Author: Robin Patchen
Genre: Christian romantic suspense
Release date: July 19, 2022
In the world of big money and big politics, nobody walks away unscathed.
The people of Coventry never suspect that Josie Smith, owner of the local coffee shop, is the daughter of a powerful senator. She went to Washington to serve constituents, but her desire to do good morphed into a desire to win at all costs. When one of those costs grew too heavy to bear, she changed her name and left DC, vowing to never get involved in politics again. But when her father becomes his party’s lone voice standing against corrupt policies, his enemies will do whatever it takes to get his vote, and Josie finds herself caught in a familiar web of dirty tricks.
Thomas Windham never planned to run for office, but when Coventry’s disgraced mayor is replaced by a dishonest appointee, he feels he has no choice but to throw his hat in the ring. He doesn’t have a chance against the well-known politician, that is until he meets Josie, who knows more about running for office than a typical café owner would.
When Josie finds herself in danger, they form an alliance—his protection for her wisdom. The election becomes secondary as Josie’s adversaries close in. But can Josie and Thomas come out victorious against enemies determined to get what they want at any cost?
Don’t miss this pulse-pounding Christian romantic suspense that’ll keep you reading late into the night.
Click here to get your copy!
An Author’s Take Review
If you like Christian romantic suspense that ironically mirrors today’s current events, check out Lineage of Corruption by USA Today Bestselling Author Robin Patchen. This was the first book I read by Robin; truthfully, at 400+ pages, I wasn’t sure I wanted to try it. I typically stick to books around 250-300 pages; however, I am glad I did because it was a page-turner. I quickly discovered the page count didn’t matter because I got sucked into the story. This book is true to the suspense genre. You won’t want to put the book down.
Josie Smith, the daughter of a powerful U.S. Senator, walks away from her life as a political strategist in D.C. to live a low-key life in the small town of Coventry. There Josie opens a coffee shop where she seeks to find her true self again.
Thomas Windham is a small-town insurance agent who finds himself running for office to save his town from a dishonest local politician. Thomas knows absolutely nothing about politics.
The story gets interesting when the Senator, Josie’s father, becomes his party’s lone voice standing against corrupt policies; his enemies will do whatever it takes to get his vote, even going after his family. Josie, now in danger, rethinks her decision to help Thomas. Perhaps, an alliance would be beneficial. Thomas’ protection for her political wisdom. A partnership is formed, and the story goes into full suspense mode from that point forward.
Outside of the romance and suspense, I appreciated the Christian references sprinkled throughout. The elements of forgiveness, trust, and love are evident in the book, as are the topics of God’s truth, faith, guidance, healing, and restoration.
Overall, I found the book to be an excellent read and plan on reading more books by Robin Patchen. I give Lineage of Corruption 5 out of 5 stars.
Note: I reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, which I received through Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write a positive review, nor was I compensated for sharing my thoughts.
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. 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 that 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.
More from Robin
Boston’s Logan Airport was about an hour from the little town in southern New Hampshire where I grew up. I remember pre-dawn drives, sitting in the backseat of our station wagon with my big sister and my little brother on our way to catch a flight. My dad was an airline pilot, so we traveled a lot in those days.
My parents always had a news station playing in the background. The anchor would read the news, and then Mom and Dad would discuss it at length while we tried to doze in the backseat.
They didn’t agree on everything, but they always saw eye-to-eye on politics.
My parents separated when I was a teenager and ultimately divorced. Even today, when they’re in a room together—they get along very well well—their conversations often drift to what’s going on in Washington.
Maybe that’s why I’ve always been interested in national politics.
My kids hate it when I talk about this policy or that vote. My husband would much prefer to discuss sports or work or…pretty much anything else. But I’ve always loved politics—the wrangling, the power plays, the backroom deals we can only guess at.
Talk about high-stakes drama on a worldwide stage. Hmm, I’m a suspense writer. Maybe it’s not that shocking that I love politics.
Lineage of Corruption doesn’t take place in the hallowed halls of Washington DC, nor are most of the characters in the story big players in the political scene. No, my story takes place in central New Hampshire, and its main characters are a coffee shop owner and a mayoral candidate. But that coffee shop owner’s father is a senator, a senator who’s being pressured to vote yes on a bill he vehemently disagrees with.
His enemies are willing to do whatever it takes to secure his vote, even if it means threatening his daughter.
So, it’s not exactly a political thriller. But it is all about big money and big names grappling for position in the world’s most powerful nation.
Which I personally think is super fun. To write about, anyway. In reality, politics has gotten way too rancorous and destructive for my tastes. Don’t worry—I won’t be lecturing you about what you should believe. I don’t honor one party or one president while throwing the other under the bus. In fact, I don’t mention either party or any actual politicians by name in the entire book.
This story isn’t about pushing my personal beliefs. It is about examining the lengths to which some people are willing to go to secure their own personal agendas.
(And it’s about man and a woman who fall in love, which is also super fun.)
I sure hope you’ll check it out.
Oh, and Josie, the coffee shop owner, loves to cook. Here’s a recipe she makes for the hero. It’s a great summertime meal and happens to be a staple at the Patchen household.
Linguine Caprese
4 ripe large tomatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 lb. mozzarella cheese (I use the small mozzarella balls (also called pearls), but any whole-milk mozzarella, cut into chunks, will do)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. dried basil (or 1 cup cleaned, fresh basil, cut into strips)
Enough olive oil to coat all of the above—about ¾ cup
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. linguine
Freshly grated parmesan
Combine tomatoes, cheese, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cover and let sit at least two hours at room temperature.
Cook linguine according to package directions.
Drain pasta and immediately toss with the tomato mixture. Serve at once with grated parmesan cheese. (Goes great with crusty white bread on the side.)
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, July 18
Genesis 5020, July 18
An Author’s Take, July 19
Inklings and notions, July 20
Betti Mace, July 21
For Him and My Family, July 22
Blossoms and Blessings, July 22
Texas Book-aholic, July 23
deb’s Book Review, July 24
lalkesidelivingsite, July 25
Locks, Hooks and Books, July 26
Blogging With Carol, July 26
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, July 27
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, July 28
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, July 29
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, July 30
Spoken from the Heart, July 30
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, July 31
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Robin is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, copy of Inheritance of Secrets, and a previous book in the series!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
