Counterstrike: Heaven Sent

The Short Book

Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
598 Pages
Reviewed on 03/11/2017
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Short Bio of the Editor: Born Eugene, OR, Feb 7, 1980. Parents Jeffrey Salisbury and Janet Smyth (d. 2014) Divorced 1982. Grew up as a poor kid in Coos Bay, OR. Two years community college. Had previous employment as a caretaker for Grandfather Norman and Mother Janet, for 14 years, thought I'd give a stab at copy editing.

The Editor had the honored and cherished privilege of closely assisting the Author, Mother Janet with copy editing for four years before her passing in 2014. The Editor has now had more than plenty of opportunity to become acquainted with the story of Counterstrike: Heaven Sent.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Sefina Hawke for Readers' Favorite

Defender: A Scottish American Fairy Tale by Mr. Travis Logan Salisbury and Ms. Janet Claire Smyth is a fictional terrorist thriller novel that would appeal most to an audience made up of adults who enjoy thriller fiction with a focus on terrorism. Defender follows Kate Greenwood and agent Gareth Dru McFadyn. Kate Greenwood is a college professor who finds a battered Gareth Dru McFadyn on the side of the road. This one discovery leads to a partnership between the two as they come to discover their compatibility amidst the terror and fear caused by Klaus Vogle.

Move over Bluebloods, 24, Blacklist, and Criminal Minds and make room for Defender! Defender is a well-written and well-researched novel that is very difficult to put into just one genre as it is a mix of genres. I personally found the plot line and the characters to be well developed. Kate Greenwood was my favorite character. It is hard not to like a woman who is willing to help someone stranded and injured on the side of the road without a clue of who he is. I really enjoyed Kate’s interactions with Gareth and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop and evolve over the course of the book. I also really liked the fact that the authors are donating 10% of the proceeds to ovarian cancer research and patient malpractice advocacy. Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading about Kate Greenwood and Agent Gareth Dru McFadyn and I hope the authors decided to write a follow up novel.

Tracy A. Fischer

In an exciting, adventurous and highly engaging new read by writing duo Travis Logan Salisbury and Janet Claire Smyth, Defender: A Scottish American Fairy Tale, the "lightweight edition" is a book that readers will find themselves engrossed in from the very start and will be obsessively turning the pages all the way through until the very end. Follow the story of Professor Kate Greenwood and FBI agent Gareth “Dru” McFadyn from their unexpected meeting, to their run ins with the dangerous and dark entities that are a part of Gareth's career, to the development of their relationship from friendship to something much more. As their feelings for each other deepen, they realize that their interactions with the nefarious terrorist Klaus Vogle, as well as the unscrupulous scheming of Gareth's industrial tycoon father, Andrew McFadyn, mean more than either could have imagined. Will they survive in order to be able to live the lives they are beginning to imagine for themselves? You'll need to read the book to find out!

I very much enjoyed Defender: A Scottish American Fairy Tale. Authors Travis Logan Salisbury and Janet Claire Smyth have created characters that their readers will relate to, connect with, and truly come to care about. If that is not a hallmark of great authors, I'm not sure what is. The story line is crisp and exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat. Any reader who enjoys an exciting read with lots of intrigue should definitely grab this book. I am pleased to be able to highly recommend Defender: A Scottish American Fairy Tale, and look forward to reading more from authors Travis Logan Salisbury and Janet Claire Smyth as soon as I can!

Trudi LoPreto

God, love, spies, adventure, murder, friendship and more can all be found in Defender: A Scottish American Fairy Tale. This is truly an amazing story that will grab you on the first page and never let go. Kate is an ordinary woman who is in the process of moving to a new place with a new job, and taking the scenic route to get there. All of her plans change suddenly when she finds an FBI agent, Gareth, on the road with a smashed car and bloody injuries. Kate finds herself involved in things she only read about in the newspapers as she and Gareth fall in love. Gareth is an agent who has little regard for his own life and is battling the enemy on several levels. He is doing whatever is necessary to take down the man responsible for stalking him, killing and harming his family, friends and co-workers. Kate and Gareth’s relationship cause them both to find out what they are really made of and how much they can endure. Kate becomes a target and must quickly learn to defend herself. Kate and Gareth both believe that praying and talking with God will help to keep them safe and it is necessary to call upon Him frequently to get them out of trouble.

The thrills never stop and it is impossible to divulge too many details because you must read it for yourself to appreciate all that is happening. There were so many things going on at once - some good; some bad - that it was impossible to put the book down. It is a long book, 596 pages, and took me some time to read, but with all of the twists, turns and action I hated to see it end. Mr. Travis Logan Salisbury and Ms. Janet Claire Smyth have written a classic five star winner. I found myself cheering out loud for Kate and Gareth, and booing and hissing the bad guys. I urge everyone to read Defender - it has something for fans of every genre.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Defender: A Scottish American Fairy Tale is written by Mr. Travis Logan Salisbury and Ms. Janet Claire Smyth. Kate finds something she really didn’t expect at the side of the road winding its way through Kansas farm country – a battered government issue car and a battered and handsome FBI agent. It doesn’t take long before she gives up on her road trip and her career, falling into the harsh world of Agent Gareth. They soon discover just how alike they are and together they join forces to fight again Klaus Vogle, a terrorist leader, as well as Andrew McFadyen, Gareth’s tycoon father. Follow Gareth and Kate on their winding journey through love, patriotism, adventure and faith; follow them and see where their story takes you.

Defender was an intriguing tale, a proper modern day fairy tale complete with knights in shining armor and “dragons” to slay. I didn’t know if I was going to enjoy it but, once I started, I could not put it down as I followed the pair through their trials and tribulations. This is a great story, something very different and a really nice change to read. It was written in a way that made it very easy to become embroiled in it, to follow and to feel a little bereft when it was all over. The character development was excellent, making it easy to identify with them and to empathize with everything they went through together. Thoroughly good story, excellent plot and very enjoyable.




Christian Sia

Defender: A Scottish American Fairy Tale by Mr. Travis Logan Salisbury and Ms. Janet Claire Smyth is a perfect blend of romance, mystery, and adventure, an inspirational story that follows a journey of love between two compelling characters that meet under very unusual circumstances and experience a strong connection. Kate is a college professor who meets the FBI agent in a deplorable condition as she drives through the deserted roads of Kansas Farm County. At first, she only sees a man who seems hurt and needs help, little knowing that she’ll soon be entangled in his life, where all sorts of criminals operate. Can she still follow through with her planned road trip?

Defender is a well-crafted story that will entertain and inspire readers. The writing is confident and there is a striking balance between dialogue and narrative. The story is character-driven and readers will enjoy the exchanges between Kate and Gareth keenly. This is a beautiful story of how a woman finds love on a deserted road and how a chance encounter can change the course of a woman’s life. The plot isn’t very complex, but it is the depth of character development that will have readers hooked to the story from beginning to end. The plot is animated by conflicts that are established at different levels of the story. First, there is the question of whether Kate will continue with her journey, abandoning Gareth to go about his business. The reader will also enjoy the many dangers encountered in the world of an FBI agent. Overall, Defender is an entertaining story that readers won’t put down easily. It needs a lot of skill to combine different genres into one and the authors have successfully done that.