I received this book for free from a friend in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: a friend
Exit Strategy
by
Shirlee McCoy
romantic suspense in Paperback edition that was published by Love Inspired on June 2, 2015 and has 224 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Third in the Mission: Rescue romantic suspense series and revolving around a hostage rescue team. The couple focus is on Lark Porter and Cyrus Mitchell.
My Take
Phew…this was intense. A bad situation that needs to be put right. One that a very determined woman intends to fix.
Lark’s reactions felt true to her character — McCoy made me believe in her moral code and did a nice job in portraying her — even though part of me was annoyed with her. She was so amazingly naive and stubborn, and I wanted to smack her upside the head. Cyrus seemed pretty unreal with his incredible patience, coping with Lark’s intransigence.
McCoy kept it short by not going into any depth about the cult or its members. It didn’t really need it for the most part, as that particular trope about evil cult leaders held true. Unfortunately, McCoy kept it much too succinct in some areas — the truth about Eric comes to mind. And I’d love to know what Maria was thinking!
Over all, it was a good story with a cozy ending.
The Story
Lark has come to Amos Way to get justice for her beloved husband.
Elijah wants something her husband stole.
The Characters
Lark Porter is a fifth-grade schoolteacher these days. Joshua had been her husband. The man who returned to Amos Way to teach the children. Grateful for the opportunities Amos Way had given him.
Cyrus Mitchell, a.k.a., Louis Morgan, is part of HEART and owes Essex big time.
Hostage Rescue and Extraction Team (HEART) is…
…headed up by Chance Miller, and they specialize in rescuing hostages from difficult situations. Stella Silverstone; Jackson Miller; Logan Fitzgerald, a former Marine; and, Boone Anderson are part of the team.
Essex Randolph is a fellow teacher, married to Janet. They have four kids, Essex, Jr., Eleanor, Eliza, and Elliot.
Amos Way is…
…a religious compound in Pennsylvania where its members have come to escape the world of temptation and sin. Elijah Clayton is the religious leader. John McDermott, Joshua’s best friend, leads the compound’s security team. Grace is John’s wife.
Ethan is a member who…disappeared after questioning the disposition of the compound’s finances. Eric and Maria Porter were Joshua’s parents.
Sheriff Radley Johnson is the sheriff of River Fork, Elijah’s half-brother. Agnes Renee bakes cookies.
Megan Wallace was a client who didn’t make it back to her mother, Amber Wallace.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a muted landscape, looking down the hill to a small farmstead of red outbuildings tucked in against the autumn trees that surround it on three sides with half the cover devoted to a stormy looking sky. A narrow purple band across the top provides both publisher and genre while a brush stroke of deep red at the bottom provides background for the series title. The title itself is in white while the author’s name is in a soft yellow.
Not just one Exit Strategy in this book, but many. From Joshua’s original plan to Lark’s intention to Elijah’s own dreams.
