Celebrate Lit / October 6, 2019

No Turning Back

Celebrate Lit Book Tour

About the Book No Turning Back

Book: No Turning Back

Author: Katie Vorreiter

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: December, 2016

Chronic panic attacks have stolen Livvy Fischer’s classically trained soprano voice and derailed her life. Due partly to a mix-up, partly to her crush on Pastor Lucas, Livvy joins a worship team bound for the chapel at San Quentin. But when a full-scale riot breaks out, she is separated from Lucas and the rest of her group. Survival becomes this song bird’s sole focus.

Snatched from the chapel by an inmate, Livvy doesn’t know who to trust. Tobin says he’s protecting her, but she’s been blindsided before. She struggles to put her trust in God, while all too aware that free will can wreak horrible consequences. Tobin wants her to hide and ride out the prison storm, but Livvy becomes the obsession of another inmate who is a serial killer. Will God protect her? Will Tobin?

It’s one thing if Tobin is turning his life around behind bars. It’s quite another to fall for him.

Click here to grab your copy.

My Thoughts on No Turning Back:

No Turning Back is a hard but good read. It’s not a fast can’t stop reading because I’ll miss it but rather keep going because you need to know the outcome.

Just wow. I never imagined how this book would read or what would happen when I signed up to review it. In my mind, it would be a cute book with some suspense and maybe a bit of bad happening but she’d end up with the pastor and minimal trauma.

I could not have been more wrong. Again I must say wow. Just wow. This is such a powerful book.

This is a debut novel. Most debut novels don’t wow me. They tell me of the author’s style and their potential and give me a sense of whether I will want to read more by that author in the future.

This novel though. It told me this is definitely an author to watch because she is very unique and really gives it to you. There is no holding back here! And No Turning Back for our main characters or for you as the reader.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s not one that I just sit and read the whole thing in a few hours though. I had to stop several times. Not due to anything in the book but just needing to go about my real life. I think I possibly could have read through the book in one sitting butI see this as more of a book that you read in chunks and then digest because there is a lot going on here!

Definitely, one I recommend. Get a copy and you’ll understand why I think this is a great one. The characters are all complex and nobody is perfect or has the picture-perfect life. This makes it much more relatable.

I can’t say I’ve ever been in a prison, but I did work in a high-security mental health facility for those convicted of crimes. So I got some of this. I knew why the rules were in place. But I don’t get all of the mindsets. Some of them are just too out there for me to be able to step into their minds.

The antagonists are spot on to make you hate them but then again you think they’re good but they’re bad or vice versa. Definitely keeps you hopping and on your toes.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

About the Author of No Turning Back

Katie Vorreiter is an award-winning writer and copyeditor. She makes her home in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two children rapidly morphing into young adults, and a ridiculously adorable cockapoo. No Turning Back is her debut novel.

More from Katie

I’m often asked where on earth I came up with the premise of No Turning Back. My good friend and pastor had me spellbound with his stories of taking softball teams into San Quentin, the maximum-security prison for men. What a ministry! He had a few funny tales, but what stood out to me were the cautions the team was given upon entry: they had to sign a form acknowledging that in the event they were taken hostage, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would not negotiate for their release.

Say what?

That got me thinking about what it would be like for a woman in such a situation. There are female corrections officers, certainly, as well as woman food service workers and volunteers in a range of capacities. But I wanted a true fish-out-of-water character, and thus Livvy was born. Because of a terrible event in her past, she’s hypervigilant about her personal security. She’s also tiny and, of all things, an opera soprano.

Once I had my Livvy, I threw her into a full-scale riot at a men’s correctional facility. Poor thing. But, of course, she’s got God on her side, and he tends to tip the scales. Yet, as all Christ-followers are aware, prayer, even unto the God of the universe, is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. Pun intended. We know—all too painfully sometimes—that Jesus was right when he said we’ll have troubles here on earth. God is with us through the storm and works all things together for good, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll remove the storm and it’s often hard to see the good when we’re in the middle of not-so-good.

What role, then, does prayer have in the face of the free will of a person intent on evil? If you want to know the answer, read the book. Just kidding. The story is a fast, fun ride and delves into some deep areas, but I don’t pretend to answer the questions of the ages. If you like chewing on these kinds of issues—on your own or with friends—check out the No Turning Back discussion questions on my website.

Don’t worry: the story isn’t all dark. In most situations, I can’t stay serious for long, so you’ll find some humor, as well as not one but two hunky romantic options. I really hope you like it. If you want to chat, drop me a note on Facebook or on my website.