O’Malley | Susan Baganz

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I loved the O’Malley romantic suspense series by Dee Henderson and was excited to finally get to read the prequel to it all: Jennifer.

If you have not yet read the series, let me encourage you to start with this book. If you have read it, then go ahead and read Jennifer but be aware: It truly is a prequel. It does not weave in and out of the entire O’Malley series. I was a bit disappointed by this although for it being a novella I knew it was impossible for that to be a realistic expectation. Now I want to read the entire series all over again just to see her story in clearer detail.

Jennifer is a love story. It is the story of Jennifer’s falling in love with Tom and with Jesus, all before her dreadful diagnosis of cancer. Her love for her brothers and sisters too is clearly evident in this novella.

This is quite a departure for Dee Henderson who specializes in romantic suspense. There is none of the adrenaline rushing suspense of her other novels evident in this book. This is pure romance with a mix of tragedy thrown in. It shows Jennifer’s indomitable spirit that prevails throughout the O’Malley series as her passion is to use whatever time she has left seeing her adopted siblings come to a personal relationship with Christ.

If you want your heart twisted like a wet dishrag – read this story. It is filled with love and passion and I only wish it had been longer, although Jennifer’s story really is much longer as her physical presence threads through the first five out of six of the O’Malley series. Well done Dee, and thank you for being willing to put your hand to this lovely novella.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I do not normally read romantic suspense but this one intrigued me. And I got it when it was offered for free. So what did I have to lose? After all, I love romance. So I thought I would give Dee Henderson’s book, The Negotiator, a try.

I am so glad I did.

FBI agent Dave Richman finds true love while being a secret hostage in a tense situation in a bank. Talk about a bad birthday. David watches Kate O’Malley exercise her talent as a negotiator and save the lives of all the hostages as well as his own. From that day on he knew his life would never be the same. She’s a hostage negotiator. He protects people. That one incident embarks them on an adventure as they try to untie the reasons for the situation to have developed. It becomes increasingly complicated and Dave becomes introduced to a colorful group of orphans who have made themselves in to a family, all taking the same last name. Dave falls deeper into the adventure as well as love but he discovers that that falling in love with a hostage negotiator is one thing, but keeping her safe is another!

Dee Henderson is masterful in her writing of this fast paced, multi-layered novel, just one in a series that I itch to read. The book is well written with intricate details that kept me on my toes (and losing sleep so I could get just a few more pages in). It is rich and handles the deeper spiritual issues that Kate O’Malley faces as she not only tries to uncover the truth behind that hostage situation, but also the truths about just who Jesus Christ is as well as the juxtaposition of God’s justice with his mercy so powerfully met in our Savior.

Beautifully done, Dee. As an author I am in awe of your God-given talent and pray many will be blessed by your powerfully written fiction.