Mistletoe and Malice

By Lori DeJong

Description:

After barely escaping an attempted abduction, Houston attorney Riley Hudson is forced to accept her wealthy father's demand for private security. The last thing she wants is a bodyguard—especially one as maddeningly arrogant, bossy … and handsome as Colton Blankenship. Yet as the threat against her escalates, she begins to rely not only on his skills, but his steadfast presence.

Colton isn’t thrilled about giving up his hard-earned holiday vacation to protect a spoiled heiress. But he soon learns Riley is nothing like he expected. Fierce, independent, and unwavering in her faith, she’s everything he thought he’d left behind after tragedy shattered his own beliefs. As the unknown threat circles closer, the tension between them ignites into something deeper ... and far more perilous.

When a second attempt on Riley’s life nearly succeeds, Colton faces a terrifying truth. Protecting her means risking more than just his life. Haunted by a past he can't outrun, and a faith he’s all but lost, he must decide if he can trust God again ... before he loses Riley—and his heart—for good.

Book Takeaway:

No matter what we may have been through, no matter how we might blame and distance ourselves from God, He's aways right there when we turn back to Him. He comes after us with His grace, love, and peace.

Why the author wrote this book:

I had an idea many years ago about a bodyguard story where a young woman has been targeted, but they don't know why and from whom. However, the last thing she wants is a bodyguard, and the last thing the bodyguard wants is to babysit a spoiled heiress. I wanted to show how misperceptions of others can affect the way we think, work, behave, etc. I also wanted to show she was a woman of strong faith and he was in a faith crisis after a personal loss. It took shape from there.