Review of Prisoner at Heart by Grace A. Johnson

Prisoner at Heart by Grace A. Johnson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After reading Held Captive , I was so happy to come back to Rina and Xavier and everyone from the first book! However, Grace Johnson managed to create more memorable, amazing characters who could stand toe-to-toe with Rina!

First of all, I loved seeing the continuation of Rina’s life and the woman she became after she was saved. She was a … privateer (not pirate, mind you) for most of the book, and there was plenty of adventure onboard. Xavier didn’t have a POV for this book, but he was still in there being his cool self. But I especially loved getting to know Elliot! I was a little bit put off by him at first, but after I heard his whole story, I started understanding him more and liking him a lot more. And then Crimson … poor girl! She had a lot of grit like Rina, and she was also a pirate, but she was distinct from Rina (which could be difficult, giving they were similar-ish characters.) But the author really created a definite difference in Crimson. All of the other side characters were fun (except for the villains, of course). And little Elliot Jr.! He was so cute.

The plot of this book was quite well-done. After the ending of the last book, I was prepared for a huge showdown between Rina and the feared Timothy Wilde. But that was just the beginning! The different plots that wove throughout the book were smooth, and each were equally interesting. Even though there were several POVs, the story still flowed well. There wasn’t a dull moment in this book – when there wasn’t action, there was lots of character development.

One small comment I did have were that the romances were a little much at some points – mostly when the characters were married. Don’t take me wrong, nothing inappropriate happened, but I was a little bit uncomfortable in at least one scene.

The best part about this book was the fact that it was unashamedly Christian! So much Christian fiction shouldn’t even be under that label, because it simply isn’t. However, the author addressed all kinds of difficult topics and approached them from a Christian perspective instead of just glossing over real-life, heartbreaking situations. Some of the Pentecostal scenes were a little strange for me since I’m Baptist over here, but I also believe the Lord can do anything!

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I did not get bored! I am very excited to read the next book, given I was left with such a cliffhanger again! The writing in this book was also nice, not distracting or overdone, but fitting to the genre. Grace Johnson is an author to watch!

Thank you to the author for a free copy of the book!