admit, the end did bring a tear to my eyes! Recommend. Received an ARC and this is my voluntary honest review.

[Sheila Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Traces of Virtue is an action-packed rollercoaster ride from start to finish. The storyline is fresh, yet complicated; the suspense builds toward a white knuckle conclusion. There is a strong Christian theme with emphasis on prayer and trust in God. I loved the main characters and actually came to respect the stepfather. The jury is still out on the oldest stepsister. LOL The conclusion tied up all the loose strings and presented the reader with a satisfying HEA ending. 5 stars!

[Camille Howard]

Robin Patchen tackles some hard topics with much grace and style in the latest instalment of the Coventry Saga. Aside for trying to run for her life because she witnessed a murder, Carly has to deal with an unplanned pregnancy, rape and unrealistic expectations/responsibilities that she has placed on herself. Mrs. Patchen skillfully intertwines God’s grace, forgiveness and redemption into the story line, showing how true surrender and the community of Christ can truly work miracles…even solve a murder.

[Nati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carly’s life is in danger after witnesing something terrible. Can the man she rejected three years ago help her even with the secret she is keeping from him? Branden is happy in Coventry with his Job, his house and his friends. But Carly’s arrival will rock his world again. Can they have a future together? Another wonderful Christian romantic suspense from Robin Patchen.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a 5+ star. This story not only had action, suspense and romance but it had true struggles faced by emotional decisions. Carly wants to fulfill a promise made at all cause, even over her own happiness.
I so enjoyed reading this book. This book touched my heart. The message of "all things work for good to them that love God according to his purpose" spoke to my heart. Braden and Carly's love is given a second chance because both learn to seek God's purpose.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of Robin Patchen's books, Traces of Virtue, had me reading and turning the pages to see how it would end. Braden and Carly have a past, yet when the present presents danger, Braden is there for Carly and her unborn child. They are trying to solve a murder that is heard, not seen, when no one else believes it happened. A great read and highly recommended!

[Edward Arrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The saga continues with this latest addition to the series featuring Carly and Braden. Braden and several other characters have appeared in previous books by the author, but Carly is a newbie. Although Braden and Carly became a couple in high school, they parted ways when she refused his marriage proposal three years earlier. She brings quite a bit of excitement because of her connection to a man who was involved in criminal activities. The man had been a boyfriend but she never knew anything about his outside interests. Carly witnesses a deed that causes her to look for a place to hide from enemies of this ex-boyfriend. Braden’s parents loan her a car and send her into hiding at Braden’s house. Quite candidly, if my parents had ever put me in that situation, I cannot say what I would have done. Maybe I would have told her to stay as long as she needed to and I would have gone to a hotel. Instead, Braden allows himself to be dragged into her escapades as they try to solve the crime. Without their strong faith and belief in the power of prayer, I think they would have gotten themselves and possibly some other people killed. I enjoyed their daring deeds although I cringed at times as they seemed to be getting in over their heads. The story was fast-moving and quite intense. I received an advance copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.

[Louise Pledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a pleasure it was to read this book! For so many reasons! Robin Patchen's books are always entertaining; her plots are awesome. I loved reconnecting with a few characters from earlier books. There was suspense, romance, everything a reader could look for in a story. And Christian, to boot!

At first, I thought this was a retelling of Cinderella and was excited about that. However, it turned out to be so much better than Cinderella ever was. Carly witnesses the murder of a former boyfriend, and the bad guys are after her. When they are unable to find her, they go after her stepsisters, whom Carly has pledged to her dying mother to take care of. Many scary adventures follow in the attempt to quiet Carly once and all. Highly recommend!

[Anna B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great installment in the Coventry Series by Robin Patchen and I’m all in!
Carly Garcia’s life seems to be off the rails. She spends all her time caring for her family, is unmarried and pregnant. Now she’s the only witness to a murder the police don’t believe happened. What should she do?
Go to the one man whose proposal she turned down and whose heart she broke.
Braden is shocked when Carly shows up at his door. He isn’t sure he wants her there, but battles between his hurts and desire to help.
This book has all the suspense you can expect from Robin and also a well woven story that touches on real emotions, faith, and loyalties.
I loved this book and highly recommend it.
I was given an ARC from the author. This is my honest review.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traces of Virtue, by Robin Patchen, was one of those books that I didn't want to put down. While it continues the Coventry Saga series, it is a standalone. The story grips the reader quickly and the action continues. The storyline is believable. It is easy to relate to Carly and worry for her welfare, only to have to remind yourself that she is a character in a story.

There is no foul language and while the salvation message is presented, the book isn't "preachy". I would highly recommend this fast-paced suspense story.

I did receive an advanced reader copy of this book but the opinion offered here is entirely my own.

[Delena Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this so much I stay up reading until I finish it. A great christian suspense story

[Terry Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a page turner. Our heroine, Carly, is expecting, she doesn't want to be with the biological father because he is an unfit human being, and would certainly be an unfit father. Carly is a new christian and wants to do whats right for her baby and herself. She hears a crime committed and has to run for her life. Our hero, Braden, is has been a christian for a while, however, he tends to believe that he needs to control is destiny. Braden's parents convince Carly to go to Braden for help. She takes off for the "country" in New Hampshire. Braden and his friends, you will recognize most of them if you are a lover of Robin Patchen's books, do there best to help Braden and Carly end up at a Bed and Breakfast that are owned by Angel(Angelica) and Donovan from Legacy Restored.

The bad men get a hold of one of Carly's sisters and threaten to kill her if Carly doesn't come back to Boston. And there dear reader I will leave you, you'll have to purchase this suspenseful tale to find out what happens next.
I was given this book for an honest review. Scotty

[Paula Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well-crafted. Braden and Carly had been high school sweethearts that went separate ways after a.painful breakup. Several years later Carly witnesses a murder and seeks Braden's help in hiding from the killer. The interaction between the two, the intrigue and danger make this an enjoyable read.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I literally could not put this riveting story down until I finished it! All in the same day, Carley finds out she's pregnant, visits her ex-boyfriend, he's murdered, and she's on the run for her life! She first runs to the parents of her ex-boyfriend Braden, because now that she's a believer in Christ, she hopes Braden's mom will give her godly advice. With her ex's murders pursuing her, Braden's parents send he to NH to Braden who they feel will protect her. When she lands at Braden's front doorstep without any explanation, he's shocked but knows he needs to help her.
I loved the suspense and fast-paced story line with its twists and turns and danger at every turn! I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book and have freely given my honest opinion in this review.

[S.campbell8655yahoo.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ! I'm never disappointed ! Love seeing characters from previous stories too . 😁