A Promise to Protect

"Accidental" mishaps befalling the director of a battered women's shelter. Navy SEAL. Threatening notes. Nonchalant police chief. Missing friend. Human trafficking. Light romance. What do these all have in common? Well, you'll have to read Liz Johnson's newest book, A Promise to Protect, to find out. 

Ashley Sawyer, having dealt with her own past issues of an abusive boyfriend, takes her job seriously and holds herself personally responsible for the women and children who take refuge at Lil's Place.  When she and they are threatened, her brother asks his best friend and SEAL team member, Matt Waterstone, to look in on her. 

Both have weaknesses from the past that have caused them to grow up acting in their own strength without depending on others.

Ashley is startled at her mixed feelings when Matt shows up. 

For his part, Matt is surprised at how his friend's little sister all of a sudden became an adult, and confused when his heart begins doing flip flops. Putting past hangups aside and agreeing to work together helps them find out who is behind the attacks and uncover unsuspected human trafficking going on in Ashley's sleepy little town.

Liz Johnson does a great job of pulling the reader in quickly to the story. She obviously did her research and writes with authority.
A Promise to Protect does not disappoint!

2012, published by Harlequin as part of their "Love Inspired Suspense" series.

A Promise to Protect can be found on Amazon.com, in both paperback and Kindle editions.
For more about the author: www.lizjohnsonbooks.com

Code of Justice

The helicopter started lurching uncontrollably. This was decidedly not an expected part of the sightseeing tour of Mt. Hood and Mt. Saint Helens! FBI agent Heather Sloan met the eyes of her only sibling, Kit, a deputy D.A. in Portland. Each tried to comfort the other before the inevitable crash. Confused by the pain, Heather roused herself, trying to grasp their situation in her fogged brain. Kit, weak and fading, exhorted her sister, managing to get out her last words, "Follow the drugs".

Liz Johnson's newest work of suspense, Code of Justice, has a new twist, a female FBI agent. Bruised and with a surgically repaired ACL that requires a long recovery time, Heather is put on leave and told to stay off the case. However, she manages to convince sheriff's deputy Jeremy Latham, assigned to what is now a murder investigation, that he needs her help. Her guilt over not protecting Kit coupled with a strong desire to seek revenge, not justice, causes her to push them both as they dig for the truth.

Jeremy is laboring under his own guilt over his fiance's death years before, convinced that he did not do enough to protect her. Now, as he finds himself attracted to Heather and it becomes apparent that the killer is targeting her, he finds he has to face that guilt. Will revived prayers and sharing personal fears lead Heather and Jeremy into a new relationship where they can finally put the past behind them?

I like Liz Johnson's clever, descriptive, fast paced writing style. There is some new twist almost every chapter, which draws the reader into trying to match wits with the characters. The light verbal sparring and the inner emotional conflict between Heather and Jeremy adds to the atmosphere as the story unfolds. Have some fun and read Code of Justice.

Available in both paperback and Kindle editions.

Vanishing Act

Nora is huddled in a dark Lincoln Town Car parked in an alley when she hears her father's voice outside. Yanked out of the car by one of her kidnappers, she is face to face with her father and the thugs. Suddenly there is a scuffle. When the gun fires, Nora jumps into her father's car and turns the key. In reverse down the alley as fast she can go, she manages to turn around and speed forward. Her father's lifeless body lies on the ground behind her. Thus begins Vanishing Act, Liz Johnson's second book.

A year and a half later agent Nathan Andersen is relying on various tips and trails as he searches for Nora. She has competently disappeared, but the FBI knows her abductors are also searching. One of the biggest criminals in the Portland area is at large and does not want to take a chance on being behind bars for life.

The current trail leads Agent Andersen to a small town where he strikes up a friendship with Danielle, a local mechanic who is teaching an auto shop class at the local community college. In the class, we are introduced to a few quirky characters who are more than they seem.

Both Danielle and Nathan have buried problems in their pasts, much having to do with fear and regret, and erected walls around their hearts. Tough situations have caused them to rely less on God and more on themselves. Now they both are drawn back to Him and seeking guidance through prayer. And, it seems the time has come when each needs a confidant. Can Danielle trust Nathan after she has been confronted by a student, run off the road, and her apartment torn apart? Can Nathan get past his training as an agent and let Danielle know him more personally?

I like Johnson's quick action, witty conversations, and descriptive passages. The names of her "bad guys" are fun, too; Goodwill, Lurch, and the Shadow. Mystery, suspense, romance, inspiration, and fun are all rolled into one fast reading book. Vanishing Act.
I think you'll like it.



Paperback, 2010, published by Steeple Hill Books.
It can be purchased on Amazon.

Shades of Morning

Marnie Wittier runs the Books and Brew coffee shop, a gathering place for the locals in Pacific Grove, California. She lives a quiet life and usually makes just enough money to cover expenses. Her loyal following asks nothing of her other than to host baby showers and other parties from time to time and that's just the way she likes it. They do not know her past and she does not volunteer much information. She feels as though she's been given a second chance by God to start a new life and her kind-heartedness and compassion leads her to do the same with others.

Everything is going along great, until her past catches up with her in the form of a lawyer's letter. After 15 years of no contact with her sister in Maine, she is informed that Rose died, leaving instructions for Marnie to become the guardian for Emmit, her 15 year old son. The notification by Taylor Cole, Rose's lawyer and Marnie's close friend whom she abandoned so many years ago, throws her for a loop. She's been found, and Emmit is going to be on a plane to California in a few days.

Unnerved but with strong ties of family loyalty pulling at her, she does the right thing and meets the plane. Totally unprepared for the task of raising a teen, she is even more dumbfounded when she discovers Emmit is a Down's Syndrome child. He challenges her daily as she learns to love him. The most frustrating moments occur when he continually gets into her "regret box", triggering memories of her earlier life.

I like the way Marlo Schalesky develops her characters and teaches us along the way. Marnie and Taylor both learn that hanging on to past sins, regrets, and fear keeps us from being whole. God wants us to to give up these things and be totally free to live in Him. We also can recognize, as the main characters do, that God gives us gifts but sometimes it takes difficult situations before we see the truth of those gifts.

While I enjoyed the book and read with anticipation to learn the whole story behind the characters, I did not particularly care for the ending, The surprise twist was a little too "mystical" for me, for lack of a better word. Other than that, I enjoyed reading Shades of Morning.

2010 paperback by Multnomah.