ACFW Book Club Review: No Safe Haven
Title: No Safe Haven
Author: Kimberley Woodhouse and Kayla R. Woodhouse
Publisher: B&H Books
Date: March 2011
ISBN: #978-14336-7116-6
Genre: Action Adventure
Reviewed by: Nora St. Laurent
In July, the ACFW Bookclub will read two books. One of them is No Safe Haven by Kimberley Woodhouse and Kayla R. Woodhouse. Join now to read this book with Nora St. Laurent and other book club members.
This compelling story had me holding my breath, biting my nails, and up until all hours, desperate to see who would survive.
I was thrilled to receive a review copy of such a gripping, action adventure novel. This is a great book for many reasons. First, an amazing mother-daughter team writes it. Kimberley Woodhouse is the author of Welcome Home: Our Family’s Journey to Extreme Joy (Tyndale House) chronicling the family’s journey with ABCs Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Kayla, her daughter, is 13 and writes the POV of 12-year-old Andi, who has the same nerve disorder she has.
No Safe Haven gripped my heart from the start as the action exploded on the first page. Jenna and Andi try to find help and piece together what has happened as the reader is doing the same. Not only are the main characters Cole, Jenna, and Andi running from the enemy, they were also battling Mother Nature and all she had to dish out: snow storms, frost bite, avalanches, and dropping temperatures that messed with their ability to climb to safety in the Alaskan mountains.
Jenna tries to explain her daughter Andi’s medical condition to Cole, their pilot. “She’s a real dare devil, huh?” Cole asks.
“Oh, you have no idea. Take a stubborn child, and remove the fear factor. Think about it. If you have no fear of consequences—mainly pain—you’d try just about anything.”
Kayla adds much to the story and gives readers an insight into her condition most never would have otherwise. Andi’s dialogue, spunk, and her passionate relationship with Jesus added intensity and tension and provided an urgency for their rescue.
This compelling story had me holding my breath, biting my nails, and up until all hours, desperate to see who would survive. No Safe Haven has it all: danger, suspense, romance, and characters I cared about long after I finished reading.
This is an engaging, faith-building story written by a dynamic mother-daughter writing duo you won’t want to miss. I’m anxiously awaiting their next book, Race Against Time. After reading No Safe Haven, you’ll be looking for it too.