True Devotion by Dee Henderson

I’ve recently become a Dee Henderson fan because of her book, True Devotion published in 2002 by Multnomah Publishers. I was intrigued from the get go and that’s always a good sign when starting a new book!

True Devotion starts out with an intense scene of survival out in the open Pacific off of San Diego, where Kelly Jacobs treads below freezing waters, holding on to not only her own dear life, but onto a 15 year old boy who gets pulled out to sea while surfing by rip tides. They barely make it. Talk about stressful and terrifying. She doesn't give up, even when her mind and body tell her to give up.  

Kelly is widowed to a Navy Seal, Nick, who has passed away, she’s told during a “training” accident. This story tells about her life after his death and how it just may have been more than a training accident that killed Nick. Kelly is wounded and trying to heal from the pain of losing a loved one, she's fragile but courageous. She's smart, her husband Nick taught her to be in the years before his death. She shows how moving on is possible after horrible events and seasons of life, and even how falling in love again is not completely absurd. 

Navy Seal Lieutenant Joe Baker, "Bear" was Nick's best friend and partner, who swears to take care of Kelly, possibly because he partially feels responsible for his partners death. What could he have done differently on the mission, "training accident", to change how things went? Joe is always there for Kelly, keeping her safe from the evil that follows her after Nick's death and she finds comfort in that. Someone she can trust with everything in her, someone who will do anything and everything to keep her safe and alive. Joe has to figure out what the right thing to do is, while still an active duty navy seal and his dedication to serve, his spending more time with Kelly he is realizing his feelings are more than just friendship. Can he risk putting Kelly through that life again? 

This was not my first Dee Henderson book I've read, but it is by far my favorite one so far.  Something I love about Dee Henderson is her ability to balance romance along side suspense, keeping it interesting but not over dramatic. To be honest, some of her books can be too slow for me or have too much detail that I lose a little interest, but that wasn’t the case with this one. I definitely recommend True Devotion, and if you love a good romance/suspense you won't be disappointed with this one.

-Phoebe