Reviews

Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry

ereidsma's review against another edition

3.0

It was OK. I may check into other books by Chris

thejumpingsheep's review against another edition

3.0

Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry is an action packed story set in Arizona near the Mexican border. It has a bit of a love story on the side but less than most books that do if that makes sense. It is in no way girly. :) JD is running from memories and lives on a farm in Arizona to learn about farming. But one day as he travels the borders of the land to check the water line he founds a women, nearly dead. He has been instructed by his employer to turn any Mexicans he finds to border patrol but he can't do that to this poor women. What transpires is being chased by a drug cartel and lots of secrets.

This book had me guessing at every turn. Just when you thought you had it figured it out something else was revealed. It was a great story and I highly recommend it. Also Chris Fabry writes beautifully. I loved the way he described things. Truly a magnificent author and that is hard to find in modern literature.

marlo_c's review against another edition

3.0

I’ve become quite proficient at skimming books that just aren’t drawing me in. This is one of those. I liked it well enough not to give up on it, but I wasn’t riveted by it. I’ve read several of Fabry’s books and loved them, but this one just fell a little flat for me.

gretchlins's review against another edition

4.0

This book was amazing! The beginning was a little slow because you didn't know their back story's yet but it was amazing. I have read one other book by Chris Fabry and it was Not In the Heart, but I think Borders of the Heart was better.

rhony's review against another edition

5.0

excellent book! Love what I have read of Chris Fabry and this is no exception!

lmbartelt's review against another edition

5.0

This summer, I was introduced to Chris Fabry as an author via the Tyndale Summer Reading Program. His book Not in the Heart is seriously the best piece of fiction I read this summer. It was so unique and memorable from its main character to its plot twists that I can't say enough about it.

So, I jumped at the chance to review his latest release Borders of the Heart.

In short: Another winner.

Fabry has a gift for storytelling. From the first chapter, we're immersed in the story, the conflict and the action. Borders of the Heart is a thrill ride from page 1 that doesn't let up till the end.

Plot summary: J.D. Jessup is a farm hand in Arizona, having given up a music career in Tennessee. He's running from his past when he comes face-to-face with the present: a beautiful young Mexican woman near death in the desert. When J.D. chooses to help Maria, despite his boss's advice to call Border Patrol when he sees an illegal, J.D. becomes entangled in a plot that could kill them both.

Love story. Action. Suspense. This book has a little bit of everything.

In exchange for this review, I received a free copy of Borders of the Heart from Tyndale House Publishers.

danyrn's review

4.0

J. D. Jessup left his old life to come find solace in the desert near Tucson, Arizona. He's traded his guitar and the songs in his head for the daily grind of an organic farm. It's a mind-numbing existence that helps him forget his past and dulls the pain of his memories. His boss just has one rule for him: if he sees an illegal, call Border Patrol. A fairly simple rule that he has been able to follow very easily, until one Thursday morning.

One early ride along the fence line leads him to a beautiful young woman named Maria. Despite his boss's rule, J. D. can't leave a near death woman to the authorities. So following his heart, J. D. decides to hide her and heal her instead of turning her in. Little does he know the chain of events he unleashes at that choice. Now everything he knew has changed his simple mundane life has gotten a lot more exciting.

On the run from a determined killer, J. D. tries to decipher what is going on and why Maria's life is in danger. Struggling to stay alive becomes harder than they thought when they seem to know exactly where they are at all times. When J. D.'s secrets collides with Maria's past, J. D. begins to realize that saving her may be the only way to save himself.

Can J. D. and Maria stay alive from a determined a killer or will they're attempts to stay alive be for naught? Can J. D.'s past and secrets be the death of his new life and his budding attraction to Maria or will it just make him closer to everyone? Will Maria be able to stop the killer before he succeeds in his plans or will he get to her and finish his plan too? Can J. D. and Maria be together despite their differences or will those differences keep them apart?
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I've never read a book by Chris Fabry before today and after this exciting book I'm a little upset with myself for not picking up one of his books before now! The imagery and intensity of this book was memorable and made me want to find another one of his books and dig in. I had no idea what I was missing but if any of his books are like this one, sign me up for more from him. I have just become a fan!

My favorite part of this novel has to be the imagery. He described the desert as only a person who lives there could. It may be October but I felt the scorching heat and saw the flat sun bleached terrain like it was July. I've read quite few books set in the desert but the author never really dwelled on what desert heat felt like until Chris Fabry. His descriptions are exactly what my sister and I complained about more times than I can count and completely described desert living. Even in air conditioning you sweat! The completely accurate descriptions in this book have to be my favorite part.

The suspense in this book is one part action and one part mystery. You know who's chasing them in the beginning but you have no idea why or what he really plans on doing. Though parts of this seem unrealistic to me (I mean who can really outrun and outsmart several trained assassins), some parts felt realistic and realistic or not it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and also gave me a new perspective about illegal aliens in my state.

This book had an attempt at a romance, though the suspense took center stage, and though it wasn't terribly romantic or very memorable I did enjoy it. I think it has more to do with the circumstances of their meeting more than anything, but for some reason I thought that they made a nice couple and enjoyed reading their somewhat romance story. I think it was one the best romances that I've gotten from a male author yet.

Before now Chris Fabry has been a name I was familiar with but never read and now that I've enjoyed one of his novels, I don't want to go back. I'm now a fan of his work and want to read anything else he has to offer whether it be western or romance. He completely captured me with his suspense and his accurate description of the terrain I call home definitely earned him some brownie points in my book. I highly recommend this book.

Overall, great book. It had some flaws but nothing that really detracted away from the amazing story. This is perfect for people who love suspense novels. This book is best left to the adults and maybe mature teens. I give this book a four out of five.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.*