Revell Review- Standoff by Patricia Bradley

Happy Memorial Day friends! I am grateful for the time spent with family this weekend, but even more thankful for those that have sacrificed so much for us all to have the freedoms that we enjoy today. It is so easy to get lost in our own lives that we forget the cost it took to get here. We are so blessed!



*Summary*

The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It's the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for Luke Fereday, it's also perfect for moving drugs.

Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers. John's daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father's murder but soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her.

Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who's going to keep him safe when he realizes he's falling – hard – for the daughter of the man he failed to save?

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                          *My Thoughts*

A page turning, crazy ride from beginning to end, Standoff has got Patrica Bradley's new series off to a good start.

Few people can pull off using this many characters in one story, but it never felt overwhelming or confusing to me. Both the main characters as well as the supporting characters were well developed and made me feel connected to the story. I especially loved Daisy and her relationship with her grandson, Luke. 

Luke and Brooke's relationship was sweet, though their immediate connection did feel a bit rushed at first...that tends to happen whenever there is a history between characters though, so I didn't mind as the story unfolded.

I did feel as though Brooke could have been more upset about her dad's death...and the timeline was fast. It might be that I am connecting my own relationship as a sort of "daddy's girl" with Brooke and her father, but I definitely feel like I would be more distraught if my dad was shot and killed. Especially when witnessing the crime scene. Patricia did inflict a bit more emotion to that end towards the conclusion of the story and it felt a bit more real to me, but it still stuck out. I think the author was trying to establish Brooke's personality as a tough, straightforward, "get it done" future law enforcement agent, but it just came across as a bit insensitive to me.

I loved the storyline! I really didn't have a clue who might be the culprit in the end and I was guessing throughout the story who might be the "evil point of view". She had a way of leading you to believe one thing or see one person's side of something only to lead you in a complete other direction. On the flip side, I normally am not a suspense person because it can make me just too high strung. I loved that this was suspenseful and kept me invested in the story without inserting too much of a fear factor.

The end scene had me sucked in and then I felt like it ended abruptly...I actually thought I was missing pages. I was just hoping for a bit more I guess, which is a good thing! I will be reading book 2, if only to see if we get more of Brook and Luke. That and the fact that the unique park rangers angle of the series is just so intriguing...I'm looking forward to Emily's story!

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    *My Rating*

  I give Standoff by Patricia Bradley...

                                       



                             4 stars! 
            

*I received this book free of charge from the author.


Happy Reading,

Nicki