When virus-infected pirates hijack a humanitarian medical ship from an African port, they trigger the threat of a global pandemic.
How do you keep hope alive in a sea of darkness?
An African fisherman.
Foreign exploitation of Africa’s natural resources has destroyed the fishing business of Dabir Omar. Hijacking oil tankers brings cash to his family in their remote village, but it doesn’t buy … family in their remote village, but it doesn’t buy the medical care needed to stop the deadly sickness attacking his people. When Dabir’s son becomes ill, the desperate pirate sets sail for the Liberty, an international humanitarian medical ship ported on the coast.
An American surgeon.
Against his better judgment, Dr. Josiah Allen agrees to work a two-week surgical stint on the Liberty, moored in Douala, Cameroon. Shortly after he arrives with his precocious six-year-old daughter, Josiah is sent ashore to investigate a mysterious illness at the ship’s post-op clinic. While he’s gone, Ebola-infected pirates hijack the medical ship where Josiah left his daughter.
The woman compelled to save them all.
When pirate negotiations fail, Mackenzie Scott’s privately-owned extraction unit comes in for the rescue. But when the medical ship where Mac had taken a wounded comrade is hijacked by pirates, the former military pararescue jumper becomes the pirate’s key hostage.
Both fathers go to war to save their children. If Mac can’t convince them to work together, the winner of this conflict will be a deadly virus intent on destroying the world.
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Once again, Lisa Harris and Lynne Gentry have delivered a must-read book. It’s full of suspense, drama, breathtaking situations, dynamic characters, and a world-changing situation. You won’t want to miss this book that is almost prophetic.
Wow! Where do I even begin? This book was fantastic. One of the best books I’ve read this year. Compelling right from the start, my interest only continued to grow as the story progressed until it became nearly the only thing on my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about it even when I’d have to set it down for awhile to do other things. Hard to put down is an understatement.
The details were so vivid that I felt like I was right there in Africa with these realistic characters. I became so invested in their lives. There’s a lot of different characters and a lot different POVs, but I never got confused by who was who or anything. The introductions were done in a way that helped me keep everyone straight. Love when that happens.
Port of Origin was a timely, thought-provoking, scary, yet hopeful read. It was the first book I’ve read from either one of these authors and I’m kicking myself for that. I’m definitely gonna be checking out more from them. And I’m so glad this is part of a series. I’m ready for more!
PORT OF ORIGIN is a novel that grabs your attention from the first paragraph and will not let you go until the last word! The writers have each blended their parts of this novel together so smoothly that you never know it was co-authored. The subject matter of a global pandemic is timely. In this instance, the writers have chosen to take you to the source and allowed the readers to see how the pandemic grew. The characters are very relatable and believable. This is one book that will keep you thinking long after you’ve read the last page.
I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the author. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.
Read like a blockbuster movie! Wow, I was hooked from the beginning and caught up in both the hero and heroine’s story. Josiah and MacKenzie are well-developed and rich in both feeling and motivation. The scenes were vivid and the action was fast-paced. What I really loved was how they made one of the bad guys a compelling character in his own right. Seriously, talk about tugging on heart-strings! This was a page-turner until the end and won’t disappoint.
I was provided an early copy of this book with no expectation of a favorable review. Thoughts are my own and are my honest opinion.
Wow – what a ride! This book had all the feels and from the get-go offers up a gut punch as you see the hero’s traumatic past. From there, it keeps on kicking with intense action and anticipation. This book takes place primarily in Africa, where a US medical ship is docked to help 3rd world people dying from treat-able conditions. When virus-stricken pirates board and take the hospital ship’s passengers as hostages, a pandemic breaks out, spreading world-wide. Reading this in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic was a bit disconcerting and amped my anxiety a bit. I did have to take regular breathers – but the book was so good, I couldn’t keep it down for long. I would say that if this pandemic has you anxious, it may be best to save this one for later, but still definitely you want to read at some point.
While this book is the second in the Agents of Mercy series, it’s definitely a stand-alone. Fans who have read “Ghost Heart” (the first in the series) will be glad to see what’s happened with the main characters from that book in a conversation between 2 of the characters at the end of this book. But those who don’t know the history won’t be lost. I will also note that there were a lot of characters introduced in the beginning, but it’s not at all overwhelming and it becomes clear in the early portion how they all come together. The cast of characters is diverse, but are relatable and likable – even the main “bad” guy. My favorite is 6 year old Emma, who immediately steals your heart. I loved how the characters grow and how the faith thread was woven in seamlessly as the ones who’d turned their backs on God learned that He had always been with them. The character interactions are good, the plot is steadily intense. I had no idea who was going to live and who was going to die, even though I figured the hero and heroine needed to make it. This one definitely had me on the edge of my seat!
This one had all of the great elements of a romantic suspense that is heavier on the suspense side (just the way I like it). I would strongly recommend to fans of Christian romantic suspense. For the current time, I would also recommend to anyone who thinks the current pandemic has pushed us too far, or even those intrigued by pandemic procedure. This was an enlightening look at the reasons for isolation during a pandemic and a good medical viewpoint. Even though the pandemic in this book is different than COVID-19, the responses to it were eerily similar.
Special thanks to the authors for an advance e-copy of this book. I was under no obligation to write a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.
“Pirates? Seriously? . . . And he’d been worried about exposing his daughter to typhoid.”
Dr. Josiah Allen travels to Central Africa with his six year old daughter in order to spend a couple of weeks assisting a medical team onboard the Liberty, a renowned medical ship docked off the port city of Doula, Cameroon. The incessant shroud of grief hanging over Josiah’s head following the loss of his wife was reaching the point of emotional debilitation, so his sister’s insistence that he and Emma join her in Africa seemed like a fine idea at the time. . . . . . . .
Mackenzie Scott is certain that extracting hostages off of an hijacked oil tanker is not going to be easy. Being the member of a highly specialized extraction squad carried an automatic degree of danger, but it was widely known that African militant groups were becoming increasingly hostile as they routinely watched their country’s natural resources being decimated by foreign industry while the indigenous people died from disease and starvation. What were the chances that a tragic injury would bring the gorgeous warrior in contact with a grieving plastic surgeon . . . . .
. . . . . .in the middle of a terrifying threat of pandemic . . . . . and two determined fathers who were waging a fierce battle to save the lives of their children. “Desperate people always complicated a mission, because they were willing to take risks that the average person would never take.”
“Sometimes bad things happen, but that doesn’t change who God is.”
What an excellent book, by two authors whose voices harmonized so perfectly that it was impossible to tell one from the other.
What an adrenaline rush! Just finished reading Port of Origin and my heart is still racing. This book is action-packed from beginning to end. I kept reading it thinking this would be the perfect story to turn into a movie. It’s like Outbreak and Captain Phillips combined into one.
After losing his wife, Dr. Josiah Allen decides to join his sister Rachel to help on a mercy ship off the coast of Africa. He sets out to volunteer for a few weeks and takes his daughter along. Through a series of events, he meets Mac, a security expert also on the ship. Although pirates are very active in the area, Dr. Allen is led to believe he and his daughter will be safe because all they have is medical supplies. Unfortunately, that does not end up being the case. One day while Dr. Allen is checking on patients in a local village, armed men take control of the ship and take everyone hostage including his daughter, sister, and Mac. A mysterious disease is infecting the local people including the wife and son of the armed man who sets this whole situation in motion. Meanwhile, a woman who had been working on the ship goes home to the states for the birth of her grandchild. Little does she know, she has already contracted the virus. Here starts a fast-paced set of events to figure out what is making people sick so they can stop the spread and also save their own lives from these dangerous men. It’s a race against time for Josiah and Mac to get to the bottom of what is really going on. So many stories in one. I can’t say too much more for fear of giving too much away.
I am afraid that with everything going on right now with the Covid-19 global pandemic, readers will see that this story is about stopping a deadly virus from spreading and they will skip it for now. Please don’t do that. You will miss out on a great read. Yes, there are some parallels to what we are living in right now, but also so much more to this story. This book is full of action, pirates, deadly viruses, corruption, greed, and just the right amount of romance. If you enjoy medical thrillers, this is the book for you!
This is the second in the series after Ghost Heart, but this can totally be read as a standalone.
I am so looking forward to the rest in the series!
Thank you to the authors for the privilege of reading and reviewing this book.
The Harris/Gentry writing team are great at crafting excellent mystery stories. I especially liked this story with pirates, a medical threat to the world, a woman bent on rescuing hostages & lots of other things that happen. This is a great series.
This novel, like Ghost Heart, will be with me for a long, long time. It had so many elements to it. I learned a little about medical hospital ships, international pirates, and trying to contain an extremely serious virus.
The characters were so real and different in many ways. After pirates take over a medical ship (the Liberty) a deadly virus begins to infect passengers and must be isolated. While reading I kept wanting to wash my hands or better yet take lots of hot showers.
A small village where the pirates are from is losing members of their community by large numbers. The source needs to be found and contained immediately. But that is easier said than done. Emotions are all over the place. Grief, greed, loss, violence, murder and yes, love are all found among the pages.
It was interesting to me to learn that these two authors had already written this novel before the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading like wildfire.
I received a complimentary ebook copy of this book from the author but was not required to write a review.
From the first few pages, this medical thriller with romance had me involved. It takes you on this journey to another continent while planting your feet into this world that Lynne Gentry and Lisa Harris have built. By their vivid descriptions of place, it is without a doubt that the authors have lived in this country. As the drama intensifies, you can feel they are also well-versed in medical and military matters.
Each page brings you through a series of tight twists and turns. This is definitely going to be on my “watch list” for more to arrive by these wonderful authors. Ghost Heart is the first in the Agents of Mercy series, but this can be read as a stand-alone. Take my advice, don’t miss this novel either.
I received the book by the publisher but was under no obligation to write nor post a review.