My review: Undetected

 

 

Undetected is Dee Henderson's newest book (anyone else love the cover?)!  This is a wonderful story about love, trust, and God.  The cool part?  Gina (the heroine) is a fellow chocoholic!  :)

 

Description:

When asked what he does for a living . . .

Commander Mark Bishop is deliberately low-key: "I'm in the Navy." But commanding the ballistic missile submarine USS Nevada, keeping her crew trained and alert during ninety-day submerged patrols, and being prepared to launch weapons on valid presidential orders, carries a burden of command like few other jobs in the military. Mark Bishop is a man who accepts that responsibility, and handles it well. And at a time when tensions are escalating around the Pacific Rim, the Navy is glad to have him.

Mark wants someone to come home to after sea patrols. The woman he has in mind is young, with a lovely smile, and very smart. She's a civilian, yet she understands the U.S. Navy culture. And he has a strong sense that life with her would never be boring. But she may be too deep in her work to see the potential in a relationship with him.
Gina Gray would love to be married. She has always envisioned her life that way. A breakup she didn't see coming, though, has her focusing all her attention on what she does best--ocean science research. She's on the cusp of a major breakthrough, and she needs Mark Bishop's perspective and help. Because what she told the Navy she's figured out is only the beginning. If she's right, submarine warfare is about to enter a new and dangerous chapter.

About the author:
Dee Henderson is the author of numerous novels, including Unspoken, Jennifer: An O'Malley Love Story, Full Disclosure, and the acclaimed O'Malley series.  Her books have won or been nominated for several prestigious industry awards, such as the RITA Award, the Christy Award, and the ECPA Gold Medallion.  Visit her at www.deehenderson.com.
(Author info copied from book.  Description copied from Amazon and cover photo found on www.deepershopping.com) 

My review:
Another great book from Dee Henderson!    4 stars  
I’m a huge fan of Ms. Henderson’s, so I always have high expectations for her books. I’m happy to say that this one was great! Undetected comes after Full Disclosure and Unspoken, though it isn’t necessary to read the other 2 first. Each of them is stand-alone. There are little tie-ins that help readers understand some of the briefly reoccurring characters, but there isn’t a major storyline or plot that would make reading them in order a requirement.
This book starts out a little slow, the first 4 or 5 chapters contain a lot of technical details that made it a little difficult to get in to. I struggled a bit, wading through all of those, but it was definitely worth the effort! I became so engrossed when I did get interested that I spent one whole day doing almost nothing but reading. Also, the details become very useful later on, helping the reader understand at least the basics of what Gina is doing with her research. I really enjoyed Gina Grey. She is so “normal,” though she doesn’t see herself that way. She is a very real character - struggling with things that will resonate with readers and endear her to them. She is a genius, but fights her gift sometimes, because of the long-term ramifications. I appreciated her desire to only create things that would please God. For the most part, she just wants to be “normal,” so she doesn’t have to deal with the strain her inventions place on her and the possibility of their misuse. One of my favorite quotes (and trust me, I have many) is this, “’Think of normal as being what God intends for your life,’ Mark said. ‘Un-normal is everything that’s something other than His plans for you.’” - Mark Bishop, page 127 (excerpt used with permission from the publisher).
Mark Bishop is so sigh worthy. He is the kind of guy most women dream about marrying. He is kind, caring, strong - the prefect match for Gina. It’s not often that I envy a character in a book, but I was really jealous of Gina! Mark wasn’t perfect and got on my nerves a couple times, but I still adored him! I loved how sweet he was with her. Loving her, but trying not to push too hard. Willing to give her space and understanding things about her that most people didn’t get.
The dialogue was interesting. We get to see the story from both Gina and Mark’s point of view, which was fun. I liked knowing what they were thinking. It kept me guessing, trying to figure out what might happen next, based on what was going through each of their minds.
The romance was slow moving and as much as I hate to use this word again, “sweet.” Mark is a bit older than Gina and put a lot of thought into the possibility of a relationship. While I love traditional “chic-lit” with protagonists that just leap into relationships, I really enjoyed the thought and consideration that Ms. Henderson showed through these characters. Dating and contemplating marriage aren’t things to be taken lightly and she illustrated that belief quite well. Before I make this book sound super boring, it isn’t. Yes, it is serious at times, but it is also funny and the kind of book where you just smile and sigh when you read the final page.
Another thing I really appreciated was the descriptions. They were wonderful! Even someone who knows as little about submarines as I do, was able to keep up and have an idea about what was happening. Dee really brought each setting to life and made it seem as though I was actually there!
My favorite part of all of Dee’s books is always the faith aspect. She says such profound and yet somehow simple things through each of her books and this one is no exception. While she doesn’t chose a particular subject to focus on, every topic she wove into the characters’ conversations was gracefully handled. They talk about prayer, trusting God, knowing His will, and several other subjects. If the characters are struggling with something, it isn’t glossed over, but thought, and sometimes talked, out. She doesn’t leave loose ends that make you feel as though you missed something important.
Unfortunately, I do have a couple nitpicking things I need to address in order to explain the 4 star rating. The first is that for probably at least the first 9 or 10 chapters every time Mark or Gina was introduced, whether it was the beginning of their point of view, or they had just entered the scene, we’re told their full name again. It was as though we were just meeting them, even though they were definitely present in the story before then. I found that rather annoying and was very happy when it ended. Also, about three-quarters of the way through the book it seemed as though Ms. Henderson ran out of arguments for Mark to make, so he just kept repeating himself for about 4 pages. These are just a couple annoying little things that are keeping me from giving this book the 5 stars I desire to.
Dee Henderson is a stellar storyteller, who always has unique characters and somehow manages to bring them to life in a way that makes them seem real. I always finish her books feeling as though I’m saying good-bye to old friends.

I highly recommend this book!

I received a complementary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishing for my honest review, which I have given. I was not require to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.


Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read my review!  Hope you enjoyed it!  I love comments, so feel free to say, "Hi!" and let me know you were here!  :)

Before you go, if you would like more details about the book, or are maybe interested in buying Undetected, here are a few links to help expedite that.

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Undetected-Dee-Henderson/dp/0764212435/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1400514967&sr=1-1
Christian Book:
http://www.christianbook.com/undetected-dee-henderson/9780764212437/pd/212437?product_redirect=1&Ntt=212437&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

Barnes & Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/undetected-dee-henderson/1117107098?ean=9780764212437


Thanks again!