Lynette Eason: Called to Protect

By Kelly Bridgewater

For the past year, Chloe St. John has been working as a K-9 cop with her German shepherd partner, Hank. After being dumped by her fiancé for another woman, Chloe has decided that Hank is just about the only male she likes. She's over the whole romance thing and focuses her attention on doing her job. Because a serious case of human trafficking with connections to her missing cousin just landed in her lap.

When US Marshall Blake MacCallum's daughter goes missing, he's ordered to kill the judge he's protecting and tell no one about his daughter's disappearance or she will die. Blake races against the clock to rescue his daughter while Chloe and Hank are asked to be a part of the task force assembled to bring down the traffickers. Chloe finds herself attracted to the silent, suffering man, but thanks to her previous bad judgment, she wonders if she can trust him. And can Blake trust himself around this firecracker of a woman?

From Amazon

                                              

My Thoughts:

Lynette Eason knows her game when it comes to writing suspense. Even though her novels are titled Romantic Suspense, they are heavier on the suspense than romance, which is how I like my romantic suspense. In her newest series Blue Justice, the second book Called to Protect is a fast pace hunt for teenage girls, and Eason has me flipping through the pages hunting for the resolution.

Eason knows her research or at least how to find information with actual police officers to make her story ring true. I have no problem believing what she states happens in the story to the actual officers. I really enjoy how she dives into the setting and the internal dialogue of the characters too. They ring true for what she creates the characters to be.

The plot is my favorite part of a novel. It is where all the action occurs or should occur. With Called to Protect, Eason touches on the horror of human trafficking for teenagers. She doesn't get graphic with her details and none of the girls are hurt sexually, but she does mention things about the human trafficking industry that made my stomach cringe. I can't imagine the horror. While reading this book, I prayed for my niece and all the little girls I work with at Awana at church. I pray God keeps an eye on them their whole life and this never happens to them. The story does move rapidly, and I had a suspicion who  the bad guy was before Eason showed it. I was right.

It was nice to see familiar characters in the St. John family reappear in this addition. This time it was nice to be more familiar with Chloe. I got to understand Chloe's role in her family and her role in her job. Family dynamics are a difficult place to be, but Eason creates a family that is close-knit. Something I'm sure everyone strives for. Some more than others. Most families aren't that tight-knit. I enjoy seeing Chloe and watching her realize her feelings for Blake. I hope they appear again in the next book.

Overall, Called to Protect by Lynette Eason is a fast-pace peek into the world of human trafficking. With the return of familiar characters and a suspense racing my heart, I couldn't wait to see how the story ended. Fans of Eason's previous writings, DiAnn Mills, or Steven James might enjoy this book.

I received a complimentary copy of Called to Protect by Lynette Eason, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

About the Author:

From Amazon

 Award-winning, best-selling author, Lynette Eason writes for Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense line and for Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Her books have hit the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won numerous awards such as the prestigious Carol Award, the Selah, the Daphne, the IRCC award and more. Lynette is married, has two children, and lives in Greenville, SC. 
(Taken from Amazon.com)