Code of Valor

I loved it! Brady's story is nonstop from the moment he pulls Emily out of a lake and foils a murder attempt on her. Murder stays in hot pursuit of her through the entire book, with Emily enjoying one close call after another. Brady, determined to keep her alive, gets the help of his family in investigating who's possibly involved in trying to kill her and in her best friend's disappearance.

The book kept me flipping pages and eagerly trying to guess who all was involved in getting rid of Emily and her friend. There are so many suspects that it's definitely a challenge to guess correctly!

I loved how Emily wasn't a perfect Barbie of a character; she has to fight to keep fit and she's chunkier than she wants to be, and she has a real faith and turns to God when she's in trouble. She does have a rocky past, and while the past isn't portrayed graphically, it definitely plays into the person she is now. This part of the story was well done and felt believable.

I did hope we would have gotten a few more glimpses of Brady's past, but it seems we just have to rely on the earlier books for a few glimpses of that. The time frame of the novel was simply too short and too focused on Emily's peril to have allowed for much delving into his past or his relationship with Elaine, who was barely mentioned in the beginning and who never appeared in the story at all.

Thanks to the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.