What you have to go through to clear your name

Blurb:

A DESPERATE FATHER

Only one thing matters to Caleb O'Malley: his daughter. Framed for his wife's murder, Caleb's only wish is to see his little girl. But Noelle Whitman, his daughter's foster mother, isn't buying his plea of innocence until bullets start flying and they're running for their lives. Staying one step ahead of the real killer proves nearly impossible, but former SWAT cop Caleb will risk everything to keep them safe. Because now there is nothing more important than Noelle and his daughter—not his freedom, not even his life.

SWAT: Top Cops—Love in the line of duty.

Review:

I am not against a Christian themed book (being a Christian myself) but there is a time and a place for it and this novel was not it.  I know some Christians pray at a drop of a hat but the ones included here did not read as sincere prayers and did nothing to the plot at all.  Other than the prayers there was no other mention that Noelle was a Christian apart from visiting church there does not seem to be much else religious about the way she runs her life.  These two elements do not a Christian make.

A flat novel with dim characters whose motivation lies flat.  If Noelle had had a terrible experience at the hands of a male before; she is way too trusting of this strange male (recently released from prison) that she does not know.  He is the same too.

The female lead is very mercurial (even at 8% of the book read) and is not a very likeable character.  The child is really annoying too.  The saving grace is Caleb and even he is a bit hollow.

There were elements that felt rushed such as Noelle’s previous experience and the first murder.  It would have made such a better story if we had more details of these incidents and then perhaps the reader could more readily identify with the characters.

The addition of prayers etc is not realistic and seems false.  The way he converts so easily also feels false.

I did keep going until the end just to find out who the killer was because it was sussed by the male hero.

A quick easy read with little thought required.  If you want more than a surface friendly read this book is not for you but ideal for a holiday.

Full Disclosure: ARC received from Netgalley for an honest review.

I rated this 2 stars on Netgalley and 'I was OK' on Amazon (3 stars) and Goodreads (2 stars).