The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

I thought about changing today's post in wake of the Parkland, FL, shooting last week.  But I think, in the wake of this tragedy, it is important to remember the people who dedicate their lives to protection and fighting the good fight.  True Honor doesn't have much of its setting on the ground in the US, but the characters and settings are extraordinary.

The book begins on September 9, 2001.  For the discerning reader, you'll note that is two days before the September 11th terrorist attacks.  That date starts the events of the whole book.  Darcy St. James is a retired spy from the CIA.  She's brought back into active duty after a former contemporary attempts to kill her.  Two days after her own attack, she sees two planes hit the Twin Towers.  Sam Houson is a Navy SEAL who meets Darcy just before the attempt on her life.  When he sees the Towers attacked, he knows what is coming next.

Darcy starts a long game looking for a man who not only knew about the attacks beforehand but profited them as well.  She digs through information to hunt him and his compatriots down.  Sam is on the front lines fighting for his country in dangerous, often classified missions.  Despite their circumstance, Darcy and Sam start a relationship that is slow, sweet and understanding.  They both know the danger the other faces, and some of the pitfalls of the job.  They are able to help each other through, often by just being the person to answer the tough questions.  Both Darcy and Sam are religious individuals and have the right Bible verse ready when needed. 

The book takes a reader through the first year or so after the terrorist attacks.  While the characters and story line are fictional, it is likely that many similar people and stories played out in the wake of the attacks.  That's one of the things that I really enjoy about this book, despite the fact that I didn't read it until many years after September 11th.  In 2001, I was nine years old and in the fourth grade.  The author, Dee Henderson, shared that she nearly didn't write this book because, as she was writing, September 11th actually happened.  I'm sure that changed the original course of the story.  I am very glad that she did.  More than the military aspects, True Honor is a story of devotion to one's country, and to each other.  It's about finding the endurance to survive what you're going through and the trust that tomorrow will be better.  It's the third of four books, although I would argue that the fourth book doesn't fit the mold of the other three, and it's my favorite.  This book is about surviving, and when I'm having a hard time, it's the book that I pull out to read.

Another thing that I like about Ms. Henderson's books is how she brings religion into them.  In this book, the main characters are both believers, so they share Bible verses and have faith that things will change.  In some of her other books, only one of the main characters is a believer, but there is no forcing religion on the other characters.  The believer presents the other character with information, but allows them to make their own choice about belief when they are ready.  That's why I enjoy Ms. Henderson's books over other authors classified as "religious fiction".

When you need a little peace, or need a nice book with a sweet romance and ultimately a happy ending, read this book.  You'll thank yourself.