Valiant Hope by Donna Fleisher Published by: Zondervan (2006) 304 pages Rating: 5/10 Buy it Now:    Also by Donna Fleisher: Warrior's Heart Wounded Healer

When you're in the middle of a life-and-death scene in a book, the last thing you want is for the scene to change to something else. In most cases, this is done to build suspense, but also keep the story moving on multiple fronts. But you never, never switch scenes to torture your readers. Switching from a life-and-death action scene to a scene where another character is putting away groceries is torturing your readers. Virtually all readers will do exactly what I did in that kind of situation: read the first few lines, groan out loud, and skip ahead to where the scene switches back, ignoring the grocery scene. This was a problem in the second book, and I was very disappointed to see it resurface.

That torturous scene happens very early in Valiant Hope, the third and final book in Donna Fleisher's Homeland Heroes series. Fortunately, the rest of the book is much better, and doesn't torture the reader too much.

The main character of this trilogy has been Christina McIntyre, veteran of Desert Storm. Each book seems to take her further back in her own past to deal with things that have been causing her problems throughout her life. In this final book, she deals with her own childhood. Suspecting that one of the children at the gym is being abused, Chris takes matters into her own hands, determined to put a stop to it.

Her newfound Christian faith demands forgiveness for even the worst sins. But child abuse? Chris struggles with the concept, at the same time that she meets paramedic Jason Sloan, who penetrates her rough exterior faster than even her best friend Erin.

The story builds towards Chris's reunion and final confrontation with her father, whom she hasn't seen in years. I won't say how it turns out, of course, but I have to applaud Donna Fleisher on this one. There are so many obvious ways such a scene could have turned out. So many possible cliches or "heartwarming" moments that a lesser writer could have done. Instead, the scene that unfolds is much, much more realistic, and highly appreciated as such.

Chris's relationship with God seems far more personal and intimate than any new believers' that I've known. Her conversations with God sound more like those of someone who has been developing that relationship for years, rather than someone who has just discovered it. But on the other hand, she's still quick to jump into her old bad habits. It's refreshing for a character not to have all problems solved immediately.

The angst factor is less than what it was in book two, which is good, but the other problems I've mentioned keep this from living up to the outstanding first book, unfortunately. It's still a good read, though, and a fitting conclusion to Chris McIntyre's story. Mildly Recommended.