My Guardian
Riot by JJ Samie Myles & Ronie Kendig is an exciting contemporary Christian suspense. It is part of A Breed Apart series but can be read as a stand-alone. I enjoyed meeting up with familiar faces.
Riot is the canine member of a SEALs team who has been retired but still has the hunger to work. He is fearless, brave and loyal, prepared to defend his master at all costs. He is a major player in the story and certainly one of my favourites.
Combat leaves scars. Sometimes they are physical and sometimes mental. PTSD needs help to recover from but it needs to be recognized by the individual first, and for them to admit that help is needed.
Survivors guilt drags characters down. “Why did he get to live when they were all dead? Why, God?” Sometimes we will never know the answers but we owe it to the fallen, to live well and in their memory.
Forgiveness is a theme. Sometimes we cannot forgive in our own strength and we need to tap into God and forgive in His strength. We do not know how a person will respond when we give forgiveness – but that is not our business. That is God’s. He will deal with their heart. Our job is to forgive and leave the rest to Him.
We need to be careful as to the voice we listen to. “It was her old friend, Anxiety, whispering lies in her ear.” Negative thoughts are not from God. He says we are loved.
Prayer is important. God longs to hear from everyone. “Why even pray? God didn’t listen, especially since… his screw-up.” No one is ever too far from the ears and heart of God. In times of desperation, we need to have prayers that are as natural as breathing. “The prayer escaped before he realized it.”
Loyalty and duty are important to the SEALs. When one of their own is missing, there are no lengths to which the team will not go in order to search and rescue. This reminds the reader that there are no lengths to which God will not go when one of His own is missing. He leaves the ninety-nine in order to search for the one.
I thoroughly enjoyed Riot. It was an exciting, gripping tale that I read in just one sitting.
I will leave you with my favourite quote:
“My faith will…waver. But if I hold onto who the Bible says He is, nothing can shake my faith.”
I received a free copy via Just Read Tours for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
Series: A Breed Apart: Legacy #3
Publisher: Sunrise Publishing
Release Date: March 19, 2024
Genre: Paramilitary Romantic Thriller
A BREED APART NOVEL
Navy SEAL K-9 handler Beau “Danger” Maddox is at the top of his game—until an op goes south, leaving him physically and mentally scarred. Separated from the Navy, he’s determined to requalify as operational and get back in the action so he can take down the deadly South American cartel that killed his team. The last thing he needs is a distraction in the form of a beautiful new neighbor and her dog…
Trafficking survivor Paisley Reyna became a trauma counselor to help others after a harrowing captivity at the hands of the notorious Guerrero Cartel. When she unexpectedly inherits her cousin’s home and retired military working dog, Riot, she seizes the chance to eke out a quiet life in a small town in Texas. However, the Dutch shepherd upends her plans, destroys her belongings, and repeatedly escapes next door to the intense former SEAL, who poses a threat to her peace—and maybe even her heart.
When the local sheriff asks for Danger’s expertise and Paisley’s dog to intercept a trafficking deal, they’re quickly caught up in a battle against the very cartel that marked both their souls. Along with a paramilitary team, they plunge deeper and deeper into the Venezuelan jungle—all too aware that making it out alive a second time will take nothing short of a miracle.
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