By The Book

Malicious Intent, the second book in the Defend And Protect series by Lynn H. Blackburn, is a fast-paced romantic suspense. The threats continue to come out of nowhere leaving the main characters scrambling. I liked the twists and turns and the definite chemistry between the two mains. I’m betting you will too! 😉

Dr. Ivy Collins, founder and CEO of Hedera, Inc., is ready to begin clinical trials of her company’s cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by government, medical, and advocacy groups and everyone hopes the device will be a success. Well, almost everyone. Someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch, but to what purpose–and how far will they go to get what they want? 

Meanwhile, U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can’t believe he’s finally been reunited with Ivy, his childhood best friend. Now that he’s found her again, Gil intends to spend the rest of his life with her. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy’s life’s work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.

Perfectly balancing chilling suspense and uplifting romance, award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn delivers a story of revenge, greed, and overcoming that you won’t want to put down no matter how late it gets.

Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas! 

Lynn’s titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Her newest series kicked off in March 2021 with Unknown Threat, Book 1 in the Defend and Protect series. 

She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children. 

You can follow her real life happily ever after by signing up for her newsletter at LynnHBlackburn.com and @LynnHBlackburn on Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

My Impressions:

Malicious Intent continues the focus on Secret Service agents that began in book 1 of the Defend And Protect series, Unknown Threat. The same ensemble cast from that novel make an appearance in this book along with Dr. Ivy Collins, driven owner of a bioengineering business in Raleigh, NC. (There are also appearances from Blackburn’s first series in case you are a long time fan.) Investigations into counterfeit currency come under the authority of the Secret Service, and that’s how the story begins. But the book soon takes off in a very twisting direction that kept the characters and this reader scrambling and guessing. 😉 I like my suspense high-octane, and this one certainly is. Along with great plotting and an intriguing whodunit, there are sparks galore, and not from the gunfire or grenades! The two main characters, Ivy and Secret Service agent Gil Dixon, are childhood sweethearts who were forced apart by circumstances beyond their control. Fifteen years later they have the same feelings, but wonder if they can have a second chance. I rooted for their romance throughout the book. All the characters depend upon God, in good times and in bad, and their relationships with each other and God were natural. Is there doubt? Sometimes. Again, a very natural faith is portrayed. And their friendships? I can see two friends that definitely need to be more. Hopefully, that story is in book 3.

Romance and rocketing action — what’s not to love. Fans of romantic suspense, you are going to want to read this book!

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Revell for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Tags: Lynn H. Blackburn, romantic suspense fiction

Unknown Threat is book 1 in Lynn Blackburn‘s romantic suspense series, Defend And Protect. It’s a puzzler, as members of the US Secret Service are targeted by a killer. It’s a great start for the series. Recommended! Find out all the details below.

US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell is lucky to be alive. Three of his fellow agents have died in unusual circumstances in the past ten weeks. Luke is devastated by the loss of his friends and colleagues, and his inability to locate the killer feels like a personal failure. He’s an expert at shielding others, but now the protectors are in need of protection.

FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven to succeed and confident in her ability to solve every case she’s assigned. She’s been put in charge of the investigation into the unprecedented attacks, and with Luke’s life in danger, the stakes have never been higher. But it’s hard to know how to fight back when you don’t know who the enemy is.

As more agents are targeted, Luke and Faith will have to work together to bring a killer to justice and prevent any more names from joining their fallen brothers and sisters on the Secret Service Wall of Honor.

Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas! 

Lynn’s titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Her newest series kicked off in March 2021 with Unknown Threat, Book 1 in the Defend and Protect series. 

She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children. You can follow her real life happily ever after by signing up for her newsletter at LynnHBlackburn.com and @LynnHBlackburn on Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

My Impressions:

Lynn H. Blackburn’s novel Unknown Threat starts out with a bang! Literally. The reader is immediately grabbed with this twisting romantic suspense that features the Secret Service and the FBI. Not known for working well together — interagency rivalry, you know — the two law enforcement agencies are forced to cooperate as Secret Service agents are murdered. The case is puzzling, because the methods are so different, but FBI agent in charge, Faith Malone, is dogged in her working of the case. And Secret Service agents won’t remain on the sidelines when their fellow agents are targeted. SA Luke Powell and Faith are thrown together to identify who is responsible. The romance between the two main characters is new, no past bad blood, and I liked that. That’s not to say that their relationship didn’t sizzle. LOL! The investigation is a puzzler, and the two are kept on alert as more threats and dangers emerge. I found the case intriguing and was kept guessing as to just whodunit. Blackburn’s novels are faith-filled, but never preachy. The reader gets real and relatable people and their struggles. And for fans of Blackburn’s previous books, a couple of favorite characters make cameo appearances.

If you are looking for a fast-paced suspense with a good dose of romance, then I recommend Unknown Threat.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to Revell for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Tags: Lynn H. Blackburn, romantic suspense fiction