Standoff by Patricia Bradley

Standoff by Patricia Bradley ISBN-13: 9780800735739 Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Revell Released: May 5th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, it's being used to move drugs. Undercover park ranger Luke Fereday is sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring. Then Luke arrives late to meet his friend, park ranger John Danvers, and discovers his body.

John's daughter, law enforcement ranger Brooke, is determined to investigate her father's murder, but things are more complicated than they first appear. 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?


My Review:
Standoff is a romantic suspense novel. Luke has a dangerous job as an undercover park ranger trying to take down drug rings. Though he loves Brooke, he kept pushing her away toward a safer choice romantically. At the end, he suddenly asked her to marry him. It just seemed too fast to go from "this will never work because..." to "who cares; let's get married." I liked the main characters and could easily see them working together as undercover rangers as they worked very well together. He also supported her desire to investigate her father's murder and kept rescuing her from bad guys. But she went from frustrated that he didn't think she could take care of herself, angry at all the secrets, and swearing to never let him break her heart again to "yes, let's get married." I don't like romances where "insurmountable" problems aren't really worked through but suddenly don't seem to matter at the end.

However, the suspense was really good with this mystery. The author provided a number of suspects who might have motives and who could've done the murders so it was difficult to know which one it was or who could be trusted. The murderer attacked Brooke, Luke, and anyone else whom he thought might have a clue as to who he was. There were a few, brief references to God and going to church. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to suspense and mystery fans.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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