"Break My Fall" by Lynn H. Blackburn

About this book:

  “Dr. Meredith Quinn always planned to return to Gossamer Falls to practice dentistry. Now that she's back home, she's made it a point to offer clinics to children and adults in nearby underserved areas. Unfortunately, those same areas are known to harbor drug traffickers, and Police Chief Grayson Ward suspects that local law enforcement is looking the other way.
    After too many losses, Grayson has closed off his heart. But when Meredith enters his life, his walls crumble, and he's left exposed and vulnerable. To keep her alive, he must keep her close, but that makes it impossible for him to retreat and rebuild. Will she be the one who finally helps him emerge from isolation? Or will this force of nature leave him shattered?”


Series: Book #2 in the “Gossamer Falls” series. Review of Book #1, Here!


Spiritual Content- Psalm 19:14 in the Acknowledgments; A Scripture is remembered; Prayers & a Blessing over food; A few talks about God & His plans; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, Jesus, & His plans; Mentions of prayers, praying, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, pastors, services, & Sunday School classes; A few mentions of miracles (including using it flippantly, like Meredith and Gray saying that them kissing each other was a miracle); A couple mentions of Christians; A couple mentions of a Christian music station & worship music; A couple mentions of “better/holier-than-thou” attitudes; A couple mentions of people calling Meredith a saint; A mention of an event in the Bible; A mention of being Blessed; A mention of Gray having a hard time focusing on a sermon at church because of Meredith; A mention of a character thinking they have died, but that heaven isn’t wet with the rain they are feeling; A mention of a place smelling like heaven (good); A mention of a man who partakes in  criminal actions still going to church and giving to missions for the sake of his appearance in town;
             *Note: Someone says that two brothers are evil (literally, not teasing); Mentions of curses or someone being cursed (or acting like they are; *Spoiler* Meredith calls Gray out for acting like he is cursed where all the women he loves die horrifically *End of Spoiler*); A couple mentions of devilish grins; A couple mentions of luck; A mention of generational curses; A mention of a little girl thinking her dad has magical abilities; A mention of Meredith being told not to take everything out of a toddler’s mouth as gospel (condescending); A mention of Cupid; A mention of Pandora’s box; A mention of an alien abduction.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘crud’, a ‘daggum’, a ‘hot as blazes’, a ‘load of horse manure’, a ‘moron’, a ‘sucking up, a ‘shoot’, a ‘shove off’, two ‘blasted’s, two forms of ‘ticked off’, three ‘dumb’s, three ‘shut up’s, ten forms of ‘idiot’, and thirteen forms of ‘stupid’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Some Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being chased, Being shot at, Gunfire, an Explosion, Hypothermia, Being shoved into a street and almost being ran over, Shock, Injuries, Pain, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Seeing dead bodies & what is left of them (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Meredith’s brother makes she she isn’t going to hurt herself “or worse” when she’s upset (she figures out what he means and says she would never do that); Meredith loses traction when driving in the rain for a moment; All about many mentions of crimes, criminals, drugs, drug trafficking, people making illegal drugs (meth, cocaine, and marijuana) and selling it, drug dealers, drug addicts, & crooked police officers (and them trying to turn others to their side); Many mentions of murders, murderers, attempted murders and possible deaths, & bodies being found (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of the death of a sibling (younger sister) & grief (*Spoilers* Gray’s younger sister was killed by a drive-by shooting and he held her in his arms until their mom got home from work *Spoilers*); Mentions of car accidents, deaths, & major injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of gang violence, drive-by shootings, and a death (*Spoiler* Gray’s sister was shot and killed when she was eleven and died in his arms *Spoilers*); Mentions of fires, deaths, & two bodies being found in a burning car; Mentions of human trafficking of girls (particularly teens, who have ended up dead; barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of domestic violence, physical abuse, wives being bruised and badly injured (including one by her law enforcement officer husband), & another lady being beaten to death (*Spoiler* Gray’s mother *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of those in domestic violence situations feeling stuck & Meredith offering to help them; Mentions of a young man going missing, being found beaten, and having serve brain damage because of the assault; Mentions of guns/weapons, gunfire, bullets, being shot at, & people being shot and killed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of injuries, pain, blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of someone pushed into a street, almost ran over by a car, being in shock, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of abductions, possibly planned abductions, & ones where women were abducted and killed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a stalker (Book #1); Mentions of tracking and listening devices; Mentions of arrests & jails/prisons; Mentions of terrorists (teasingly, calling a group of kids or an elderly woman driving this name); Mentions of bombs/explosions; Mentions of trespassing; Mentions of mudslides; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of (breast) cancer, it rapidly growing, & aggressive treatments (Meredith’s mother); Mentions of poop; A few mentions of a warning sign being written in blood; A few mentions of bombs & explosions; A few mentions of stolen cars; A few mentions of threats & blackmail; A few mentions of drunks, alcoholics, & a mean drunk; A few mentions of people being buzzed, stoned, high, drunk, or all of the above; A few mentions of hypothermia; A few mentions of vomit; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of nightmares (particularly Gray’s being when he is awake and fears something will happen to Meredith); A mention of a firing squad; A mention of something not being poisoned; A mention of drinking moonshine at a young age; A mention of playing poker; A mention of MMA fighting; A mention of a divorce;
             *Note: Meredith has a near-panic attack (barely-above-not-detailed); Gray says that words have power and that if you say something negative to yourself long enough, you’ll start to believe it (and warns Meredith against saying anything negative about herself); Meredith recalls eating Mexican food and the ride home not being quiet; Mentions of dental care (root canals, blood, etc.); Mentions of car brands; Mentions of brand names, items, & places (Reese’s cups, Sheetrock, Bluetooth, Chick-fil-A, & Cherry Coke); Mentions of fictional characters (Anne of Green Gables, Willy Wonka, Hobbits, & Mary Poppins); A mention of plastic surgery; A mention of someone not being a sadist.
 
 
Sexual Content- A hand kiss, four head/forehead kisses, two cheek kisses, two chin/jaw kisses, an ear kiss, two nose kisses, two not-detailed kisses, four barely-above-not-detailed kisses, four border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, and four semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (up to semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Snuggling, Hand holding, Warmth, Swooning, Flutters, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch, embrace, & hold hands (including Gray wanting to pull Meredith into his lap to comfort her, up to semi-detailed); Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Jealousy; Flirting & Winks; Talks about kisses & kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing other couples kiss (up to semi-detailed); Gray never knew his dad and isn’t sure his mom even knew him; Meredith comments that guys need hugs too, but Gray comments that they usually prefer those hugs to come from women; Meredith fell hard for Gray shortly after meeting him and her interest morphed into something that “bordered in an unhealthy obsession” and continued to throw herself at him and in his path; Meredith teases her brother about him not wanting to think about her wanting to know a man “better”; Gray thinks that his feelings towards Meredith are the kind that would “get a man punched in the face by a big brother”; Meredith thinks about how “delicious” Gray’s voice sounds early in the morning; Meredith needs Gray’s help unzipping her dress & when he yanks it over her head, he closes his eyes; Meredith’s grandmother fusses at Gray for thinking that old people are clueless (about romance) and adds “How do you think you got here in the first place?” (which her husband overhears and gives her a look that isn’t “sultry or steamy”, but one that is “intimate and powerful”); A ‘baby’ and a ‘harpy’; Mentions of human trafficking (usually of teen girls, including one who ended up dead on the “first night” and the others who died later, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of illegitimate children & a man giving the baby mamas money (while not acknowledging the children, but not letting them starve because of his appearance in town); Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of couples kissing in front of others & giving “lingering looks” that “left little to the imagination”; Mentions of PDA; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of dates, dating, & girlfriends/boyfriends; Mentions of love, falling in love fast, & broken hearts; A few mentions of breakups; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of a single mom and her son moving into a man’s house that was romantically interested in her (because of hard circumstances; *Spoilers* Gray and his mother; Later, the man beat his mother to death *End of Spoilers*); A couple mentions of snuggling; A couple mentions of sparks & tension between two people; A couple mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of young couples “canoodling”; A mention of a woman being assaulted (not said if sexually or just physically); A mention of the best case scenario being that a man is having an affair (the worst case could be that he is trafficking drugs and people); A mention of cheating; A mention of someone’s husky voice after a kiss; A mention of a woman sitting on her fiancé’s lap; A mention of jealousy; A mention of crushes; Love, falling/being in love, trying not to be in love, heartbreak, & the emotions;
             *Note: Meredith threats to harm the “tenderest parts” of a Gray’s body when upset despite knowing that he doesn’t have to have children and might not care; Gray decided as a teen that he wasn’t going to be a husband or father & feels some grief at times over that decision (see spoilers in Negative Section for more information); Meredith’s brother wonders if the two of them have a curse that detained them to love someone who doesn’t love them back; When Meredith says she has plenty of extra weight to lose, Gray interrupts and says to never let him hear her say that again as her “body is perfection, and it houses [her] beautiful soul”; A few mentions of a nineteen-year-old girl being forced into an arranged marriage with someone twenty years older; A few mentions of Meredith’s arrival ten months after her brother was born being a shock to her family and the town; A mention of being unsure if two boys have the same father or not; A mention of some women liking (unpractical) shoes because of how they make their legs look; A mention of a bikini; A mention of butting out of a conversation.
 
-Meredith Quinn, age 31
-Grayson “Gray” Ward, age 35 
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        352 pages
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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

After enjoying the first book in this series, I have mixed feelings on this second book. The romance had some really cute and sweet parts, but also frustrated me a bit at their reactions to different things/confessions. The suspense elements were unsettling—as they should be as it’s evil—but have also left me feeling heavy after finishing this book and it overshadowed the cute ending. 

 

As expected, I didn’t love all the dentist parts, but that’s not shocking at all if you know me. 

 

This one picked up pretty close to the first book and similar to Lynette Eason’s current series, I’m thinking that this series as well is going to be one to either reread the prior books before the newest one comes out or binge read them all together once all are released. Because it’s been about a year since the first book released and I’ve read a lot of books since then, it did take some time for me to remember the events and characters in that book. On that note, though, despite some info-dumping at times, there were a few things about characters or “inside information”, if you will, that were either explained later on or not explained at all and you would be lost if you haven’t read the first book before this one. 

 

I haven’t read the novella that could be considered Book #1.5 that was in the novella collection titled “Cornered”, so I was a wee bit lost with that couple and mentions of their story. Unfortunately, this book totally gives away the villain of that book—though, to be fair, I don’t know if it was a secret or if the person is pretty obvious. 

 

We see a glimpse of Faith from the author’s other series and characters from her prior series as well, which was kind of like a fun Easter egg. 

 

Gray has a heartbreaking past and is partially very protective of Meredith because of it—but also because of the feelings he refuses to admit he has for her. Most tragic backstories of main characters don’t affect me too much because I’ve read so many over the years, but I did really feel for Gray. That’s not to say I didn’t want to smack him to get his act together about Meredith, but I could honestly see his struggle and if this wasn’t a fictional story where I knew it would eventually end with a pretty little bow, I didn’t think it would end with them together and him working/worked through his past. That said, there were some points I felt he was dragging his feet too much and then when that 180 happened, it felt a little stark because there wasn’t much build up to it in his POV and just happened. 

 

A lot of the lines/things Gray said definitely felt like they were written by a woman, but it was usually when he was groveling or confessing his feels to Meredith, so I suppose that makes sense. It felt a little jarring to me, though, I suppose because he is this hardened police chief, but then sharing his emotions with her in depth and being all eloquent. It made me roll my eyes a few times, I’ll admit.

 

This book hit me harder than I was expecting and I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s hormones (we can always blame those, right?) but the human trafficking, domestic violence, and drug trafficking mentions—and even though they were kept lighter than most suspense books I’ve read—still hit me while I was reading it. Which, I suppose in a way is good because I don’t want to ever become desensitized to evil, but at the same time, it left me with a heaviness while reading. The author kept it light enough on the details that I think avid suspense readers that are 16+ would probably be fine with it, but it felt different to me. Perhaps it is partially a me issue as I read this book when I wasn’t really in the mood for a suspense story and all of the elements that come with it, but perhaps it was also partially the fact that these awful things are happening in that next county over and it’s gutting to the main characters, so we feel their emotions about it. The ending was rough on this especially and was unsettling to me. 

 

Like the first book in the series, I did like all the family relationships of the Quinn family and how close-knit they are. They have each other’s backs in a great way and it’s honestly refreshing to see a healthy multi-generational family in a fiction series because most are broken, toxic, and/or a mess in many ways. This series is standing out to me because of this element, and I appreciate it. 

 

Whew. That was a lot of thoughts, but I hope you can tell my mixed feelings on this book. It was a hard one to rate, in all honestly, because of all the different elements. All of that said, I’ll definitely be reading the next book because this one hinted way too much about Mo and Bronwyn’s past without giving us any true information—which is just a mean tease! 

 

 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

"Never Fall Again" by Lynn H. Blackburn

About this book:

  “Landry Hutton has spent three years rebuilding her life behind the secure gates of The Haven, an exclusive resort on the outskirts of Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. As the artist-in-residence, and with her pottery prized by The Haven's guests, Landry is finally ready to settle in permanently. She wants to give her daughter, Eliza, a safe home to grow up in and hires former Marine Callum Shaw to handle the construction.
    Cal grew up in Gossamer Falls and always knew he would someday join his family's business. He longs for a family of his own but has almost given up on that ever happening. Landry is funny, gifted, and everything Cal could ever want in a partner, but he vows to keep his distance. Landry has a daughter and a past. Cal has been down that road before and barely survived when the woman he loved left, taking her two sons with her. He can't bear to lose like that again.
    Before construction on the house can begin, Landry's pottery is destroyed in a suspicious fire. It soon becomes clear that Landry and Eliza are in grave danger--but because of whom? But, after losing one relationship, he is hesitant to try again.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Gossamer Falls” series. 


Spiritual Content- Prayers (including Callum praying for/with Landry); Talks about God, praying, church, & Christians; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Church going; Landry says she loves Jesus and has a faith in God; Landry’s in-laws were Christians (including the father-in-law being a pastor) but were “sheep in wolves clothing” and the “mean church people” are the “worst kind of mean people” (in her experience); *Spoiler* Landry says she has a fear of “so-called ‘good Christian’ men.” and adds “The more often they go to church, the scarier they are. And this is coming from a woman who loves Jesus”; Her marriage was not being a happy one and when she tried to tell others, she wasn’t believed and told that she was “blessed” to have snagged him; It’s implied that she was told that she was a “’poor testimony’ to the unbelievers in the world” when taking about it; She was told that she needed to pray for forgiveness and that because he husband was a godly man, she needed to strive to be a godly wife; She knows she couldn’t lump all church-going followers of Christ as hypocrites, but still is nervous about being at a church *End of Spoiler*; Landry thinks that when praying in a certain dangerous situation, she knows that “God didn’t always choose to help. He didn’t always fix things, at least not the way Landry wanted them fixed. But [H]e could help. She knew that. He might not, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, services, pastors, & sermons; Mentions of Christians & ones who are “the worst kind of Christians” (Landry’s in-laws are the latter type and *Spoiler* due to their actions and the lack of other people believing her about them, she hasn’t been into a church in years *End of Spoiler*); A couple mentions of being Blessed; A couple mentions of miracles; A mention of divine guidance; A mention of Bible reading; A mention of a Sunday school class; A mention of thanking Heaven; 
             *Note: Callum says he has demons due to a past event; The phrase “speak of the devil” is said once; A couple mentions of lucky & being lucky; A mention of someone being as mean as the devil; A mention of strep throat being evil and from the devil (according to Callum); A mention of a demanding guest being called “the demon…I mean, the delicate flower”; A mention of ghost costumes; A mention of a “Mother Earth” woman that takes care of others; A mention of a woman calling herself a “harpy”; A mention of a younger brother idolizing his older brothers; A mention of someone thinking his mom walks on water.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘duh’, an ‘ever-loving’, a ‘give a flip’, an ‘oh my word’, a ‘sucker’, a form of ‘ticked off’, two forms of ‘mercy/sweet mercy’, six ‘dumb’s, six ‘shut up’s, six forms of ‘stupid’, and ten ‘idiot’s; The phrase “cold day in a hot place” is said thrice (to avoid cursing at Granny’s house); A couple mentions of someone’s rear is mentioned (in the way of “pain in the rear” and hauling someone’s rear to jail); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Being hit/attacked, Being buried alive, Being drugged, Being abducted, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); A fire & vandalism (up to semi-detailed); Pain, being sick (strep), throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Landry’s husband was not a great guy (*Spoiler* He died in a car accident due to his own drunk driving and because of it, she’s had a hard time with seeing fire trucks ever since because they can cause her to have panic attacks and anxiety; He was the only person involved in the crash; He would use Eliza as a weapon against Landry and to be able to control her *End of Spoiler*); Landry is concerned that her in-laws would fight her for her daughter’s custody or even stoop to kidnapping her; *Spoiler* Landry shares that while her parents weren’t abusive in the way most would think, they were neglectful; Landry wonders if her husband recognized her emotional vulnerability or if he was just a gaslighting narcissist who was “a master at emotional bullying”; She shares about the times that he was physically abusive to her, locked her in a room for hours, and she made plans to leave him with Eliza (barely-above-not-detailed) *End of Spoiler*; Mentions of missing people, abductions/kidnappings, & someone being buried alive (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of someone waving a gun around children, them being frightened, & screams (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of explosions; Mentions of the possibility of a woman being a victim and/or running away from a man (Callum wonders if this is the case with Landry); Mentions of drunk driving, a car accident, & death (of the drunk driver, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a bar, drinks, & drinking; Mentions of drugs, drugging someone, being drugged, & meth labs; Mentions of rehab & addictions; Mentions of illnesses, pain, & throwing up (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of grieving (including over the loss of not being in a young child’s life); Mentions of crimes, criminals, crime scenes, fires, arson, & the damages (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of gossip & rumors; A few mentions of a missing hiker & it been too late to find him; A few mentions of a potential violent death; A few mentions of pranks (including ones in high school) & a group of children being like a gang; A few mentions of bullies & bullying; A few mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of (military-related) deaths; A couple mentions of violence; A couple mentions of ways to torture terrorists (with a child’s high-pitched squeal); A couple mentions of fighting & fights (between siblings); A couple mentions of jail;  A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of someone looking like they were being burned at the stake; A mention of beating someone up; A mention of gunshot wounds; A mention of blood; A mention of a forest fire; A mention of a psychopath; A mention of a wife leaving her husband; A mention of divorce; 
             *Note: Someone tells his family that he isn’t suicidal even though they think he is (he says he need time, but the others don’t buy it); Landry overhears a comment that makes her wonder if there’s someone who doesn’t approve of her daughter because of her race (despite being a part of a “racially diverse” family; She confronts someone about this and is told it’s not due to race at all; A few more mentions of race after this conversation); *Spoiler* Landry’s husband is said to have been a narcissist who would gaslight her and was a “master at emotional bullying” *End of Spoiler*; *Spoiler* Landry and Eliza are kidnapped towards the very end by a man who is obsessed with Landry and it’s said that his “mind broke” from his job and devolved into this form of “madness” & his erratic mental state and “sick mind” are also mentioned; They are able to get away from him by Landry drugged his smoothie *End of Spoiler*; Landry & Callum both have seen therapists for past events and both believed it helped them; Going to a harvest festival (instead of Halloween trick-or-treating); Mentions of therapy & therapists; Mentions of a family member being born during a time where the parents were advised to forget that she even been born (due to a possible stroke during delivery; The family did not follow that advise and she’s a precious miracle for the family who loves her); Mentions of someone fighting cancer, her treatments, & her children’s reactions (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Mentions of panic attacks, anxiety, & depression (the first two for Landry and the last for Callum); Mentions of brand names & products (ChapStick, Coke, M&M’s, Snickers, Milky Way, Oreos, Tylenol, U-Haul, Mac, iPad, & Kindle); A few mentions of Halloween; A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of asthma attacks; A couple mentions of FaceTime & Siri; A mention of someone being an expert in “big emotions” (with children); A mention of National Geographic; A mention of a painter (Jackson Pollock); A mention of a werewolf; A mention of someone being concerned for the environment (teasing); A mention of someone being accused of misogyny.
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, a cheek kiss, a forehead kiss, two ear/neck kisses, eight barely-above-not-detailed kisses, a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss, and three semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (including a cheek kiss, all up to semi-detailed); Staring at another’s lips (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to kiss, touch, & embrace (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Blushes, Winks, & Butterflies; Jealousy; Noticing (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Landry says her husband got her pregnant on their honeymoon to be able to control her, *Spoiler* she add that she didn’t enjoy the honeymoon and now sees that he was because he was “far more experienced then he’d claimed he was” *End of Spoiler*; Callum asks if Landry’s husband forced himself on her and she says no; Landry says that she had to tiptoe around her husband and will not do that ever again for a man; A man offers Landry private lessons (innuendo); *Spoiler* Towards the end, Landry is abducted by a man who is obsessed with her and has a “predatory glint” in his eyes and mistakes her shiver of terror for desire *End of Spoiler*; A ‘bimbo’, a ‘hotties’, and two ‘baby’s; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & PDA (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of girlfriends, boyfriends, break-ups, exes, dates, & dating; Mentions of cheating, cheaters, & fathers leaving the mothers of their children; Mentions of flirting & flirts (including married men); Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of broken hearts; A few mentions of women watching handsome men working (making comments on their looks and wanting to meet them); A few mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a married couple kissing; A mention of a possible illegitimate child; A mention of some people being related but not knowing it due to an affair (said that someone’s uncle “fooled around” with someone else’s aunt); A mention of a recently divorced man going on “long bimbo binge”; A mention of a fling; A mention of a couple sneaking around like teenagers so someone doesn’t know that they’re together; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of Callum’s aunts trying to set him up with a woman who was fourteen-years older than him; A mention of a child streaking through a baseball game. 
 
-Landry Hutton, age 32
-Callum “Cal” Shaw
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This book took me completely by surprise. I’ve read a few other books by this author and enjoyed parts of different ones, but wasn’t sure about this book. I almost passed on this book because I wasn’t super interested in the plotline, but I’m glad I read it because I ended up really enjoyed it! 

 

The romance was really cute, Cal was the best, and it was overall a really enjoyable read. Definitely way lighter suspense than I was expecting, but that was good too. There were little things here and there that I didn’t care for, but nothing super major. 

 

Cal’s personality won me over the minute he appeared on page. He was fantastic. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in the suspense book before. He made the book for me. 

 

I think I swooned when he prayed with her. Have I seen that before in Christian fiction suspense books? When the main girl is distraught over something that happened in the suspense plotline and he stops and asks if he can pray with her and then prays for her? How come we haven’t seen that more?! It was so sweet! 

 

I did struggle to keep track of how everyone was related, the family feud in town, and all of those correlating elements, but I continued to read to hope that I could figure everything out. I did get really lost with the family trees and how everyone is related—a diagram of the main families‘ trees at the front of the book would’ve been super helpful! I did feel like I was almost jumping into the middle of a series or at least a very busy very active family life—make that three families! 

 

The suspense element really didn’t kick in till right at the end about 85% into the book. There is a bit here and there, but not really much in that first majority of the entire book.

Don’t go in expecting a Lynette Eason or Lisa Harris suspense novel full of action, shoot outs, and car chases—because that’s definitely not this book. 

 

This suspense book was unlike many other suspense books in many ways, but also because it actually covers a decent amount of time throughout the book. There are several chapters where it’s a few weeks later or several weeks later. Typically, I would get a little frustrated with that because I want to be all in our main characters lives and their interactions, but it worked really well for this book. Such as our main characters had discussions off page but then were told about them later when it’s important. I never felt like I was missing out. 

 

I will say that I wasn’t a fan of the villains from Landry‘s past being Christians in the public eye but then being backstabbers in the private. That’s some thing I’ve seen more and more in Christian fiction is the so-called “Christians” that are actually the villains of the story. And I’m not liking seeing that as frequently as I have been seen it. I will say that it bothered me way less in this book compared to other recent reads because those characters weren’t on page causing mayhem or being terrible? We just hear about it from past events from Landry, so it didn’t bother me as much, shockingly.

 

Overall? This was a busy book with all the characters and trying to figure out how everyone is connected, but it had its really sweet moments and a bit of suspenseful ones as well. The faith content was a bit lighter than I would have preferred, but Cal praying for Landry and then little Eliza’s prayers made it good to me. It really was romance book with a touch of suspense, which I shockingly still enjoyed. (Shockingly because I typically like my suspense books to be heart-pounding suspenseful.) Because of mentions of Landry’s abusive husband, I would mark this book for ages 15/16+.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

"Under Fire" by Lynn H. Blackburn

About this book:

  “USSS Special Agent Zane Thacker has landed his dream assignment protecting the president of the United States. When the president plans a fundraiser at the exclusive estate of a political supporter in Raleigh, Zane is thrilled to be working again with Special Agent Tessa Reed, his best friend--and the woman he desperately wishes could be more.
   Though Tessa almost lost everything, she battled her demons and came out on the other side healthy and healed. But when her role as the liaison between the Raleigh office and the president's protective detail wrenches her past back into the present, her greatest failure threatens to come to light. 
   Zane refuses to let Tessa go through this alone. But can he stand by the woman he loves and protect the president from a mounting threat at the same time?”


Series: Book #3 in the “Defend and Protect” trilogy. Review of Book #1 Here! And Book #2 Here! Mentions characters from the “Dive Team Investigations” series and does give slight spoilers from those books. Also mentions a couple from the novella “Deadly Objective” by this author. 


Spiritual Content- A handful of Scriptures are read & quoted; Prayers (including quite long prayers and talking to God), Thanking God, & Blessings over food; Talks about God & forgiveness; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Tessa says she refuses to allow alcohol to steal the life God has for her; As a child, Zane didn’t understand why God gave him his mother when other kids had good mothers; Zane prays that he knows God has the power to fix others, but he doesn’t understand why He doesn’t (this is not brought up again); Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches & church going; A few mentions of forgiveness & a man wondering if Zane would still tell him about God if he knew what he did; A couple mentions of being Blessed & blessings; A couple mentions of sins & a sinner; A mention of wishing someone Godspeed; A mention of people in a town “walk[ing] the talk” when it comes to their faith; A mention of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; A mention of Mother Teresa; A mention of someone’s “eternal reward”; A mention of someone sounding like they’re calling “down fire from heaven”; 
             *Note: Mentions of Greek gods & a Roman god (Janus); A few mentions of evil; A few mentions of Tessa’s demons & her fighting them; A few mentions of a protest group having neon-crosses (because the person that was killed last name is Cross); A mention of someone’s smile looking a “little wicked”; A mention of being jinxed; A mention of someone knocking on wood (superstition); A mention of voodoo; A mention of someone saying they saw UFOs. 
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bah’, a ‘blasted’, a ‘blooming’, a ‘duh’, a ‘screw up’, a ‘shoot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘suckers’, two ‘crap’s, three ‘dumb’s, five forms of ‘ticked/tick off’, ten forms of ‘stupid’, and twenty forms of ‘idiot’; A couple mentions of curses (including Zane bites back choice words once; others are said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Being attacked, Being strangled, Fighting/Self-Defense, Pain, Blood, & Injuries (up to semi-detailed); Seeing a multi-vehicle car wreck (semi-detailed); A hangover (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to shoot someone (a few times, not serious); In the opening chapter, Tessa has a hangover (from drinking, but also someone drugged her drink so she remembers nothing and is freaked out); Tessa has struggled with an alcohol addiction for years (later says her first drink was in middle school and that she’s the type who should never have alcohol because she will always want more), goes to rehab prior to the main of the book, and says she’ll always be an alcoholic but she’s healing and doesn’t want to go back to how she was; Zane had a “nightmare” of a childhood due to his mother being an alcoholic (details of him being terrified, upset, & not able to understand why she was like that; He knows it’s not true that he’s not important enough for someone to sacrifice for, but it’s been imbedded in him because of his childhood; He made a comment once to Tessa about not being able to trust a woman who drinks because he might one day love a woman “who needs alcohol more than she needs [him]”); All about many, many mentions of threats, threats of harming and killing, domestic terrorists, crimes, criminals, arrests, jails, protests, violence, & hits on different people (including towards government officials, barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of being shot/shot at, being strangled, injuries, pain, a fire burning down a house, explosions, attacks, & deaths (some of the events in Book #1, up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of hangovers, drinking, bars, getting others drunk, alcohol, alcoholics (Tessa and Zane’s mother), rehab, sobriety, & going to AA meetings (Tessa); Mentions of the death penalty & a criminal being executed on multiple charges (eight murders, sexual assault, & battery); Mentions of murders & murderers; Mentions of death wishes & not having one (it is discussed between Tessa and Zane, & a family member asked if she was depressed or had a death wish because of her career choice); Mentions of someone being shot, blood/bleeding, someone being injected with insulin (deadly for those not diabetic), & a gun being aimed (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of grenades, bombs, explosions/explosives, & threats of blowing people/places up; Mentions of biological weapons & plans to cause harm/ill on others with chemicals; Mentions of a multi-vehicle car wreck, possible wrecks, injuries, & being tailed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of poison, being poisoned, wondering if something is poisoned, & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Tessa being drugged & abducted (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of abusive family members, addicts, & substance abuse; Mentions of drugs, drug addictions, being drugged, & women at bars being drugged; Mentions of a possible stalker; Mentions of a break-in; Mentions of snakes, a death from a snake bite, & Tessa’s extreme fear of snakes; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of some men believing that women shouldn’t work in law enforcement & misogynists; Mentions of childhood trauma; A few mentions of blood/bleeding & a crime scene looking bloody (because of red food dye); A few mentions of being robbed; A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of parties & the party scene; A couple mentions of possible suicides; A couple mentions of school shootings; A couple mentions of gossip; A mention of a man beating his wife to death; A mention of a death from an overdose; A mention of someone threatening to drown another; A mention of kids being trafficked; A mention of someone almost having a panic attack; A mention of a DUI; A mention of a scam; A mention of a father leaving his family; A mention of nicotine; A mention of vomiting; A mention of bullies; A mention of a man being a “pain in the rear”; A mention of someone getting their rear kicked; A mention of something being “a kick in the pants”; A mention of a family’s pet being run-over (does not happen); 
             *Note: Mentions of mental illnesses (including someone who is mentally ill but refuses to take medicine, someone being locked inside their “mental landscape”, someone’s mind being broken after something bad happened, and someone thinking another has a mental illness but hasn’t been diagnosed); Mentions of brand names (Spam, Coke, Barbie, Krispy Kreme, & Louboutin shoes); Mentions of Uber; A few mentions of Apple products & features (iPad, Find My Friends, Siri, & FaceTime); A few mentions of awards (Tony, Emmy, & Oscar); A couple mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of Disney princesses & Mickey Mouse; A couple mentions of Zoom; A couple mentions of plastic surgery & Botox; A couple mentions of an actor & fiction characters (Jack Nicholson & the Cleaver family); A mention of Agatha Christie. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Staring at someone’s lips (once), two fingers-to-lips touches, a hands/fingers kiss, three head/forehead kisses, two nose kisses, eight barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and a semi-detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (not-detailed); Wanting to kiss; Lots of Touches, Embraces, Warmth, Shivers, Hand holding, & Nearness (including a massage with a moan & touching another’s thigh and knee, up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); In the opening chapter, Tessa wakes up in a motel with her shirt missing (she was not sexually assaulted/raped, but it implies that it could have gone that way; She is ashamed of it); Two forms of ‘hot’ and three ‘baby’s; Many mentions of dates & dating; Mentions of sexual assault, sexual harassment, possible scandals from it, & the women being paid off; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & making out; Mentions of men that can’t take no for an answer; Mentions of flirting; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of couples kissing & imagining someone kissing another (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of when a drunk Tessa threw herself at Zane (he said no and nothing happened); A few mentions of a woman clinging onto Zane; A few mentions of players & a couple men dating more than one woman at a time; A few mentions of come-on lines, making passes, & being hit on; A few mentions of winks & blushes; A couple mentions of someone thinking that it would be a “disservice to all humankind” if a certain guy reproduced; A couple mentions of making it where a man can’t father children; A couple mentions of a man’s new wife being younger than his youngest son; A couple mentions of anyone (male or female) “says no, the answer is no” (said by Tessa regarding a woman clinging onto Zane); A couple mentions of crushes;A mention of a man’s childhood being full of “drugs, sex, and violence”; A mention of it not being wise for a(n unmarried) couple to be allow together at night; A mention of nothing “physical” happening between two friends; A mention of a creepy guy; A mention of Zane wanting to make sure a rapist can never do it again; A mention of a marriage being consummated; A mention of a man trying to get rid of/hide his pregnant girlfriend; A mention of a prenup that would leave a man a pauper if his does to his new wife what he did to his previous wife (no details); A mention of a mistress; A mention of someone feeling like they’re cheating; A mention of a hook-up; A mention of a man being called a dog (by Tessa); A mention of a woman possibly wanting to fall for a man who’s more attracted to her mind than her body; A mention of a man wolf-whistling at Tessa; A mention of a woman batting her eyes (said in a mocking way); Both Tessa & Zane are attracted to each other, but they have stayed friends for years because of different reasons; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Tessa kicks a male attacker in a “sensitive place”; A few mentions of rears (including wanting to shoot a man in his rear, a man being a pain in the rear, and someone getting their rear kicked); A couple mentions of some threats being more of a “personal nature” (from women to a man, no details given); A mention of a curvy woman; A mention of some men being unable to “keep their pants up”; mention of Tessa kicking a “foot to the—” on a male attacker (cut-off, but implied where); A mention of someone butting out of a conversation; A mention of being the butt of jokes.
 
-Tessa Reed, age 35
-Zane Thacker
                                P.O.V. switches between them & someone else (x3)
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Because of some content, I would say this book is best for older girls who are very interested in law enforcement and considering it as a career path. }

This was a wild ride from start to finish. At first, I was a little concerned with what I was getting myself into because of the opening chapter. Which is somewhat how I felt at the beginning of the second book in this series as well. But I continued on to “help” solve the mystery. ;)

One thing I’ve really enjoyed about this trilogy is the friendship circle. How welcoming they all are to the newcomers and how they all have the others’ backs. They might be a bit too nosy at times, but it’s because they care for each other. They’re quick to pray for and with each other (long, legit prayers, I might add) and I truly just love that. It’s what has made this series good in my eyes. (Side note: The epilogue was cute and sweet and confused me to pieces. I assume it’s a preview of the author’s next series?)

There’s a lot of suspense elements in this trilogy, and while I definitely enjoy the uniqueness of those elements, the author doesn’t shy away from having broken characters who are in the process of healing. Especially in this novel. Tessa is a recovering alcoholic (though, she says that she’ll always been an alcoholic, despite going to rehab and AA meetings, so I don’t know if I agree with that statement) and we see some of her worst moments thanks to time skips. Because of the opening chapter of Tessa waking up drugged and missing some of her clothing, and the frequent mentions of the almost rape throughout the rest of the book, I definitely don’t recommend this book for those in BFCG’s target ages. This author has a knack for showing the nitty-gritty parts of a law enforcement career and I would say only older high school girls that are seriously considering it as a career, would be the only ones I would recommend this book to in the 9-19 age range. 

My minor is in criminal justice (hence why I read so many FBI and suspense books) so I enjoyed looking at all the different details of this plot and trying to wrap my mind around all the loose ends, trying to future out how everything was connected. There were a couple twists I didn’t see coming and a few I did, but overall it was a wild ride that kept me engaged and questioning everything. Not a book I would easily recommend, but I will say that I mostly enjoyed it. 

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.

"Malicious Intent" by Lynn H. Blackburn

About this book:

  “Her years of research and sleepless nights are about to pay off . . . if she can stay alive.
   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 praised 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, US 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 mend their broken relationship. But it will take all his skill to uncover the truth in time to save Ivy's life, her life's work, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Defend and Protect” series. Review of Book #1 Here! Mentions characters from the “Dive Team Investigations” series and does give slight spoilers from those books.


Spiritual Content- Psalm 19:14 is noted in the Acknowledgments; A Scripture is quoted in a sermon; Prayers; Church going; Talks about God & praying; When recalling being tortured, Ivy kept praying but was certain that God wasn’t going to answer her prayers, that she was going to die; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, songs/hymns, a pastor, & a sermon; A mention of a Bible study; A mention of it probably being “extra sinful” to ogling a worship leader (Ivy noticing Gil); 
             *Note: A couple mentions of aliens.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘for crying out loud’, a ‘freaking’, a ‘screw up’, a ‘suckers’, two ‘crap’s, two ‘sheesh’s, three ‘gah’s, three forms of ‘shut up’, three forms of ‘ticked/ticked off’, three forms of ‘wimp’, twelve ‘stupid’s, and fifteen forms of ‘idiot’; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Shooting, Being shot at,  Seeing someone shot, Gunfire, & an Explosion (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Injuries, & Almost being kidnapped (up to semi-detailed); Just before the book starts, Ivy was held hostage & tortured in her own home (being stunned, fingers broken, slapped, being burned, and passing out; she also has to explain and walk through the events with the police, all up to semi-detailed; She was certain that she was going to die); Many, many mentions of deaths (including in the line of action), bombs/grenades, seeing others shot, being shot, shootings, shooters, gunfire, blood/bleeding, pain, & injuries (including recapping events from Book #1); Many mentions of Ivy being tortured, blood/bleeding, pain, injuries, passing out, shooting someone in self-defense, & the possibility of being killed (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of suicidal thoughts & someone almost deciding to end his life (the person went through therapy and found it helpful, *Spoiler* it was Gil, shortly after high school *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of finding a dead body, blood, & how it happened (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of kidnappings & attempts (adults and a child); Mentions of a child being drugged & threatened with losing a limb (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a work accident causing a man to lose a limb & blood/bleeding (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of violence, threats, ransoms, cyber threats, ransomware, & hackings; Mentions of thieves, stealing, stolen items, & betrayal (*Spoiler* Ivy’s mother stole from her and her friends, and Ivy is very ashamed by her mother’s actions *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of crimes, crime scenes, criminals, jail, arrests, & counterfeit money; Mentions of scams, a con-man, & a woman using people for her benefit; Mentions of drugs, addicts, being high, & a possible overdose; Mentions of cigarettes & smoking (& Ivy being burned by one); Mentions of nightmares; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of car accidents; A few mentions of alcohol, someone being drugged (in his drink), & getting drunk; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of tattoos; A couple mentions of someone being sideswiped by a car & killed (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of human trafficking; A couple mentions of bullies/teasing in school; A couple mentions of a gambling addiction; A couple mentions of cocktails; A mention of a murderer; A mention of war; A mention of Ivy’s biological father never being in the picture; A mention of partying & drinking; A mention of gossip; A mention of eavesdropping; A mention of a lottery; A mention of a wife getting ready to leave her husband; A mention of someone filing for a divorce; A mention of a man looking like he ran over a puppy (after hurting someone);
             *Note: Mentions of yoga (Ivy does yoga typically); Mentions of brand name (Apple products, Barbie, Coke, Band-Aid, & Geber); A few mentions of GQ magazine; A few mentions of an author, fictional characters, & a movie/book (L. M. Montgomery & The Princess Bride); A few mentions of sport teams; A couple mentions of car brands; A mention of Google; A mention of Uber; A mention of Comic-Con. 
 
 
Sexual Content- Two hand kisses, an almost kiss, four nose kisses, seven forehead/hair kisses, seven barely-above-not-detailed kisses, three semi-detailed kisses, and a detailed kiss; Remembering kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Lots of Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Warmth, & Nearness (up to semi-detailed); Remembering touches & embraces (barely-above-not-detailed); Wanting to touch; Noticing & Smelling (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes & Winks; Ivy & Gil sleep in the same house multiple times for her safety (nothing sexual happens; there is a comment of her thinking they don’t need a chaperone, but he says she hasn’t been paying enough attention if she thinks that); a ‘babe’, five forms of ‘hot’, and ten ‘baby’s; Many mentions of dating, dates, exes, break-ups, & boyfriends/girlfriends; Mentions of kisses & kissing; Mentions of blushes & winks; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of a guy making the key to a girl’s apartment (we’re not told the reason why, but they are not a couple); A few mentions of couples kissing (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of Ivy’s mother having many boyfriends, but always keeping them away from Ivy; A few mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of human trafficking; A couple mentions of a staged kidnapping so the boyfriend can look like a hero to his girl; A couple mentions of a guy making passes at Ivy; A couple mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a girl being boy crazy, even in elementary school; A mention of a man acting like he wants to make beautiful babies with a woman; A mention of Ivy’s mother sleeping around; A mention of staring at someone’s lips; A mention of a woman possibly being violated; A mention of a man not being a masochist; Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of Ivy showing more skin than she’s comfortable with due to one of the men tearing her shirt when being tortured; A mention of underwear. 
 
-Ivy Collins
-Gil Dixon
                                P.O.V. switches between them & the villain (x4)
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens-

 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

Despite really struggling to understand what was happening in the first couple chapters, I did really enjoy this suspense novel. Much more than the first book in the series, for sure. 

It took about halfway through for me to like Ivy. I preferred Gil’s POV because he saw more in her than she did of herself. Plus he had it so bad for her. It was giggle worthy at times because of how much he likes her. The “he fell first and he fell hard” trope was in play in this novel and I’m always excited to see that trope. Add in the childhood best friends trope, and I’m totally okay with a the main trope being the second chance romance trope.

The pacing was well done, and the action was believable. There was a good amount of faith content and also none of the typical suspense tropes that I see much too often. (I’ve used the word ‘trope’ too much in this review already, my apologies.) 

I love the friendships and the importance of friends in this book. I think that’s the main reason why I enjoyed this book. They (especially at the end) were a well-oiled machine in making plans and all the details of taking a villain down. It was really satisfying, actually, to read about. Even if they were a bit too nosy at times, I liked their banter and caring for each other.  

I’m honestly bummed that I didn’t read this authors books in publication date order, because Sabrina just seems like the coolest and I think I would have loved seeing her and the others from the “Dive Team Investigations” series again. 

While typing up this review, I wasn’t sure on a personal rating of 3.5 or 4 stars, because I did really enjoy the story, but I think I’ll be going with a 3.5 due to the torture Ivy goes through before the book starts. If dwelt on too long, it can turn a sensitive reader’s stomach. I’m definitely looking toward to catching up on this author’s books and also reading Tessa’s story soon.

 

 

See y’all on Monday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.