AUTHOR: Hallee Bridgeman
DATE: 2022
PUBLISHER: Revell
STARS: *****
From the back cover:
When she was just five years old, Melissa Braxton watched her father take her mother's life. Separated from her sister, Lola, at that time, Melissa grew up with a strong desire to help those stuck in abusive relationships. It's why she became a family therapist and opened a domestic abuse shelter.
After losing a leg to a gunshot wound in the line of duty, Phil Osbourne has felt like a man without a purpose--until he hears Melissa's story and decides to use his Special Forces contacts to track down her missing sister. He knows what he discovers will break Melissa's heart. What he doesn't realize is that helping the women reunite will bring the cartel down on them like the Category 5 hurricane striking Miami.
Bruised yet not quite broken, Melissa and Phil battle the storm and the cartel, calling on strength they didn't know they had to escape death, save the innocent, and--just maybe--find healing in each other's arms.
My review:
If you enjoy high tension and a heart-grabbing storyline, you’ll love Honor’s Refuge. When offered this book by the publisher, I wondered if the Columbian cartel angle would be too tense, and I did have to walk away several times. But the story called me back each time.
Melissa’s tragic background compelled her to help others in abusive situations, and her shelter is fulfilling her dreams. Most of them, anyway. Her younger sister disappeared that horrible night, and Melissa longs to find her.
In spite of Phil’s assumption of uselessness, he wants to find Melissa’s sister, with the help of his military buddies. The battles he must fight, internal and external, are some of the most powerful I have read.
I received this book from the publisher and award it five stars for realism, romance and heart-pounding action.