*I received a copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my review. This review is voluntary.*

While, I’ll admit the stunning covers for this series are what first drew me in, I am so impressed by literally everything about this book! The plot, characters, attention to detail, this book has it all and I really loved the suspense and thrilling twists in this one!

I loved getting to meet Erin and Nathan, and I can’t wait to continue this series in the next book! Heart-racing action and nonstop, heart-pounding excitement! I loved all the surprises and even getting to see some of the more emotional and personal struggles these characters face. I loved how the pace was smooth throughout without any lack of detail or development. The characters were realistic and complex, and their story would make an amazing movie!

Erin Goddard is a new author to me, but I can see plenty of her books on my selves in the future! I may have even found a new favorite among the Christian Romantic Suspense genre, and she is definitely a much watch author this latest in her new series!

Erin Larson returns to Montana to care for her mother, hosting a true crime podcast and trying to forget the past, until it comes knocking in the form of her ex, Nathan Campbell.

An action packed read, with big twists, turns and reveals, culminating into an explosive ending. It took a little to start to put together the pieces, but I really liked Erin and Nathan. Nathan courageous and quick thinking under pressure, he is so supportive of Erin and understanding throughout. There are a lot of threads to the story and it was crazy seeing them all come together.

I really liked Erin's mom, and how she has a strong support system and good friends at church. Erin has lived through a lot, carrying a large burden.

Overall, this was a thrilling read with excellent characters, strong faith, and a riveting plot. It did take a little for the pieces to fall together, but as it comes together the tension builds to a crescendo and you won't want to miss this one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Erin Lawson, a criminal psychologist, hosts a podcast having to do with cold cases. Returning home to look after her mother, she crosses paths with Detective Nathan Campbell , the man she walked out on years ago. Their lives are far from boring. It rapidly becomes evident that both their lives are in danger and the reason is shocking.

Skillfully written, the narrative is packed with action, danger and suspense. The well plotted, fast- moving story keeps readers engaged from the very beginning. Shocking secrets are revealed as the story races towards its conclusion.

For those who love a story with twists and turns and high tension, Deadly Target is the book to read. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Deadly Target
by Elizabeth Goddard
Pub Dat: November 2, 2021
Revell
Rocky Mountain courage #2

Criminal psychologist Erin Larson's dreams of a successful career come to a screeching halt when she nearly loses her own life in a boating accident on Puget Sound and then learns that her mother tried to commit suicide. She leaves her job as a criminal psychologist to care for her mother in Montana. At least she is able to produce her podcast, which focuses on solving missing persons' cold cases.
I loved this book and stayed up a few nights too late... just so I could finish the book.
Thanks to Revell and NetGalley for the ARC. I will be recommending it.

4 stars

Wow, from the start this book had danger and action and so much going on. I love cold case stories, so it was definitely very intriguing to follow the clues to gather the evidence along with Nathan and Erin.

She fought the whimpers that tried to escape. These were truly her last moments on this earth.

There was a lot if twists and turns - some I saw coming, some surprised me and one big twist which totally took me by surprise and had me think- that came out of nowhere!

There was a great balance between solving the mystery, escaping danger and sorting out emotional baggage from the past.

This is a newly discovered author for me, but definitely one I added to my must read list.

Even though this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone.

Oh. My. Gosh!
Deadly Target is the second book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series and it is a doozy! It tells the story of Erin, who has lived with a terrible secret for most of her life. But for Erin to find absolution for a perceived wrong, she must dig to discover the truth of what happened that night so long ago.
This novel also tells the story of Nathan, who has been in love with Erin for years. As Erin and Nathan search for answers to the evil surrounding them, they must learn to trust each other because the stakes are high, and one wrong move could prove fatal.
Elizabeth Goddard has woven an intricate tale featuring rich characterizations, an intriguing plot and the skill to turn out an excellent novel that will have the reader glued to the pages as the story unfolds. Through twists and turns, Elizabeth Goddard leads her readers to an exciting conclusion. There is no profanity, no bedroom scenes, proving that an author can write clean inspirational romantic suspense, worthy of the highest accolades. 5 stars!

5 stars

Gosh--this book kept me up at night riveted to the story. I can not wait for the next book. This book was the perfect book after a couple of books that were not my style.

The characters of Erin and Nathan were amazing. I almost felt bad for them by the end of the story with all of the awful things that were happening around them.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave in the name of protecting our loved ones. At least, the characters in Deadly Target by Elizabeth Goddard find themselves in quite the web of intrigue for this second book of her Rocky Mountain Courage series. With a flash and a crash, we are introduced to Dr. Erin Larson. A criminal psychologist with an anonymous true crime cold case podcast, Erin is far enough removed from her subjects that she can’t imagine why anyone would target her, so the attack must have targeted her friend. But when the body count starts rising and Erin is repeatedly involved, things start to become increasingly clear that she is a common denominator. With former flame, Nathan Campbell, thrust into the fray alongside her, Erin finds that her life isn’t the only thing at stake. Staying alive long enough to identify her attacker and find a way forward with Nathan keep Erin and the plot of Deadly Target in motion until the very last thread is untangled.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Deadly Target by Elizabeth Goddard is the second book in the Rocky Mountain Courage series and a definite must read if you love inspiration suspense with a little romance.
Criminal psychologist Erin Larson has to put the brakes on her successful career when she and a friend almost die in a freak boating accident and her ex Nathan Campbell calls her from home after her mother tries to commit suicide.
Nathan Campbell is glad Erin is home and able to help him investigate the case his father was working on when he was shot, but so far they have more questions than answers and their lives are in danger every time they seem to be getting just a little too close.
I loved this book and look forward to reading more books in this series.

I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.

Deadly Target
Rocky Mountain Courage #2
By Elizabeth Goddard

Erin Larson has been running from her past and from her future. She's carried a secret for most of her life a secret that has controlled everything. In her spare time she revisits cold case through a podcast - hoping to bring justice to those who have received none and to bring answers and closure to their family and friends.

When Erin receives word that her mother tried to end her own life she wonders how she, a criminal psychologist, could have missed the warning signs. Leaving her life in Washington state behind for the foreseeable future she returns home to Montana to care for her mother. But returning home means she'll have to face Nathan Campbell at some point.

Nathan always thought Erin was the one for him, until she broke his heart and fled to the Pacific Northwest. Spending time with her is the last thing he wants to do, but he needs her help. Someone tried to kill his father and Nathan needs her expertise to get answers to questions.

But soon Erin and Nathan's search for answers puts them directly in the line of fire. The only question is why? Is it something from the past? Their current investigation? Or Erin's search into the past? With few clues to go on they'll need to move quickly if they hope to stay ahead of the danger and get the answers they seek.

Deadly Target is the second book in Elizabeth Goddard's Rocky Mountain Courage series. If you haven't read book one you really should just to get some background info on some of the other characters, but you can easily read this book without that previous knowledge.

Looking for fast-paced heart-pounding excitement but without the graphic violence or over-the-top-language? Like a touch of romance in your suspense? Second-chances? Well this book has all that and more to keep your attention glued to the pages from beginning to end. Those familiar with Elizabeth Goddard's work will have no disappointments with this newest book.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion - all thoughts expressed are my own.

I have only read one other book by Elizabeth and I don’t know why. I didn’t even mean to request this book but I did and I have to say I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this read.

If you are a fan of Lynnette Eason or Patricia Bradley you will definitely enjoy this book.

There are so many twists and turns and surprises in this book there is never a dull moment. It seemed there were two different mysteries taking place, but were there? Are they connected? I guess you’ll have to read the book to find out.

I highly recommend this read.

A copy of this book was given to me by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Deadly Target kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and it was almost impossible to put down! I loved all the plot twists and to be honest, the end was a complete surprise to me (on most mystery/suspense books, I can guess the ending, but this one kept me guessing!!). One of the parts that stood out to me was finding out why Erin did her "Missing Children" podcast. I couldn't believe that she had been carrying around this super heavy burden (and why she wouldn't get close to anyone) for so many years! As with all of Elizabeth Goodard's previous books, the characters were amazing and this is definitely a book I would read over and over and I would recommend it to anyone. I will also say that even though it's part of a series, it can be read as a standalone as well. Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars! ***** Special thanks to Elizabeth Goodard, Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book - all opinions are my own.

In Deadly Target, book two of the Rocky Mountain Courage Series, author Elizabeth Goddard transports the reader to Big Rapids, Montana for an intriguing Romantic Suspense story that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.

Erin Larson is a criminal psychologist with the State of Washington. When she and friend Carissa Edwards are in a boating accident while kayaking in Pugent Sound, it looks more like they were targeted rather than an accident. At the same time, Erin receives a call that her mother Celia has attempted suicide back home in Big Rapids, Montana. Erin takes a leave from her job and heads back home to Montana to take care of her mom, while also hosting her cold case podcast.

Grayback County Sheriff Department Detective Nathan Campbell is Erin's ex-boyfriend, and was the one to call her about her mom. Nathan's dad, Newt Campbell has unexpectedly come to Montana after not seeing each other in seven years. Nathan's parents divorced twenty-two years ago, and he moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he joined the police department, and is currently a detective in the neighboring town of Gifford. Newt had been investigating a murder case and thinks there is a connection to a cold case that Erin's deceased step-father had asked him to look into, but his boss has shut down his investigation, so he took time off to go to Montana and do his own investigation.

While fishing with Nathan, Newt starts to tell him about the cases, only to be shot in the head. Nathan and Erin team up to continue Newt's investigations while he recovers, but when more incidents occur putting them in danger, they realize that they are also being targeted, and that maybe there is a connection between Erin's Seattle boat accident, the Boston murder case, and the Montana cold case. Nathan and Erin are determined to find out who is targeting them, get the truth, and crack these cases once and for all.

Author Elizabeth Goddard weaves a fast-paced and suspenseful tale written in the third person alternating narrative that follows Erin Larson and Nathan Campbell as they team up to investigate and solve the cases that Nathan's father had begun, before they become the next deadly targets.

I loved reading this action-packed story. Erin and Nathan's investigation kept me intrigued as their unlikely partnership in finding the person threatening their lives brings two people with a lot of past baggage together, but also helped them rebuild the trust during the investigation, especially when Erin finally reveals her long-held dark past secret, which eventually gives them a second chance as well.

The reader will be easily drawn into this well written story with its richly descriptive plot that will keep them guessing as family dysfunction and secrets, possible motives, and clues are uncovered during the investigation. Just when you think you figured out who is targeting Erin and Nathan and their families, the author provides enough intriguing twists and turns that keeps the reader in suspense and guessing until the surprising conclusion.

While I have not read the first book in the Rocky Mountain Courage Series, this is a stand-alone story, and I will definitely go back and read book one, Present Danger, as well as read the third book in the series, Critical Alliance.

Deadly Target has enough drama, tension, action, dark secrets, angsty past romance, and unexpected twists and turns that will take the reader on one heck of a thrilling roller coaster ride.


RATING: 5 STARS


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.


https://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2021/11/deadly-target-by-elizabeth-goddard-vbt.html

Deadly Target
by Elizabeth Goddard
Pub Date 02 Nov 2021
Revell
Christian


I am reviewing a copy of Deadly Target through Revell and Netgalley:



Erin Larson is a criminal psychologist whose dreams of a successful career come to a screeching halt when she nearly loses her own life in a boating accident on Puget Sound and then learns that her mother tried to commit suicide. She ends up leaving her career as a criminal psychologist to care for her mother in Montana. At least she is able to produce her podcast, which focuses on solving missing persons cold cases.




Nathan Campbell's father was investigating such a case when he was shot, and now Nathan needs to enlist Erin's help to solve the case. She's good at what she does. The only problem with that is she is his ex.





As the two dig deeper, it becomes clear that they are being targeted--and that the answers to their questions are buried deep within the past Erin struggles to explain and longs to forget.





I give Deadly Target five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Her life was threatened on Puget Sound in Washington by an almost tragic accident. Her life was threatened while visiting Cooper Hill Burying Ground in Boston while working with a Big Rapids, MT, police detective on a decade old cold case. Her life was again threatened while helping the same police detective follow-up on an attempt to kill his father near the Casper Creek Dam. She was tired of it.

Criminal Psychologist Erin Larson would spend the next few weeks running from trouble as she sought to discover who was doing the threatening and why. The plot is attention grabbing and movie worthy. Erin’s history is dramatic and will bring danger to her mother, sister, and community. The author presents a tale worth spending late nights reading - this reader wanted to finish as quickly as possible to see how the pieces of the puzzle went together.

For the reader looking for a Rocky Mountain thriller, Deadly Target will fill the bill. I easily give the book five-stars.
______________
This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

I loved how all the different strands of the story ended up tied together but I can’t say much about it without giving away spoilers. It was something different for a Christian novel and I thought it was fantastic how it was done. The pacing of the book was spot on because you weren’t left for too long where the storyline had a big pause in it for a relationship scene or to try to force in Christianity.

This story reads like a movie. I did not realize that I had stopped breathing while reading until the end when I let out a WOW and started to breathe again.
     Dr. Erin Larsen's life was pretty normal, not a lot of drama, until one Saturday when she and a friend were almost killed in a boating accident. At the same time (literally) while she and her friend were receiving help from good samaritans  she received a phone call from Detective Nathan Campbell in her home town in Montana, telling her that her Mother was in the hospital after trying to commit suicide. Erin had no way of knowing it but this was the beginning of life getting a heavy dose of drama.      Detective Nathan Campbell hated making this call, he had to call Erin, the girl who broke his heart years ago, to tell her that her Mother had tried to commit suicide and she was in the hospital recuperating. He assured her that her Mom will be okay.      Then, Nathan's father shows up, it had been years since they spoke to one another, let alone saw each other. But his Dad said he needed to talk with him, so they went to the spot they would fish in when Nathan was a child. He told him that he did not trust anyone but Nathan and that many lives were at stake and told him he could not speak with anyone about what he was going to tell him. Just as he was about to start telling him details, his Dad was shot.        Erin was home to care for her Mom, when she found out that Nathan's Dad had been shot, her friend Terra encouraged her to go see him, to let him know she cared. So she did, and that meant the world to Nathan, neither of them could know at that moment that their lives were about to be full of drama and that their lives would be intertwined from here on out. This was a fast paced book that had me totally engrossed from page 1. Thank you Mrs. Elizabeth Goddard for allowing me to be part of your early readers, cannot wait for the next book.

Great suspense!

I have really been enjoying this series. The suspense is fast-paced, and the characters are great! There are definitely some surprising twists along the way. Elizabeth Goddard is one of my must read authors, and I'm looking forward to the next book in this amazing series.

Elizabeth Goddard is a prolific writer of suspense and thrilling novels. Deadly Target is the second novel in her Rocky Mountain Courage Series. I am always entranced by Ms. Goddard’s novels because of the fast pace and intriguing characters that make up her books.

In DeadlyTarget, we follow Erin Larson, a criminal psychologist, who after a boating accident, returns to her hometown. It seems that her mother had tried to commit suicide and Erin needs to be with her to determine why she would do something like that. She is also called in to help an ex-boyfriend, Nathan Campbell, find the person who tried to murder his father. Both of these men are detectives. Nathan’s father is looking into a cold case and has reason to suspect that many lives are in danger. He admonishes Nathan to tell no one of his suspicions but is shot before he can tell the whole story.

I always try to figure out who is the bad guy in Ms. Goddard’s novels before the end of the book, but I am never successful. The stories are so convoluted and there are so many suspects that I am never right in my conclusions. So, I must read quickly to quell my erring thought process, in other words, I cannot put her books down. Her writing is so interesting with a hint of Christian morals, that I always look forward to her next books.

Award-winning romantic suspense author, Elizabeth Goddard, immediately captured my attention with her fast-paced, dramatic new release Deadly Target.

As criminal psychologist Erin Larson relocates home to Montana, she suddenly finds her life in jeopardy multiple times over. The peril throws her into the life (and arms) of her former boyfriend, detective Nathan Campbell, who’s had his own share of high-stakes drama in the last few days. As these two team up to help each other and work together, their lives and hearts become entangled in ways they’d never imagined!

Once again, Elizabeth Goddard brings the breathtaking scenery of the Rocky Mountains alive with her vivid descriptions and heart-pounding suspense. I loved the intensity that Deadly Target delivered, keeping me completely captivated from beginning to end.

Goddard masterfully balanced personal growth in her two main characters with a splash of romance, cultivating a wonderful romantic suspense novel. She also expertly delivered several twists and turns that kept the mystery and intrigue high which kept me turning the pages late into the night. With everything from sniper shots, to a dam that floods a river and risks lives, to the modern day mob, this story had enough surprises to keep me on the edge of my seat and craving more!

The past between Nathan and Erin that hovers throughout the story gives the romance a back-and-forth tug that made me, as a reader, want to see them united as a couple. Nathan’s forgiveness and unwavering support of Erin made him a swoon-worthy hero in my eyes and he was my favorite character by far.

Overall, a great read that I highly recommend. I’m excitedly looking forward to the third installment of this series, releasing July 2022!

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to post a positive review.