PUBLICATION DATE: July 1, 2011

he deal was simple—to keep his freedom he had to bury the past.  He had to agree to never speak of what happened at Tres Kurces again.  However, not talking about it didn’t keep it from haunting discharged Special Op Captain Canyon Metcalfe.  What happens to a soldier when they’re no longer allowed to serve?  For Canyon, it was a long decline riddled with regret and an attempted suicide, but ended with the offer for a second chance as a soldier in the elite covert team, Nightshade.

Danielle Roark, daughter of a powerful senator, had been held prisoner for six months by a Venezuelan general.  During her captivity the general had repeatedly raped, tortured, and beaten her.  After escaping and making her way to America she thought she would be safe.  Instead she found herself facing charges of treason and a potential death sentence.  When Canyon heard her story at a Congressional Hearing, he was immediately drawn to her, but one person stood between them—his brother Range.  With Nightshade called to escort her back to Venezuela to get the proof Dani needs to clear her name, will Canyon be able to set aside his feelings to focus on the mission and bring her home safely?  In a fast-paced, no time to breath thriller, Wolfsbane is simply awesome!

I detest the love at first sight (or anything close to it) storyline.  I don’t buy into that brand of romance and it is over used in fiction.  This book wasn’t a total love at first sight, but it was close enough that it should have irritated me.  So while I was reading, I kept asking myself, why is Wolfsbane working for me?  I should be rolling my eyes and endlessly ranting to my poor husband about the absurdity of their ‘love’.  Instead I was so wrapped up in the characters, their actions, reactions, hurts, and emotions that I didn’t have a reason to be annoyed at their rapidly developed romance.  Never thought it possible, but I guess I can at least buy the almost love at first sight storyline.

Where to start?  The pacing is fantastic.  Not since Robert Liparulo’s Deadfall have I read a book where the breaks in action were necessary and so perfectly timed.  It’s this sustained suspense that helped the romance work, since the romance offered the need moments to relax and regroup with the characters.  Additionally,Wolfsbane had more conflict, combat sequences, and action than the previous two books in the series which enhanced the suspense while establishing an uneasy undercurrent.  In between tense situations, Canyon’s backstory was filled in adding a wonderful level of mystery. A smooth integration of his background into the main story eventually connected the past to the present providing a nice cohesive story that completely held my attention.

I only thought I enjoyed Max and Colton’s characters, but they are nothing compared to Canyon.  The depth of his story and the incredible emotions in his tortured mind made me cry.  I love the flawed, broken hero and Canyon was all those things, but he also had courage and the strength to not wallow in failure.  He had just the right balance of honor, humility, and confidence to make this book work.  Canyon wasn’t alone in this story though.  Dani’s character was equally strong.  With only a couple of exceptions, her decisions and actions felt right.  She was a fighter, but she had reasonable limits; she was strong, but not obnoxious.  She complimented Canyon and together they made for an absolutely dynamic couple.

Kendig took a brave step in this book and discussed topics that might be a little uncomfortable for some readers.  It would be nice if more Christian fiction authors openly addressed pre-marital sex.  After all, it is an issue for Christians and ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.  Kendig smoothly guided her characters through their decisions and provided right on target dialog exchanges regarding God’s admonition against sex outside of marriage.  I appreciate her willingness to tackle this topic in a sensitive, yet open manner.

In this book loaded with action, great characters, and high emotion, God is not forgotten.  From His plans for an individual’s life to His amazing forgiveness, there are several gentle reminders of God’s presence in the midst of the storm.

I’ve only scratch the surface of this book, but it is time to wrap up.  I have enjoyed the Discarded Heroes Seriesand I am going to be sad to see it end when Firethorn is released in January 2012.  This series has excelled in reminding the reader of many fundamental spiritual truths while providing hours of fast-paced entertainment.  Most of all it has highlighted the soldiers who have left the battlefield, but are still haunted by the war.  For those that can handle emotion, passion, and raw intensity, this is a fantastic series and one I highly recommend.