Honor’s Refuge (book 3, Love And Honor series) by Hallee Bridgeman is the first book I’ve read from this new-to-me author. But it won’t be the last. In fact, my book club is reading Honor Bound, book 1, in January 2023. I found this romantic suspense to be real. It is gritty, not shying away from exposing the ugliness of this world. But it is also a book of hope. I highly recommend it!
When she was just five years old, Melissa Braxton watched her father take her mother’s life. Separated from her sister, Lola, at that time, Melissa grew up with a strong desire to help those stuck in abusive relationships. It’s why she became a family therapist and opened a domestic abuse shelter.
After losing a leg to a gunshot wound in the line of duty, Phil Osbourne has felt like a man without a purpose–until he hears Melissa’s story and decides to use his Special Forces contacts to track down her missing sister. He knows what he discovers will break Melissa’s heart. What he doesn’t realize is that helping the women reunite will bring the cartel down on them like the Category 5 hurricane striking Miami.
Bruised yet not quite broken, Melissa and Phil battle the storm and the cartel, calling on strength they didn’t know they had to escape death, save the innocent, and–just maybe–find healing in each other’s arms.
Hallee Bridgeman is the award winning and USA TODAY bestselling author of several action-packed romantic suspense books and series. An Army brat turned Floridian, Hallee settled with her husband in central Kentucky, where they have raised their three children. When she’s not writing, Hallee pursues her passion for cooking, coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her.
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My Impressions:
I found Honor’s Refuge by Hallee Bridgeman to be an intensely powerful novel which was not afraid to portray the ugliness of the world while showing the promises of hope-filled futures. Main characters Melissa and Phil have wounds that would break many. Melissa is a survivor of extreme family abuse and Phil continues to face the challenges of his injuries during wartime. The author did a great job of developing their characters — they felt real and relatable to me. They could have easily become stereotypes, but the author added vulnerability to their strengths, courage in their challenges, and a faith that continued throughout the darkest times. With a romance that progressed naturally, the suspense builds to a breaking point. A cartel leader bent on revenge, a Cat-5 hurricane bearing down, and compromised federal agents couldn’t help but contribute to the page-turning, octane-laced action. I let out a few gasps along the way — there were a lot of things I didn’t see coming. This was such a good story!
While Honor’s Refuge is the third book in Bridgeman’s Love And Honor series, I never felt lost. But . . . I do have plans to go back and read the first two books. Book 1, Honor Bound, is my book club’s first selection of 2023. Can’t wait to dive into another great book by a new must-read author.
Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to Revell for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
Great review, I have added the first book to my TBR 🙂