Book Review: Honor Bound by Hallee Bridgeman

It may seem odd to seek peace by moving to a war-torn African country, but for medical missionary Dr. Cynthia Myers, it provided a way to escape a shallow life of unearned wealth, a philandering fiancé, and a father now square in the public eye as vice president of the United States. At least here she knows her work and life have meaning. But all that is thrown into chaos when she fails to save the life of a local warlord's mortally wounded son.

As part of the Army Special Forces "A-Team" on a mission to capture and subdue the warlord, Captain Rick Norton is compelled to use deadly force to save Cynthia's life. Enraged at the violence she witnessed and riddled with guilt that men died because of her, Cynthia tries to hold on to her anger--but an unwanted attraction is taking hold.

With two members of his team badly injured and rebels in hot pursuit, Rick will have to draw upon all his strength and cunning to get her out alive . . . because he's beginning to think they just might overcome their differences and be able to make a life together.

Series: Love and Honor, book #1

My rating:

I have just one question. 

WHERE'S THE BEEF?!

(If you didn't read that in an old lady voice, you obviously haven't been cultured.)

Honor Bound started out great. A little stilted for my personal taste, but it's military suspense, soooo of course I definitely went in planning to give this puppy the benefit of the doubt.

The first third or so of the book took place in an African jungle, and while I cannot abide humidity and mosquitos, the fact remains that I was transported there and could practically feel the sweat dripping off my forehead. 

Unfortunately, that's pretty much all of the good I can think of to say. *grimaces* like I said, I went into this book with an open mind, excited to read military fiction, but the delivery was just...not there. What disappointed me the most, though, was that while the book is labeled as romantic suspense, it was definitely more like a military romance with a little suspense sprinkled in.

There was a lot of telling instead of showing - which I know is hard not to do, but it was throughout the whole book, unfortunately. Instead of seeing body language tell its own story, I was told the characters' feelings, which really pulled me from the story.

Aaand that gets me to the lovey-dovey part of the story. The novel is categorized as romantic suspense, so I knew going into it that I should expect just that - romantic suspense. The romance was about how I expected. The suspense, however, was...very disappointing. Even though there were suspenseful parts, it didn't have me on the edge of my seat. In fact, the only reason I got the book read within four days was the fact that I had the time and I was determined to get it read - not because it kept me hooked. After that first portion of the book, and then one sequence a couple of chapters later, the suspense was over and it was simply a romance.

It was your generic romance, with all of the she's-out-of-my-league and he-makes-me-feel-like-a-person drama, with of course the little twists and turns unique to the story. But there was something nagging at the back of my mind that I couldn't quite place...until I realized that this book could be about any character.

The characters themselves were...flat. I didn't feel particularly connected to any of them, and I couldn't especially relate to them.

Rick Norton could've been named Jerry Kramer and it wouldn't have mattered, because the book wasn't character driven; it was plot driven. There were no character arcs, no growth, no overarching theme. The only conflict in the book was the fact that he's a Green Beret, and she's a pacifist. And that just felt like unnecessary baggage that drove me up a wall.

And for my final point, the message of the story.

There was none.

All the characters are Christians, and that bugged me. I know it can happen, but it just felt forced, like they're Christians so that the book can be labeled Christian fiction. The characters talked about God, but it was more like He was a vending machine, y'know? Instead of including Him in everything and following His lead, they prayed when they needed help, talked about His goodness when their life was good, and thanked Him when the decisions they made (because they wanted things and not because He told them to) worked out.

This really felt like a squeaky-clean book about Christians. Not a faith-based book about believers. So...two stars. *sigh* which is disappointing, because I was really looking forward to this one (and, I mean, that COVER *heart eyes*)

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for promotional purposes. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.