Carla's Book Crush

Abducted in the Woods by Kerry Johnson
Series: Forest Ranger Rescuers – Book 2
Publisher:  Love Inspired Suspense
Publication Date: November 25, 2025
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 208
Format: paperback
Source: Author
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Pursued by criminals—
with a child’s life on the line.

Just when Sarah Brindley believes she and her son, Liam, are safe from the men who murdered her husband, they are attacked—and Liam is taken. Her only hope is to team up with her brother-in-law, forest ranger Tucker Brindley, to uncover who is targeting her family. When they discover her late husband’s ties to an underground medical black-market ring, it’s clear the trail of danger runs deeper than they realized. With assaults on them ramping up, they must race against the clock to recover young Liam…before they become the next victims.

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

That did not work out well, because this story followed me straight into my dreams. And it was not good. Not only did the kidnappers take Sarah’s young son, but they took the cat too. Dreams of someone stealing my sweet Georgie (yes, my cat) kept me wide awake. Thanks a lot, Kerry.

I’ve read kidnapping thrillers before, but something about the way Johnson described these events felt more real. Maybe it’s because the danger starts right away. Literally, page one, and Sarah is witnessing her husband’s murder. Her hiding spot, how she tried to do the right thing, and leave undetected. These all seem like things that I would do. Then, when she is finally at what she thinks is safety, someone is after her. It’s constant but not so much so that it’s overdone. Every moment feels like a countdown.

The one part that did feel unrealistic was the police interaction after she called in her husband’s murder. They just let her leave with only a briefing over the phone. I just can’t picture any scenario where this would happen. Even if you knew the police officer you reported the crime to, they wouldn’t handle things like this. Or maybe crime shows have just conditioned me to think this way.

Sarah is a character I can understand. Her guilt over her late husband, the complicated emotions from a difficult marriage, the way she carries the past like a weight she can’t set down—it all felt painfully human. And Tucker? A quiet, steady presence who feels deeply but keeps it tucked away. The bond between them builds naturally without overshadowing the suspense.

If you enjoy on-the-edge-of-your-seat tension with a thread of clean romance and strong family loyalty, this one delivers. It’s vivid, fast-paced, and kept me turning pages well into the night…whether I wanted to or not.