The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It’s the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for park ranger Luke Fereday, lately it’s being used to move drugs. Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of … of his friend, park ranger John Danvers.John’s daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father’s murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear, and Brooke soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her. Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who’s going to keep him safe when he realizes he’s falling–hard–for the daughter of the man he failed to save?Award-winning author Patricia Bradley introduces you to a new series set in the sultry South that will have you wiping your brow and looking over your shoulder.
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“You may never get that answer.” she said softly. “But, it’s okay to ask God why.” Brooke struggles with losing her dad and the mystery around his death.
Lies, deception, murder, and a multilayer mystery kept me guessing what would happen next from this new series.
Standoff was an engaging read that kept me guessing at the characters and mysteries involved. There was a little confusion with POVs in the beginning and a few areas of the book, but that may be due to reading an ARC. I felt it impacted my sense of the story initially. However, it was an interesting mystery that kept me wondering what would happen next. Brooke’s heart for her dad and wanting to find his murderer made for a good crime-solving read. There were quite a few twists thrown in to keep me guessing. I enjoyed the love triangle between Brooke, her old flame, and her new boyfriend. It added a layer of who she would choose throughout the book. Also, I loved how much the characters grew through the story. There was a lot of deception that might have made for another great title for the book, too. Brooke is hit on many levels of deception and struggles with how to handle the truth, both personally and professionally. I was intrigued by how the author takes us through her struggles with deciphering truth from lies.
There was also a gripping spiritual component of dealing with identity and relationship struggles. She deals with who to trust when you don’t know who to trust…that God is always with us. “God knew all about you before you were born.” Gentle reminders of who we are in Christ were beautifully said. The author gave some good words of wisdom as well. “You can either let this define you, or it can simply be a bump in the road.”
This was a good start to the series. I look forward to where the author will go with it. If you like strong female and male characters that work in criminal justice, you will enjoy this book. There are illegal activities and controversial issues dealt with in the story, but overall I thought the author handled it well. Some may disagree, but I found it added to the story and is a topic not many are addressing in Christian fiction.
I received and ARC through NetGalley by the publisher. I have given my honest opinion in this review.
Since I had to wait so long for this book which by the way was so worth the wait I ended up borrowing a copy from Netgalley. Thank goodness for Netgalley!
My first ever Bradley book and I very much enjoyed this book! I really wish that I could give it more than 5 stars. Her style of writing is astounding! I’m a fan for life.
Lot of action with twists and turns that will keep your interest throughout the book. The plot was awesome! I was holding my breath as each layer kept coming uncovered in this novel. I loved the tension, anxiety, fear all of those things wrapped up into one. The perfect indgrediants for a wonderful story. The author does a good job of keeping you guessing until the end on the person who did the dirty deed so to speak.
This is a clean read with Jesus mentioned as the Truth, way and the life throughout the book. It’s not preachy not by any means. I thought she did really well in this regards.
My heart went out to Brooke when everything that was happening in Natchez Trace hit close to home.
I know it isn’t easy to loose someone who is very close to you. No one deserves that.
I liked this story too because it offers second chances. I think everyone needs a second chance don’t you? The Lord certainly does.
I really enjoyed my travels down south even though it was so hot I thought I was going to suffocate. No, really it’s just my imagination running wild. I’ve never been to this place so I thank the author that I can travel without leaving the comfort of my home. Although I’d love to visit someday.
There are some subjects (marijuana) that might offend some readers but overall I thought the whole story was nicely done.
I highly recommend this story! Especially for Christian Suspense readers.
I received this book courtesy of Baker Publishing Group/Revell through Interviews & Reviews.
I always hate to see a series end by an author I like, and the last series by Bradley was quite awesome. Now she is starting a new series, which made me happy.
Bradley has never written anything that disappointed me, so it is no surprise to me that I thoroughly enjoyed this great start to a new series. I was barely a few pages into the book, and two murders had already been committed, so I knew it was going to be an exciting read.
I enjoyed the setting for the book. By the way, Natchez is not a fictional town. I googled it, and it sounds like the town described in the book.
I loved the main characters, especially Luke. Undercover work intrigues me a lot, so he was an even more likable character since that was his role in the story.
And there was a lot of action and suspense. This was a book where you don’t know what is going to happen next, nor who the bad guys all are. There was one I was suspicious of, and was correct. (Score!)
There was of course the obligatory romance, but this was one where the the couple had known each other for years, and had had feelings for each other for a long time. (Sometimes the boy meets girl while someone is trying to murder them as they fall in love can be a bit unbelievable…but then I am a bachelor) 🙂
Standoff is a great start to what promises to be another awesome series from this author. It left me wanting more, and I am looking forward to however many books are in this series.
I was provided a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions in this review are my own.
Be prepared to read until the wee hours! Brooke Danvers is a brave protagonist whose dad is found deadly shortly before she is sworn in as a ranger at Natchez Trace! Law enforcement rules his death was suicide but Brooke is determined to prove it was murder! Brooke’s young love, Luke, who left to attend the naval academy but dropped out shows up after being gone for several years. Where has he been and is he really a bartender now? Jeremy comes from family money and is running for representative. Brooke would look good with him. Who runs Luke and Brooke off the road? Why does someone break into Brooke’s house? Then Brooke learns John Danvers who she loved dearly was not her biological father! You will have lots of questions in this action packed suspense and will have trouble deciding who the murderer really is! I recommend Standoff to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense! I received a complimentary e-book from Revell Publishing and NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.
“Standoff” was another great read by Patricia Bradley. Of course, I expected that! I have loved every one of Patricia Bradley’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint, either!
This book had some great characters. I loved Brooke and Luke and was routing for them to get together the whole way!
There was also lots of suspense and mystery, with a little romantic tension thrown in. I honestly didn’t know who the killer was until the end. I love books that are good, clean fiction with some twists along the way.
I definitely recommend this book!
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest opinion.
This was great! The story kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time! I really enjoyed trying to figure out who the killer was! This book definitely left me wanting the next book in the series! This one was so good!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
The first book by Ms. Bradley is explosive for this series. At the beginning of the book, John Danvers, a park ranger, is killed. His daughter is determined to find who killed her dad. She begins investigating who could have killed him. Luke is working with a drug ring, but is actually undercover trying to determine all of the players and how they are moving drugs up and down the trace. Luke arrives to late for John, but he is determined to discover who killed him. Once Brooke begins investigating, Luke decides that he must protect her and discover what she knows as well. With no one knowing that Luke is undercover, he is tightly keeping this information to his vest to keep others from being suspicious of him. This book is a sit on the edge of your seats kind of book that will keep you guessing throughout. I highly recommend this book and this series! I can not wait for the next book in the series! Ms. Bradley never disappoints readers. Her books are entertaining and are page-turners.
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.
Standoff is the first book in Patricia Bradley’s new series Natchez Trace Park Rangers, and it does not disappoint. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a book set in a state park, but I loved it! It’s an action-packed story that will keep you reading from the first page.
Brooke Danvers refuses to accept that her father committed suicide. Luke Fereday agrees but he has secrets of his own. Who’s side is he really on? Who can she trust? As she delves deeper in her search for the truth, Brooke begins to uncover many secrets that will shake her faith and make her question her own past.
Bradley did an amazing job developing her characters and they really jumped off the pages of the book. The plot had many twists and turns – some expected and some complete surprises. Bradley did a great job at interweaving the personal storylines with the overall plot of the book. If you enjoy reading romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this book is for you. I loved reading it and can’t wait for the next book to come out.
I’ve read a number of Patricia Bradley’s books and have always enjoyed them but I’m finding that she’s really upped the bar on her newer series’. She has easily made her way to my “must read” list lately.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author/publisher and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.
Brooke Danvers father’s death was ruled a suicide. As an almost newly minted Park ranger investigative officer she’s out to prove otherwise. Little does she know she’ll find more than she bargained for! Luke Fereday is sent undercover to nail drug runners up the Natchez Trace in Mississippi when he finds John Danvers murdered. Too late to stop it, he’ll work with Brooke to find the culprit and stop the drug ring.
This is the first suspense I’ve read from Patricia Bradley but it won’t be my last! One of the things I enjoy most in stories like this is the police procedural and Bradley included plenty of that. Trying to figure out who was behind everything was next to impossible; I had a few suspicions but was still shocked at the end. Armchair sleuthing at its best! Also, both Brooke & Luke have a past history and watching the romance develop between them was fun. There are many twists and turns to keep me on my toes, lots of layers to unravel, and the story drew me in from the beginning. What I also loved, the tension was keep at a high level to keep me turning pages to find out what happens next. This is romantic suspense at its best that will keep me coming back for more! I can’t wait for the next story in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers series.
*This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing (Revell), through Interviews & Reviews. I was not obligated to leave a favorable review. *
Patricia Bradley starts her newest series Natchez Trace Park Rangers with a bang in this book. The plot is complex with many twists and turns and the author will have you guessing at the unnamed villain until the very end of the book. The suspense and mystery components are top-notch though the secondary characters are sometimes difficult to separate out because there are many (but I’m guessing that was on purpose so that the villain is not as obvious). I know nothing about the National Park Service or the Rangers who work within the system so it was fascinating to learn about this world.
The romance component fell a little flat for me. Brooke, in her independence, fear, and bravery, and Luke, in his protective tender ways, are both likable but I did not feel drawn into their heartaches and longings. How Brooke handled two men’s attention and affection had me confused for the most part and how it all resolved felt rushed and unexplained.
If you enjoy a good suspense with a complex mystery, you will absolutely enjoy this book. I received a copy of the book from Baker Publishing Group via Interviews & Reviews and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Brooke is excited to finally become a Park Ranger. Days before her swearing in her father is murdered. His death is ruled a suicide. But she knows he would never take his own life. Luke and Brooke are friends from childhood. Luke left and never contacted Brooke and hurt her terribly. She doesn’t know he is there under cover to investigate drug running in the park. In the end they have to work together to discover who killed Brooke’s father.
Another good book by Patricia Bradley. I recommend to everyone who likes a good mystery. Everyone is a suspect clear to the end of the book.
I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.
Standoff by Patricia Bradley is quite the exciting start to the Natchez Trace Park Rangers series. From beginning to the end there is edge-of-the-seat action, twists to the plot and the tension of romance that keeps the reader’s interest high. The author gives an interesting glimpse into the job of park rangers as well as the dark side of drug cartels and the people one would never expect to be on the wrong side of the law. Family relationships, murder, and long ago boyfriends keep Brooke on her toes. I can’t wait to read the next in this series.
I was given a complimentary early copy of the book by LibraryThing and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.
Patricia Bradley’s books are among my favorites to read and share with others. Why? The author weaves a very intriguing mystery that pulls readers in, plus there is some romance but it doesn’t overtake the plot. Also, the characters are lifelike in how they respond, act and think. In her newest series, the author helps push the action along by having short chapters that give readers various points of view of the action.
In Standoff, the main female lead is named Brooke Danvers. Brooke is following in her father’s career path even though he isn’t showing much excitement over her choice. Brooke’s mother is in her own world with Brooke’s pregnant sister and even more so when Brooke loses her father. Brooke is being sought by a young man who is being groomed to go into politics following in his father’s footsteps. Then enters a blast from Brooke’s past, an old flame named Luke.
There are drugs being run through the town Brooke resides in, and there are other nefarious actions that Brooke wants to stop. On top of that, she wants to find out who is responsible for killing her father in a remote area of town. Throughout the book readers will try to solve the murder and find out who is wanting to “own” the town and its people by getting them hooked on drugs.
At first, it was a little hard for me to get an understanding of where the story was taking me. I felt dropped into the book without knowing the characters very well. However, I suspect that is part and parcel when starting a new series as like most readers if too much attention is taken to fleshing out the players, I get bored. Patricia Bradley kept me wanting to read the tale and figure out the mystery. She also adds twists and turns that throw off my guesses!
I have read most of this authors books and really enjoyed her newest series; I think many will as well. After you read this one, I highly recommend reading her other tales as well as they provide hours of thrills and suspense while waiting for her next one!
“What had he gotten himself into?”
Just about every character in this book could ask themself the same question. . . what? . . . and why?
When questionable deaths keep popping up in Natchez, Mississippi, park ranger Brooke Danvers is overwhelmed with evidence that doesn’t make any sense. One of those deaths happened to be her father, and she is admant that he did not take his own life as the crime scene seemed to suggest. And what about Luke Fereday; he keeps turning up every time she needs moral, or in one case physical, support. Why is he back in Natchez, why is he sticking so close, and why does what he tells her about himself not match up with the kind of Luke that she knew, and cared a lot about, once upon a time. The sight of that man can still turn her head and give her a heart a swirl.
As Luke and Brooke cautiously fall back into a comaraderie of sorts, there’s so much they don’t know . . . and it can hurt them. A drug cartel is operating with reckless abandon up and down the Natchez Trace and eventually the two of them will knowingly, or in Brooke’s case unknowingly, find themselves in the epicenter.
At times, the plotting in this book seemed a bit forced, and thus rushed. The main characters were wonderful, but the secondary characters were often confusing to identify; adding to the mystique, but also adding to the reader’s uncertainty as to how to integrate them fully into the story. First books in series have a lot to accomplish, and “Standoff” accomplished a lot!
I received this book from Baker Publishing through Interviews and Reviews. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.
Fabulous suspense!
Wow – don’t expect to put this down before you finish it! The author has done a fabulous job of drawing you into the suspense with the first scene as the young hacker discovers information that absolutely terrifies him. Natchez Mississippi sounds like a lovely region, with plenty of places to explore and enjoy. Unfortunately it also has many off the beaten track areas where those with evil intent can flourish, a wonderful breeding ground for the drug cartel and a problem the Park Rangers are working hard to curtail. As a new law enforcement Ranger, Brooke Danvers seems to get caught in the middle of it all.
This page-turner has everything you want in an edge-of-your-seat book that you won’t want to put down until that last period. Even then the mystery, intrigue and suspense will follow you as you try to figure out how you could have missed it – all evidence of an incredibly well-written story. I highly recommend this book, but perhaps not something you should read at night, especially if you live alone.
I received an ARC through Baker Publishing Group and NetGalley. My impressions and comments were in no way solicited.
I borrowed an audiobook copy of this book from the local library and thoroughly enjoyed the book. Brooke Danvers is transferring from the park ranger division to the ranger law enforcement division under her father until he is murdered. Her long time neighbor’s grandson Luke Fereday shows up with a suspicious background although he had been an Army ranger. He’s actually undercover to bring down a drug ring. One of her father’s friends is killed, but before he dies, he tells Brooke not to trust anyone. I enjoyed the suspense in this novel, and the plot kept you guessing until the end.
Who can turn off the light to go to bed when the car just went off the road, crashing into the trees below but the killer is determined to finish the job? Action packed with pauses for relationship-building to let you catch your breath before the next hill in the roller coaster. A great beginning to a must-read, clean-read series.
Bradley writes well. Good, suspense writing and character development. But this book was just too political for me. I am sure that Ms. Bradley has readers on both ends of the political spectrum, as well as in the middle. Why alienate some of them and risk contributing to the division? We are already inundated with politics seeping into sports, sitcoms, and churches, and there is already plenty of politics in newspapers & news magazines. I am sure that some people will like that aspect of the book, but I am among those who read fiction, in part, to ESCAPE politics. Disappointing, and I wish that I had my money back
A very entertaining ,suspenseful book.
I felt like this was a wonderful start to a new series and I am really looking forward to reading the second book in this series. It was interesting to read about the Natchez Trace National Parkway. I loved the characters and all the twists and turns. I love how Luke and Brooke rekindle an old friendship. I did not want to put this book down. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.