🚓 🎯 “Under Fire” (Defend and Protect #3) (2023) 🎯🚓 – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Series: Defend and Protect (Book #3)
Paperback: 352 Pages
Publisher: Revell (March 7, 2023)
Language: English
ISBN 10: 0800737970
ISBN-13: 978-0800737979
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“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?
Sparks fly as award-winning romantic suspense writer Lynn H. Blackburn closes out her Defend and Protect series with this explosive tale of secrets kept, lies exposed, and relationships restored.”
Thank you in advance to the publisher, Revell (a division of Baker Books), for providing a complimentary review copy through Interviews & Reviews. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
Those who’ve read the Dive Team Investigations (DTI) series, as well as the first two books of this series (Unknown Threat and Malicious Intent), will definitely want to get Under Fire. I highly recommend picking up the Targeted novella which has Deadly Objective. That novella is about Gil’s sister Emily and her love interest Liam. Those who haven’t read that novella will get major spoils from this book.
Also, those who haven’t read DTI or the previous two books should read those as well. Adam, Sabrina, Gabe, and Anissa from DTI show up in this book.
When it comes to book covers – I don’t get too excited. There are some that look like works of art. Others? The background color makes them pop. As someone who likes purple – this popped right out at me. But, covers are NOT everything. It is the characters and story that is the biggest part of any book.
Obviously the characters from the other books in this series return (Emily and Liam are only mentioned):
🚓 Luke (Secret Service)
🚓 Faith (FBI)
🚓 Gil (Secret Service)
🥼 Ivy (CEO of Hedera)
🤿 Adam
This is Zane Thacker and Tessa Reed’s story told not only from their POV, but also a mystery POV.
Tessa’s story is one that definitely sparks interest. As a result, it might be triggering for some readers. She is a recovering alcoholic, which incidentally she’s forced into rehab because of an event almost two years before the main story that comes back to haunt her – though it does make for an interesting plot arc which starts off the story.
There are also mentions of domestic violence, mental illness, and drug abuse.
This is a multi-layer story that involves the protection detail section of the Secret Service. The president is coming for a visit, and the Raleigh office has had a bad past.
Blackburn gives us multiple story arcs:
🐍 Tessa’s stalker
🎯 Multiple threats against the president
💕 Zane & Tessa’s romance
This starts off with Tessa calling Zane for help. But, that incident hurts the relationship/friendship she has with Zane. She sees his help as controlling her.
Almost two years after the incident, the president is set to visit Raleigh.
Tessa and Zane are slowly becoming friends again, but her emotions are all over the map. Still, as they work closer together, and Tessa offers to help Zane decorate his D.C apartment; something builds between the two.
The romance is definitely a will they/won’t they with a slow burn. But, Zane’s reasons for not jumping right in are sound – his own experiences with his alcoholic mother, also Tessa’s time from her rehab completion. Blackburn keeps it slightly rooted in reality.
In addition, between checking what threats are real and finding Tessa’s stalker – it keeps the agents busy.
There is a slimy reporter that reminded me of a character from the movie Die Hard (the reporter Thornburg). This guy, Hank, has absolutely no professionalism – even making up a story without doing any fact-checking, and not taking “no” for an answer when it comes to Tessa.
Also, regarding Tessa – given her family background being from India (her mother half Indian) – there is a moment where she’s eating a cheeseburger, and I was wondering about that. There is some misinformation about the consumption of cow meat with regard to the Indian culture.
I did relate to her finding bargains – that is a skill I’m quite proud of myself.
Under Fire is definitely balanced on the romantic suspense genre – it is, for me, more romance than suspense though. The suspense isn’t a wild ride, but definitely one that kept me guessing. At no time did Blackburn really give a heads-up as to who Tessa had an encounter with until nearly the end. Also, the threat against the president was a more toned-down affair. It was a different and unique plot without the violence that is usually prevalent in similar “terrorist” type stories.
Overall, it is a calmer conclusion for a series that started with a bang. I definitely had a hard time putting it down for the time I was able to read it.
There are elements of humor throughout, and the agents’ family bond is endearing, given what they’ve all been through.
As this is from a primarily Christian-based publisher, readers can expect some Christian themes. There are multiple incidents of the characters praying and their faith is definitely rooted in who they are.
I’m excited to see what Blackburn has planned next, though I still have the Dive Team Investigation series on my TBR.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html; update: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html)
DATES READ: 2/13-2/19 (2023)
Previous Books in the Series:
Series: Defend and Protect (Book #1)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell (March 2, 2021)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800737954
ISBN-13: 978-0800737955
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“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 #2)
Paperback: 368 Pages
Publisher: Revell (March 1, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800737962
ISBN-13: 978-0800737962
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“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.”
Paperback: 368 pages
Language: English
ISBN: 0800740289
ISBN-13: 978-0800740283
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Books Connected to the Series:
Series: Dive Team Investigations (Book #1)
Publisher: Revell (March 6, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800729382
ISBN-13: 978-0800729387
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“After a harrowing experience with an obsessed patient, oncology nurse practitioner Leigh Weston needed a change. She thought she'd left her troubles behind when she moved home to Carrington, North Carolina, and took a job in the emergency department of the local hospital. But when someone tampers with her brakes, she fears the past has chased her into the present. She reaches out to her high school friend turned homicide investigator, Ryan Parker, for help.
Ryan finds satisfaction in his career, but his favorite way to use his skills is as a volunteer underwater investigator with the Carrington County Sheriff's Office dive team. When the body of a wealthy businessman is discovered in Lake Porter, the investigation uncovers a possible serial killer--one with a terrifying connection to Leigh Weston and deadly implications for them all.”
Publisher: Revell (November 6, 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800729293
ISBN-13: 978-0800729295
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“When the dive team is called in to recover a body from a submerged car, they aren't prepared to find an encrypted laptop--or an unsettling connection between investigator Adam Campbell and the dead accountant.
Adam turns to his friend Dr. Sabrina Fleming--a professor at the local university with unparalleled computer security and forensics skills--to recover the files from the laptop. But the deeper they dig, the deadlier the investigation becomes. When evidence uncovers a human trafficking ring and implicates members of Adam's own family, he and Sabrina will have to risk everything to solve the case.”
Publisher: Revell (September 3, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800729307
ISBN-13: 978-0800729301
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“When investigator Gabriel Chavez had his cover blown by an aggressive reporter, the silver lining was being able to rejoin the dive team. The downside? Dive team captain Anissa Bell--a woman who both fascinates and frustrates him.
Anissa grew up as a missionary kid on the Micronesian island of Yap and always planned to return after college. But she remained stateside, determined to solve the case that haunts her--the murder of her best friend and the disappearance of a three-year-old child.
When Anissa's fractured past collides with Gabe's investigation into the tragic shooting death of a teenage boy in Lake Porter, they'll have to put their complicated history with each other aside in order to uncover the identity of a killer. What they'll discover is that revenge has no statute of limitations.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn H. Blackburn is the award-winning author of Unknown Threat and Malicious Intent, as well as the Dive Team Investigations series. She believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Learn more at LynnHBlackburn.com.
She can be found on the following social media networks:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LynnHBlackburn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnhblackburn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynnHBlackburn/
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