Book Review & Giveaway for SHATTERED SILENCE by Marta Perry

1/8/2018

A woman on the run seeks sanctuary in a peaceful Pennsylvania Dutch community—and finds a protector in the most unlikely of men…

One moment Rachel Hartline is secure in her career and community. The next, she’s in the wrong place at the wrong time—watching her ex-husband commit a crime that puts her in unfathomable danger. Fear and hurt send her home to an Amish farm and the family she’s always trusted. But a private investigator is close behind—and he may be a threat to her in more ways than one…

Cold, calculating Clint Mordan isn’t convinced Rachel is as innocent in her ex-husband’s schemes as she claims, but when her ex’s enemies target Rachel, Clint is driven to keep her safe. Maybe the terror in her beautiful eyes and the target on her back aren’t an act. But as his feelings toward her deepen, Clint realizes he’s the only one who can keep Rachel alive in a game where only the killer knows the stakes.

With the ascended tension of the investigation and the sweetest love story developing in the shadows of it, the Shattered Silence captured my mind, vastly entertaining and holding my interest with the frantic search for the truth and near escapes from the potentially deadly attacks.
I loved how the graceful homecoming for Rachel Hartline to her Amish roots made me smile and brought so much joy to the story, while the intensifying suspense put me on the edge, only hoping for the best.
Rachel is a strong and capable, smart and independent heroine who was easy to like, admire and relate to. From a young age, she has learned not to trust easily, being let down by the ones who should love and care for you the most. But that has not made her bitter or hard, quite the opposite, she is kind, resilient, considerate, generous person, all the trades she learned during her summers at the Amish farm with her grandparents.
Clint Mordan is a complex, wounded hero. What at first seemed like a cold and hard man, goal oriented with no sympathy, turns out to be a considerate, kind, gentle, fiercely protective hero, who would do anything and risk everything to keep Rachel safe, and alive.
I enjoyed how the story was built, how the moments of fear, dread, and tension take turns with the adorable times with the family at the farm. The tale is well written and had such an easy flow to it, the development of the plot was so effortless and smooth, going from fun and enjoyable to frightening and even deadly without missing a beat.
The characters were well thought out, the protagonists had depth and stood out, they had a tangible chemistry in between them, while the story held in the clean and sweet category when it comes to the romance.
Shattered Silence is an entertaining, dramatic, and thrilling story, suitable for all suspense as well as romance readers. It has an intense, arresting investigation, splendid and touching romance, and a homecoming that will remind the readers of the importance of a family, of the people who will always be there for us, a life-lesson of trust and forgiveness served as a side dish.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

Marta Perry is a Pennsylvania-based author of over 35 novels, many of them inspirational romances. She uses her rural Pennsylvania life and her Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in writing her books, especially in her Pleasant Valley Amish series for Berkley Books and her new Amish-set suspense series for HQN Books.

Marta and her husband live in a centuries-old farmhouse in a quiet central Pennsylvania valley. They have three grown children and six beautiful grandchildren, and when she's not busy writing her next book, she's usually trying to keep up with her gardening, baking for church events, or visiting those beautiful grandkids.