My Review: Always Watching, plus Giveaway!

"You have to work at it. You have to know God on a very intimate level in order to have the kind of faith that will withstand the storms life throws at you.  It's a good thing that we only have to have the amount of a mustard seed.  Sometimes that's about all I can find."  - Bruce Savage 
(I love this quote!)

Description:
The bodyguards of Elite Guardians Agency have more than just skill and prowess in common--they're also all women. When it becomes clear that popular psychiatrist and radio personality Wade Savage has a stalker, his father secretly hires Elite Guardians in order to protect his son.

But when Wade's bodyguard is attacked and nearly killed, agency owner Olivia Edwards must step in and fill the gap. Olivia's skills are about to be tested to the limit as Wade's stalker moves from leaving innocent gifts at his door to threatening those closest to him. Olivia has the feeling that she's next on the list. And to complicate things even further, she realizes that her heart may be in as much danger as her client.



About the Author:
Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice, the Deadly Reunions, and the Hidden Identity series. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. She lives in South Carolina. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com







 My Review: 4.5 stars
I actually read this book around a month ago, and I still have almost no idea what to say in this review. I keep thinking over it, remembering the story, all of the twists and turns, the characters, the mystery, and I just don’t know where to start . . . . I was captivated from the very first pages and just had to find out “whodunnit.” Lynette definitely kept me on my toes with this one. I kept pausing to reconsider and rearrange my list of suspects and I was so close to being right! I had my suspicions, but hadn’t settled on motive, yet. I loved being kept on the edge of my seat and the continuous guessing (I don’t like knowing the answer from page one).

As always, Lynette did an excellent job with the details and descriptions throughout the story. I enjoyed the extra details provided about the police work and investigation, as well as getting a glimpse into the life of a bodyguard. Though this is actually where my only negative comment lies, regarding this book. I found myself actually wanting more details about the characters’ surroundings. I often felt disconnected from the setting, which made getting thoroughly lost in the story a bit of a challenge. It was definitely worth pushing past that pet peeve, though!

Olivia and Wade were both interesting characters and I enjoyed getting to know them, as well as everyone else in this new cast of characters. Olivia heads up the Elite Bodyguards and we often see her in a leadership role. I love the strong heroines Lynette so often has starring in her novels. Though she does rely on others for assistance and doesn’t take chances, no one would mistake her for being weak willed. Having a lady in the protective role was definitely a unique twist on the story as well. I so often see the man as the protector in the novels I read, that it was a nice change to see the lady taking the lead. That being said, I did definitely appreciate that Wade never came across as weak, or less than because he needed help. He is actually just as much of a protector as Olivia, just without the gun.

I also enjoyed meeting the other ladies of the Elite Bodyguards team and getting to know them just a bit. I did get the names mixed up a couple times, so I’m hopeful that I’ll have them straightened out by the time I’m into the next book. I’m also really hoping that this will be a 4 book series, so that each of the ladies can have her own book and I can get to know them all much better and following their stories. I’m curious to find out who’s book is next. I’ve often found that the romantic relationships in Lynette’s books are played down a bit, which always makes complete sense. Who has time for romantic dinners when they’re running for their lives? This remains true in this story, something I continually appreciate. Though there is a bit of romance, it definitely isn’t in the forefront, and therefore, isn’t unrealistic. I also liked how she chose to end the book, with hope for the future, and a moment to laugh.

I very much enjoyed the spiritual side of the story and found several lines of wisdom between the covers of this book. Olivia is “on the outs” with God and avoids anything to do with Him. She doesn’t disbelieve, but she doesn’t want a God that allows so many horrible things to happen. I’ve found this to be a subject that I’ve struggled with, as well, and I really appreciated how Lynette handled it. She didn’t offer platitudes or easy answers, but rather gave me things to think about long after I’d turned the last page.

Overall, I did truly enjoy this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories of suspense and intrigue!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you took the time to read my review, thank you so much!  If you're here for the giveaway, then keep reading - details are as follows:

I managed to end up with two copies of this book, so I thought I'd share one with someone who stops by my blog this weekend!  To be entered you simply need to do 2 things for me:

1) Leave a comment telling me your favorite thing about spring (which I'm really looking forward to!), or if you're not particularly fond of spring, then tell me about your favorite season.
2) Leave your email address in your comment, as email is how I'll contact the winner. 
Please note if you skip this one, I won't be able to include you in the drawing.

And that's it!  This giveaway will be open until midnight, Sunday February 28.  The winner will be chosen by Random.org and notified by email Monday.
Also, if you'd rather not wait on the giveaway, Always Watching is actually on sale in paper form for $8.50-something right now!  So, if you love paper books, this is actually a pretty great sale, especially considering that it's just released.  Links are below, if you're interested!  Thanks again for stopping by!  Have a delightful day!

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Christian Book