Plain Refuge

Plain Refuge is a fast-paced, riveting suspense story! I absolutely loved it.
“Sophie shook her head. This was stuff right out of a bad soap opera. Her uncle was really a crime boss of some kind, the man he ordered to kill them was an undercover cop, and there was a mole somewhere. Unbelievable. Any minute now she’d wake up from this nightmare.” Would she? Read to find out!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Sophie Larson’s and Aiden Forster’s romance as they are running from her crazy uncle, Phillip Larson, who is into illegal weapons dealings. Sophie’s younger sister Celine, who is deaf, is on the run with them. They end up in Amish Country while on the run. This book is very edge of your seat, hold on to your hat, but don’t take my word for it. Find out for yourself when you read it.

Terrific book with intense suspense, nonstop action, and a sweet romance. The story started with a bang and kept the intensity throughout. Aiden is an undercover cop working on getting enough evidence against the man responsible for the death of his partner. He is very close and is ready to be done with it. As he arrives for a meeting with his boss, he sees Philip’s niece, Sophie, arrive unexpectedly.

Sophie is early for a meeting with her uncle. He doesn’t like changes to his schedule, but she just needs to drop off some papers. Rather than sit around for half an hour, she goes on into the house. She is horrified when she hears her uncle making a weapons deal, and threatening to kill a man. She is discovered before she can make her escape, and one of her uncle’s men is told to “take care of her.” I could feel Sophie’s fear as Aiden forced her back to her car at gunpoint and made her drive. She is terrified that she and her younger sister, Celine, are about to be killed in cold blood. Aiden’s frustration was also evident. He was sure he’d blown his cover, but there was no way he could allow the women to die.

The suspense kept me hooked from beginning to end. Sophie is hopeful when she realizes that Aiden is one of the good guys, but her relief is short-lived. Her uncle’s men are hot on their trail, and it seems that no matter what they do, they can’t escape for long. Even asking for help from Aiden’s ex-Amish friend, Levi, doesn’t keep them safe for long. It quickly becomes apparent that there is a leak somewhere in the police department, making it difficult for Aiden to know who he can trust. When Aiden is arrested, accused of murder and kidnapping, Sophie and Celine are left unprotected. Aiden’s release was one of the lighter moments (gotta love his chief!), but Sophie and Celine are in grave danger. I was on the edge of my seat as Aiden raced to reach them in time. I loved the final confrontation. Sophie kept a clear head and was able to help with her rescue, while Aiden had to bury his emotions to do what had to be done.

I loved the development of the relationship between Sophie and Aiden. Neither was looking for romance. Sophie is still reeling from the deaths of her parents and brother while stepping up to take care of her sister. She feels guilty about putting her career before family and is determined to change her ways. This includes putting Celine first. But Aiden’s protectiveness and kindness toward her sister soon break down her walls. Meanwhile, Aiden is blessed? cursed? with an overabundance of protectiveness. When something happens to someone on his watch, he takes it personally. When Sophie meets him, Aiden already feels guilty over not protecting his sister (he was a kid!) or saving his partner. He is determined that nothing will happen to Sophie and Celine. However, he also resists his growing feelings for Sophie, claiming that he isn’t good for her. I ached for Sophie, who loved him but couldn’t get through to him. Though eventually, something she said did make an impact. I loved the scene with his sister, and the shove she gave him. His big scene with Sophie was terrific. The epilogue was great.

There is a religious component of the book, being a part of the Love Inspired line. What I liked most is that faith was simply an essential part of the characters’ lives, not something that the reader needed to be beaten over the head with. Aiden has no problem calling on God for help or guidance. That faith is part of what keeps him from succumbing to the darkness of his secret life. Sophie was at the other end. She lost her faith for a while, especially with the loss of most of her family. But being around Aiden, and the Amish folks who aided them, helped her find her way back.

There wasn’t as much Amish involvement in this book as some of the earlier books, but that which was there was good. I especially liked Levi, Aiden’s ex-Amish friend. It is unusual to find someone Amish-raised who has served in the military. I loved his willingness to help and how he was all-in. I worried about him during the river scene and its aftereffects. There was a satisfying twist involving him at the end, and I would love to see more about him.

My favorite of all the secondary characters was Celine. Despite her deafness, she is very much an average twelve-year-old. She’s glued to her phone, has her rebellious moments, doesn’t like change, and is good at pushing Sophie’s buttons. But she also holds it together under extremely trying circumstances. I loved her part in the epilogue and seeing her getting back to a normal life.

Plain Refuge was another solid Love Inspired Suspense novel from one of my favorite LIS authors, Dana Lynn. I really liked Sophie, Celine was a sweet character, and Aiden was quite the hero. All strong, and brave and protecting Sophie and her sister. The story had lots of page turning moments and I pretty much devoured it in one day. It is a quick and easy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Can’t wait for Dana’s next story!!

I received this book from the author and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

I am new to Dana R. Lynn, and the Amish Country Justice series, but I must say I am very impressed! From the beginning you are gripped with a sense of foreboding. Aiden Forster is a cop deep undercover, and dealing with a very threatening and powerful man, Phillip Larson. Sophie and Celine Larson, Phillip’s nieces, have no idea just how forceful and evil their uncle is, until they end up at the wrong place at the wrong time. This encounter, in the first chapter mind you, leads Aiden, Sophie, and Celine on a chase that none of them saw coming, and made for a compelling read.

I love a good, clean suspense and Plain Refuge delivers. There are moments where you know exactly what’s going to happen, and then other moments where there are twists that you don’t see coming. There are times where the fear the characters feel grip you, and you are fervently swiping the pages to see what happens next.

I enjoyed the suspense, but what I loved even more than that was the friendships woven into the story. This added a whole other layer of heart to this tale that is really beautiful, and was the most cherishing part of the book, in my opinion.

The characters are wonderful, the setting vivid, and the suspense unrelenting. I caught myself several times saying to myself, “Good gosh! They can’t catch a break!” but the ending was pleasing, and I was left smiling and satisfied. It’s a quick read, due to the suspense, and one that I highly recommend.

*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author and/or publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.

An Amish fiction book is what I was expecting when I picked up Plain Refuge. Not a book where the Amish make a small appearance but aren’t the pivotal characters. This book was amazing though so I soon forgot that I was disappointed that the Amish weren’t front and center.

Aiden is amazing as an undercover cop. But is he really undercover or does he just think he is? When he realizes that someone from his office is feeding information directly to the enemy he’s not sure who to trust but he has to protect Sophie and her deaf sister even if that means his life.

Who would have thought he’d be protecting them from their uncle who wants to kill them for what they know?

Can Aiden really keep them safe? When they are rafting rapid and his friend (who is ex-Amish by the way) get shot he’s not sure what to do. But then again he’s not even totally sure of himself thanks to hitting his head on a rock. Add to that that the media has him as a kidnapper and things are getting complicated.

I loved it! It read super fast and kept you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend you give it a read too!

The image of Sophie and her sister in their Amish bonnets is definitely a fun one with their red hair and features. I would have loved to see that a bit more vividly on the cover. The cover really does a good job of the foreboding but not quite on the hair color as it’s a major trademark feature.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from JustRead Publicity Tours. 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.

I liked the characters in this book from the very beginning, and I got interested in the story because of them. The author did a great job in describing the action and I felt like I was “on the run” with Sophie, Celine, and Aiden. The added difficulty of Celine between a preteen who is almost deaf added an extra layer of tension to the story.

I also liked how the Amish community was willing to help even when they didn’t know these three personally. The danger for all involved in their rescue kept intensifying with every page. There’s a twist at the end that although I thought I knew it was coming, it still had an element of surprise.

I haven’t read every book in this series, but I have enjoyed the ones I’ve read. This book is easy to enjoy on its own.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This is my first book from Dana Lynn and I truly enjoyed it!
It is very fast paced, intense, lots of action, persecution, death danger and a sweet romance in the midst of being on the run!
Aiden Forster is an undecover cop going by the name Adam, who is close to finally getting enough evidence to get Phllip Larson, a very dangerous man, dealing with weapon trafficking and many murders on his account, behind bars. Just when Phillip calls him to do a nasty job, he arrives at his house only to discover that Larson’s nieces are arriving too. A bit too late to warn her, Sophie Larson has entered her uncle’s home and has involuntarily heard of his illegal deals with another man. Adam (Aiden) offers Phillip to “take care”of them, which means killing them, and Sophie’s uncle accepts. So Aiden gets into Sophie’s car, where her deaf sister Celine is, and runs away with them, trying to seek refuge from her uncle. Sophie is terrified, until Aiden blows his undercover and explains who he is. Sophie has one thing in mind, protect her sister, and make up to her after neglecting her when she was so focused on her career, just before her parents and brother died in a terrible accident. Now they are running for their lives, but from their own uncle, her father’s brother! But Aiden vows to keep them safe, and Sophie and her sister begin to believe in him as he proves himself trustworthy.
This is a book of constant action that I couldn’t put down. There’s not a second to breathe as their enemy and his pursuer are always a few steps behind. They ask help from Aiden’s Amish friend, who’s estranged from his Amish community, but helps them get to an Amish county in order to hide from their killers. The suspense is truly intense, this book was a page Turner! And the characters were deep, loveable and relatable. I found myself inspired in their actions. Sophie wanting to do what’s best for her sister, protecting her at all costs. And Aiden, a true hero intent on saving this endearing girls from their evil uncle. So much intensity and staying together will bring out attraction, that as the danger deepens, slowly becomes so much more. But Aiden has his own demons, and he could never be husband material, less with his profession that has his life constantly on the edge. Or does he deserve a chance at his own happiness? Will Sophie convince him to risk his heart and will she risk getting hurt too?
I definitely recommend this book. Other than page turner, and emotionally intense, it has beautiful insights about faith in God, trust in Him, forgiveness and redemption, which I loved.

This is an easy book to read and you won’t want to put it down before you are finished. There are many twists and turns. I really loved Aiden, Sophie and all the other people who help them. They each learn to remember what it means to be with family again. I always love the bits that we learn about the Amish in these stories. This has good romance and great suspense. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This story takes place in Amish Country but it is full of suspense and only some of the characters are Amish. So get ready for high speed chases, being shot at and being falsely accused. Our main characters Aiden, an undercover police officer and Sophie and her sister Celine are on the run from a ruthless criminal and they don’t know who to trust. A building romance between Aiden and Sophie and a climactic ending will keep you on the edge of your seat. I received a complimentary copy and I am voluntarily reviewing