I’m excited to be participating in the blog tour for Operation Lionhearted, a Christian sci-fi novel I had the pleasure of reading a few weeks ago.
Here’s a little bit about the book before I get into my review …
Book Info
Lindy Tremaine is proud of her work with the Meridian Intelligence Department. Clever, courageous, and armed with an uncanny intuition, she is determined to protect the planets of the Kellan Star System from villains and schemers, even if it means going undercover as a fashion journalist.
Tragedy, however, lies beneath Lindy’s self-possessed demeanor. She is an empath, a native of the war-torn Valya, and the man responsible for her mother’s death—the former prince Rael Navorre—still rules her home planet with an iron hand. Haunted by fragmented memories of bloodshed, Lindy refuses to revisit Valya or embrace her heritage, preferring to invest in her career and her adopted family.
But now Lindy and her best friend, Jo Camrin, have received the most daunting assignment of their MID careers: they must protect Valya’s exiled royal family during peace negotiations with Rael. Committed to this mission despite her fears, Lindy soon uncovers a web of lies and technological horrors…as well as the best-kept secret in the Star System.
The Operation Lionhearted ebook is available for pre-order at the discounted price of $2.99. It’ll go up to $5.99 on October 14. Click HERE to check it out.
The Giveaway
Click HERE to enter the giveaway. It runs from today (Monday, October 4) until 11:59 PM on Tuesday, October 12. Maribeth will announce the winner in her Book Launch post on October 13. She’s giving away one paperback. This giveaway is limited to U.S. entrants only.
My Review
Operation Lionhearted by Maribeth Barber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars!
Characters: This book had such cool characters (just what you need in a sci-fi novel)! Lindy was relatable in her fear and reluctance to face her past. I loved how she (and everyone from her planet) could feel emotions through touch. Even more interestingly, they could choose not to feel these emotions. And Ethan made a great main guy. His rough relationship with his mother added a lot of complexity to the plot and made him a deeper character. All the supporting characters were well developed too.
Language: Several sketchy uses of God’s name.
Moral: The big theme of this novel was courage—something shown so well through Lindy’s character arc.
Plot: I’m not a big reader of sci-fi (I can probably count on one hand the number of sci-fi books I’ve read), so some of the plot details got a little confusing for me. But plenty of action, hints of romance, great character relationships, and high stakes kept me flipping pages. Some of the political parts did drag a bit for me, but they needed to be in there for the plot.
Romance: Clean. I enjoyed “seeing” Lindy and Ethan’s relationship develop. I appreciated that their romance was more of a subplot and never took over the story.
Writing: Maribeth has a great writing style! This doesn’t read anything like a debut novel!
Overall: Operation Lionhearted was an entertaining read, and I’d recommend it to those who enjoy Christian fiction and science fiction. I’m looking forward to reading more by Maribeth in the future!
Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher/author. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
View all my reviews
About the Author
Maribeth Barber is a small-town Southerner captivated by the tales of underdogs, homebodies, and royalty. She reviews movies, books, and television at maribethbarber.com, and is also a contributing writer for The Cultivating Project. A novelist from childhood, she lives with her family on their hobby farm in Louisiana.
Blog Tour Schedule
Kristina Hall 
Thank you SO much for this review, Kristina! I’m so thrilled to hear that you enjoyed Ethan’s character so much–and the fact that the story kept you flipping those pages really makes me smile. So glad to have you on the Blog Tour Team!
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You’re welcome! Thanks for writing such an epic book!! I’m so glad I got to participate in the blog tour!
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Oo, I think I’ll enter the giveaway!! It sounds like an amazing book!!! I haven’t really read much science fiction, after all, and I want some good books to read in that genre…
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You should definitely enter the giveaway! Operation Lionhearted is such a cool book!
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