Navy Seal Jonah Mills went missing in action over a year ago and was declared dead. Now he’s back and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and amnesia. He goes to live with his family (his wife and stepdaughter) who he can’t even remember. Only his wife doesn’t seem too thrilled to see him. And… it feels like someone’s watching him.

This book was interesting. While I was reading the first half, I really didn’t know what to think of it. I guess I had a hard time wrapping my head around the believability of how Jonah got so acquainted with the bible, and how the characters used scriptural words in everyday conversations. For example: “Phoebe, who had married a lawyer and begotten two handsome boys…” Tell me the last time you used begotten in a sentence outside of quoting scripture. Oh, yeah… never. I also really had a problem with Eden, Jonah’s wife. I understand her reservations about Jonah and his changed character—she needed to protect herself and her kid. But I felt like it was really obvious that he was a changed man. It seemed like she didn’t even try to give him the benefit of the doubt at all, and that’s not what he deserved from his wife, hasty marriage or not.

But once I got past all of that, I enjoyed this book. It was really thought provoking and interesting to be inside Jonah’s head as he learned that he didn’t used to be a good husband and father and how he wanted to change that. It also broke my heart that he was working so hard to be better for Eden and holding on to hope that he could change her mind. Jonah’s struggle with PTSD and trying to figure out if he’d lost his mind? Wow. As for the suspense, I saw it coming, but I still enjoyed reading it and am interested to see where things will go from here.

*Side note, while looking into the series, I made the discovery that the author, Rebecca Hartt, is a pen name for Marliss Melton who writes/wrote non-Christian romantic suspense. The Acts of Valor series is essentially a rewrite of her Navy SEAL Team Twelve series with Christian elements added in.