Member Reviews
A amazing story of human trafficking that is fiction but could be so real. The families working together is amazing and a huge reminder that all families, good and bad have strong links. The author describes well those feelings of belonging that drive all of us, knowing that the most important thing is belonging to God.
Lynette Eason is back with another action- and emotion-packed suspense novel - And this one does not disappoint. Even the cover is gorgeous.
I loved the two main characters. Blake MacCallum was a super sweet and incredibly realistic character, and I loved his daddy's heart and relationship with his daughter. Chloe is also a fabulous character; I loved her compassionate, empathetic heart mixed with a hefty dose of spunk. Chloe and Blake's relationship was spot-on. I appreciated the slow, sweet romance not based on physical attraction as opposed to the "insta-love" shallow romances portrayed in novels so frequently these days. The secondary cast of Brady, Linc, Izzy, etc, was great, as well. I loved the cameo appearances of Daniel Matthews and Quinn Holcombe (I may or may not have squealed when Quinn showed up on the rooftop. That was awesome.) from Eason's Elite Guardians series. Loved that touch, although I found it slightly odd that there weren't the same connections to that series in Oath of Honor.
The plot was sound and the action and suspense kept me reading. Finished this one in less than 24 hours. I was slightly concerned about the subject matter (human trafficking), but Eason did a wonderful job of showing this very real, relevant, and horrendous issue without going into too much gruesome detail. Living in one of the top areas for human trafficking in the country, this was very eye-opening.
Probably the thing I love most about this series is the family dynamic. Family\sibling relationships are so infrequently portrayed in fiction, or if they are, they don't feel realistic. But the Blue Justice series does a great job with the family relationships, and the sibling banter is always epic.
All in all, I greatly enjoyed Called to Protect, and am on the edge of my seat waiting for book 3! Highly recommend this series.
CONTENT NOTE: Recommended for ages 17+. There is a fair amount of violence and some detailing of human trafficking, as well as some light romance. Girls are kidnapped, caged, starved, beaten, and sold. Mentions of rape and some girls being more desirable because they are virgins. Lots of guns, attempted murder, bombs, etc. Also some light romance. A few hugs, not-detailed kisses, physical attraction, etc.
Called to Protect is the second book in the Blue Justice series, the books can be read as a stand alone, I haven't read the first book in the series. Block out some time, because once you start this book you won't be able to put it down. There are a lot of characters, but not in a way that it was hard to keep track of them. I loved Chloe and her K-9 Hank. I loved the St. John family and how close they are. I might just go back and read the first book in the series and after the teaser at the end, the third book is on my to read list as well.
I didn't get a chance to buckle my seatbelt. So not fair.
Lynette Eason writes the way machine guns shoot . . . incredibly fast, and in a way that overloads your senses. But that's a good thing, when you are writing a story.
With incredible ease, the reader is introduced to the characters, and forms an immediate bond with them. At the same time, Eason ratchets up the tension to the point where you aren't putting this book down until the final page.
You've been warned. Now, please open your book, CALLED TO PROTECT, to the prologue. But first . . . buckle up!
Chloe St. John has BLUE running through her veins. The daughter of the Chief of Police, she has two brothers, a sister, and a brother-in-law all dedicated to fighting crime. You might say it's a family affair. And one at which they all excel.
Chloe's partner, Hank, has two left feet. He also has two right feet. They are kind of a prerequisite for Dutch Shepherds. And Hank excels in his job, as well. While trained mainly for sniffing out narcotics, Hank's nose is versatile. If he can smell it . . . he can track it. A neat trick, that.
Chloe's recovering from a broken relationship, and the crime she's currently investigating is guaranteed to take her mind off of her personal issues. It seems that a certain judge has a vendetta against human trafficking, and the criminals just want him to back off. To the point where two innocent teenage girls have been kidnapped in an effort to get the judge eliminated by one of his own bodyguards.
U.S. Marshall Blake MacCallum's daughter has been kidnapped, and the ransom note has been delivered: one dead judge, or else. The Marshall's daughter is a Type 1 diabetic, so her health issues further exacerbate the situation.
As the task force closes in on the human trafficking ring, Chloe and Blake are drawn closer and closer together. Is it just business, or could things actually be getting personal?
Touching on one of the most polarizing issues of this century - human trafficking - Lynette Eason exposes the crime in sufficient detail while still maintaining the dignity of its victims, conveying concern and compassion in equal measures.
CALLED TO PROTECT is the second book in the BLUE JUSTICE series by Lynette Eason.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
5 stars for riveting action and memorable characters
Called To Protect is very adventurous, mysterious, Faithfilled and multi-storied. How awesome is that - you get more bang for your buck. You start off with an incredible family made up of all first responders and one of their own is in trouble - deep trouble - scared to death trouble - and it leaves you right off in a cliff hanger - It is very alarming and bleak and then it leads you into another situation that is courageous, defensive, coordinated and criminal - extremely criminal. It takes the majority of the family working together to take on the whole situation and get through the situation. It was dangerous and it took a lot of their training to carry them through. The author really made the book very descriptive so that you can see the whole book as it goes on as if you where right there among the rest of them. You could feel the danger as the -------wait a minute I can't tell you what happened - it will ruin it for you but it is unreal and worth the read.
“Called to Protect” by Lynette Eason was a great read! Of course, I’ve never read anything by Lynette Eason that I didn’t love. She is one of my favorite authors of all time.
This book follows the St. John family. The subject is human trafficking. It does get intense at times, but Lynette does a great job of addressing this issue and coming to a resolution.
If you enjoy a good, clean, suspenseful read with a little romance thrown in, you will love this book. I highly recommend it! In fact, I recommend all of Lynette Eason's books. You won't be disappointed!
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Lynette Eason had another winner with Called to Protect. The St. John family are all in law enforcement and Chloe is my favorite character. She had grit, wisdom, level headedness, and a heart that longs to be loved.
She gets caught up in a human trafficking network when a friend's daughter goes missing. This book was intense with nary a full moment. It was hard to put down because I just need to know what was going to happen next.
I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of Christian fiction and like to have your heart pounding while you read.
Book two of the Blue Justice Series, Called to Protect focuses on Chloe's story, while sharing bits and pieces of her siblings lives along the way. Full of action and suspense and romance...this book keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next! Fantastic book...can't wait for book 3 in the series! Could be read as a stand-alone, but well worth reading book 1 in the series first.
I thoroughly enjoy Called to Protect. I had read the previous book in the series, but each book is a stand alone. The human trafficking the Chloe and Blake come up against has such a personal touch to both of them as well as everyone in the book.
The traffic crash at the beginning and Chloe realized that one of the victims who was wearing her missing cousin's shirt, "Beth" was actually Blake's daughter Rachel that he hadn't told anyone that is missing set the scene for the beginning of a exciting story. You never know what to expect at times.
I encourage you to read Called to Protect if you are Lynette Eason fan and if you haven't read her books yet give this one a try.
I was graciously given this book as an ARC from Netgalley for my true and honest feedback.
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. I fell in love with Chloe and Hank. First of all, coming from a law enforcement family, my dad being a Chief of Police and a previous K-9 handler, this book just gave me all of the feels. I could not put it down.
First, I respect the amount of research Lynette had to have done for the book. The reason for this, is the relationship and the work that Chloe and Hank do together depicted that of what I have remembered from my dad. The part of the book where Hank does a reverse search was one of my favorite parts. Chloe and Hank have an unbreakable and loyal partnership and relationship. She treats him with respect but also love. I enjoyed reading about his conquests and seeing him rewarded for a job well done.
The subject of this book is also very prevalent in our society today. I thought Lynette did a great job making you feel like you were there with the girls, experiencing what they were going through, especially one of the main character Rachel. You feel their emotions, the heartbreak, and the healing.
Rachel and her Dad, Blake's relationship has been strained from the beginning but you see a fathers love come through as they battle the scariness of the situation at hand. Blake was served with a very difficult choice but he was honorable and worked through the situation relying on his friends and ultimately on Chloe (and Hank) and his good friend, and Chloe's brother Linc.
I always love that even throughout all of the suspense and page turning, Lynette brings readers romance, friendship, family, and love. I enjoy that Lynette keeps the main story her focus and brings everything together at the end. Meaning she really saves her romance and the happily ever after for the end.
I loved that the characters from the first book Oath of Honor made it's way into this story. I believe that Lynette really develops her characters and allows relationships between them to blossom.
This was a good suspenseful novel. To be honest with you, I find it very hard to keep all the St. John's siblings straight. It really was confusing to me. Even though some of them are just barely introduced, it is too many to keep up with. Other than that, I did enjoy this book and would buy the 3rd installment, even with all the sibling confusion!
'God, why is this happening? Why do you hate me? What did I ever do to you?'
In this second installment of her Blue Justice series, Eason shines! Chloe St. John and her German Shepherd Dog partner, Hank, are a team. He is probably the only male that she likes. She is so over romance.
Deputy U.S. Marshall Blake MacCallum is assigned protection duty to a judge who is trying to get stiffer sentences for human trafficking. When Blake's daughter is kidnapped with orders that she will not be released unless he kills the judge, the race is on to bring down those responsible. Chloe St. John is called in to assist with her dog, Hank, and soon she finds herself attracted to the stoic marshall.
Eason takes her readers on a mighty fine ride with this one, so buckle your seatbelts at the first page. Fast paced, well developed, multi-layered characters make this one unforgettable read. I am completely hooked! And there are several more St. John siblings, so we have more books to look forward to. This one is a keeper!
*My thanks to the publisher for a preview copy of this book. The opinions stated here are entirely my own.
Whew! Let me catch my breath as I try to gather the words to describe this adrenaline pumping, heart-racing new release about a law enforcement family set in my own hometown of Columbia, SC! The stark reality of human trafficking broke my heart and Ms. Eason has done a jam up job of exposing the horror of this ever-growing crime.
My heart remained in my throat throughout the better part of this novel as the heroic, Chloe St. John, and her canine partner, Hank, work side-by-side to bust up a human trafficking ring. Although there is just a smidgen of a courtship at the end, I really wouldn't categorize this as a romance novel per se. But definitely a gripping read you don't want to mess!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A great thrilling read from Lynnette Eason. I loved her Elite Guardians series and was excited to reviews new book from her. I just realized that it’s the second book in the series :)
This book deals with a very heavy topic - human trafficking. Eason handles it well and gives it the gravity needed while not being graphic and too dark. Like the EG series, the romance is very light and just a side note to the story.
I didn’t guess anything and only got stuff as it was revealed. Even then, sometimes I read it and had to go over it again because I was confused.
I like the big family dynamic of law enforcement types. See Henderson’s O’Malley series is one of my favorites, and this reminded me of that. Although I’m not sure I want to wait for a book for every sibling :)
This book grabbed me from the start and I read it in 2 days. I am not fond of book dealing with human tracking of young girls but I still enjoyed this book. Will be sure to read the rest of the series and recommend to customers
One of Eason’s most ambitious novels, following her first in her new series. Even more powerful and intricate than Oath of Honor. I’m in love with these characters and can hardly wait for more!
FTC DISCLOSURE: I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley. A positive review was not required. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.
My favorite two things about this book were how much the talents of K-9 officer Hank were featured and that the human trafficking angle was handled so expertly as to highlight the dangers of it while not delving into the nastiest parts. The author handled both of these things like an old pro, with lots of grace, spot-on details, and creativity.
A couple of key things were highly predictable to me, but that did not stop this book from easily sliding into my top-five list of new releases in 2018. There were enough surprises along the way that I was kept intrigued and flipping pages faster and faster the deeper I got into the story. The human trafficking aspect was perhaps the most inspiring angle of all, as there was so much hope for redemption and escape fused into each chapter. This isn’t an easy book by any means, as the aforementioned topic hints, but it is a must-read for all suspense fans.
There were a few “too convenient” things, such as a garden planted behind a gas station. That one in particular felt like it was put there simply to aid a character in her journey rather than being logical. A little more creativity for those moments of convenience would have been appreciated, because it really felt that the answers came a bit too easily in those instances.
One thing that I found a little distracting was the variety in amount of detail given. Most were spot-on, dig-deep sort of research: The diabetes medications and how the pods worked were so realistic and easy to understand, and it was very clear the author looked up loads of medical things to add great depth to the scenes and plot. A couple of other areas lacked any sort of detail whatsoever: “Tool” was used every time “bolt cutters” was the tool being asked for or used. Why not just say “bolt cutters” rather than “bringing a tool to cut the lock off” and similar all four times? It felt like the author wasn’t familiar with the tools required in this situation and didn’t bother to run a quick Google search to add that extra bit of atmosphere to the story. I think why it felt like that to me is that the officer asking for and using the tool would have known what it was called and referenced it by its name rather than just saying “tool.” This isn’t like Ms. Eason, as her novels are typically rich with detail and the rest of the book reflected that same richness. I’m hoping it was simply an anomaly and that it was fixed before the final printing.
This story felt cleaner than the previous installment of the series. I only noticed one crude phrase and zero expletives or profanities. I was very happy about the lack of negative content. Even though the faith aspect was light, the cleanness factor definitely felt God-honoring the whole way through, and I appreciated that very much. I hope that continues as the series progresses.
This book was even better than its predecessor, and it makes me want to read its sequel immediately. It’s really too bad it isn’t yet available (as of July 7, 2018). Hurry, Lynette! I want more of the St. John family saga!!
Rating: 4 stars
I loved it! This story could be ripped off the pages of newspapers, human trafficking, it is running rampant in our country today. Book #2 in the Blue Justice Series about the St. John family. Chloe St. John is a K9 handler with the police department and she gets teamed up with US Marshall Blake McCallum when his daughter is kidnapped by the human trafficking ring. Chloe is at the scene of a car crash involving a tractor trailer and her K9 Hank finds the girls hidden in a secret compartment of the semi. Blake's daughter is one of the girls and when she disappears from the hospital the search is on. This book is full of suspense and action and a little bit of romance between Chloe and Blake and the sibling rivalry that goes on in the St. John family. Five stars.
loved the story, this is a page turner of a book, if you like suspense , and a story about what is happening around the world now, that is what make is scary. trafficking people, and what the bad guys put them trough and what they put their families through and the lawperson's that try and find them and bring the bad guys to justice.
This book was absolutely amazing! I devoured this book in just over a day, and that includes a full day of work. This book was amazingly well written, it was suspenseful, and riveting. Once I picked it up, I did not want to put it down.
I love the set of characters in this series. They are all so funny, strong, and likable. The Blue Justice series focus’s on one member of this crazy family (mostly cops, with a doctor thrown in) in each book so far, but you still see the other members of the family as well.
Although the first book in this series is amazing, and I highly recommend reading it, this book could easily be read as a stand alone. Each book has its own story-line and it wraps it up at the end of the book.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Christian romantic suspense. Even if you haven’t read the first book in this series, you can read this one.
*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.*