BLOG, LibraryThing Early Readers, NetGalley, Revell

Unknown Threat, #1 Defend and Protect, by Lynn H Blackburn

About the Book

Title: Unknown Threat

Series: #1 Defend and Protect

Author: Lynn H Blackburn

Publisher: Revell

Released: March 2021

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. 

My Impressions


“Mondays were the worst.” Who doesn’t agree with that statement?! And with that sentence, Lynn H Blackburn deftly hooks the reader. The timbre of Unknown Threat, ( #1 Defend and Protect) escalates as we find out that Secret Service agents in the Raleigh office are being picked off systematically. Can FBI Special Agent, Faith Malone, work with Luke and get past his hatred of the FBI, to discover who wants to eradicate his team?


Plenty of drama, sweet romance, and explosive action make this a story to remember. I love the way that Luke and Faith must put aside their pasts with their hurts and baggage to forge a relationship. Little snippets make us aware of another team member whose romance may be the subject of the next book. I appreciate that Blackburn adds a humorous dimension to very tense moments and keeps the suspense below heart attack level.
I have read Blackburn’s Dive Team Investigations series and was pleased to find the same level of team camaraderie and loyalty between members of Luke’s Secret Service agency. That pervading sense of family makes me eager to get my hands on the next book in the series.
I received a copy of the book from the author and publisher through Library Thing. All opinions are my own, unsolicited thoughts. 

My Rating

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Magnificent!

About the Author

It’s probably no surprise to any of you that two of my favorite things are reading books and writing books.

If I’m not reading or writing, there’s a decent chance that I’m talking about reading or writing, which is part of what makes doing interviews for my books so much fun. 

I’ve compiled a running list of all the places where you can see/hear/read about everything from my feelings on dogs and cats to how I do my research. All of these interviews have been tied to the release of Unknown Threat in some way.

If you click on this page and scroll to the bottom, you’ll find a plethora of interviews. Some are video, some are written, and some are links to specific podcast interviews. I’ll be updating this list weekly, so be sure to check back from time to time!

And speaking of Unknown Threat – y’all! The response has been amazing! As of this writing we are only 2 weeks past the release and there are already 105 reviews on Amazon and it has 4.8 stars. My mind is blown, my heart is full, and it makes me ridiculously excited to dive into writing the next book in the series!

Grace and peace,

BLOG

Burden of Proof, #1 FBI: Rapid Response by DiAnn Mills

38942593

ABOUT THE BOOK:

TITLE: Burden of  Proof, #1 FBI: Rapid Response

FORMAT: Paperback, 416 pages

ISBN: 9781496427052

PUBLISHED: October 9, 2018, by Tyndale House Publishers

Reeling from a negotiation gone wrong, FBI Special Agent April Ramos is caught off guard when a frazzled young woman shoves a crying baby into her arms, then disappears. Worry for the child’s safety quickly turns to fear when a man claiming to be the girl’s father abducts them at gunpoint. April puts her hostage negotiation skills to use to learn more about who she’s dealing with: Jason Snyder, a fugitive accused of murder.

As Jason spins a tall tale about being framed for the killing of his business partner, April must sort through his claims to find the truth. A truth that becomes all the more evident after April overhears a conversation between Jason and the local sheriff and realizes something more sinister may be happening in their small town of Sweet Briar, Texas. But aligning herself with a known fugitive to uncover the burden of proof could cost April her job . . . or worse, her life and the lives of other innocent people.

 

MY REVIEW:

DiAnn Mills has again captured my attention with her latest romantic suspense, Burden of Proof. Her first sentence hangs the cloud of dread over the reader and sets the stage beautifully for the angst and fear to come. This has got to be one of the most uniquely bizarre, yet believably ordinary starts to a novel of this type.
With moments of comic relief, Mills has combined fast-paced, almost reckless action with faith and desperation. Throughout Burden of Proof, we see the tension between doing what is right and what is expedient. One of the quotes I am drawing deeply on right now:
“The darkest moments of our lives are intended for God to use in a mighty way.”
Discussion questions at the end help make this a good choice for a book club.

I gratefully received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House and the author. This in no way affects my opinions, for which I am solely responsible. No positive review was required.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

DiAnn Mills

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She combines unforgettable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne du Maurier, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Carol Award contests. Firewall, the first book in her Houston: FBI series, was listed by Library Journal as one of the best Christian fiction books of 2014.

DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe.

DiAnn is very active online and would love to connect with readers on any of the following social media platforms or others listed at diannmills.com.

facebook.com/diannmills
twitter.com/diannmills
instagram.com/diannmillsauthor

 

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