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.
Series: Defend and Protect, book 1
My rating:
Unknown Threat started out with a bang—literally. After an explosion in scene one, I was hooked.
Romantic suspense is very much a hit-or-miss for me, so when I requested to review this book, I may or may not have been super nervous. I mean...I'd never read anything by Lynn Blackburn, so y'all, this could be a big fail. Heh.
BUT. I also couldn't help be excited about it 'cause, y'all, Blackburn...well, if you've seen SEAL Team, you'll know. *cackles*
Anyway. The characters. The CHARACTERS, y'all. This book had a fantastic cast of characters. (How many times can I say 'characters' in one line?) Faith, Luke, Zane, Tiff, Gil, Jacob, Hope (if I'm missing anyone, just slap me or something)...and what surprised me the most was how funny they were. Gil and Zane are always trying to find someone for Luke to marry, and of course they're gonna recruit Tiff to help them. Y'all. I can't tell you how long it's been since I actually laughed out loud while reading a book. Like, for real. It c r a c k e d me up.
I loved Faith's character, and I could actually relate to her a lot—her personality was a bit more driven than mine (though I suppose I can be driven...when I really want to...*cough*), but the way she relied on logic rather than emotions? Mmm, yeah, my kinda girl.
Luke was sooo fun. I loved his personality and his protectiveness. And the way he handled his meddling friends. *cackles*
And, of course, Gil needs his own line 'cause I love him. He was my favorite (though full of holes, poor dude), and he needs his own story. Which I am super hopeful about. *nods*
So. The two love interests meet. Their eyes lock across the room. Soft jazz begins to play, and they are immediately drawn to one another...okay, yeah, that's not quite how it happened. The romance was actually super sweet, in my opinion. Of course there was a bit of kissing and there was definitely attraction but Y'ALL they didn't let their attraction get in the way of their jobs, and it wasn't full of the I-feel-nothing-but-sparks-when-I-touch-this-person kind of romance and that was soooooo wonderful. Was there I-want-you-but-we-can't-be-together bits? Yes. But it...actually made sense to me in this case?? Plus, I really appreciated how they hit a couple of rocky spots, and it wasn't all flowers and rainbows, or however the saying goes. So. Yeah. There's definitely romance, but not enough to keep me from enjoying the book in its entirety.
Anyway. The plot continually kept me guessing. And wondering who was gonna get blown up next. 'Cause, ya know, sUsPEnsE. This was one of those instances where I thought I knew who the bad guy was, but I was actually wrong. (Gasp—me? Wrong?? Shocking, I know. My goodness.)
The spiritual aspect was good. There wasn't a whole lot, buuuut there was definitely more than I've read in a lot of Christian fiction lately, and I appreciated the thread of learning to trust God. So thank you, Mrs. Blackburn, for that!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own.
What are y'all's thoughts on romantic suspense? Have a favorite author in the genre?
