Book Review: True Devotion

Today's book review is of a book by Dee Henderson called True Devotion. This is the first book in a series called Uncommon Heroes which follows the stories of various military men and women.

So what is this particular military novel about?

Kelly Jacobs has already paid the ultimate price of loving a warrior; she has the folded flag and grateful thanks of a nation to prove it. Navy SEAL Joe "Bear" Baker can't ask her to accept that risk again--even though he loves her. But the man responsible for her husband's death is back; closer than either of them realize. Kelly is in danger, and Joe may not get there in time.

First impressions? I liked it.

As with every Dee Henderson novel I have read, the characters leap off of the page in a vibrant way that I've rarely seen before. They are all very real, relatable, likable people.

Another of Dee Henderson's strengths is how she effortlessly and tactfully weaves the characters' faith throughout the story. Every one of her novels has demonstrated this, and True Devotion was no different. Each of her characters goes through their own journey, fighting questions about resurrection, trust, mercy, and various other inquiries about God that have them struggling. Each character goes through their own spiritual transformation throughout their respective books, and it's quite fascinating to read. It also makes her readers ask questions in their own lives and develop a deeper understanding of Jesus.

Dee Henderson's ability to tug the reader along on a suspenseful journey trying to uncover the truth before time runs out didn't falter on this novel. She is incredibly talented in that regard. I will say this though; this first of her military novels was not nearly as suspenseful or page-turning as all the crime novels of hers that I have read. Had I read this one first, I might have enjoyed it more, but because I'd read the "I can't put this down" crime novels first, I was a little disappointed by this one. Not enough that I didn't enjoy it immensely, but enough that I could definitely tell which novels I enjoyed more. This story focused more on the love-story than the previous books of hers that I have read, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, I don't read Dee Henderson for a purely Romance novel, I read them because they're Romantic Suspense, and her mysteries are killer. That probably also added to my slight disappointment in this book as a whole. It was more Romance than Suspense. But again, that's a purely personal preference.

Would I read this book again? Absolutely. I really did enjoy it quite a lot.

Would I recommend this book to others? 100% YES. It's Dee Henderson. You can't go wrong with a Dee Henderson novel (even if it isn't my favorite).