A Book Review of Malicious Intent by Lynn Blackburn, Book II in the Defend and Protect Series
*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts below are my own and I was not required to post a positive review. Also, this blog post includes affiliate links. You may view my affiliate disclaimer here.
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
A Great Combination of a Sweet, Second Chance Romance and Exciting Suspense…
Beginning and ending with an intensity that captivated me, Lynn Blackburn delivers Malicious Intent, book two in the Defend and Protect series. With well-rounded, diverse characters and beautiful threads of forgiveness, deep friendship, protectiveness and love, this is a well-paced read for those who enjoy clean romantic suspense!
Continue reading for my full review…
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.
★★★★ | Lynn Blackburn delivers a great combination of sweet romance and exciting suspense with her newest release, Malicious Intent, book two in her Defend and Protect series. In the past, I enjoyed Blackburn’s Dive Team series and was happy to see those characters make a small, return appearance in this series as well.
The opening began with an intensity that captivated me and returned at the end. In between, there were peaks of suspense that surprised me but the romance in this story is what kept me invested and ultimately won me over. The characters were well-rounded and diverse, tied together by the common thread of a deep, protective friendship that is rare.
I enjoyed the second chance at love for main characters, Gil and Ivy, and the emotional insight that Blackburn allowed her readers. Gil was the sweetest hero and watching Ivy warm up to him was something akin to enjoying a warm, delicious drink on a chilly day… Simply heartwarming and delightful!
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While I found one or two of the suspense high points to be exciting, I did feel a little disconnected from the execution of the villain’s plan. I found the villain (and their identity reveal) to be mild with no surprise factor. Also, as a reader, I typically do not enjoy reading from the villain’s point of view because it can detract from the element of surprise for me. I realize this is personal preference, of course. Nonetheless, I was invested in seeing Gil and Ivy’s relationship through to the end.
That said, two end scenes did get my blood racing and were easily my favorite scenes in the story!
I also enjoyed that there were some faith-based elements in Malicious Intent, especially the idea of forgiveness and relying on God’s plan and timing. That was refreshing, but not too heavy or overarching.
Overall, Malicious Intent is an easy read that is a well-paced with fantastic characters, solid romance and beautiful threads of friendship, protection, love and sacrifice. I am looking forward to the next release in this series and definitely recommend this novel to both Christian and secular readers who enjoy clean romantic suspense.
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Photo Credit: Mary Denman | Couresy of Baker Publishing Group
