About the Book

Book: Anchoring You Author: Robin Patchen Genre: Christian romantic suspense Release Date: May 12, 2026 On the glittering waters of the Caribbean, a yacht captain’s fight for survival forces her to rely on a man she swore she’d never trust. A fiercely independent yacht captain, Kenzie Wright has spent her life disregarding her family’s expectations. She thrives on freedom, charting her own course, and never staying in one place—or with one person—for long. But when a routine voyage thrusts her into the crosshairs of a deadly drug cartel, her carefully crafted agenda is blown apart. Her last hope to save herself and her crew is the partying playboy, Jaz. DEA informant Jasper Aylett has spent years hunting the cartel leader known only as “the Phantom.” The mission has cost him everything—his family, his reputation, and his chance at redemption. When a beautiful yacht captain gets caught in the Phantom’s web, Jaz risks his life to rescue her. It’s his last chance to secure the information he needs to take his enemy down—and get his life back. Kenzie is forced into hiding with Jaz, and now two cartels want her dead. With their lives on the line, Kenzie and Jaz must work together to unravel the Phantom’s network before it’s too late. But the closer they get to the truth—and to each other—the more their past wounds and buried fears threaten to tear them apart, leaving them vulnerable to an enemy who won’t stop until they’re both destroyed. From a USA Today bestselling author… Don’t miss this heart-pounding suspense and swoon-worthy romance as Kenzie and Jasper discover their fight for survival—and for love—can only be won together.

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About the Author

Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of Christian romantic suspense. She grew up in a small town in New Hampshire, the setting of her Coventry Saga books, and then headed to Boston to earn a journalism degree. Working in marketing, she discovered how much she loathed the nine-to-five ball and chain. After relocating to the Southwest, she started writing her first novel while homeschooling her three children. The novel was dreadful, but her passion for storytelling didn’t wane. Thankfully, as her children grew, so did her writing ability. Now that her kids are adults, she has more time to play with the lives of fictional heroes and heroines, wreaking havoc and working magic to give her characters happy endings. When she’s not writing, she’s editing or reading, proving that most of her life revolves around the twenty-six letters of the alphabet.

More from Robin

Too Far Gone? Writing a Prodigal Hero When I started writing Anchoring You, I knew the hero was going to be a challenge. On the surface, Jaz is everything my heroine Kenzie despises: a charming playboy who flits around the Caribbean with a different woman on his arm every week and a drink perpetually in his hand. When he tries to get to know her, she wants nothing to do with him. She’s heard the rumors. She knows exactly what kind of man he is. Except she doesn’t know the real Jaz. Nobody does. Underneath the polished persona, Jaz is drowning. A gambling addiction led to crushing debt, which led to a desperate deal with a dangerous man, which led to five years of living undercover as a DEA informant. He’s lost everything that matters—his money, his reputation, his relationship with his brother, Noah, and most painfully, his daughter Charlotte, whom he left with Noah to keep her safe from the criminals who control his life. Somewhere in the midst of all that, Jaz also lost his faith. The Prodigal Who Doesn’t Come Home We all know the parable of the prodigal son. He squanders his inheritance, hits rock bottom, and returns to his father’s open arms. But what happens when the prodigal believes he’s wandered too far, done too much, burned too many bridges to ever find his way back? That’s Jaz’s life when we first meet him. He tells Kenzie at one point, “I’m not sure if I left Him or if He left me, but God and I haven’t had a relationship since I was a teenager.” Jaz isn’t angry at God. He’s not wrestling with doubt. He’s just disconnected. Numb. He made choices that spiraled out of control. People got hurt, and somewhere along the way, he decided that men like him shouldn’t expect grace. I think a lot of people can identify with Jaz, even if their circumstances aren’t as dramatic as his. It’s not always a crisis of faith that pulls us away from God. Sometimes it’s shame, the quiet belief that we’ve disqualified ourselves. We believe grace is real, just not for us. A Faith That Doesn’t Preach Kenzie could have lectured him or quoted Scripture at him. But Kenzie, a strong believer, doesn’t preach. Instead, she lives her faith, acting on what she believes. In one quiet conversation, when Jaz confesses how far he’s fallen, she offers him truth without judgment: “There’s no such thing as too far, Jasper. Not with God.” Kenzie’s relationship with God is evident in how she treats people, how she handles fear, how she extends grace to a man the world has written off. Kenzie’s witness begins to crack Jaz’s defenses. Writing Broken Heroes I’m drawn to characters who carry weight—who’ve made real mistakes with real consequences, not just minor flaws designed to make them “relatable.” Jaz gambled away half his family’s estate. He slept around. He abandoned his daughter—even if it was to protect her. He spent five years lying to everyone he met. These aren’t small things. I didn’t want to minimize them or sweep them under the rug in the rush to make him likable. I believe in redemption. I believe people can change—not by willpower but by the power of God. Jaz doesn’t have a dramatic conversion moment in the middle of the action. His journey back to faith starts with prayer, the gentle testing of God in moments of crisis. And God answered, protecting and guiding him through the most difficult time of his life. When it was over, Jaz realized God had been there all along. That’s the heart of the prodigal story, isn’t it? The father doesn’t chase the son down the road. He doesn’t force him to come home. But when the son finally turns around, the father is already running to meet him. Jaz spent years believing he’d gone too far. Kenzie helped him see that there is no “too far” for God. Because if grace only works for people who haven’t messed up too badly, it’s not really grace at all.

Interview with the Author

What helps you to write? Do you eat snacks, listen to music?

I’ve found the most important thing that helps me to write is not nearly as interesting as my favorite Bath and Body Works candle or the perfect sweet-and-salty trail mix. Honestly, what helps me most is scheduling time to write and having a clear goal—which I’ve shared with somebody. I’m a very goal-oriented person, especially if somebody’s going to hold me accountable. Fortunately, I have good writer friend who will ask how I’m doing on my goals. Not wanting to tell them I didn’t reach my wordcount is often enough to keep me at the keyboard.

If you could travel back in time, what time period would you go to?

If I had to travel back in time, I think I’d like to experience colonial America, particularly during the time of the revolution. When I lived in Boston during college, I was fascinated by all the revolutionary tales—the Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s ride. I’d love to experience what life was like for the colonists who risked everything for freedom from England. I’d love to hear the arguments in the pubs—admittedly, I’d have to pretend to be a man to actually hear those. I’d love to eavesdrop on the gossip of Patriots and Loyalists, to read the news written by courageous men.

I choose Boston in the 1770s…but can I take my iPhone with me?

What is your favorite hymn and why?

I love the old hymns with their beautiful, powerful words. There’s something special about the thoughtful poetry in old hymns. How Great Thou Art is my favorite. The words are so simple and so profound. The second stanza talks about feeling God in nature, in woods and forest glades. The imagery reminds me of my childhood in New Hampshire, where I first knew He existed. He is evident in the trees, in the bubbling brook, in the singing birds, and in the mountain views. He speaks to us where we are, all the time. That’s such a simple, profound truth. How Great Thou Art is one hymn that is guaranteed to make me weep, every time.

What inspired you to write this book?

I met a woman a couple of years ago whose daughter was a transport captain. She would move sailboats from port to port for wealthy owners. Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it? I decided then that one of my Wright sisters would be a transport captain, and I wrote that into her sisters’ books in the series. When it was time to write Kenzie’s story, I realized… I know nothing about sailing and nothing about yachts. But I’d written myself into this corner, so I had no choice but to do a lot of research. (There are a lot of writers who love research. I’m not one of them.)

Fortunately, I have a writer friend, the brilliant Normandie Fischer, who spent years with her husband sailing the Sea of Cortez. She was kind enough to read the book for me and help me fix the scenes on the yacht so other sailors wouldn’t roll their eyes or discard the book in disgust. Now, I want to go sailing—with a competent captain at the helm, of course!

What is one question you would like readers to ask you? What would be your answer?

I guess the question would be something like, “Is there a general theme that runs throughout your stories? The answer: My stories almost all include some element of faith. Can we trust God to be faithful to His promises? Can we trust Him even when we don’t get what we want? I went through some serious trials a few years back, and I learned that God could be trusted. He told me to do some things that didn’t make sense at the time—and in some cases, still don’t. But I was desperate enough to do whatever He said, and He stepped in and did miracles. What I’ve learned is that God rewards faith. Even if we don’t get everything right, or stand on the wrong promises, or believe He said one thing when He really meant another—He sees our trust in Him, and He rewards it. Things might not turn out like we want, but that’s okay, too, because God’s plan is always better. I hope my stories all demonstrate some aspect of that.