Author: Robin Patchen

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: February 14, 2023

When she crosses paths with a killer from her past, can she survive long enough to step into her future?

Ever since she and thirteen other models were kidnapped years before, Summer Lake has fought to ensure that she can protect herself. But when her job as a bodyguard brings her into contact with a man she believes masterminded her kidnapping, her first urge is to run, terrified of being taken again. Instead, she follows the stranger, determined to bring him to justice.

Bodyguard Grant Wright fell in love with Summer the instant he saw her, a fierce protector standing in front of the other endangered young women he’d come to rescue. Years later, Summer still sees him as barely more than a coworker. Grant bides his time, sticking close in an effort to keep her safe and hoping she’ll eventually open her heart to him. When her life is threatened, he’s not about to allow her to fight her enemies alone. He’ll stay by her side whether she wants him or not.

But Summer and Grant have an enemy whose global smuggling organization is so powerful, so pervasive, that it’ll be a miracle if either of them emerges from this battle alive.

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An Author’s Take

If you like Christian romantic suspense that deals with issues prevalent in society today, then check out Courage in the Shadows by USA Today Bestselling Author Robin Patchen.

This was the second book I read by Robin; truthfully, at 399 pages, I knew I was in for a good story. I typically stick to books around 250-300 pages; however, I learned in one of Robin’s other books that she does a great job of keeping the reader interested from start to finish. This book is another in the Coventry Saga series and stays true to the suspense genre.

Summer Lake, a beautiful six-foot-tall woman formerly a model, was taken hostage with several of her model friends while on a girl’s trip in Mexico. Fortunately, everyone escaped, but Summer never wanted to feel vulnerable again. She needed to know she could protect herself and those she loved from everything. Summer, her cousin, Jon, and his best friend, Grant, served as bodyguards protecting others as part of a security firm.

The story gets interesting when Summer discovers a Mexican woman she is protecting while in the states for surgery is possibly the sister of her former captor, Ramon. The revelation terrifies her while the adrenaline leads her on a journey to discover his evil deeds and put a stop to him.

Completely smitten with his partner of seven years, Grant Wright is frustrated by Summer’s need to push forward on her dangerous quest. As the two continue to investigate, they learn much about the case and each other along the way.

Outside of the romance and suspense, I appreciated the Christian references sprinkled throughout. The elements of trust and love are apparent in the book, as are the topics of God’s truth, healing, and restoration.

Overall, I found the book to be an excellent read and plan on reading more books by Robin Patchen. I give Courage in the Shadows 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 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.

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 that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Visit robinpatchen.com/subscribe to receive a free book and stay informed about Robin’s latest projects.

More from Robin

In Lineage of Corruption, the heroine offhandedly refers to her bodyguard as a “Venus statue.” It seemed a fair description of the woman known at the time only as Lake.

But it made me wonder… Why would a nearly six-foot-tall, drop-dead gorgeous blonde become a bodyguard?

We learned a little more about Lake in Wreathed in Disgrace, including the fact that her partner, Jon, was also her cousin—a man who considered her as close as a sister.

We also learned that Lake didn’t have the happiest background.

Slowly, over the course of writing two books, Lake became more than just the pretty bodyguard in the corner. She became real to me.

And her murky background came into view. What would make a beautiful woman, a woman given the whimsical name Summer Lake, a woman who could easily grace magazine covers—and has in the past—decide to lay down her curling iron and pick up a sidearm?

I won’t tell you her secret, but suffice it to say, Summer has good reason to carry a gun. She’s been threatened in the past. And when she was a kid, she didn’t even feel safe in her own home. She’s seen people she loved and cared about harmed, and she loathes nothing more than watching the strong prey on the weak.

She decided a long time ago that she’s never going to be counted among the weak again.

But when Summer follows a man she’s pretty sure was the mastermind behind her own worst nightmare, she inadvertently overhears his nefarious plans. Only she wasn’t as hidden as she thought, and if not for Grant, her new partner—a man who’s doggedly determined to make sure she stays safe—she might have been killed.

With just enough information to know something terrible is going to happen, Summer and Grant embark on a quest to bring down Summer’s old enemy.

But he knows who she is, and he’s not going down without a fight.

This book was a blast to write, and I absolutely can’t wait for you to get your hands on it. It’s got a hunky and protective hero, a strong yet vulnerable heroine, and a villain who’ll keep you awake at night.

I hope you’ll check it out!