"Never Fall Again" by Lynn H. Blackburn

Never Fall Again (Mar. 12, 2024) by Lynn H. Blackburn.*

<This is the first novel in a series.>

Three years have passed since Landry Hutton moved to Gossamer Falls, North Carolina, with her daughter, Eliza, now five years old. Landry’s been the artist-in-residence at The Haven, where her best friend, Bronwyn Pierce, is the CEO. Landry’s in a good place in her life and is ready to build her own home with artist’s workspace. She meets with Callum (Cal) Shaw, former Marine and youngest Shaw brother, of SPQ Construction, and, by extension, Maisy, his golden retriever. When a suspicious fire occurs at Favors on The Haven property, Landry is heartbroken. She sells her pottery there, which is a major source of her income. Without it, she won’t be able to build her home on the three acres of land she bought from Bronwyn. It’s situated across from Cal and two of his cousins: Montgomery (Mo) Quinn, a forensic accountant, and Meredith Quinn, the town’s dentist. Suddenly, the safety net that she’s been enmeshed in has been ripped apart. She doesn’t think her late husband’s family knows where to find her, but who else would target her? They’ll have to look closely at The Haven’s guests. Now that Landry and Eliza have met the Quinn/Shaw families, they’re automatically considered family. Both Cal and Landry have been hurt by past relationships, but there’s definitely more than friendship brewing between them. Now, if only they can figure out who’s set Landry as his bullseye.
        Previously, I’d only read a short story by Blackburn, and I’m glad that I finally read one of her full-length novels; this one is the first in the Gossamer Falls series. It’s easy to root for the lead characters, and it’d be spectacular fun to find oneself immersed into the Quinn/Shaw families by having “met a Quinn this morning.” I like the way in which Blackburn addresses Landry’s faith crisis. She’s a believer and knows Jesus died for her. She knows “all the Christianese” and could expound on doctrine at length. Her faith in God is great. Her faith in her fellow Christians is not: “On an intellectual level, she knew she couldn’t lump all church-going followers of Christ into one cesspool of hypocrisy and deceit.”
        “Never Fall Again” is a Christian romantic suspense novel with a focus on family (both found and by blood), faith and trusting others. While suspicious events provide drama here and there, the edge-of-your-seat climax doesn’t occur until the end chapters. And then, the race is on to save ... multiple people in two different locales (you didn’t think I’d name names, did you?). This story will have readers cheering, laughing, cringing and even gasping for breath. I look forward to upcoming installments.
        Notable lines: “Secrets bring despair. Surprises bring delight.” (p. 296)

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”