–Present Day, Virginia Beach, Virginia–

A dead man stands on her doorstep.

When the Navy wrote off her MIA husband as dead, Eden came to terms with being a widow. But now, her Navy SEAL husband is staring her in the face. Eden knows she should be over-the-moon, but she isn’t.

Diagnosed with PTSD and amnesia, Navy SEAL Jonah Mills has no recollection of their fractured marriage, no memory of Eden nor her fourteen-year-old daughter. Still, he feels a connection to both.

Unfit for active duty and assigned to therapy, Jonah knows he has work to do and relies on God, who sustained him during captivity, to heal his mind, body, and hopefully his family.

But as the memories lurking in his wife’s haunted eyes and behind his daughter’s uncertain smile begin to return to him, Jonah makes another discovery. There is treachery in the highest ranks of his Team, treachery that not only threatens him but places his new-found family in its crosshairs.

Titles in The Acts of Valor series include – Returning to Eden – Every Secret Thing – The Lost is Found –

Title:  Returning to Eden
Series:  The Acts of Valor #1
Author:  Rebecca Hartt
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Published:  October 1, 2019
Publisher:  Rise UP Publications
My Rating:  3.5 stars

RETURNING TO EDEN is the beginning story in The Acts of Valor series.  I’ll be very frank upfront, there were parts of this story that touched my heart that had me rooting for a successful return to a happier marriage for Jonah and Eden – and on the other side, I spent most of this story being annoyed at the actions of Eden.  I get that Jonah wasn’t that great of a husband/father before he went on that mission, became MIA… but really, to toss aside every single thing he says as part of his PTSD or amnesia was just rude and unnecessary.  As far as the faith aspects went it felt as if most of the time some people (Eden) were really good at talking the talk (about their faith) – but not so good at walking the walk (of showing their faith in their actions).

I wanted to love this story, but the truth is that I didn’t.  It may simply be that I see faith, showing the actions of any faith in a different manner than were shown here.  No one is perfect yet Jonah was trying to show his changes, I just wish those who mattered would have listened to him sooner.  The added suspense aspect was intense as were the tensions, both personal and sexual, between Eden and this stranger she married.  I think there is an audience that will love RETURNING TO EDEN.  I’m still undecided if I’ll return to this series, I never say never.  I enjoyed parts of this story so it gets a 3.5-star rating which I will round up as I post this review elsewhere.  This is a story that you really should decide for yourself.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

Available for the Kindle