Malicious Intent

About the Book:

Title: Malicious Intent
Series: Defend and Protect #2
Author: Lynn H Blackburn
Publisher: Revell
Release Date: March 1st, 2022
Genre: Christian Suspense

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.

Book Review:

Soo, I got this book late this afternoon, started it at 8pm and finished it before 11:30. It was sooo good! I have loved all of Blackburn’s books and this one was just as amazing as I had hoped. Malicious Intent is the second book in Lynn H Blackburn’s Defend and Protect series. I have been eagerly waiting for this book ever since I read the first one and it does not disappoint. 

Dr. Ivy Collins was a force to be reckoned with, she had a PhD and was the founder and ceo of Hendra, Inc, a company that was ready to begin clinical trials on her cutting-edge prosthetic. Her work has been heralded by many and yet someone is trying to sabotage Hedera and the launch. U.S. Secret Service Agent Gil Dixon can’t believe that he is going to be ruined with his childhood best friends, Ivy. Now that he found her, he doesn’t want to let her go. However things get complicated while they search for the truth behind who is targeting Ivy. Will they find their answers in time to save Ivy’s life work, her own life, and the innocent lives caught in the crossfire?

I loved Ivy! She was a fascinating and cool character, I adored her quirks and the things that made her herself. She was crazy smart and she wanted to help those around her. I really liked how smart and different Ivy was, but how these attributes were thought of as special. She was so considerate of those around her but she was also a bit closed off. She could get hyper focused on things and she wanted so badly for her work to help others. Ivy had to learn to trust Gil and also to allow herself to be vulnerable. She had been by herself for a while, and she was still trying to make up for past mistakes. 

Gil was amazing! I also loved him! He was so kind and thoughtful, he had his faults but I really enjoyed reading about him. He had fallen for Ivy hard when he was younger and he had never forgotten her. It was so sweet to read about him caring for her and wanting to keep her safe. He had endured many different trials that made him who he was, and he would do anything to protect those he loved. However Gil had to learn to trust God and to understand that Ivy was a capable woman. 

Gil and Ivy were perfect together, obviously. I loved their banter and interaction. I really liked how it wasn’t instant love, but instead it was balanced on friendship that had grown. I also liked how their relationship felt real, they didn’t always get along, they weren’t always on the same page, but they focused on what was important. 

I love how Blackburn writes relatable characters and yet they feel different. Ivy, Gil and the other characters featured in this book became my friends as I read about them. I could understand their side of things, see their faults, and cheer for them as things started to work out. The side characters in this book were such a wonderful addition, I always enjoy reading about different characters interacting. I am super excited for the next book, I have an idea and I hope I am right. 

The suspense in this book was spot on. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and there were so many surprises. I don’t usually enjoy suspense but Blackburn is an auto read for me. I like how she is able to weave a story that interconnects suspense, faith, and romance. There were so many things going on and yet I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I just kept on turning pages until I finished the book, it was that good. 

All in all, this was a masterpiece. Malicious Intent definitely needs to be on your TBR. It is the must read of 2022, I could not recommend it more. Malicious Intent is a clean Christian suspense book. I will say that this is a suspense book with some violent, graphic scenes so I would recommend using discretion. It is the second in the series, so it is best read in order but it can be read standalone. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.