Taken at Christmas by Jodie Bailey
Series: Trinity Investigative Team – Book 1
Publisher: Harlequin – Romance | Love Inspired Suspense
Publication Date: November 26, 2024
Genres: Christian Romance | Holiday Romance | Suspense
Pages: 208
Format: eARC
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Keeping a little girl safe

means trusting no one…

When ex-deputy Mia Galloway is assaulted and threatened at her town’s Christmas parade, she’s convinced her adopted daughter is also in danger. Mia is rescued just in time by investigator Hayden McGrath, her late husband’s best friend, who vows to protect Mia and Ruthie. And the stakes only get higher when Ruthie’s birth mother is found murdered. Someone desperately wants this child, and they’ll stop at nothing to get her. With time running out, uncovering the truth is Hayden and Mia’s only hope of saving an innocent child…

My Review and Reflections

Mia Galloway is a widowed single mother to her adopted daughter Ruthie. When things start happening to her, it seems that not only is she the target but so is her four-year-old daughter Ruthie. Even though she is a former military and deputy sheriff, she has to lean heavily on her best friend Hayden McGrath.

Hayden, the best friend to her late husband, Keith, and Ruthie’s godfather, is a large part of their lives. Hayden, who also holds the same credentials as Mia, works as a private investigator and has the skills and resources to help. Being in such tight quarters during this ordeal has forced Mia and Hayden to evaluate their feelings for each other. Feelings that are hard to come to terms with given that Keith is their connection. Taken at Christmas is a compelling romantic suspense novel. It’s my first read from Bailey and I found the book delivered on romance.

The characters in this book were all well-written and well-placed. Mia has PTSD and suffers from panic attacks, especially around large crowds. Bailey either has experience in this area or did extensive research because you can truly feel Mia’s fear. I also felt that Ruthie was a well written four-year-old. She had temper tantrums and needed frequent reminders from Mia and Hayden about her behavior. I enjoyed that Ruthie was written as a real child of that age and not perfect.

Hayden’s character was good. There were certain things that I did not find entirely realistic about him. His entire life revolves around Mia and Ruthie after Keith’s death, leaving him without one of his own. In some ways, Hayden’s grief over Keith’s death overshadowed Mia’s. The author did do a wonderful job of explaining all of this which is what made the romance believable and authentic. Despite the strong romantic elements, I had issues with the suspense. The North Carolina setting and a lot of scenes taking place at night or in dark, sinister places did help set the tone and mood of the book as dangerous and made things feel a little uneasy.

While the book was action-packed from beginning to end, the heavy focus on romance meant there were no characters to hint at the perpetrator’s identity, nor were there secondary characters to mislead readers and add intrigue. While a unique ending, it felt tacked on to the end of the romance making the suspense portion feel anticlimactic.

Taken at Christmas is well written and researched with enjoyable characters. If you enjoy books with friends to more, single parent in trouble, and protector hero themes, then you will enjoy this read.

When reading romantic suspense, do you prefer more romance or more suspense? What was the last romantic suspense that you rad?

Thank you to Harlequin Romance for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.