My passion and expertise for writing Christian Military Romance stems from the fact that I was a military wife—twice. My first husband, an Army officer died eight years into our marriage. I then married a petty officer in the Navy—all this on top of growing up all over the world as my father worked in the foreign service. As someone who views the world through the lens of faith and who relies on God to overcome hardship, I'm convinced that the elite warriors who protect us and who fight giants on our behalf must also rely on faith. Tie all those elements together, and, voilá, you have a Rebecca Hartt Acts of Valor book!
I give Dee Henderson credit for starting me on the path to writing inspirational military romance.
Her crisp, professional voice carries throughout the story and reflects the professionalism of the warriors she describes, especially US Navy SEALs. Readers can’t help but be filled with respect for these professionals.
The first chapter of this book acquaints the reader with a Navy SEAL widow trying to save the life of the surfer and hoping she will survive the ordeal, in order to deepen her relationship with another Navy SEAL. I adore the “second chance romance” theme.
I also appreciate Dee Henderson’s light yet profound touch when it comes to spirituality and how faith influences the actions of her characters. If not for his book, I don’t know if I would have ever turned my pen toward writing military Christian romance. Thank you, Dee!
Kelly Jacobs has already paid the ultimate price of loving a warrior; she has the folded flag and the grateful thanks of a nation to prove it. Navy SEAL Joe “Bear” Baker can't ask her to accept that risk again―even though he loves her. But the man responsible for her husband's death is back; closer than either of them realize. Kelly is in danger, and Joe may not get there in time.
Uncommon Heroes: Welcome to a world where friendships go deep, loyalties stand strong, and uncommon heroes perform the toughest jobs in the world. Dee Henderson's military romance series…
I have to admit, I’m a tough sell when it comes to the genre I write. But Ms. Hannon is an excellent writer. She never “tells”; she “shows”. Her characters are motivated by their faith, just like I am. While Irene Hannon does not feature military heroes in her stories, her police detectives display the same level of discipline and willingness to take on danger.
She has done her research and portrays realistic investigations. Her heroine is a mature, complex individual—someone I would like to meet and befriend. And the romance that blossoms between Moira and Cal is natural and touching.
This is also a second-chance romance, which gets me every time. The only way it could be better would be to throw a kid into the story.
Reporter Moira Harrisons is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a confusing detour places her on a rural, wooded road, she's startled by the sudden appearance of a lone figure caught in the beam of her headlights. Though Moira jams on her brakes, the car careens across the wet pavement--and the solid thump against the side of the vehicle tells her she hit the person before she crashes into a tree on the far side of the road.
A dazed Moira is relieved when a man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call…
This story features an EMS helicopter pilot and an FBI special investigator—so no Navy SEALs, but I can’t help but have huge respect for either of these other occupations.
Penny, the pilot, is forced to land her chopper on a mountain in a raging storm with a critical patient inside and a serial killer unleashing havoc in the area so remote that cell phones don’t work. Thank goodness for FBI special investigator Holt Satterfield! The two of them have their hands full making sure they—and everyone else—survive.
Lynette Eason’s books are more thrillers than romance, yet she is really good at weaving the faith element—after all, when things are as terrifying as they are in this story, there’s a prayer on your lips the whole time.
It may not be a book you want to read right before bedtime, but if you love drama and you can handle the harsher aspects of survival, you won’t be able to put this book down. I sure couldn’t.
Can you imagine losing your entire family to a plane accident? That’s what the heroine of this first-in-a-series book by Colleen Coble has to deal with.
With so many unanswered questions, Bree Nichols puts her K-9 search-and-rescue skills to work, looking for the bodies of her husband and son in the wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Having been widowed young, my heart went out to her from the start.
Working with Park Ranger Kade Mathews, Bree stumbles upon a terrible crime that may be linked to the plane crash. I think this book speaks to the importance of never giving up on faith and hope, even when everything looks absolutely bleak.
The best thing about Ms. Coble’s books is her character development. The pacing is less of a thriller than a cozy mystery with a good dose of romance. While lacking a military hero, I do like that there is a child involved in this book, so it checks off all my faith, family, and fear requirements.
When a plane crash claims her husband and son, Bree Nichols and her search-and-rescue dog won't rest until they recover the bodies. But when quiet Rock Harbor is shaken by a violent crime, Bree discovers links to her husband's fatal accident. Would solving this crime bring her peace-or more incredibly, reunite her family?
It's been months since the crash. K-9 search-and-rescue worker Bree Nicholls knows the chances of finding her husband and son in the vast wilderness of Michigan's Upper Peninsula grow more remote by the day. But her heart and her faithful dog, Samson, demand she keep searching.
Finding a book in my genre that checks off all of my cravings isn’t easy.
But Susan May Warren succeeds every time. I adore this book because it features my favorite types of characters—a Navy SEAL with a psychologist/PTSD specialist. This couple, Jenny and Orion, pick up on a romance they began back in the dangerous desert of Afghanistan, but the majority of the story takes place on the peak of Alaska’s highest mountain, the Denali.
While I’ve only been to the airport in Alaska, now I feel like I have been to that wild, untamed state. Of all the authors I have mentioned so far, Susan May Warren writes books most like my own, with themes of sacrifice and forgiveness. Mrs. Warren weaves God’s truths so deftly into the never-ending action of the plot, that you’ll never once feel like she’s banging you over the head with her convictions.
The Way of the Brave reminds me of several of my own stories. If Mrs. Warren and I lived near each other, we would surely be the best of friends!
Former pararescue jumper Orion Starr is haunted by the memory of a rescue gone wrong. He may be living alone in Alaska now, but the pain of his failure--and his injuries--has followed him there from Afghanistan. He has no desire to join Hamilton Jones's elite rescue team, but he also can't shirk his duty when the call comes in to rescue three lost climbers on Denali.
Former CIA profiler and psychiatrist Jenny Calhoun's yearly extreme challenge with her best friends is her only escape from the guilt that has sunk its claws into her. As a consultant during a top-secret…
You were told a year ago your Navy SEAL husband was dead. You loved him so much, but you’ve learned to move on. After all, Jonah was too driven, sometimes callous. But then a phone call brings shocking news: Your husband is alive—only he has no memory of your two-year marriage or his teenage stepdaughter whom he used to ignore. So, you do the right thing. You bring him home, knowing in your heart it’s too late for your marriage to work. But is it? Jonah’s nothing like the hard-nosed husband you remember. He’s thoughtful. He’s considerate. He’s good with your daughter. Yet Jonah is convinced someone tried to kill him—and still wants him dead if his memory returns. How in God’s name, can this possibly end well?
I’m a thrill seeker when it comes to reading, and I want to be so immersed in a story that I have to read it in one sitting and then can be completely taken by surprise by a plot twist. It was extremely hard to pick only five titles, so to narrow it down, I 1) made an attempt to pick from a few different sub-genres and, 2) stipulated that Agatha Christie could populate the entire list. All of these titles blend wonderful writing with great twists, and I hope you enjoy them. I did my best to avoid spoilers in the descriptions, although by being on this list, it’s a little bit of a spoiler…
"Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat" - Kirkus Reviews Starred Review
Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie's, a below-average restaurant, the only place that will give her a job. Things change when she finds head chef Louie Ferrar dead in the walk-in freezer of his restaurant. But instead of closing the place down, the owner, Russian gang boss Anatoly Morozov, offers not only her Louie's job but…
"Dizzying . . . Audiences who wished the TV series The Bear had made room for Russian mobsters are in for a treat" Kirkus Reviews Starred Review
Sagarine Pfister is a great cook but has been blacklisted by almost every restaurant in Chicago. She gets her chance at Louie's, a below-average restaurant, the only place that will give her a job.
Things change when she finds head chef Louie Ferrar dead in the walk-in freezer of his restaurant. But instead of closing the place down, the owner, Russian gang boss Anatoly Morzov, not only offers her Louie's job, but also…
