I read a lot.
I read a lot of romantic suspense.
I even try to write it.

This combination of reading and writing has given me a pretty good idea of the elements that need to be present in a romantic suspense novel to keep everybody happy. This is both good and bad because sometimes it can make a book rather predictable.

So I love it when I crack open a book and find all those elements, but find that each one comes at me in a fresh or unexpected way.

Irene Hannon’s second book in the Private Justice series, Trapped, did just that.

Trapped opens, not in the head of the hero, James “Dev” Devlin, former ATF agent turned private eye, or the heroine, librarian Laura Griffith, or the villain (no, I’ll not be giving you his name), but in the head of Darcy, the sixteen year old half-sister of the heroine. A young woman who is about to make a very poor choice that will send Laura and Dev on a race against time, the elements, and the twisted mind of a sociopath.

And speaking of sociopaths . . . This guy is C.R.E.E.P.Y.

I find the villain-next-door to be the scariest of all and this one, well, you’ll have to read it. We spend a disturbing amount of time in our villain’s head and Irene Hannon did a masterful job of presenting him, not as a caricature of evil, but as a deeply troubled soul.

Our hero, Dev, has his own troubled past that rears its ugly head when Laura, complete with her own trauma, walks in his door and asks for his help. As their search takes them to train stations, homeless shelters, and through late-night stakeouts, they will both have to find a way to leave their pasts, and their future, in God’s hands.

Doesn’t it sound great? Wouldn’t you like to have your very own copy?
Well, guess what? You can! 

I happen to have an extra copy, so I’m giving it away. I’ll put entries from Facebook, Twitter, and the comments on this post into a random number generator, and someone will win their very own copy of Trapped!

All you have to do is leave me a comment and let me know you want to be entered into the drawing!

So what are you waiting for?

Trapped is available as of August 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

The super fine print: I received a free copy of Trapped in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The post Trapped appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

One of the things Irene Hannon does so well is to give us a peek into the world of different types of law enforcement. In her new “Private Justice” series, she’s taken us into the world of private investigators.

As it turns out, they aren’t all 100 pounds overweight, kicked back behind a massive desk, and puffing on a smelly cigar.

The post Vanished by Irene Hannon appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

I broke one of my personal reading rules for this book.

The characters were well developed and realistic. They were people I’d like to get to know and hang out with. They had interesting quirks (I like quirks), flaws I could identify with, and strengths that I admire.

The post Lethal Legacy by Irene Hannon appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.

A few weeks ago we talked about the seven things readers can do to support their favorite authors.

But there was one item I left off the list…on purpose!

One of the best things a reader can do to support their favorite authors is …

Tell everybody about their books!

Every now and then, I’m going to use our Thursdays to introduce you to authors I love. And we’re going to start with a genre that is near and dear to my heart.

I was a reader long before becoming a writer. I love to read just about anything (no horror, please!), but one of my favorite genres is Romantic Suspense. Here (in alphabetical order) are five of my favs…

• Lynette Eason – I’ve reviewed a couple of Lynette’s books here at Out of the Boat. In her Women of Justice series the heroines are computer whizzes, forensic anthropologists, and hostage negotiators. In the first book of her new Deadly Reunions series we get to hang out with a fire-fighting smoke jumper.

• Irene Hannon – The Heroes of Quantico series was fantastic! We meet three members of the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team and, of course, some lovely women who cross their path. The Guardians of Justice series is next on my reading list.

• Dee Henderson – Oh how I love the O’Malleys! And Dee’s Uncommon Heroes series is another favorite. I just learned that she’s releasing a new book this fall and I’m thrilled!

• Ronie Kendig – I snagged Ronie’s Dead Reckoning as a freebie on Kindle. And read it in record time. Her Discarded Heroes series is a great mix of special ops and romance. Look for my review of the fourth book in the series, Firethorn, next week. (Oh – and I’ll be giving away my review copy!)

• DiAnn Mills – DiAnn is currently (as in you’ve got until March 12th to enter) running a giveaway for her newest book, The Chase, on Goodreads. It looks so good, I would enter repeatedly if I could get by with it. Her Call of Duty series had heroines as varied as a CIA agent in hiding, an FBI agent with a secret past, and a border patrol agent grieving the murder of her husband. (DiAnn also writes exciting historical fiction!).

So . . . tell me . . . do you read romantic suspense? Have you read anything by my favorite authors? Do you have a favorite to share with me? I’d love to know what you’re reading right now!

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The post My Five Favorite Romantic Suspense Authors appeared first on Lynn H. Blackburn.