Lynn Blackburn: One Final Breath

By Kelly Bridgewater

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.

Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn closes out her nail-biting Dive Team Investigations series with a story that will have you wondering how long you can hold your breath.

From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

One Final Breath by Lynn Blackburn is categorized as a romantic suspense. The suspense element was there and started in the first chapter after a "family" cookout, which was a good thing. The writing was top notch. I enjoyed seeing the different perspective of Gabe and Anissa as they told their story. They both had flaws and had to learn to overcome them in order to make way for their happily ever after. The main issue the plot carried for me was the romance. It was the main focus of the novel. Readers will see more about Gabe and Anissa  trying to figure out their budding romance and their romantic feelings than the suspense. The suspense felt like an afterthought; the romance was the main leading storyline. Also, the motive for the bad guy felt cheap. It didn't really justify, to me, why he was chasing the heroine. I shook my head in disbelief. Overall, One Final Breath by Lynn Blackburn is an okay romantic novel with hints of suspense. Not really one for the books. Fans of Elizabeth Goodard, Irene Hannon, and Colleen Coble might really enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of One Final Breath by Lynn Blackburn from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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About the Author:

Lynn H. Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She's passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don't make her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in South Carolina with her true love, Brian, and their three children. Her first book, COVERT JUSTICE, won the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery/Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel. Her second book, HIDDEN LEGACY, released June 2017. She begins a new series, Dive Team Investigations with BENEATH THE SURFACE in March of 2018. (Taken from Amazon.)

Lynn H. Blackburn: Beneath the Surface

By Kelly Bridgewater

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.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I haven't read anything by Lynn H. Blackburn, but she has written a number of romantic suspenses for the Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense line. I do enjoy a good mystery that grips my attention and keeps me focused on the story. With Blackburn's first full length novel Beneath the Surface, I expected to receive a military or FBI type character who is working to solve a case while the woman either works with him or he or she is trying to protect the member of the opposite sex. I expect the suspense to be non-stop with some explaining of the thought process to solve the case. With Beneath the Surface, I did receive all these things.

The writing is clear and concise. When the police officers got together to discuss the case, I trusted that Blackburn was actually writing what would have occurred in a police meeting as they discussed what they have and what they still needed to solve the mystery. No head hopping. Pretty good descriptions to keep me cemented in the mystery.

When I approach a mystery, I expect that the mystery I first encounter either in the first chapter or the prologue is the mystery for the entire book. Not in Beneath the Surface. It occurs, and I was drawn into the story, wondering about the body with no head, feet, or hands. But the next chapter focusing on Leigh, the heroine, and stays focused on her for the next fifty-five percent of the novel. Rarely, did it go back to the body in the water. Leigh had things happen to her, and the detectives, Ryan especially, wanted to know why. I wondered why Blackburn made us focus so much on Leigh when the opening chapter had nothing to do with her, or I was led to believe.

Another issue I had with the plot was that the series is called the Dive Team Investigations. The first chapter features the detectives under the water, but the rest of the novel occurs on land. They didn't even go back under to hunt for more clues. I thought the detectives would have spent more time diving for clues than hunting on land.

When another detective brings up the idea of the same killer hunting Leigh and murdered the body in the lake around sixty percent into the novel, then the novel becomes what I thought it should have been since the beginning. The novel becomes exciting, and I can't put the novel down. I finished the rest of the book in a little under two hours. Lots of actions and thought processes to solve the mystery.

The romance, in my taste, was a little rushed. So Leigh and Ryan liked each other when they were little. Do they honestly know the adult version of each other without someone hunting down Leigh? They want to jump into a forever relationship because of the crush they used to have on each other. If this was reality, I believe their romance wouldn't last.

Overall, Beneath the Surface by Lynn H. Blackburn is different romantic suspense with a hurried romance but a hunt for the killer that kicked off around sixty percent, but dragged for the first part of the novel. There is a second book and probably a third, so I definitely will be giving Blackburn another try. Fans of Lynette Eason, Irene Hannon, DiAnn Mills, and Terri Blackstock might, I believe, enjoy this romantic suspense story.

I received a complimentary copy of Beneath the Surface by Lynn H. Blackburn from Revell Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars