The Rescuer

The last book in the main part of Dee Henderson's O'Malley series is The Rescuer, in which we mainly follow Stephen O'Malley, but Meghan Delhart is also a protagonist.

Stephen is having issues. He used to be a firefighter with Jack, but then he became a paramedic. After several years, he developed a phobia of blood and had to quit. Doubled with quitting his job, his sister Jennifer dies, so Stephen does the adult version of running away: He takes an extended vacation.

Stephen's first and last stops along the road happen to be at Meghan's house. Meghan is an old friend who went blind after a car accident years ago. Since then, she's been living alone with her guide dog in a small town where she works for her father.

When Stephen stops running, he settles down in an old farm house just outside of Meghan's town. I think that's around the same time that a gem thief and eventual murderer comes into town. While Stephen is working towards turning his hobby into something that will make him a living, he discovers what the gem thief is looking for: jewelry pieces hidden all over the farmhouse and even in the barn, hinting that not all was as it seemed with the man Stephen bought the grounds from.

So, as per the norm, danger follows as, one by one, secrets in the past become revealed. And in the midst of all the danger, the protagonists managed to make some good memories.

My usual complaint about the romance applies here. Meghan is a Christian, and Stephen is not. But Meghan was definitely better than most of the others about resisting, despite the fact she'd had a crush on Stephen since before she got serious with God. She earned my permanent respect by outright telling Stephen that if it came down to a choice between him and God, Stephen would lose.

I also must say I think I enjoyed the Christian aspect more in this book. Stephen didn't make his choice when his life was at stake; he made his choice when he realized, on one calm night, that eternity was at stake.