Book Review: "Against All Odds" by Irene Hannon

For FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Evan Cooper and his partner, dignitary protection duty should have been a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Monica Callahan isn't making it easy. Estranged from her diplomat father--who is involved in a sensitive hostage situation in the Middle East--she refuses to be intimidated by a related terrorist threat back in the States. That is, until a chilling warning convinces her that the danger is very real--and escalating. As Coop and his partner do their best to keep her safe, Monica's father triggers an abduction that puts his daughter's life at risk. And with every second that ticks by, Coop knows that the odds of saving the only woman who has ever breached the walls around his heart are dropping. After all, terrorists aren't known for their patience--or their mercy.

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. For some reason, I feel that romantic suspense in Christian fiction, while enjoyable, is usually pretty weak compared with general fiction. I think the reason lies with the stories tending to focus more on the relationship and then throw in a kidnapping or two. Also the romance part is usually very rushed and not really convincing. This book however went off in a totally different direction.

This story was jam packed with suspense. In fact, I felt that this was a big highlight of the book, the fact that it focused more on the suspense than the romance. There were some really tense situations throughout the book and times where I wanted to flip to the end to find out if these people made it out alive. This book however expertly blends the two together but gives an added kick to the suspense level which is greatly appreciated. The romance bit though is done very well and was realistic. I thought the chemistry between Coop and Monica was great and it made their relationship seem genuine. While the book focuses on Middle Eastern terrorists, there is nothing here that could be considered prejudiced or stereotyping. I really felt that I was reading something straight out of the news. The details were very realistic and the story dares to show the fear and terror that comes from being held as a hostage.

There's a endorsement on the cover from Dee Henderson, who is the all time leader in Christian romantic suspense, that says this book is better than hers. I totally agree with her. I really think this is probably THE best Christian romantic suspense book I have ever read and I am going to be looking forward to reading more books from this series.

Against All Odds by Irene Hannon is published by Revell (2009)