Standoff by Patricia Bradley brings a wide range of suspenseful, fast-paced, and unexpected situations to the reader, creating a great adventure of heartache, mystery, love, faith, and family.  From the first page, Standoff is suspenseful and mysterious. There is a murder and illegal activities going on. Standoff focuses in on Brooke Danvers, a strong independent woman working as a park ranger in the small town of Natchez, Mississippi, with plans on soon being sworn in as a law enforcing ranger. Brooke has a loving family and a wonderful life, but when questionable situations keep popping up in the small town of Natchez, Brooke is stumped. What is going on? Is there an undercurrent of illegal activities around the sleepy town of Natchez?  What can she do to figure out what is going on?

Brooke's family is personally devastated by a severe blow, the death of Brooke's beloved father. Although officials ruled her father's death a suicide, Brooke adamantly refuses to believe the official report and starts to investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding her father's death. Who could have murdered him? What could possibly have happened? What else is going on behind the scenes of this town? In her investigations Brooke runs into an old friend of hers, Luke Fereday, who has suddenly reappeared in town.  Although friends, Luke and Brooke had parted on tense terms, leaving Brooke heartbroken and lonely. Now when Luke comes back into her life, Brooke doesn't trust him and is suspicious of his motives for getting close to her.

Luke Fereday is an undercover agent sent to infiltrate the drug rings in the Nashville to Natchez area. His work is complicated, making his life and past appear more dark than it is in reality. He struggles to keep focused on his mission in the center of the drug ring after he discovers that his friend, John Danvers, is dead. As Brooke investigates her father's death, Luke soon discovers that Brooke is in danger. Whoever had killed her father is afraid that Brooke will figure out his or her identity. Luke struggles to protect Brooke while still helping her seek her father's killer, but is also pulled into the dangers and duties of his undercover work.  Will they figure out who is trying to kill them?  Can they protect each other? Can they find justice for John Danvers' killer?

This book was excellent! I have not had the opportunity to read much of Ms. Bradley's writings, but I found that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Standoff was full of action, suspense, mystery, completely unexpected plot twists, as well as the simple joys of family, faith, love, and community. I really related to the main character, Brooke and appreciated how Ms. Bradley portrayed her with strengths, flaws, hurts, joys, and all. I also really enjoyed the other protagonist, Luke Fereday with his strength, courage, adaptability, protectiveness, loyalty, and fierceness.  Not only did Standoff portray excellent characters, but the plot and themes were also extremely engaging and intense.  I would highly recommend this book and I hope that you have the chance to read it!

Disclaimer: Revell graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and part of an unbiased review.

"Standoff" is a romantic suspense novel. Luke has a dangerous job as an undercover park ranger trying to take down drug rings. Though he loves Brooke, he kept pushing her away toward a safer choice romantically. At the end, he suddenly asked her to marry him. It just seemed too fast to go from "this will never work because..." to "who cares; let's get married." I liked the main characters and could easily see them working together as undercover rangers as they worked very well together. He also supported her desire to investigate her father's murder and kept rescuing her from bad guys. But she went from frustrated that he didn't think she could take care of herself, angry at all the secrets, and swearing to never let him break her heart again to "yes, let's get married." I don't like romances where "insurmountable" problems aren't really worked through but suddenly don't seem to matter at the end.

However, the suspense was really good with this mystery. The author provided a number of suspects who might have motives and who could've done the murders so it was difficult to know which one it was or who could be trusted. The murderer attacked Brooke, Luke, and anyone else whom he thought might have a clue as to who he was. There were a few, brief references to God and going to church. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to suspense and mystery fans.

In Standoff we travel to Mississippi and have the opportunity to explore Natchez. The heroine works for the National Park Service and is ready to move from interpreter to law enforcement officer with the park service. Then her dad dies. She stumbles across a state senator who's been shot, and everything is falling a part. There are many twists in this book and the characters were engaging. I also felt like I was plopped into the heat and humidity of the deep south. I already can't wait to read book 2. Oh, and the hero? A fascinating character in his own right. This is a book that will be a great read for lovers of romantic suspense reads. The fact it's a vacation in a book only makes it better yet.

Drug trafficking. Secrets. Murder. And romance. Standoff delivers all this and more.

Brooke Danvers is excited to follow her father John’s career path as a law enforcement ranger, but before she can be sworn in, John is found dead. Suddenly her childhood crush Luke Fereday is back on the scene, staying next door to her at his grandmother’s house. Luke can’t tell her that he’s working undercover to infiltrate the local drug ring—or that he blames himself for not being there to provide backup for John.

When the official verdict on John’s death is suicide, Brooke and Luke band together to prove it wrong and find the killer. Luke, meanwhile, is walking a dangerous line with the leader of the drug ring.

Luke’s grandmother, Daisy, has been a mentor to Brooke for years. I like her gentle support when Brooke is struggling with her father’s death:

“You may never get that answer,” she said softly. “But it’s okay to ask God why.” [Kindle location 1210]

As well as grief, suspense, romance, and faith, the novel also touches on identity and trust. And while readers know who some of the drug villains are, the identity of John’s murderer is a mystery for which there are a number of suspects.

I always enjoy Patricia Bradley’s novels. The suspense is strong but not overpowering and the characters’ relationships and their faith make them feel like real people.

The town of Natchez, Mississippi, and the 444-mile-long Natchez Trace Parkway are real places. The official US National Park site says the Parkway “roughly follows the ‘Old Natchez Trace,’ a historic travel corridor.” And “parkway” doesn’t just mean “highway”—the road goes through park land where people can bicycle, camp, etc.

The setting is a key part of the novel, and it’s well-rendered without that annoying travel-brochure feel that some authors give to real-life settings in their fiction. Still I wish I’d looked it up online first to have a better understanding. I think the word “trace” threw me off, because I’d never heard it applied to a road before.

Standoff is book 1 in Patricia Bradley’s new Natchez Park Rangers series. For more about the author and her books, visit ptbradley.com.

[Review copy provided by the publisher via #NetGalley. My opinions are my own.]

Patricia Bradley is a new author to me but I can see how she could easily become a favorite. Standoff packs a punch from the first page to the last! There’s not much romance but there is some. I loved the setting. Natchez is a place we pretty much vacationed a lot when I was growing up. The story is a clean romantic suspense that you won’t want to miss. It’s full of mystery and intrigue and danger from the beginning. I would highly recommend it.

This is a inspirational romantic mystery. I liked the setting of Natchez Trace as I was not very familiar with that area. This book had lots of action but almost no romance at all. I enjoyed this book and all of the twist and turns

A drug deal gone bad is the basis for Patricia Bradley's newest novel Standoff. With plenty of action and a budding romance, Bradley grasps readers by the first chapter and doesn't let go until the climactic ending. The suspense is just right for fans of romantic suspense. The tension keeps escalating as the story progresses. The romance kept flittering between two main male characters until it reached its predictable ending. The story concept wasn't that original, but it didn't take away from me wanting to finish the story. Overall, Standoff by Patricia Bradley was an enjoyment for fans of romantic suspense. I think fans of her previous novels, Colleen Coble, or DiAnn Mills would enjoy this story.

I received a complimentary copy of Standoff by Patricia Bradley from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

Standoff was full of action, adventure, excitement and romance. It had me on edge up until the very end trying to solve different puzzles going on throughout the story. I would highly recommend this book!

Lots of suspense in this first book in her new series set in the South. Park rangers along with federal and local law enforcement band together to catch the drug dealers dealing along the Natchez Trace along the Mississippi River. This story had a lot of threads but kept me engaged with good writing and enjoyable characters. The only reason I gave it four stars is because I felt like the ending was too abrupt. There was so much story and then—boom! It was over. I felt that there should have been more. An enjoyable read.

If the goal of the first book in the series it to make sure that the reader can't help but want to come back for more... well, consider this one a success! Right from page one I found myself drawn in, and those final moments still kept me wanting more. Needless to say, the second book cannot get here soon enough!

So, what made it such an enjoyable read? First and foremost, I loved that it kept me on the edge of my seat. It was fast paced with a good deal of action thrown in. There were several times when the timeline was mentioned that I found myself amazed at just how much action had occurred within just a few short days. Unlike many stories, we were actually able to get glimpses into the bad guy's point of view... without ever having been told exactly who that was. We were giving plenty of clues... aimed in many different directions, so it was difficult to figure out exactly who it could be. As much as I enjoy the challenge of figuring everything out on my own, I really love books like this that keep me guessing. While I may have suspected who would eventually be revealed (and even figured out some of the other surprise reveals), there was enough suspicion thrown in various directions that I just never could be sure...

For me, the only thing that can make a good suspense even better is a bit of romance too. The relationship between Brooke and Luke was really enjoyable, albeit a little frustrating at points too. I enjoyed both of these characters, and their chemistry was undeniable. While certainly very much a part of the story, I feel like it did definitely take a backseat to the action so while romance lovers like myself will greatly appreciate it, I would think that even those who don't particular care for romance might find it doesn't take away from their enjoyment.

Overall, this was a great way to start a series. I cannot wait to see what the next book will bring...

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.

I was surprised, the summary on the book seemed like the story was going to be told from Luke Fereday's point of view. After reading, I feel like it had a duel point of view of both Brooke Danvers and Luke Fereday. Brooke is going through a lot. Starting a new job as a National Park Ranger Law Enforcement Agent. Her father is killed, an old flame (Fereday) arrives on the scene. She is exploring the possibility of a new love interest. Meanwhile, you find that Luke Fereday is undercover trying to help her find her father's killer and investigate some other activities. He's not sure he's the relationship type. A nice surprise in the plot (which I won't reveal) which added an additional twist to the ending. There actually wasn't a lot in the way of the 'christian fiction' part of the novel. There was a bit with Luke Fereday's aunt. Overall, great suspense/cop novel as well as a nice romance.

This book starts out with a young hacker. From there the suspense just keeps going on. There is a lot going on in this book that will keep you turning the pages. Brooke Danvers is a new park ranger and she is right in the middle of it because an event hits close to home for her. This book kept me interested coz I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. I had 2 people in mind as one of the bad guys, so it wasn’t a total surprise when he was revealed. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Wow - don’t expect to put this down before you finish it! The author has done a fabulous job of drawing you into the suspense with the first scene as the young hacker discovers information that absolutely terrifies him. Natchez Mississippi sounds like a lovely region, with plenty of places to explore and enjoy. Unfortunately it also has many off the beaten track areas where those with evil intent can flourish, a wonderful breeding ground for the drug cartel and a problem the Park Rangers are working hard to curtail. As a new law enforcement Ranger, Brooke Danvers seems to get caught in the middle of it all.

This page-turner has everything you want in an edge-of-your-seat book that you won’t want to put down until that last period. Even then the mystery, intrigue and suspense will follow you as you try to figure out how you could have missed it - all evidence of an incredibly well-written story. I highly recommend this book, but perhaps not something you should read at night, especially if you live alone.

I received an ARC through Baker Publishing Group and NetGalley. My impressions and comments were in no way solicited.

Patricia Bradley has a way to keep you in suspense until the last page of a book. The setting in Natchez Trace is a novel idea. The park rangers are not usually made the main character in books. The writing is well done, and the plotting has been worked as only Patricia Bradley can do.
Usually, I know who the villain is before the end of the book, but not with this one. As I read the book, it became evident I had no idea who the villain was until the end.
I loved this book. I loved the setting. The characters were well-written, and the suspense beyond words. At this moment, this is my favorite suspense novel. The romance was done well also.
Thanks, Patricia., for writing this wonderful book. I did not figure out who-did-it until the last chapter. That's why I read suspense.