Book Review: Inescapable by Nancy Mehl

I recently read my first romantic suspense novel set in the Mennonite community.  Inescapable is the first in the Road to Kingdom series by Nancy Mehl.  Inescapable follows the life of Lizzie Engel as she runs back to her hometown of Kingdom, Kansas.  Lizzie never intended to return to her father or the Mennonite community that wanted to have nothing to do with her and her young child born out of wedlock.  However, mysterious letters and glimpses of a stalker and trouble in her workplace force Lizzie to leave her new life and return to Kingdom, a place so far off the map she hopes no one can find her there.  When Lizzie returns to Kingdom, she is met with a town in limbo.  There are many struggles within the town and the changes people are pushing in the church community.  Lizzie finds friends that help her to adjust to her return and her time in Kingdom presents her with many new options to consider for her and her young daughter.

Inescapable was an enjoyable read.  Two minor things I took note of while reading were the dialogue between Lizzie and her parents and also Lizzie's relationship with her daughter, Charity.  It took a little to get used to the writer's dialogue, especially between Lizzie and her mother and father.  Although Lizzie speaks plainly, her parents speak in a very formal manner, often referring to her as "Daughter" or by her first and middle name.  I also found it difficult to fully identify with the relationship between Lizzie and her young daughter.  Lizzie is a great mom, doing the best she can as a single mom to raise her child. If I recall correctly, Lizzie's daughter is identified as a six year old in the story, yet her behaviors and the mother/daughter relationship make her appear much younger that six in my opinion.

Inescapable is a good choice if you like the combination of modern day romance, suspense and the Mennonite community setting.  The characters are well developed as well as the suspense and desire for reconciliation.  Inescapable also includes 10 discussion questions and a sneak peak of the first chapter of Book #2 of the Kingdom series, Unbreakable, available Spring 2013.

I received this book for free from Bethany House publishers for the purpose of my unbiased review.