Mistletoe And Malice By Lori DeJong

Mistletoe and Malice

by Lori DeJong

Publisher: Scrivenings  Press LLC

ISBN: 978-1649175359

I'm always a bit hesitant to try a new-to-me author. I don't know why. I must have high expectations. Well, I had no reason to worry with Mistletoe and Malice by Lori DeJong. She sent me her book for review and I can't wait to share my thoughts with you!

Summary:

After barely escaping an attempted abduction, Houston attorney Riley Hudson is forced to accept her wealthy father’s demand for private security. The last thing she wants is a bodyguard—especially one as maddeningly arrogant, bossy … and handsome as Colton Blankenship. Yet as the threat against her escalates, she begins to rely not only on his skills, but his steadfast presence.

Colton isn’t thrilled about giving up his hard-earned holiday vacation to protect a spoiled heiress. But he soon learns Riley is nothing like he expected. Fierce, independent, and unwavering in her faith, she’s everything he thought he’d left behind after tragedy shattered his own beliefs. As the unknown threat circles closer, the tension between them ignites into something deeper … and far more perilous.

When a second attempt on Riley’s life nearly succeeds, Colton faces a terrifying truth. Protecting her means risking more than just his life. Haunted by a past he can’t outrun, and a faith he’s all but lost, he must decide if he can trust God again … before he loses Riley—and his heart—for good.

My Review:

I have high expectations when it comes to suspense. I really want to be on the edge of my seat with a story. I can assure you that Mistletoe and Malice did the trick!

It starts out with so much promise for Cait and Riley, friends from two wealthy families, until Cait is murdered! When Riley determines to get the man out of prison who was convicted for Cait's murder, someone starts to come after her and leave threatening notes.

The last thing Riley wants is a bodyguard, but with all that's happened, she reluctantly agrees... but only for 2 weeks! I will tell you that it feels like a lot longer than two weeks as she and Colton get to know each other as he's protecting her. She realizes maybe a bodyguard like Colton isn't such a bad thing and Colton learns that Riley has substance and isn't just a flighty heiress.

I love that while Riley is from a wealthy family, they are rooted in faith and give back generously! Their kindness and thoughtfulness shines throughout the story. Riley is a fixer and a helper. If she sees a need, she finds a way to fix it if she can. Colton has struggled with this faith since his painful loss a few years earlier. 

Riley and Colton have some near misses with the threat to her life! She's got a great team of people protecting her, but the man they're after is a master of disguise. He keeps showing up places and they're completely unaware of it! The suspense gripped me from start to finish.

I also appreciated the faith thread that was woven throughout the story! Prayer was an important facet of the story! Riley clearly spent time in prayer, her family went to church, and their faith was evident throughout the story. 

By the end of the book, I was champing at the bit for book two! I can't wait.

About the Author:

Lori DeJong (pronounced DeeYung) is an award-winning contemporary Christian romance author who enjoys penning stories full of grace and the redemptive power of God’s love that inspire others to hope regardless of circumstance, find joy in the moment, and grow in their faith. 

Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Lori arrived in Texas in 2005 and dug those roots right in. She currently resides in beautiful Georgetown, north of Austin, with her husband of thirty years. Other than their two fur-babies, their nest is empty, as their daughter and son-in-law are settled in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. 

Lori loves to write about love and romance and all that fun stuff, with a firm foundation of faith. Clean but sassy, sparkly, and even goose-bumpy romance, with God in the middle and characters seeking and learning and changing, couldn’t be more heartwarming or spine-tingly.

Lori's debut novel, Love's True Calling, released in 2023, was the 2022 winner of the ACFW Genesis Award for Romance, a double finalist in the 2024 Selah Awards, and was named the 2023 Scrivenings Press Contemporary Book of the Year. Love’s True Home, released in June 2024, was also a Selah finalist. Love’s True Measure, released in June 2025, won second place in the Angel Awards, and Lori's Christmas novella, Jingle Bell Matchmakers, a part of A Match Made at Christmas novella collection, was named a 2025 ACFW Carol Award finalist and placed first in the Angel Awards."