Someone is determined to finish a murdered hit man’s final assignment.Her father’s gone. Her diner’s closing. Her car’s in the lake. Cat McPherson has nothing left to lose. Except her life. And a madman’s bent on taking that away.Her former boyfriend, Ray Alexander, returns as a hero from his foreign mission, bringing back souvenirs in the form of death threats. When several attempts are made on … When several attempts are made on Cat’s life, she must find a way to trust Ray, the man who broke her heart.
Keeping Cat safe from a fallen cartel leader might prove impossible for Ray, but after seeing his mission destroyed and several godly people killed, he knows better than to ignore the man’s threats. Cat’s resistance to his protection and the stirring of his long-denied feelings for her complicate his intentions, placing them both in a fight for their lives.
How can a small-town girl survive when ultimate power wants her dead?
more
What I think you should know:
Counter Point a Christian Romantic Suspense, it is the first in the Heath’s Point series by Marji Laine. Cat McPherson has lived a quiet life working at her father’s diner and helping serve the homeless. Ray Alexander left Cat behind without a word to become a missionary years, when he suddenly reappears in her life he brings with him a danger greater than she has ever known.
What you might want to know:
This book contains violence, while it fits in the story, parts of it can be very intense.
What I thought about this book:
This is the first book I have read from Laine, but it will not be the last, she captured my attention on the first pages and kept me hanging on until the last. Cat was such a complicated character, not all of her choices and actions made logical sense, and for me that added to the story. When someone has lost their family, their livelihood and find their own life is in danger if the character did everything right it would not feel realistic. Ray was a harder character to love, I felt Cat’s pain that he left her behind, that didn’t even give her a chance, then when he came home he held back from her. He did redeem himself, but it took time. I loved this book and I cannot wait to see who the next book in the series features.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own.
This story shows a lot of love and compassion for our fellow man, but there is also evil lurking, determined to take it all away.
Talk about wolves in sheep’s clothing, well this story sure has one, but you will be guessing right to the end whom the culprit is.
There are a lot of people hurt here physically, and you will wonder who will survive until the end, even when you think it is over, watch out!
I loved how obstacles happened, and then the Lord provides, and wow! How he provided!
A little bit of romance and trusting here, but a lot of family love, and friends that are like family!
I received this book through Celebrate Lit. and was not required to give a positive review.
I enjoyed this story which was suspenseful, faith filled and had good characters. Ray was someone I liked instantly because he had a heart for God and followed his calling. The missionary work he did was remarkable and he touched many lives.The author does a good job of laying the groundwork for the intrigue in the book, but for me two other topics were more defining for me. Missionary work is hard, dangerous and rewarding. The author shows how much someone can impact lives by doing missionary work. I don’t want to forget to mention Cat and her missionary work. She runs her father’s diner but also gives food out to the homeless in the area. It is something that she has a big heart for.
At the end of each chapter the author provides a scripture. I loved reading them and how they impacted the story with encouragement. It was nice to see characters praying and never giving up. Another very important part of the book was a character that was struggling with their faith. I thought the author did a good job of letting several characters minister to this person without being pushy. It was a nice addition to the story and I liked following the character to see if they would give their life to God.
The intrigue in the book is good but I did figure out who the bad guy was halfway through the story. The author didn’t quite hit the mark in masking who the person was and needed to work on not letting the person be so obvious. The book has lots of twists and there is a lot of violence in the book. Maybe the author can tone that down in the next book. Overall a good story that is rich in faith, keeps readers on their toes with the twists and a great message about trusting God and listening to His calling on your life.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
My Thoughts on Counter Point:
This was such a fun book! I loved reading it and it was definitely a fast read. It didn’t take me long to get from start to finish and I have to say I figured out who the bad dude was pretty early on. I didn’t realize all of his badness but I knew he was bad! How’s that for leading you and making you want to give it a read?
Cat is such a strong independent woman and her ex-love Ray is back in town. How should she respond? Well, she doesn’t get the time to respond on her own because now her life is in danger just because he loves her. Yeah, loves, not past tense here.
Ray got in the way of some bad men when he was on missions. He didn’t use his real name so he had hoped no one would know where he was from. That was his mistake of course because he did keep a photo in his wallet. A photo which disappeared from his wallet and now has his love in danger. They’re going to kill her to get back at him.
Such a great read that everyone is going to enjoy. It’s fast-paced and action-packed. You’re going to feel for Ray and Cat and also just want to smack around a few people.
Don’t read this one in the dark on a stormy night if you’re prone to scare easily. Leave those lights on! But do read it! And enjoy. I’m now off to binge on some of her other books because I loved this one.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Marji Laine is a new author for me and I am happy to say that I enjoyed her latest novel Counter Point. The story of a foreign missionary who had a role in breaking up a drug cartel and the girl he left behind in the U.S., this book was both action-packed and filled with important life lessons about how God sees his children.
The tale is filled with multiple twists and turns and when I thought I had it all figured out, up jumped another surprise. I found the characters interesting but would have liked them to have a bit more depth. Cat was somewhat naive and took way too many chances, especially considering the multiple attempts on her life. That girl could also hold a grudge that wouldn’t quit. Ray was more mature but he had his own hangups as well as typical male behavior and lack of communication skills when it came to the woman he loved. As can be predicted, all the problems end up resolved with a probable happy-ever-after in store – but Cat and Ray had to jump quite a few dangerous hurdles to get to that point.
I particularly liked the idea of the Sunset Suppers that Cat provided to the homeless of her town and the relationships that were formed as a result. Numerous conversations about their faith and more than one escape from certain death kept the story focused on the Lord. It was gratifying to watch both Cat and Ray grow in their faith and for Cat to understand that she was already serving in the ministry God had for her.
Counter Point is a book worth reading and I do recommend it.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by Celebrate Lit. A favorable review was not required. All views expressed are my own.
Christian suspense is a genre I gravitate toward as someone who has always enjoyed mysteries. Trying to find a clean thriller or mystery in secular fiction is often like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially among those published within the last few decades. Reading Christian books instead (hopefully!) removes the profanity and vulgarity while still conveying the darkness of this world and, most importantly, shining the light of Christ and the joy of salvation. Rarely do I pass up an opportunity to review a book from this category, and most of the ones I’ve read have lived up to my expectations, so I was eager to read this first book in the Heath’s Point Suspense series.
Marji Laine’s “Counter Point” contains interesting elements that make this story in some ways different from others I have read. I try to stay away from plotlines about drug cartels because they don’t appeal to me personally, although I understand that they are an important topic to consider and approach from a Christian viewpoint. Something that really stood out to me about this book is the missionary aspect. Although it is not difficult to consider the dangers that the missionaries themselves may face, I had not really considered that their families and loved ones back home might also be endangered. As in this narrative, sometimes missionaries break up cartels or otherwise threaten the livelihood of corrupt authority figures. Prior to reading “Counter Point”, I did not realize that the risks might extend beyond the missionary station itself.
Each chapter opens with a Scripture verse epigraph, which keeps the focus on God through trials, loss, and frightening situations. That in itself is a lesson worthy of recognizing. Multiple times throughout the narrative, the Lord’s divine intervention becomes evident, drawing awareness to how often He intercedes for us through “coincidences” and in ways we don’t even realize. One issue I did have with the novel, however, was the characters. I did not feel much of a connection with any of them and found them incongruous and somewhat stereotypical. They do not seem to have much depth or dimension and more or less follow foreseeable paths. The interactions between Cat and Ray seem to go in circles, with Cat being too puerile for her age. Cat’s late father’s will does not make sense with what we are told of his nature. Nevertheless, the characters do have redeeming qualities and do lead others to Jesus. I love the ministry of sunset dinners, feeding the homeless suppers and letting them know they are seen, and how Laine makes it clear that this can be missionary work as well. You don’t necessarily have to travel to be one of Jesus’ disciples; He can and will use you no matter what your circumstances!
I received a complimentary copy of this book through CelebrateLit and was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.
..I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. Psalm 37:25 NIV
What an incredible story! The author drew me in and never let go – I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, trying to figure out who really was trying to kill Cat.Ray was a missionary his ‘mission’ did not seem to be what we were told. Cat was not a missionary…or was she?
I must admit there were times I had to remind myself that this is a book and the main characters are not usually killed off, but I certainly began to wonder if I could be wrong. The danger was very real, and the hate for all that is good was almost tangible! Would evil triumph?
I received a copy of this ebook through Write Integrity Press and CelebrateLit. The 5 star rating, impressions and comments were in no way solicited.
Marji Laine can tell a story. She takes you from the jungles and into small-town America where danger has followed. A great story of the things we lose and how precious when we find something–or someone–to take its place.