A Peek At My Bookshelf: Seek and Hide by Amanda G. Stevens

About the Book:

Six years ago, the government took control of the church.

Only re-translated Bibles are legal, and a specialized agency called the Constabulary enforces this and other regulations. Marcus Brenner, a new Christian, will do anything to protect his church family from imprisonment-including risk his own freedom to gain the trust of a government agent.

Aubrey Weston recanted her faith when the Constabulary threatened her baby. Now released, she just wants to provide for her son and avoid government notice. But she's targeted again, and this time, her baby is taken into custody. If only she'd never denied Him, maybe God would hear her pleas for help.

When Aubrey and Marcus's lives collide, they are forced to confront the lies they believe about themselves. And God is about to grab hold of Marcus's life in a way he'd never expect, turning a loner into a leader.

My Thoughts:

First of all, you need to know that this is the first book in a four part series. That said, be prepared for major cliff-hangers! Second, there was a time when this would have been pure speculation and pure fiction.

I personally believe we are going into a time when this kind of thing could really happen. Which is why I found the book so frightening and disturbing. Should Christianity fall under government control one day, this is a great manual for what could be coming.

Having said that, I had an issue with the main character. And I believe the issue I had with him was deliberately planned by the author. Amanda has created a he-man/martyr/walking guilt on the stick kind of guy.

Marcus is distant, a bit cold, and has a HUGE chip on his shoulder. We receive glimpses into why he acts as he does, but only glimpses. I'm hoping more of his background is revealed in future novels. I wanted to like him, but it felt as if he wouldn't let me.

Which, of course, is excellent writing, because Marcus isn't real!

Then there was Lee, his best friend and someone who is carrying the past around with her like a fashion accessory. This makes her stand-offish as well, and I sense that was deliberate. Lee has been deeply wounded in the past and she has cement walls built up to guard her feelings.

There's a weird kind of synergy between Lee and Marcus. If one would drop his or her guard, the other would follow and a relationship could begin. These two are either playing a stalemated game of chicken or just so stubborn a heavy wind would snap them in two. Either way, I felt very chilled as I read the book.

Thankfully, Aubrey is open, honest, and equally tortured as Marcus and Lee. But because Aubrey has a son, and a disabled son at that, she can't put up walls like the other two main characters have done. She has to able to feel in order to care for her child.

You learn quick that caring in this future world can be most dangerous.

Unfortunately, and I won't spoil the book for you, tragedy strikes out of literally no where. It was almost as if Amanda was editing and thought "I haven't tortured my readers enough, so I have to do THIS." It felt abrupt, jarring, and made no sense to me at all.

It almost ruined the book for me. I've decided to at least read the second book to see what happens in the aftermath. That will help me decide just how I feel about "Seek and Hide". By the way, the titles of each book are extremely clever and have their own meaning if you think about it for long.

My thanks to my friends at David C. Cook Publishing and Wynn-Wynn Media for my complimentary copy. I'm recommended "Seek and Hide"....hope it disturbs you as well. LOL!!

Happy Reading!

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