Present Danger had me at the cover. Then the back cover copy. Then the endorsements from Romantic Suspense royalty like Lynette Eason and Rachel Dylan. How could I lose?

I’m careful about adding new authors. I read voraciously and to be transported, not disappointed. But the staggering beauty of Montana is the backdrop for this novel and so I had to read it. Simple as that.

Fortunately, fear of disappointment was quickly turned to the delight of finding a new go-to author.

Terra and Jack’s story is complex and in itself a brilliant snapshot into the work of the US Forest Service Special Agents. When a body shows up during a routine search and rescue mission, Detective Jack Tanner is thrust into the world of artifact trafficking. Thankfully, his former love, Terra Connor is there to share her wealth of expertise, even while wanting to stay far away from the man who decimated her heart.

As the body count rises, Terra and Jack’s emotional defenses fall. Could a second chance at love be on the cards after the bullets stop flying? With a crazy but believable twist very near the end, and a packed story, I’d highly recommend this book to lovers of romantic suspense.

This is the start of a new series by author Elizabeth Goddard, yes her books are autoreads for me.
This book was very hard for me to put down once I started it and kept me up late reading it.
I loved the thrilling nonstop action that kept me guessing.
This had a different twist than any book I've read before as it involved dangerous trafficking of archaeological artifacts.
Not only is this is a suspense book but touches on the importance of family despite working on a case.
Well thought out plot with believable character interactions. This exciting book kept my attention through the many unexpected twists and turns right to the end.

Pub Date: 06 Apr 2021
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a good inspirational romantic suspense for readers who are tired of FBI agents. Jack, the hero, used to be FBI but is now a local police detective. Terra, the heroine, is a U.S. Forest Service Special Agent. I had no idea such agents even existed, watching for things like illegal logging and protecting water and soil.

In this novel, a body is found in a Montana national forest during a search and rescue operation. Jack and Terra are both on the scene, much to their dismay. They had been in love when young but then Jack had left, breaking Terra's heart. We know they still have feelings for each other. Can they work together, solve the murder and overcome hurts to rekindle their romance?

There is a good balance of character and relationship development alongside the murder investigation. We see suspense building as the investigation intensifies. The danger to Terra increases when it appears some of her family members are somehow involved. The novel provides a good combination of investigation and relationship restoration along with an exploration of the smuggling of artifacts. I appreciated Goddard's informative note about artifacts still missing after the 2003 Iraq war.

I like Goddard's writing style. It is clear and entertaining. I appreciate the good faith message included as the main characters rely on God for their well being. The novel is a good change from the typical FBI suspense.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

“Present Danger” by Elizabeth Goddard is a good read! This is the first book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series. Tessa Connors and Jack Tanner are very likeable characters, and it’s easy to cheer them on! This book takes place in a national forest in Montana. Tessa and Jack have a history together, and they are brought together again when they discover a murder victim. This book had a lot of twists and turns along the way. It didn’t end the way I thought it was going to, which is a good thing!

If you enjoy good, clean, romantic suspense with a little more suspense than romance, you will love this read!

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Title: Present Danger
Author: Elizabeth Goddard

Ch: 65

Pg: 384

Series: Rocky Mountain Courage book 1

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Rating: 4 stars

Publisher: Revell





Present Danger is the first book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series by Elizabeth Goddard. Both Jack Tanner and Terra Connors have come home to Montana for different reasons both with jobs that bring them in contact with each other. Even though the two of them would rather forget their shared past. A murder that leads to both of their separate cases will force them to work together.



With Present Danger I loved the fact that the suspense out weighted the romance. Nothing wrong with romance in suspense, it’s just I prefer mine lighter on the romance. But it doesn’t stop me for reading romantic suspense in which the scales are tipped in the other direction as long as the romance doesn’t completely overshadow the suspense I’m good. And Present Danger had the right balance.



This book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. The only reason it took me two days to finish it was simply the fact that I had to put it down in order to sleep so I could go to work the next morning. And I look forward to the next one in the series.





I received a complimentary copy Present Danger from the publishers. I was not required to provide a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

That time when you are reading a suspense novel and proclaim aloud, “Well, I didn't see that coming,” and it happens not once, but twice in Present Danger! This book is a great start to Elizabeth Goddard's new series, Rocky Mountain Courage, a tale wrapped around events of the past that come back to wreak havoc in the present. Grayback County Sheriff's Detective Jack Tanner and US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors must learn to forget the past they had and the future they wish for in order to work together to solve a case of antiquity smuggling which likely has led to murder. Goddard has written a well-laid plot with believable dialogue, and plenty of red herrings to keep her readers engaged as they follow Jack and Terra;s investigation.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Present Danger from Revell via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

This was a thriller, keeping me on the edge of my seat the whole time. If you like a good mystery, read this book. I did not have the final bad guys figured out and the author does nothing give clues along the way, she just keeps you guessing. There were so many moving pieces and characters to consider.
Intermingled with the mystery is a love story, or rekindling romance but it appropriate for any age reader, young teens included. Overall I would recommend this book to any reader and I was given a copy in exchange for this review.

This is the start of a new series and was one of my favorite books by this author. There was so much action and suspense and that touch of romance. I loved Terra and Jack and am looking forward to more books in this series. I love the descriptions of the forest. I loved all the twists and turns. I could not put this book down. I received a copy of this book from the author for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Wonderful characters! This book was high energy all the way through. Each page holds you captivated and so completely drawn in. My mind was spinning all over the place with the action and suspects. The plot was genius, loved how the characters and circumstances all tied in making it a thriller. An adventure that is deadly where each page that is turned there lurks a potential killer. The romance is fun because the main characters are both involved in the case, the scrapes they get into strengthen the romance between them. This is a great thriller without all the gore, language and sexual content. Will be reading every book I can get my hands on by this author!
Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Former FBI Special Agent Jack Tanner is working as a detective in Montana when he comes across a body in the national forest during a search and rescue mission. He's committed to finding the killer, even if it means working alongside his old flame, US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors.

When Terra discovers that the murder victim had ties to a powerful and dangerous trafficker of archaeological artifacts, the investigation takes a deadly turn--one that hits too close to home. As Terra fears she lacks the courage to face what comes next, Jack is more determined than ever to protect her. But he's failed her before. And if he fails this time, it will cost them far more than just their hearts.

Another great book by Ms. Goddard. This story is about Jack Tanner whose only goad in life was to become a FBI agent and put the shame of his father behind him. Terra Connors wanted to become a Forest Service Special Agent to be as good as her mother. Jack and Terra have known each for quite awhile. At one time they were talking of marriage. Then one day Jack left without any explanation to Terra. Now they are reunited when Jack finds a body in a national forest. Jack is now a detective in Montana. The investigation has all kinds of twists and turns. I recommend to all who love good mystery and romance.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

When Detective Jack Tanner and Special Agent Terra Connors, end up working on a case that links the dead man Jack finds in the national forest and whom Terra knows, to Terra's case of archeological artifacts that are being trafficked, they decide to join forces because Jack knows that Terra is good at her job and knows the forest better than most people. This case touches a nerve for Terra and she prays that they are able to solve this quickly. 
Terra is surprised to see Jack at the crime scene and even more surprised that he is with the local police as a Detective since the last she knew he followed his dream to the FBI.  Terra decides to do her best to help him solve the two cases so they can move on but as they start to work together her heart starts to soften towards him. She will have to pray that forgiveness comes quickly.
Jack should have known he would be working with Terra since he knew that she was an agent with the Forest Service. He knows that they need to talk and he owes her an apology with an explanation for the way things went years ago. But as usual he is not sure where to start. He will be praying for the words to come and for both of them to have compassion towards one another.
This story is fast paced and full  of action, I cannot wait for the next in the series. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of your early readers, this was a real treat.

Six years ago, Former FBI Special Agent Jack Tanner left the woman he loved to enter training at Quantico. Now he’s back in Montana working as a detective for the country sheriff’s office. When he discovers a body in the National Forest while out on a search and rescue mission, he wonders if he’ll end up working with Nation Forest Service Special Agent Terra Conners—the woman he abandoned all those years ago.

When Terra Conners arrives at the crime scene, she has no idea the man she thought would propose to her but who walked out on her instead would be there. She’d forgiven him years ago, but she doesn’t know if she can trust him. When they end up working together on the case, she realizes her feelings for him have never really died. But when so many of the men in her life have walked out, she has her doubts.

As evil stalks their small community, Jack proves over and over his willingness to be there for Terra. A missing pilot, rare artifacts, and a crime ring no one could have imagined form a tangled web of intrigue Terra and Jack must unravel before the mysterious killer ends one of their lives.

Why I Loved This Book

Elizabeth Goddard is a new-to-me inspirational suspense author, and her tight plot, action scenes, and intrigue with just enough romance are spot on. She develops the characters fully and includes interesting, well-researched information about artifact crimes—both domestic and international. I look forward to reading book two in the Rocky Mountain Courage series.

Fans of Kelly Irvin, Susan Sleeman, and Colleen Coble will enjoy Goddard’s book.

This was an intriguing romantic suspense with Easter egg connections to the author’s prior series. There are multiple twists at the end that connect the past to the current chaos. It’s richly layered with a hero and heroine that are both in law enforcement. The setting allows you to travel without leaving town. Those who enjoy Dani Pettrey books will also enjoy this one.

Present Danger includes a reunion romance, but the love story takes a definite back seat to the intriguing mystery the characters need to unravel. As the first book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series, the author strives to introduce a large cast of characters spread across an expansive geographic area as well as details of the investigation, and I found the pacing to be slow in some places and the storytelling light in terms of emotional depth.

The narrative starts out with a literal bang as Chance Carter, a private pilot who carries cargo and asks no questions, crashes in southern Montana’s Gallatin National Forest, the victim of sabotage. He’s found by Jim Raymond, a local insurance agent, who summons help for the injured Chance.

The author then turns to another crisis in progress. Several problems have landed in Jack Tanner’s lap at the same time, and the detective for the Grayback County Sheriff’s Department juggles them all in his mind. First, he’s currently on a call-out to search for twins who got separated from their parents in the vast Gallatin National Forest. Second, the grapevine brings him the news that Terra Connors, the college sweetheart whom he left under hurtful circumstances, is now working in law enforcement in the area. Finally, while searching for the twins, Jack and his partner discover a body crumpled at the bottom of a canyon. Terra and her partner have been assisting in the call-out and spy the body just as Jack is repelling down from the top of the canyon.

Jack and Terra both find their meeting difficult. Six years earlier and without a word, Jack left Terra to train at Quantico for the FBI. Given Terra’s lingering grief from the loss of her mother fifteen years before and her father leaving her not long afterward, Jack’s departure only deepened her sense of abandonment.  For his own part, Jack struggles with a sense of unworthiness. Terra comes from a family of heroes; he does not. Overhearing locals talk of his “bad stock” convinced Jack that leaving Terra was best for her. Jack also blames himself for failing to protect a trafficked woman on his last FBI case, and he has returned home to care for his ailing aunt and put some distance between him and that experience.

Terra knows the forest well as a result of her local upbringing and her work as a special agent for the US Forest Service, so Jack asks her to work with him to solve the mystery of the dead man. As the investigation proceeds, the two work closely to determine how Chance Carter and Jim Raymond fit into a case of stolen Native American artifacts, murder, and escalating threats to Terra’s life. All the while, past hurts and renewed attraction provide unwanted distractions.

The mystery is intriguing, and I enjoyed the twists and turns of the investigation as both Jack’s and Terra’s personal and professional lives impact the unfolding of the facts. Chance Carter is the most interesting character of the book, and his story and the mystery kept me reading to the end.

The novel is the offering of a Christian publisher, and its spiritual aspect appears in the characters’ clear belief in a traditional view of God. Terra and Jack send up quick prayers to God on a regular basis in gratitude and in request for strength, wisdom and intervention, all the while acknowledging that God expects them to employ their own skills, talents, and moral compasses to resolve their dilemmas and live lives of service.

I did struggle with the novel’s pacing in several places. The entire law enforcement cast, whom I’m assuming we’ll see in future installments, is introduced within the first two chapters, and keeping everyone straight was difficult; since I could not tell who was to be important for this book, I resorted to making a list. Many words and much space are used to describe how the policing groups are organized and interconnected, and the author provides a good deal of detail concerning investigative procedure and artifact crime. All of this was interesting, but with the romance taking a secondary role, and the writing telling me more about the emotional state of the characters than helping me feel their emotions, there were times that I found myself skipping pages, and then circling back.

If you enjoy police procedurals with a thread of romance and want a book that will dive into the subject of artifact crimes not often covered by the national news, Present Danger may be a good choice for you. Readers looking for non-stop suspense or a romance that will grab you deeply might be more satisfied with another choice.

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Jack walked away from Terra years ago without explanation and became a FBI agent. Now Jack is a deputy investigating a murder of an insurance agent in the national forest. With Terra's knowledge of the forest and archaeology, the sheriff has deputized Terra to work with Jack. They are also looking for a missing pilot whom the victim help rescue. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love this first book in the series. While reading the story, I realized that Jack was a secondary character in a previous series. I love that the story is told through both Jack and Terra's point of view as well as a missing pilot. They are searching both for the murderer as well as the motive. Even though this book is mainly a mystery, I love seeing Jack and Terra receive a second chance. This is an interesting mystery which kept me guessing.

This new series starts with a crash and will keep readers on their toes throughout. Lots of twists and turns and highly suspected characters makes this mystery hard to solve. Shocking surprises. Entertaining. Recommended!

This book is full of action and great characters. There were some great twists and turns. I liked the slow build up to finding out more about their past relationship. If you are looking for a good read full of intrigue and action look no further #netgalley #presentdanger

Present Danger is another well-written, complex plot by Elizabeth Goddard. There were enough twists, turns, and surprises that the reader was kept guessing. Jack and Terra are enjoyable leads and the remote/small-town setting creates a great backdrop for both the peril and the natural beauty. The characters were relatable on many levels and the ending was suspenseful and satisfying.

Elizabeth Goddard’s latest release, PRESENT DANGER, starts out with a pilot stumbling away from a plane crash. Who is he? Why doesn’t he want to go to the police?

But before the reader gets answers to these questions, we’re introduced to Detective Jack Tanner, who finds a dead body in the Montana mountains while looking for a couple of missing children. The children are found, safe and sound, but Jack is now on the trail of a killer.

His investigation leads him to a criminal enterprise trafficking in archeological artifacts. It also teams him with US Forest Service Special Agent Terra Connors, his former flame.

PRESENT DANGER is a romantic thriller, but both the hero and the heroine are intelligent and capable and hold their own professionally. Goddard includes a lot of information about the illegal trafficking of artifacts and does an exceptional job of weaving those facts into the story without bogging down the plot.

Goddard starts the suspense on the first page and keeps on building right until the end.

** “The direction your life takes can often come down to one decision, one moment in time.” **

Elizabeth Goddard delivers another fast-paced romantic thriller with “Present Danger,” the first installment in her new Rocky Mountain Courage series.

Ex-FBI Agent Jack Tanner has returned to his Montana home to work as a sheriff’s detective and take care of his Aunt Nadine, who is exhibiting symptoms of dementia. When a murdered man is found in the forest, his paths cross with his former love Terra Connors, a special agent with the forest service.

As they work together to solve the murder, as well as further murders, fires, and an illegal art trade, they must also decide if their relationship is worth a second chance.

“Present Danger” is a great suspense thriller filled with lots of twists and turns, including a shocking ending and misdirections, that will also please the romance lover. Goddard does a great job of developing characters with real flaws and issues to overcome. We even get a brief visit from the McKade brothers and their wives from her Uncommon Justice series.

The book, which is due out April 6, also includes several great themes, like overcoming desertion; dealing with life’s baggage; God will be strong for us when we’re weak; never let go of hope; and the importance even just one decision can make in life.

Fans of authors like Lynette Eason, Lisa Harris, Patricia Bradley, Sandra Orchard and Terri Blackstock will truly enjoy this novel.

Five stars out of five.

Revell provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.