Omg!! This book was awesome!! Wow what a heart pounding book! It has so much action, and suspense! A definite who done it!! I'm usually really good at that but I must say I only got some things correct! Lol definitely don't miss out on this book!! It's well worth the read! I can't wait for more! I wish it was the third book or more so I could go back and read some more lol I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

Standoff by Patricia Bradley

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Patricia Bradley introduces a new series based in the Natchez Parkway area that starts out a bit slow and confusing and finishes only slightly better.

I’ve read Patricia Bradley books for years and I’ve enjoyed most of them quite a lot. But this latest story just didn’t draw me in or make me want to finish. I was confused at the many threads that opened at the beginning of the book and felt like the most important of those threads didn’t tie together satisfactorily by the end of the book. The story begins with five different points of view for the killing of a Natchez National Park Ranger and a drug buy. Ranger John Danvers was investigating a tip about a drug buy that could involve someone he works with in the National Park Service. He’s a good cop who loves his job and his community and hopes to help stop the flow of drugs up the Trace from Mississippi to Tennessee. But confronting the one responsible leads to his death and sets in motion a chain of events that will end in either more death or the downfall of the cartel supplying the drugs. Brooke Danvers is devastated to learn her tough cop dad has died in the national forest he loved so well. She had been looking forward to learning more about the job since she’d recently finished her officer training and is about to be sworn in for duty. She has no answers but is not willing to accept the consensus that the other officers are claiming of suicide. Her dad would never consider taking his life, he loved his family too much to hurt them like that. Determined to find out what really happened, even if no one else will, Brooke sets out to find the case her dad was working when he died. The sudden appearance of her former best friend and first crush, Luke Fereday, makes Brooke suspicious when he asks all kinds of questions related to her father’s death. For a man claiming to be a bartender, he certainly knows how to ask the right questions and work an investigation. But Luke can’t tell anyone why he is back in Natchez or he risks someone blowing his carefully crafted cover. Luke is an undercover National Park investigator working with the FBI to track down and stop the drug runners using the Trace to transport their product. He’s so close to finally meeting the boss of the organization and putting him behind bars for good. Brooke’s suspicion of him is well founded but he can’t tell her the truth just yet or he’ll put her in danger as well. Soon, he will have to confide in her or everything he has worked so hard to put together will be exposed before the drug runners are caught. Working together, Brooke and Luke will seek to bring down the drug runners and also find out how John Danvers really died. There was a lot of really good material included in this story but the telling of the story was the problem. It just seemed to drag out unnecessarily from the beginning to the end of the story in what I would guess was an attempt to increase the tension. And the transition between the points of view in each chapter were a bit confusing at times. Keeping all the names of everyone straight was hard too as there were some people mentioned a lot that didn’t have a very distinct voice. Mostly, I just felt a little bored and unwilling to finish the story. In fact, I took a break and read another book in the middle of this one, something I only do if I cannot concentrate on a story. I will try reading the next book in the series and hope that it will be more engaging that this one proved to be. I will tell others about this book mainly as an good story but with a poor telling of that good material. Hope the next one is much better!

I received this temporary and complimentary E-book from Revell Publishing via NetGalley in order to write a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Buckle your seatbelts and get ready for a wild ride on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Brooke is getting ready to be sworn in as a park ranger LE. Luke is a ranger working undercover to expose a drug cartel that is moving heroin through the parkway. There is a secret character that is working for the cartel and dropping off drugs. He is caught on camera in action and is working to keep his identity a secret even if it means killing those that get in his way.
This was a great story full of action, suspense, and renewed friendships. And yes a little bit of romance too. The fact that I had traveled on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Miss. made it more interesting. It’s a beautiful place when it can be enjoyed fully. I kept trying to figure out who the secret character was but was surprised when I found out the truth. This was an excellent read by Patricia Bradley and I’m looking forward to book two.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher but was not required to write a review.

Standoff
by Patricia Bradley
Revell
You Like Them
Christian
Pub Date 05 May 2020 | Archive Date 05 Jun 2020

Thanks to Net Galley and Revell for the ARC of this book. We have a lot of readers of Christian fiction so they will be happy when I can recommend them to this book. Great read!

I loved this suspense novel, and look forward to more of this series!
I cracked open my book and began reading...and was immediately swept away to Natchez and the South. I've read and enjoyed all of Patricia Bradley's earlier books, and love her blend of suspense and romance. This book is a great new example of her writings.


Brooke Danvers, park ranger who is on her way to becoming a full-fledged Law Enforcement Officer, is the main character and is smack dab in the middle of the action.


She's an amazing detective and sleuth, and is always finding herself in the middle of danger.


Brooke is finding herself in a relationship with Jeremy, and she's not quite sure where to go with it. She'd be foolish to turn him down...


I'll have to admit, I wasn't quite sure where Ms. Bradley was going to go with the romance in this story. I knew what I was hoping for, but she kept me guessing for most of the book.


Luke Fereday is the other main character, and he's a long-time friend of Brooke. He's been out of her life for awhile, and now they are in the same neighborhood again, and trying to rekindle their friendship while solving the murders that keep happening.


There are enough secondary characters introduced to keep a reader guessing. Ms. Bradley is good at throwing little hints here and there, and I had a few suspicions, but honestly, I was kept guessing to the last few pages!


I liked the descriptions of the south, and could almost feel that heat and humidity pressing against me as I read...although that might also be due to the fact that I was reading this on a chilly day and wishing I could have been feeling it.


If you like suspense with a bit of romance, then you will not want to miss this one! I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying it's my favorite Patricia Bradley (after all...those Memphis Cold Case books of hers are really good!), but this was a really exciting mystery to solve!


Disclaimer: I receive complimentary books from various sources, including, publishers, publicists, authors, and/or NetGalley. I am not required to write a positive review, and have not received any compensation. The opinions shared here are my own entirely. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Patricia Bradley has become another of my favorite suspense authors. Packed with intrigue from start to finish, her books always keep me up reading late at night because I can't put them down.

Set in Natchez, Mississippi in one of the state parks, Brooke Danvers is a park ranger who is transferring from the interpretive division to the law enforcement division. But before she can even be sworn in, murders begin occurring in the park. Luke Fereday, Brooke's high school love, has returned to Natchez and unbeknownst to Brooke is working an undercover case that begins to intersect with the murders. She is currently engaged to Jeremy Steele, but there are two men after the same woman yet both keeping secrets.

Bradley did an excellent job of showing the extreme difficulty for officers who have to work in real life situations while at the same time playing an undercover role. She also put the suspense foremost and any romance played in the background. With plenty of red herrings, I wasn't sure until the very end who really was behind the drugs and murders; but I had a strong feeling about one character who ended up being involved. Lots of twists and turns kept this book flying from start to finish.

Brooke Danvers always wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. But days before she is sworn in as a park ranger, he is found dead. With so many bizarre connections along the Natchez Trace, Brooke must team up with her ex-boyfriend, Luke Fereday, who has been working undercover to bust a drug ring. Relying on faith and instincts (as they also struggle with their lingering feelings), Brooke and Luke are hurtled into the kind of danger Brooke's parents always warned her about. Bradley kicks off her Natchez Trace Park Rangers series with gripping plot twists and movie-like action. Readers will be eager for the next installment

Standoff by Patricia Bradley is book one of her new series, Natchez Trace Park Rangers. I’ve never read Patricia Bradley and thought this would be a good one to try because of the unusual setting, Natchez, Mississippi along the Natchez Trace National Parkway. I was also interested in the storyline due to the Park ranger aspect.

Sadly, this story just didn’t work for me. I had trouble keeping track of all of the characters. In my opinion, there were just too many. I was never able to really connect with Brooke. She was too bossy for me and she never really acted like a person who had just lost her dad. This really took me out of the story. I also felt like the way the story played out was too predictable.
That being said, there was some good action and the romance was satisfying.

I don't know a lot about park rangers but will look forward to learning more about them in this series. Their depth and scope goes a lot further than I had imagined...even into investigating deaths on park lands. When Brooke Danver's dad's death is ruled a suicide, Brooke knows there's more to the story. But as she looks into it, she keeps finding herself in trouble or danger. Bradley does a nice job of making you suspicious of everyone.

There's a great pace to the story. It's hard to put down. There are a couple big twists. Along with the suspense, there's a bit of romance and some deeper thoughts on what defines a person and what makes up a family.

I'm looking forward to reading more in this new series. Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

"You may never get that answer." she said softly. "But, it's okay to ask God why." Brooke struggles with losing her dad and the mystery around his death.

Lies, deception, murder, and a multilayer mystery kept me guessing what would happen next from this new series.

Standoff was an engaging read that kept me guessing at the characters and mysteries involved. There was a little confusion with POVs in the beginning and a few areas of the book, but that may be due to reading an ARC. I felt it impacted my sense of the story initially. However, it was an interesting mystery that kept me wondering what would happen next. Brooke’s heart for her dad and wanting to find his murderer made for a good crime-solving read. There were quite a few twists thrown in to keep me guessing. I enjoyed the love triangle between Brooke, her old flame, and her new boyfriend. It added a layer of who she would choose throughout the book. Also, I loved how much the characters grew through the story. There was a lot of deception that might have made for another great title for the book, too. Brooke is hit on many levels of deception and struggles with how to handle the truth, both personally and professionally. I was intrigued by how the author takes us through her struggles with deciphering truth from lies.

There was also a gripping spiritual component of dealing with identity and relationship struggles. She deals with who to trust when you don’t know who to trust…that God is always with us. “God knew all about you before you were born.” Gentle reminders of who we are in Christ were beautifully said. The author gave some good words of wisdom as well. “You can either let this define you, or it can simply be a bump in the road.”

This was a good start to the series. I look forward to where the author will go with it. If you like strong female and male characters that work in criminal justice, you will enjoy this book. There are illegal activities and controversial issues dealt with in the story, but overall I thought the author handled it well. Some may disagree, but I found it added to the story and is a topic not many are addressing in Christian fiction.

I received and ARC through NetGalley by the publisher. I have given my honest opinion in this review.

STANDOFF is book one in Ms. Bradley's explosive new series. Set in the deep south, it will leave you experiencing the heat in more ways than one.

There is a host of characters that is overwhelmingly confusing at first, but if you keep reading you should be able to sort them all out. There is also a host of characters that might be "who-dun-it" and that kept me guessing though I did narrow it down to two.

I really liked Brooke and Luke.

I enjoyed this new series and it wasn't overwhelmingly scary. I can't wait to read more about this team of park rangers. Recommended.

I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.

Be prepared to read until the wee hours! Brooke Danvers is a brave protagonist whose dad is found deadly shortly before she is sworn in as a ranger at Natchez Trace! Law enforcement rules his death was suicide but Brooke is determined to prove it was murder! Brooke's young love, Luke, who left to attend the naval academy but dropped out shows up after being gone for several years. Where has he been and is he really a bartender now? Jeremy comes from family money and is running for representative. Brooke would look good with him. Who runs Luke and Brooke off the road? Why does someone break into Brooke's house? Then Brooke learns John Danvers who she loved dearly was not her biological father! You will have lots of questions in this action packed suspense and will have trouble deciding who the murderer really is! I recommend Standoff to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense! I received a complimentary e-book from Revell Publishing and NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Standoff by author Patricia Bradley is set in Mississippi around the Natchez Trace Parkway. This is the first of a new series featuring the Natchez Trace Park Rangers. There are a number of different characters the reader becomes familiar with from the beginning.
Brandon is an accountant with an unfortunate talent. His hacking skills lead to information that has him asking for help from his dad. Soon Brandon is dead of a drug overdose!
Brooke Danvers is excitedly waiting for a ride-along with her park ranger father when she receives a message that he has been called away and he will see her the next day. Although she is disappointed, she accepts this as part of the job. Brooke is just a few days away from being sworn in as a new park ranger, on the parkway close to Natchez. Tragedy strikes Brooke's family which turns her world upside-down. I won't post spoilers, but the suspense and action will keep the reader looking for clues as to who is responsible for recent crimes on the parkway. Brooke also must decide whom to trust as her heart is leading her toward her future. Will it be Jeremy or Luke?
I appreciate a very good suspense story which is also faith-based I am looking forward to reading more of this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My first ever Bradley book and I very much enjoyed this book! I really wish that I could give it more than 5 stars. Her style of writing is astounding! I'm a fan for life.
Lot of action with twists and turns that will keep your interest throughout the book. The plot was awesome! I was holding my breath as each layer kept coming uncovered in this novel. I loved the tension, anxiety, fear all of those things wrapped up into one. The perfect indgrediants for a wonderful story. The author does a good job of keeping you guessing until the end on the person who did the dirty deed so to speak.
This is a clean read with Jesus mentioned as the Truth, way and the life throughout the book. It's not preachy not by any means. I thought she did really well in this regards.
My heart went out to Brooke when everything that was happening in Natchez Trace hit close to home.
I know it isn't easy to loose someone who is very close to you. No one deserves that.
I liked this story too because it offers second chances. I think everyone needs a second chance don't you? The Lord certainly does.
I really enjoyed my travels down south even though it was so hot I thought I was going to suffocate. No, really it's just my imagination running wild. I've never been to this place so I thank the author that I can travel without leaving the comfort of my home. Although I'd love to visit someday.
There are some subjects (marijuana) that might offend some readers but overall I thought the whole story was nicely done.
I highly recommend this story! Especially for Christian Suspense readers.
I received this book courtesy of Netgalley/Baker Publishing Group/Revell through Interviews & Reviews.

Although I haven't been a big Patricia Bradley fan in the past, her new book sounded really interesting. I decided to give her another try, and I’m so glad I did! The setting of Natchez Trace Parkway is unique, and the author did a great job providing details and making it feel realistic. The story also features a law enforcement agency I haven’t read about in the suspense genre - law enforcement park rangers.

The first few chapters introduce quite a few characters who were a little difficult for me to keep track of at first, but the story really came together as it moved along. Brooke and Luke are great main characters, and a great pairing! Brooke is a strong female lead, as her first case as an LE ranger pulls her into a vast conspiracy that puts her family in danger. There were so many potential bad guys involved, I was guessing right up until the end!

The story has a good balance of character development and action/suspense, as Brooke and Luke reconnect after years of not seeing each other and work together to bring down a major cartel player - and find out who killed her father. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I liked this latest romantic suspense from Bradley. It has nearly everything that makes a novel entertaining and engaging. I liked the main characters. Brooke is a great heroine. She has a strong foundation to her character, wanting to be law enforcement in the national parks system. She faces some big issues in this novel and handles them well. I liked Luke as a good hero. He has some issues from his past influencing his present life, especially in reestablishing a relationship with Brooke. It's a good thing his grandmother is in the picture to give him some wise advice.

I like the setting of the Parkway. I would have liked a little more information about it, such as when and why it became a national park. I would have liked more description too since it is a part of the country I've not seen.

The plot was good and all the parts worked together in the end. I did find it a little unbelievable that Luke moved around so freely with Brooke when he was working undercover. I liked the tension between Brooke and Luke and another potential suitor. The plot moves along well and there is a good dose of suspense, but only at the end.

Readers who like the Anna Pigeon novels from Nevada Barr will like this one. The styles are similar but Bradley definitely includes the Christian faith of the characters. I will be watching for the next in this series featuring Natchez Trace Park Rangers.

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

In the first book of a new series, Patricia Bradley sets the bar very high for her readers. Natchez, Ms a park ranger is murdered during an undercover operation to stop the flow of drugs through the National Park. The story centers on the ranger's daughter and her response to his death. As she investigates, she will come to depend on a former boyfriend who is also a ranger. STANDOFF is a very good suspense thriller that includes enough clues to keep you guessing while the characters become real enough to make you care.

I believe that I have read every book Patricia Bradley has written, and am always excited to read her newest releases. Standoff is the first book in her latest series revolving around Natchez Trace Park Rangers. It is classic Bradley with non-stop action, an abundance of suspects and red herrings, great dialogue, and endearing characters. This book's protagonist is torn in many directions: between past love and the possibility of new love, between the joy of beginning her dream job and the grief over her father's murder, and between trusting life-long friends and knowing that there is at least one among them who is a betrayer and possibly a murderer. I encourage fans of romantic suspense to join her as she searches for the truth.

I am grateful to have received a copy of Standoff from Revell via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.

“Standoff” was another great read by Patricia Bradley. Of course, I expected that! I have loved every one of Patricia Bradley’s books, and this one didn’t disappoint, either!

This book had some great characters. I loved Brooke and Luke and was routing for them to get together the whole way!

There was also lots of suspense and mystery, with a little romantic tension thrown in. I honestly didn’t know who the killer was until the end. I love books that are good, clean fiction with some twists along the way.

I definitely recommend this book!

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

Standoff is a fast-paced, suspenseful read from start to finish. Lots of twists and turns keep readers guessing until the very end.

Brooke Danvers is a new investigator with the National Park Rangers. Her father dies, but Brooke knows it wasn’t from suicide. She unwittingly teams up with her ex-boyfriend, Luke Fereday and the two deal with the investigation which includes drug smugglers, murders, car crashes, explosions and other surprising plot twists. There’s lots of action packed into this novel. At several points, I suspected everyone. The author is great at giving red herrings, and plenty of characters have dark secrets and potential motives for murder.

But even with the over-the-top action, the characters are well developed and likeable. Brooke and Luke struggle with unresolved feelings, but Luke’s hiding a pretty big secret from Brooke. Luke’s grandmother becomes the wise sage and dispenses wit and wisdom. Also, I liked the unique setting for the story set in small town Natchez, MS. Plus not many stories center around the National Park Rangers. The only drawback to the novel is that it ended rather quickly and I would have liked more.

Overall: 5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)
Suspense: 5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book from Revell Publishing and NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.