Categorizing this book was a bit difficult for me. It’s part of a category romance line from Steeple Hill, and it’s the first of its kind to come across my TBR pile. Stephanie Newton’s Perfect Target is a series romance; it’s romantic suspense; and it’s also an inspirational romance.

Bayley Foster is just getting back on her feet after a nearly deadly final encounter with a stalker, and then she finds a dead man floating in the water near her house. Her neighbor is a cop, though, and discovers that the man is a lawyer for a local extremist environmental group – and another member of this organization has also recently been killed.

Cruse Conyers, the police officer who becomes Bayley’s friend, is investigating these murders. However, when it appears that someone is stalking Bayley again, she gets more of his attention and protection. Though Cruse feels strongly that he can never get close to someone, as he can’t protect them, he finds himself falling for Bayley’s courage and strength. The incidents with the stalker escalate, as does the investigation of the murders, and Bayley and Cruse have to find strength in each other and in God to save Bayley and also find love.

For the most part, I liked Bayley and Cruse. There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with them, and I found them both to be good, understandable people. They were just a little bit flat, and stayed too close to romantic suspense character archetypes. I would have preferred a bit of deviation from the somewhat standard romance novel-psychology that motivated so many of their actions, but at least it worked and was believable. I had some doubts about whether the author would be able to bring Cruse’s affection for Bayley from simple protectiveness to love, but she managed it; by the end, I was quite comfortable with their HEA.

The suspense plot itself had its good points and its bad points. It kept me guessing – there were two characters that were possibilities, and both were equally likely. I wasn’t sure who the murderer was until the end. That said, the conclusion itself was a little bit weak, and sort of unbelievable.

In terms of the inspirational side of this “inspirational suspense,” I thought it worked well. Though occasionally the references to God seemed a bit forced, other moments it was very natural. It wasn’t too “preachy,” in my opinion, and it showed the gentle and loving side of religion. There were a few really good moments, especially with Cruse, that I really enjoyed and thought the faith element worked really well within. All of this said, it certainly wasn’t pervasive; even if you’re not religious, I think you could still appreciate this story.

In deciding how to grade Perfect Target, I flip-flopped between a B- and a C+, before finally settling on the B-. Though the story isn’t perfect, I still enjoyed it and recommend it as a rather unique combination of genres.