Book Review ~ Ronie Kendig Raptor 6

By Dorothy Adamek

Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author who grew up an Army brat. She married a veteran, and together their lives are never dull with four children and two dogs--a Maltese Menace and a retired military working dog, Vvolt N629. Ronie's degree in psychology has helped her pen novels of intense, raw characters. 

You can find Ronie at http://roniekendig.com/ 

Raptor 6 ~ Captain Dean Watters keeps his mission and his team in the forefront of his laser-like focus. So when these two things are threatened by hackers, Dean’s Special Forces training kicks into high gear. Failing to stop the hackers from stealing national security secrets from the military’s secure computers and networks isn’t an option. Zahrah Zarrick is a missionary teacher to Afghan children in Mazar-e Sharif. And a target. When Zahrah is captured because of her expertise in quantum cryptology, endangering the US national security, Dean is forced to crack the lockbox around his heart—a move that might come at the highest cost.

My reading stash rarely keeps books like Ronie’s in the mix. This book was so far from my typical go-to historical romance, my family wondered who had left the ‘war book’ in our house and why was mum reading it?

To answer their question, I read the fast-paced Raptor 6 as the required reading for book club. 

Packed with danger and suspense, Raptor 6 came with just enough romance to keep me flipping pages and the perfect measure of innocent captives, torture and evil captors. 

Yes, I read a book with torture, folks. And I didn’t throw it into the compost bin because Ronie Kending is a brilliant writer who weaves dark, military suspense with a strong faith element and breaks the tension with a tender love thread. 

Ronie’s promise is Rapid-Fire-Fiction. She doesn’t gloss over the realities of life for imperfect soldiers in this perfect military thriller. If you’re looking for a story where the hero/heroine grapple with some of the darkest, life altering faith challenges, this is it. This book goes beyond entertainment. It pays tribute to those who dedicate their lives to military service, their sacrifices and commitment to duty.

Strong characters, great banter between hero Dean Watters and his Raptor team and the intrigue of anonymous scenes narrated by someone working with a mole in the team, did not disappoint. What stole the story for me was heroine Zahrah’s deep faith and grip on God amid the terrors of war. 

This is my first Ronie Kending book. I highly anticipate the release of Hawk, the second in the Quiet Professionals Series. 

*****

Dorothy Adamek lives in Melbourne with her Beloved and their three gorgeous kids.

She's the winner of the 2013 FHL ~ Touched By Love Competition. Enamoured by all things 19th century, she writes The Heartbeat of Yesteryear, Historical Romance - Aussie style. Come say G'day at her blog, Ink Dots.