On the Ropes: A Christian Romanatic Suepsense novella
By Hallee Bridgeman
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense
Synopsis:
Blow after blow, she hides her face and fights for her life.
Doctor Ruth Burnette has everything she has ever dreamed possible: the perfect job, a twin sister who is her best friend, and a fiancé who is retiring from professional boxing as the middleweight champion of the world.
Then came that fateful night when she witnessed a mafia execution. When her sister is murdered she knows she’ll battle to the last round and never, ever throw in the towel. Now she’s down for the count, in witness protection, anxious, alone except for the faithful company of her German Shepherd at her side.
As the time draws near to when she has to leave her safe little corner she stays on her toes. She has to testify against one of the darkest criminals in New York, she shores up the courage to face the accused from the witness stand. Unexpectedly, he’s not the one who worries her. She wonders what coming face-to-face with his son, VICTOR KOVALEV…her former fiancé …will bring.
Will Ruth have a fighting chance against the Kovalev family, or will Victor keep her pinned ON THE ROPES?
My thoughts:
This is probably one of the best written novellas by Hallee Bridgeman that I have read yet. Her approach fascinated me. She alternated between present and past scenes until the two timelines collided, and I found that highly intriguing.
I enjoyed both of the main characters, however almost all of the side characters seemed to lack depth. This would have made a fantastic full length novel. Then she could have drawn out the love story much more, and added more depth to the side characters and to the love story itself.
The suspense was wonderfully done, though it was more of a survival type of suspense, as they were trying to stay alive to testify in a murder trial.
I admired the 2 main characters. They were both incredibly brave. One going undercover in his father’s illegal business while his father awaits trial, another living in witness protection in fear for her life while she waits to testify. Then after the trail, things are even more challenging. Another reason I wished this were full length. She could have drawn out and done a wonderful job telling us their struggles following the murder trial.
The ending for me was the most satisfying ending I have ever read in a novella. Most novellas end abruptly, and with a lack of closure. I have read several in the last year and none of them have ended well at all. This one is the exception. I appreciated that. Honestly, it’s difficult enough to end a full length novel let alone closing out a novella with some kind of decent closure.
I definitely recommend this book, it is short, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, full of emotion and action.