Wolfsbane (Ronie Kendig) – Review

Posted 2 June 2018 by Katie in Christian Fiction, Contemporary, Review, Romance, Suspense / 0 Comments

~ About the Book ~

A Rapid-Fire Rewrite of the 2012 Christy Award Winner–Expanded & Updated with 100 new pages!

Army demolitions expert Danielle Roark narrowly escaped a brutal guerrilla general. Months later, she’s charged with espionage and forced to return to the very jungle where her nightmares began. Her only hope rests in the former Special Forces operator who escorts her down and vows they’ll both come back alive.

Disgusted with the suits on Capitol Hill, Canyon Metcalfe is still wrestling with memories of a mission gone bad. But taking the role of protector, he’s determined to make this endeavor end in victory. What he isn’t expecting is an ambush, and the spiraling attraction that becomes a deadly distraction.

Armed with raw hope and fierce determination, Canyon and Dani become embroiled in a fight for their lives!

Genre:  Military/Romantic Suspense
Series:  #3 Discarded Heroes
Release date (2nd edition):  30 May 2018
Publisher:  Task Force Press

Amazon US // Amazon AU // Goodreads

~ Excerpt ~

A commotion rent the bright night. Dani frowned as she tried to figure out the noise. It sounded hollow. Pounding, like a bad bass beat. But amid the unfolding chaos, it was indecipherable.
She crouch-ran along the truck, inching closer to the water, to freedom. There! Her heart leapt when she saw the edges of the wood. A nervous smile skidded into her lips. Hugo had done it. Like he promised. From beneath the chassis, she drew out a small wood pallet.
She peered around the truck—and froze. Dark shadows rippled toward her like a wave. Only it wasn’t water. Dogs! Three or four!
If she ran, the guards would gun her down. If she didn’t the dogs would rip her apart. Bullets or teeth, she was fated to die.
Dani clamped her jaw. Faced the water. God, if you’re there . . .
He wasn’t. Hadn’t been for the last six months. She was on her own. With renewed determination, Dani propelled herself the thirty meters across the lawn. Dogs and search lights giving chase. Toward the churning ocean. Toward the water beyond the cliff’s edge.
The terrifying, lightning-fast approach of the dogs thundered in her ears.
Don’t look back. Just go. Go faster.
Growling. Tearing grass.
Snapping jaws. She’d felt the brush of fur. But miraculously, the dog missed. She threw herself at the ledge. Pitched the raft over. Flung herself into the air.
Red-hot fire tore through her calf. “Augh!” Needling pain registered—the dog had caught her.
Dani kicked. Screamed as they plummeted. The beast released her, yowling as they dropped to the ocean.
In the split-second her foot stabbed the water, she spied the wood bobbing northeast of her position.
Icy liquid devoured her. Dani let the ocean take her down. Down. It’d be easy to just keep sinking. Never return to anyone or anything. Ultimate freedom.
But she couldn’t. Not until Bruzon was six feet under.

~ Review ~

This book is one of my all-time favourite books EVER! It’s intense, gritty, action-packed, and loaded with testosterone, and there’s something about the rawness of both Canyon and Dani that digs in and grabs hold of me every time I open its pages. It doesn’t matter that I know what’s coming; I get sucked in every. single. time. By their stories and their relationship.

Individually, Canyon and Dani have the kind of histories that would scar a person for life, but neither has the kind of temperament that allows that to defeat them. They get up and push on, despite life’s brutality. It’s this grit and determination that makes them both such compelling characters—the more so when their vulnerabilities are exposed and they stumble. But as Canyon’s brother wisely says: “We all make mistakes. It’s what we do after them that determines our character.” And, well, mistakes notwithstanding, I have so much love for these characters!

In fact, I love the whole Nightshade team. No one does elite warriors like Ronie Kendig, and she captures this team brilliantly in all its different shades (no pun intended!): the precision teamwork, the pressure-cooker of emotions, the to-the-death loyalty, the chest-beating, and the larrikinism! And then there’s the Metcalfe family. I have a feeling there are a few stories there waiting to be told!

If you love high-stakes suspense and strong, authentic characters, then Wolfsbane needs to be on your shelf.

~ Previous Books in the Series ~

Read my reviews for Nightshade and Digitalis

~ About the Author ~

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author of over twenty titles. She grew up an Army brat, and now she and her Army-veteran husband live a short train ride from New York City with their children and retired military working dog. Ronie’s degree in psychology has helped her pen novels of intense, raw characters.