Reviewed by Cheryl K
TITLE: Into the Lion’s Den
AUTHOR: John Patrick
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 359 pages
RELEASE DATE: October 8, 2024
BLURB:
In the near future, political and cultural divisions have pushed America to the brink of civil war over States’ rights.
Daniel Ridley is a newly ordained missionary, raised in the heart of the separatist South and in ignorance of the broader world. He is sent to Boston as a missionary for the Christian Nationalist Evangelicals to preach the Word of God and to advocate for a government based on religious scripture. He’s not sure why God chose to burden him with same-sex attraction, but he’s confident his faith will give him the strength to resist that temptation. But he’s not prepared for the hostility he faces up North, and his secret mission—to find an elusive killer and bring him to justice—only complicates his task.
Jaxtyn Keller is a young gay man and perpetual college student who leads a Buddhist worship group at his university in Boston. He believes everything in the universe is connected, and everything happens for a reason. Unlike most of the citizens in his terrorism-plagued city, he’s convinced the only way to hold the country together is for both sides to truly see each other.
The two men meet by chance, and each sees in the other an opportunity to achieve his goal.
As the national crisis accelerates, however, Daniel’s cherished beliefs collide with the harsh reality of separatist violence, and he is soon torn between duty to his church and his growing feelings for Jaxtyn. When their lives are threatened, the two men must find a way to overcome their differences and accept their love for each other, while they fight to both save themselves and prevent a civil war.
REVIEW:
Wow…. That says it in a nutshell on this one. Can I just fangirl for a moment. I seriously love how John writes. And this book, holy cow, grabs you by the short hairs and doesn’t let go.
I can’t even imagine the amount of research that was done to create the world Daniel and Jaxtyn live in. Daniel’s church thrives in a south that is reminiscent of the 1860’s with its own version of the Mason Dixon line. Jaxtyn is a college student in Boston and is constantly under threat from outside forces. John creates a world that compares and contrasts handmaid tales’ scenarios to a world where common sense prevails. I was so intrigued and yet immediately became annoyed with the religious aspects of Daniels world. But this was counterbalanced with Jaxtyn’s world, which was all about embracing Budha. This dichotomy sucked me in and more than once found me yelling at the characters in the story.
John’s character development is some of the best I’ve seen. He creates these characters that have so much depth in them that you want to grab them from the pages of the story and hide them away from all the evil in the world. All of the side characters are also treated with this same carefully crafted attention to detail.
The imagery John has created in this story is exceptional. We go from experiencing life in a cult-like religious environment to bus rides that invoke memories of the freedom bus rides of the 1960’s to dirty bombs being deployed to incite a civil war. With all of this going on, we have the underlying romance of Daniel and Jaxtyn. These two definitely have a long road to traverse to get there, but the journey made it a hard fought for relationship.
“THIS IS NOT a test. Take cover immediately.”
Daniel’s cheek was squished against the bathtub wall. He breathed through his mouth while Jaxtyn—on top of him—frantically tugged at the blankets to cover their heads. Outside, sirens wailed, urging action. Through the closed bathroom door, Daniel could hear the announcements from the wall screen in Jaxtyn’s bedroom.
“This is not a test. Take cover immediately.”
The warning repeated again and again, first in English, then Spanish, and then several more languages Daniel didn’t recognize. Jaxtyn’s foot slipped against the tub’s wall, and his elbow dug into Daniel’s ribs. “Sorry,” he mumbled, his coffee-scented breath puffing against Daniel’s face.
“This is not a test. Take cover immediately.”
If you are a fan of political intrigue in a dystopian society, mixed with LGBTQ, race and women’s issues – this is the story for you. I highly recommend you grab this wonderful book from your favorite eBook purchasing site. As always, I can’t wait for the next book by John Patrick.
RATING: 
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