In April Hunt’s ‘Lethal Redemption,’ Confronting the Past Proves Dangerous [REVIEW]

She never thought she’d have to return to the very place she’s spent years trying to forget. (Photo courtesy Canva)

Her past haunts her. It was a nightmare she’d rather forget. Yet when the opportunity arises, she will do whatever it takes to bury her demons forever. But is she willing to put her heart on the line to do so? Find out in April Hunt’s thrilling novel, Lethal Redemption.

Forever

Seventeen years ago, Grace Steele was barely more than a child when she escaped from the Order of the New Dawn. Since then she’s worked hard to forget her ghastly past and focus on reinventing herself.

Now she’s a top FBI profiler in high demand. So when the private security company Steele Ops requests her help extracting a young woman from the secretive cult she herself escaped from, there’s no question about whether or not she will help. She just needs to know when it will all go down.

There’s just one fly in the ointment. She has to pretend to be the fiancée to the only guy who ever got close enough to break her heart.

The scenario isn’t exactly thrilling for Cade Wright either. After all, he’s always regretted walking away from his old flame. Still, working together may give him the chance to make amends and prove that he’s not the boy he once was. In fact, he may have to pay the ultimate price to keep Grace safe from the demons at work in New Dawn, but it is a risk he is willing to take.

In Lethal Redemption, Hunt gives us plenty to ponder, especially if you’re like me and find the human psyche utterly fascinating. I often wonder why people do what they do. Is it because they have been conditioned to believe certain things or does their environment shape their opinions? In this tale, Order of the New Dawn draws adherents from many walks of life and changes them forever, whether they like to admit it or not.

At one point, Grace, who once was a part of the group, tells herself, “I made it out. They don’t have any hold on me anymore.” But it is a lie, and one she repeats to herself like a mantra just to make it through the day.

Ultimately, this is a thriller that examines the choices we make in life, and reminds us that everything we do has consequences. And sometimes our decisions result in us losing the people we love most. In the end, all we can do is learn from our past and strive to do better, and always be mindful of the path we are currently on.

Hunt does a stellar job exploring all these themes, and yet the action never flags. Instead, the emotional turmoil her characters face propels the story and brings to light the ugly underbelly of cult life and the long-lasting effects it has on its followers, including those closest to us.

I also love how Hunt develops her characters. Grace is a tough cookie: an independent, direct, alpha female who doesn’t like to ask for help or admit defeat. Cade is the shoulder she reluctantly leans upon as both go undercover. As I read Lethal Redemption, there were many times I wondered if Grace would survive the story intact, physically and emotionally. As such, it made for a story I couldn’t put down, one which got my heart pumping and had me sitting up late turning pages, eager to discover how it would all go down in the end.

Remember the name April Hunt. I have no doubt she will soon become a household name, joining the ranks of Iris Johansen, Lisa Gardner, and Sandra Brown. Lethal Redemption is worth the price of admission!

This edition also includes the bonus novel, Extreme Honor, by Piper J. Drake.

April Hunt
(Photo by Amie Otto)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

April Hunt blames her incurable chocolate addiction on growing up in rural Pennsylvania, way too close to America’s chocolate capital, Hershey. She now lives in Virginia with her college sweetheart husband, two young children, and a cat who thinks she’s a human-dog hybrid.

On those rare occasions she’s not donning the cape of her children’s personal chauffeur, April’s either planning, plotting, or writing about her next alpha hero and the woman he never knew he needed, but now can’t live without.

To learn more about April, visit her online at AprilHuntBooks.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

LETHAL REDEMPTION
By April Hunt
688 pp. Forever. $8.99

Purchase Lethal Redemption at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Half Price Books, IndieBound, and Powell’s.