Don't Give Up on Me
Jodi Artzberger
4/5 Stars
First of all, let me start off by saying how powerful a good cover can be in impacting my decision to read a book. The cute forehead kiss, the soft sunlight lighting the couple from behind, the pretty font of the book title, and the fact that said it was an "Otter Bay" novel. A place named Otter Bay just screams super cute small town to me and I was in. Normally I don't read something described as "romantic suspense" but this cover seriously roped me in to where I had to try it. And I will say I was not disappointed.
Right at the start of the book, Amanda faces her first life threatening situation. Late at her office one night she is attacked and left unconscious. One of the responding officers to the scene is Ryker, a man she had had quite a serious relationship with, but he left her heartbroken and hadn't tried communicating with her after leaving town. Now he's back and she doesn't want anything to do with him. But her life is still in danger, he's in charge of the investigation, and she's essentially forced to see him all the time. This book definitely has a strong message of forgiveness and change made possible by a relationship with God. The cover does say it's a Christian romantic suspense so this shouldn't come as a surprise to any reader.
There were several times I found myself internally shouting, "Oh come on Amanda! How naïve can you be?! How many near death experiences do you think the average person has?" There were definitely times of suspense but in a way that kept me reading without feeling like it was too much. Usually if there's so much drama and suspense, I give up because it's just too much for me. This felt like a good balance. I did see one of the twists coming but not in a way that was so obvious that it took away from the overall enjoyment of the book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and I'm leaving an honest and voluntary review.