Ambush

by Colleen Coble

Paradise Alden returns home to Nova Cambridge, Alabama, to find some things the same and others completely different. She has the same feelings for Blake Lawson that she had in high school, and he reciprocates, but they have some emotional negotiating to do first. Paradise had a tough time in the foster care system, but is now a veterinarian. Blake was a Marine combat paramedic, but received a discharge to help his mother raise his two adorable stepbrothers when their father died suddenly in an accident. They meet up again at the family owned  Sanctuary Wildlife Preserve where Paradise has been hired by Blake’s mother, Jenna, as an exotic animal vet and all-round help. Paradise is also recovering from a nasty wound she received from a black jaguar. She loves large cats, but needs to conquer her fear of the big animals.

Colleen Coble’s tale is definitely suspenseful, the type that will keep you turning pages, but not keep you up all night. In this mystery, there are a sequence of at least nine events aimed at hurting The Sanctuary or its workers. Negative attention is drawn to the wildlife park when a protestor is found dead on the premises. If possible, things just go downhill from there. As it becomes apparent that these are not isolated incidents, the main characters are convinced that someone is out to destroy The Sanctuary Wildlife Preserve, but who and why? A number of people in the area are suspected, but lech and bully Deputy Creed Greene is laser-focused on pinning it all on Blake.

Although the main puzzles and mysteries in this book are solved, there are still many threads that will lead to more excitement and discovery in the next books in the series. This novel has Christian overtones as Blake’s family models the love of Jesus so effectively that both Paradise and another hurting character are led to trust in God despite past traumas. It is clean and the romance is gentle. I’m looking forward to continuing this series.

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

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery, Suspense, Romance

Notes: 1. #1 in the Sanctuary Series.

    2.  #2 was published in November, 2025 and #3 is expected in July, 2026. I’m looking forward to both of these.

    4. Clean in all aspects.

Publication:  March 4, 2025—Thomas Nelson

Memorable Lines:

Being courageous led to more courage, while being afraid led to more and more fear.

“I never realized having the resource of prayer was such a big deal. It’s somehow comforting to know events are outside my control and that’s okay. It makes me realize I never had the control I thought I had.”

Blake wasn’t someone who spoke flowery words of love—he was a man of action who showed his love for those close to him with every decision he made.