Collateral Damage: (Action-Packed Military Fiction with Romance and Suspense) (Danger Never Sleeps)

*STORY | In the aftermath of her service as an Army physiatrist, Brooke Adams is looking to her honorable discharge to help her heal. Working in a small practice stateside, she hopes part of that process will be to help others, and in the process, to help herself, but to do this her one stipulation is that she not see any active or former military personal as patients.

Asher James has his own set of issues to cope with. The fact that his brother doesn’t support him compounds the issue, which is what prompts him to seek out Brooke, a woman he admired when he met her on occasion when stationed together. But as they both hope to let their guards down, danger again finds them, and it soon becomes a race against time to stop a secretive operation from hurting more innocents.

REVIEW | It’s been more than a little while since I read one of Eason’s novels. Probably the last I read by her was likely "Moving Target," a fast-paced thriller that is part of a series about a team of all female bodyguards. (And yes, it’s good.) Now, these many years later I return to her novels to discover Collateral Damage, the first under the ‘Danger Never Sleeps’ series title.

The book is, as is usual of the genre, a fast-moving story that doesn’t let time grow. We have an already established acquaintance, if nothing else, between the leads, and we meet several characters in rapid succession. Characters that, as it would happen, will be important in subsequent novels. The thriller aspect is interesting and touches on a more human angle than some of its peers, asking, does the facilitator have fear enough to justify anything they do? The answer as a human being is no, but it makes for an interesting line of thought.

Fans of Eason will enjoy "Collateral Damage." It’s a solid novel with some exciting page-turning elements, and noble characters we desperately want to see find their happy and healthy end.

This book throws the reader into an intense and dangerous situation right away! Even from the first chapter my suspicions were on overload and I was trying to piece together what was going on beneath the surface.

This book was a little hard to keep up with at times. There were a lot of characters, a lot of different locations, and keeping them all straight made my brain hurt a little bit. I wanted more character development and more romance. I felt as though the only things that were focused on about these characters were PTSD related, and I wanted to know them beyond those issues.

The actual crime or mystery part of the plot was really detailed and had elements that surprised me. I pretty much had pegged the villain early on in the book. Perhaps the author meant it to be somewhat obvious. There was enough danger to keep me on my toes and it was a tense conclusion. All in all it wasn’t my favorite suspense novel from this author, but it was an entertaining read and I enjoyed it for the most part.

*I was given a copy of this book from the Publisher, however I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

“She’d thought she left the killing and the dying thousands of miles away in a country she did her best to forget existed.”

As I’ve mentioned before, mystery and suspense novels have long been favorites of mine, but I usually read these genres within the Christian literary canon, and the majority of the fiction works I have the opportunity to review fall into the romance category. I am always thrilled to discover another Christian suspense author, and Lynette Eason fits the bill. “Collateral Damage” is classified as romantic suspense, and I feel that Eason achieved the desired balance to keep readers turning pages as they appreciate the romantic angle. She also skillfully handles the multiple plotlines as they converge throughout the narrative, making each distinctive without overwhelming readers. The crime scene investigation and forensic details drew me into the story the most; the novel’s opening chapters, focusing on the American military in Afghanistan, admittedly were over my head, and I struggled with understanding the various vehicles and weapons being described, but after those initial scenes events became clearer.

Besides enjoying the storyline of “Collateral Damage”, I also appreciated the extent of social detail that Eason offers. The mostly inferior role of women in the Middle East comes through in several scenes and marks a startling contrast with what we expect in the United States. This was the first time that I have heard of a combat photographer, whose work in this story precipitates the action surrounding former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams and former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James. One of the most interesting parts of this book, in my opinion, is the variety of roles within the military and how they work together both on duty and after discharge. Because of a dying soldier’s final request and the photos taken in the aftermath of a targeted explosion, Brooke finds herself in mortal peril with much more to deal with than just processing her own trauma. As such, the author also realistically and respectfully presents post-traumatic stress disorder and how it manifests in military personnel. For instance, a ceiling fan may trigger an episode because of its resemblance to a helicopter. Reading this novel increased my respect for our military even more. Most importantly, the faith element reminds Brooke, along with readers, that God is our ultimate strong tower and that He goes before us, always protecting, guiding, and loving us.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All opinions are my own.

As someone who loves to read Christian mystery/fiction books, I was excited at the opportunity to read Lynette Eason’s newest book, Collateral Damage, the first book in the Danger Never Sleeps series.

Collateral Damage starts off at an army base in Afghanistan where the men are preparing to arrest a fellow soldier, Isaiah Michaels who is suspected of being a traitor and selling information to the jihadists. Sergeant Asher James doesn’t believe the allegations because it doesn’t square with the man he knows. But he has been charged with leading the operation as two MARP vehicles set out to Kabul to arrest Specialist Michaels who has been spotted at a bar. Military psychologist, Brooke Adams is looking forward to heading home in three weeks. She’s meeting some friends at The Bistro in Kabal. When Specialist Michaels tries to catch her eye, Brooke does her best to tune him out and focus on her friends who have become like family so far away from home.

What happens next is just the beginning of an action-packed story filled with suspense and lots of twists and turns. What information did Isaiah Michaels find? Did he betray his country? What accounts for the large increase of adoptions at Morning Star Orphanage over the last year? How does it all fit together?

I found myself invested in this story because I liked the main characters and I wanted to get to the bottom of the mysteries. I appreciate that the story did not have filthy language or sexual immorality. The Christian faith was a part of the storyline and the two main character behavior and choices were influenced by their faith.

I did struggle with the first chapter because it was long and it introduced at least fourteen characters in a very fast-paced story. After that chapter, the pace and number of characters slowed down. I think it would have been better to break it up into two chapters. I did figure out who the bad guy was but that didn’t take away from enjoying the book. I was interested to find out his motivation.

Collateral Damage is the first novel I’ve read by Lynette Eason and I really liked it. The best part of the book for me was the engaging likable characters. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.

If you like suspense and action with likable characters, read Lynette Eason’s newest book Collateral Damage.

I would like to thank Revell Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Collateral Damage by Lynette Eason. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book to read but was not required to give a favorable review.

** “Well, that wasn’t God’s original plan when he created mankind. Once man sinned, things all of a sudden were out of sync with a perfect God. As a result, things started going very wrong.” **

Lynette Eason yet again delivers another heart-pounding, action-packed story with “Collateral Damage,” a story about worth and purpose.

Asher James and Brooke Adams are both learning how to re-enter civilian life after a traumatic experience while serving in the Middle East. When Asher seeks out Brooke’s services as a psychiatrist, he never imagines it will lead him down a path filled with murder, attempted murder, chases and betrayal.

As they work together to determine who is trying to kill Brooke and why, they get pulled into several other horrific events, including a mass grave and questionable activities at an orphanage in Kabul.

Eason always does an incredible job of creating a plot that keeps the reader guessing, filled with twists and turns as well as deeply relatable characters. Both Brooke and Asher must come to terms with overcoming post traumatic stress and once again learn to trust in their own abilities and capabilities.

“Collateral Damage” is not just an incredible romantic thriller, though. Eason fills it with lots of great themes, like loyalty; overcoming trauma; dealing with blame and guilt; and the impact of sin taking us out of sync with God.

The major theme of the book deals with finding our worth and purpose, and reminds us that we are all created for a purpose and we all have worth. No one should decide another’s worth.

This book also deals with a major global issue, which I will leave unnamed, and it will shock the reader to find out what the title’s implied “collateral damage” is.

Eason has delivered another great book, and I can’t wait to read the second novel in this “Danger Never Sleeps” series.

Five stars out of five.

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.

3.5 stars

"They were just collateral damage in a stupid war . . . "

Following a traumatic incident in Kabul, Afghanistan, military psychiatrist Brooke Adams and Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James both return to civilian life. Unfortunately, they left behind more questions than answers, for the one person who could have answered most of them didn't survive a brazen act of terrorism. Brooke came home with a keepsake bracelet for a grief-stricken wife and Asher came home to sleepless nights. However, when their paths cross again, it appears that another battle is going to be fought on their home turf; the release of evocative photographs from a bombing scene aftermath, sets off a puzzling series of attempts on Brooke's life.

As Brooke and Asher find themselves swept up in all the things that they don't understand, they become more than grateful for the unique support they are able to give each other; if the two former soldiers could pause long enough to examine those feelings, they might even classify them as attraction. But until they discover how the events that they left behind on the battlefield are generating their current circumstances, there's no time to spare, for "danger never sleeps".

"Collateral Damage" proves to be both a fascinating and mildly complicated suspense; displaying the author's ability to position the past and present, the near and far, the known and unknown just outside the reach of her readers and characters; using every page to inch towards a climax that no one could have possibly foreseen.

I received a copy of this book from Baker Publishing through Interviews and Reviews. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.

I love that these books are stand-alone even though they are part of a series. This book has some similarity to the others in terms of basic genre tropes, but it also maintains it's individuality and does not read like a copy of the others in the series. Lynette met my expectations once again. Fantastic book!

Award-winning author Lynette Eason kicks off her new inspirational series, filled with complex characters, suspenseful plot twists, and a clean romance.

In Collateral Damage, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams is recovering at home after being seriously injured in a bombing in Afghanistan. When former Army Special Ops Sergeant Asher James comes to her office in South Carolina to get help for his PSTD nightmares, Asher interrupts an assailant in Brooke’s office. After taking her home, they encounter another one there. Why is she being targeted? Can they discover who is behind the attacks before it is too late? When clues start to point to people they know, how far will those people go to keep the truth buried?

Eason creates a fast-paced story filled with an ensemble of realistic characters, and a story filled with plot twists set in the US and military outposts. Faith elements are present, as is a clean romance; neither overpowers the storyline.

The reader is introduced to several women who spent time together in Afghanistan; each with different professions, but each with a strong sense of calling to them. Their shared experiences build strong bonds of friendship even after their tour of duty is over. This book shows PSTD affects more than just the soldier - Brooke suffers from it, as does others who spent time in that environment.

Recommended for adult collections and fans of military romantic suspense, especially fans of Ronie Kendig, Susan May Warren, and Dani Pettrey. Watch for book 2, Acceptable Risk, in August 2020.

Disclaimer: Book reviews are my honest opinion of books I either purchased or received free of cost from the publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write reviews, nor to even post positive reviews.

I could not put this book down. The twists and turns kept me going from the first page to the last and I can't wait for the 2nd book to come out. The waiting is hard! I really enjoyed this book.

Whoa! What a ride. Lynette Eason has written an awesome book. From the very first page it is nail biting suspense and danger. I loved the look at the military operations and appreciated getting to understand more about PTSD. The two main characters are both lovable and I loved the romance element between the two. It was slower happening instead of jumping into it in the first part of the book. It happened slowly as they tried to dodge a killer. I really like Lynette’s writing style and I enjoyed this book immensely.