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Targeted

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Targeted is a collection of romantic suspense novellas by Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters. All three are packed with high-stakes, action and romance!

In On the Run by Lynette Eason, FBI agent Daria Nevsky is being chased by dangerous men who want her for a very special reason. Even though her criminal father is dead, Daria is still haunted by his past. Dr. Ryker Donahue meets Daria as she comes to his hospital for a stab wound, but after learning that she is in danger he refuses to leave her side. Daria doesn’t know what these thugs want, but she is determined to find out their connection to her father and why they want her so badly.

In Deadly Objective by Lynn H. Blackburn, physical therapist Emily Dixon provides her services to the teenage son of the Vice President of the United States. Liam Harper is his assigned Secret Service Agent. But, when someone threatens the VP's son, Emily and Liam will do whatever it takes to keep him safe. But, the closer they work together, the harder it is for Emily to keep her relationship with Liam professional. She doesn’t want to get close to him. She knows how dangerous Liam’s job is and she believes that his job will cost him his life one day. He is trained to put himself in front of a bullet if necessary, so she refuses to put herself through that heartbreak. But Liam isn’t so easily dismissed and he is determined to convince Emily to give him a chance.

In Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters, CIA officer Claudia Gallegos was at the scene of the murder of a Saudi prince. She has no idea why she was called to come to his residence shortly before he was murdered, but now she is being targeted and somebody wants her dead. Former Army PSYOPS officer Ari Blackman knows there is more to Claudia then meets the eye. After more than one attempt on her life, Ari isn't about to let Claudia out of his sight. The two must work together to find out who wants Claudia dead and why. She is also determined not to fall in love and want a family because her job puts those she cares about in danger. But, the more she works with Ari the harder it is for Claudia to keep him at arms length.

All three of these novellas by these talented authors were a lot of fun to read and kept the pages turning! I am new to romantic suspense and Targeted is another reason why I will keep looking out for more stories just like these! The action and suspense start at the beginning of each story, and the authors do a great job keeping the reader wanting to find out what happens next. The romance in these stories are clean, Christian fiction with no graphic scenes or profanity. The novellas are fast-paced with action and romance weaved in seamlessly. Each story was unique yet had similar overarching themes of having trust in others, hope for the future, and faith in God to see you through.

Don’t start this one until you're ready to stay up all night! Loved all three of these stories and I’m looking forward to reading more from Eason, Blackburn, and Walters!

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These were some well done novellas. I had a hard time putting the anthology down. Each story is fast-faced and filled with tension and suspense, but each author maintained their individual voice in their story. I loved getting to see some of my favorite secondary characters again. Don’t worry, though. If you haven’t read these authors before, their novellas are standalone stories you can enjoy before devouring their full-length books. Just be warned: you’ll want to binge their novels as soon as you finish this anthology.

Here are a few of my thoughts on each individual novella:

On the Run by Lynette Eason
Eason captured my attention from the beginning as she thrust Daria into danger. Though I’m still new to Eason’s books and haven’t met Daria yet, I followed the narrative easily and found myself engrossed in Daria’s attempt to outrun the danger. I also liked the way Eason handled the ending. I often feel like novellas can rush the romance a bit, but this ending was perfect.

Deadly Objective by Lynn H. Blackburn
If you’ve read Malicious Intent, you might have caught the reference Gil’s sister Emily made to a male friend. I remember snapping to attention and wondering if we’d get Emily’s story soon. Imagine my delight when I realized Targeted included that very story. Blackburn always manages to build such amazing chemistry between her characters, and Emily and Liam were no exception. Not only was there plenty of suspense, but the romance still has me grinning.

Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters
Pecca’s firecracker sister finally gets her story! I’ve been waiting for this since Silent Shadows and Walters did not disappoint. Pairing Carmen with Ari was perfect, and I loved reading the banter between these two as they navigated their unexpected partnership. Walters always crafts such compelling characters that I was actually disappointed when I finished this novella. I might have to reread her Harbored Secrets series to console myself.

Overall, Targeted is the perfect anthology for romantic suspense fans. Whether you need something to hold you over until Eason, Blackburn, or Walters release a new novel or you’ve never tried these authors before, I highly recommend you grab a copy.

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Targeted is a thrilling collection of three novellas. Each of the three is well written and draws the reader into the suspense. I enjoyed getting to know each character. Each leading character had lessons to learn, and I often find those lessons to be good lessons for me, too. Each book had some brave men and women, and those brave souls also leaned on their faith during the rough times. This is a wonderful collection to easily pass the time with a bit of intrigue to keep you from being too relaxed. Haha! So, pull up a comfy chair and settle in for some enjoyable hours.

I requested and received a copy of this book for review. The opinions and thoughts expressed here are wholly my own.

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Lynette Eason. Lynn H. Blackburn. Natalie Walters.

These are all names in Christian romantic suspense whose books I know I will always enjoy. Seeing all of their names on one collection of novellas... what could be more perfect than that!? Needless to say, this one was an automatic must read for me... and it did not disappoint.

As novellas, there is always that concern that stories won't feel complete or they will be too rushed, but I didn't find that to be the case at all here. Each one was action packed and kept me at the edge of my seat throughout. The shorter length is ideal for this time of year when life tends to get a little more busy than usual. Readers who have enjoyed these authors' previous books might see a few familiar characters, but they can definitely be read as standalones as well.

For those of us who are already fans of these three fantastic authors, this will certainly be one to add to the collection, but it can also be a great introduction to any of them as well. Overall, an enjoyable read and one that Christian suspense fans are sure to want to experience!

**I received a complimentary copy for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

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I loved these novellas!

In On the Run by Lynette Eason, highly skilled FBI IT Specialist Daria Nevsky is on the run from someone that broken to her house and is after her. She's injured yet drives several hours until she finally has to seek emergency help and meets Dr. Ryker Donahue who successfully stops someone from murdering her in the hospital. They have a lot of mutual friends and he decides to have her back. Sweet romantic suspense, enjoyed every minute of it!

I really enjoyed Deadly Objective by Lynn Blackburn. The camaraderie between Secret Service Agent Liam Harper and physical therapist Emily Dixon is so much fun. Their mutual work assignment is to guard/work with the vice president's son Mason, who appears to be in the crosshairs of a killer. Mason is a 17-year-old who's thrown into a whole new world and doesn't always handle it very well. He learns to like and respect Liam and Emily as they strive to keep him safe. It was also fun to read about Emily's brother and several of the characters from previous stories.

In Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters, CIA officer Claudia Gallegos gets an urgent call from the body guard of a Saudi Prince to stop by his residence. It's not in the scope of her duties but they sound desperate. She decided to do a drive by and the next thing we know it, Claudia is implicated for murder. Former Army PSYOPS officer Ari Blackman finds himself needing to find the truth about his colleague Claudia. Claudia both insulted and intrigues Ari. This pulse-pounding, page-turning story finds Claudia targeted and her life in danger. I loved watching this story unfold!

Fabulous romantic suspense by three top authors in this genre. Lynette Eason, Lynn R. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters are all on my must-read list. Fans will love this novella collection.

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Targeted – Three Romantic Suspense Novella – by Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn and Natalie Walters

These novellas were such a great time! I loved the suspense aspect in each one and since I have never read anything by these authors, it’s given me an idea of their writing styles where I am SO excited to pick up more by each author in the future! I am rating each individual novella below, but I will give this overall 4 stars. I think if I would have read the author’s previous books that these novellas tie to, I would have enjoyed them more for sure, but such great writing styles, suspense, and romance here! They really keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

First Novella: On the Run by Lynette Eason – 3 stars

This first novella follows 24-year-old, Daria Nevsky – an FBI analyst who is on the run from Russian mobsters who are trying to kidnap her for reasons unknown. She is certain it’s related to her deceased father – a former Russian mob leader.

The story begins with Daria realizing someone has broken into her home in her quiet little neighborhood in Virginia. A man busts out of the broken into home and attacks her – leaving her with a stab wound. She steals the attacker’s car and starts driving to her old home in South Carolina. Her would is hurting her along the drive though, so she stops after driving 8 hours at a hospital in North Carolina, where she meets Dr. Ryker Donahue. Things get crazy at the hospital when those looking for Daria show up – leaving Ryker and her to flee together to South Carolina where they think they will find answers to what’s going on.

This first novella story was very engaging, action packed and just a really great time. I was more invested in the suspense aspect, then the romance. I really liked the characters, especially Daria. She is complex and multi-dimensional to me. I really want to know more about her life story because she really intrigued me. I did also enjoy Dr. Ryker as I felt he was a really nice guy and cared about what happened to her. He uplifted his entire life to follow alongside Daria. This one personally was a 3-star read as I didn’t love the romance insta-love story and felt like something was missing from the romance for me, but I would recommend this as a great suspense read because you’ll be turning the pages so fast to see what happens next!

Second Novella: Deadly Objective by Lynn H. Blackburn – 3.5 stars

This novella follows Emily Dixon, a physical therapist and Secret Service Agent, Liam Harper. These 2 have such a great connection, which is what I think I was missing in the first novella between those characters. In this story, Emily and Liam end up working together to keep the Vice President’s 16-year-old son, Mason, safe as the family is attacked.

My favorite part in this novella is the romance! I think the banter and cute camping vibes here were so much fun! Emily is not a camper girl, but she quickly faces the great outdoors. 😊 I also loved the chemistry between this couple and how they were getting to know each other. Here, I was missing a little bit more on the suspense side but really liked it overall.

Third Novella: Caught in the Crosshairs by Natalie Walters – 5 stars

I think this one is my favorite of the 3 in this novella collection! It had just the right about of suspense and romance for me!

This centers around CIA Officer Claudia Gallegos and Army PSYOPS Officer Ari Blackman. Claudia gets a mysterious phone call and text to hurry to Prince Mohamed’s, someone she helped and worked with before. With no idea why they need her there, she goes due to the sense of urgency. When she arrives, they find the Prince and his head of security dead. Before she can get to her phone to call the police though, they storm the building, and she is considered a prime suspect.

Then, Ari comes in to question her but soon realizes there is someone who wants Claudia dead and she couldn’t have committed this crime. They work together to figure out who wants her dead and the story takes off from here.

Such a great clean romantic suspense novella! I REALLY want to read more of Natalie’s books now! This was great! What a cute romance too. Their banter was hilarious, and I really liked the suspense in this one.

Overall, if you like books by these lovely ladies and a good, clean romantic suspense, you will truly enjoy these novellas!

Thank you to Baker Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to honestly read and review. I will also discuss this book on my YouTube Channel BookLoverAmanda in my mid month reading wrap up for November.

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The best of suspense in one book! I loved each novella written by these three authors.
In On the Run, by Lynette Eason, I was out of breath as I experienced every escape Daria made as she stayed on the move. While I thought it a bit unlikely for a doctor to follow along, there was no time time to stop and ponder it in this fast paced book. It was romantic and it worked. Lynette is one of my favorite suspense authors. I read all I can by her.
I loved everything about Deadly Objective, by Lynn H. Blackburn. Therapist is Emily working with Vice President of U.S. son when their place gets targeted. This was also an on the run story which I love due to quick pace. It doesn't hurt to have a handsome Secret Service Agent around to protect Emily. Err, the Vice President's son. This was my first read by Lynn H. Blackburn and it won't be my last.
In Caught in the Crosshairs, by Natalie Walters, Cia Claudia tries to uncover Saudi's prince murder while being a suspect herself. Not easy to investigate while being under the scrutiny of PSYOPS officer. Author Natalie's humor was just the cherry to top off or end this perfect collection blend.
5 stars all the way!!

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Riveting Three-Story Ride

Targeted is a novella of three completely different action-packed stories that left me on the edge of my seat. Each story by authors Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters is a riveting ride of adventure with bits of romance thrown into the mix.

What l super loved about this novella is that each story is equally unputdownable from the first page to the last. This book became a fast weekend read for me.

Lynette Eason, author of On the Run, you are introduced to Daria an FBI agent. Lynn H. Blackburn, author of Deadly Objective, you are introduced to Emily a physical therapist. Natalie Walters, author of Caught in the Crosshairs, you are introduced to Claudia a CIA agent. Each of these women characters are formidable within their stories of not getting killed.

These stories highly complement each other with the mixes of suspension and romance surrounding all the characters. While this book is listed as Christian suspense, I did not pick up on the overall underlying theme. Yes, you had prayers mixed in the stories but it is subtle, not overpowering. Each story is wrapped up perfectly in its epilogues.

One thing I want to point out is the fantastic dialogue in On the Run. I wish I had the capability of coming up with those snappy comebacks that Daria does. Also, this is a shout-out on the book design. It is a gorgeous cover and layout.

If you love strong women characters, with riveting storylines that you cannot put down, then check out Targeted.

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This is an entertaining collection of romantic suspense novellas. It is a good way to be introduced to new authors if you have not read their full length works. Each novella reads well on its own although there are some references to characters in their novels. Each is a separate story, not related to the others.

As is often the case with a collection, the writing styles of the authors vary. Most noticeable to me was the difference between Blackburn's and Walters' ways of writing. Blackburn's novella contained lots of relationship interaction and thought with suspense here and there. The emphasis is on relationships, it seems, more than suspenseful action. Walters' novella is almost completely action. It does contain character interaction and thought but it is woven into the action of the plot. It is sufficiently revealing but is not a major element. Eason had lots of action and mentioned characters from her full length novels, something her devoted readers will appreciate.

Each novella has a romance element as well as a faith component. Reading these stories is a good way to find a new author with a writing style and plot development you like.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

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I really enjoyed all three of these novellas. All three had great action, suspense, witty dialogue, and intense action. I loved that the first two for sure were connected to other books so some of the characters were familiar to me already. I’m not sure if the third story was connected to a book or not.

In the Eason novella, I enjoyed catching up with Daria. She was such a memorable character and it was interesting to see how she’d grown up and what she was doing.

The Blackburn novella may have been my favorite because of the chemistry between Liam, the Tiny Tyrant, (Emily) , and the Royal Hiney (Mason). It was entertaining seeing them interact and come to trust and depend on each other.

I enjoyed watching Claudia try to figure out Ari’s psy-op moves in the Walters novella. They had a rocky start but came to see that people don’t always fit the molds others put them in. “You get any more good-looking, and the agency will need to send you to the surgeon to make that handsome mug of yours a little more covert” (location 3617). They made me laugh.

It’s nice having a shorter story to read now and then and this is a great collection. I’d highly recommend it. Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

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Award-winning authors Lynette Eason, Lynn Blackburn and Natalie Walters pen novellas in this collection of heart-stopping stories.

In Targeted, each author presents a novella based on a secondary character from their romantic suspense series.

In On the Run by Eason, FBI agent and computer expert Daria Nevsky is the target, when her father’s criminal past puts her in danger. Dr. Ryker Donahue treats her injuries and tries to keep her safe.
In Deadly Object by Blackburn, physical therapist Emily Dixon and Secret Service Agent Liam Harper work together to protect the vice president’s son when he is endangered.
In Caught in the Crosshairs by Walters, former Army PSYOPS officer Ari Blackman joins forces with CIA officer Claudia Gallegos when she stumbles upon the murder of a Saudi prince. They try to find the killer before it’s too late.

Each author is known for creating an action-packed story filled with imperfect characters, a clean romance, tightly-written suspense, an appropriate level of violence, subtle faith elements. Despite the brevity of the stories, readers get a taste of the writing excellence of each author and may wish to explore their longer series where some of these main characters were introduced as secondary characters: Harbored Secrets series by Walters, Defend and Protect series by Blackburn, and Danger Never Sleeps series by Eason. Readers who are unfamiliar with one or more of these authors will enjoy an introduction to other award-winning authors in this genre.

Recommended for adult collections and fans of romantic suspense, especially fans of Lynette Eason, Lynn H. Blackburn, and Natalie Walters .

Disclaimer: Book reviews are my honest opinion of books I either purchased or received free of cost from the publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write reviews, nor to even post positive reviews.

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Three of my favorite suspense writers have come together to create an awesome collection of nail-biting thrillers—the best suspense collection I have ever read! I love these authors’ individual works so to have their stories in one book is a special treat. This triple dose of exciting suspense features intriguing plots, wonderful characterization, sweet romance, and encouraging faith threads. Each story drew me in quickly and kept me engaged to the conclusion. I think suspense fans will love meeting couples Darin and Ryker, Emily and Liam, and Claudia and Ari and experiencing their adventures.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley with no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I enjoy the glimpses into past series that these novellas give.

We start out with "On The Run" by Lynette Eason. Daria Nevsky first appears in Eason's Blue Justice series and has had cameos in a few other series by Eason and even other authors, but now we get a little story that is focused solely on her. I've always liked her, so I was excited for this story.

This is one of the best novellas I've read because it didn't seem too fast or too short and the ending felt just right. I loved how people from the Blue Justice and Danger Never sleeps series were all around because I love crossovers. Eason is so good at them!
~ 5 stars

Then Lynn H. Blackburn comes in with "Deadly Objective" . Emily Dixon is the main character and we met her in "Unknown Threat" as the twin sister of Gil. I loved her in that book and was hoping we'd get more of her. It's not a full book, but this novella is also well-paced so the story worked for me. Liam is a cool guy and I even liked Mason, eventually. Not that I'd want to have to deal with him. I sort of suspected someone but had no idea of the true story so that twist was interesting.
~ 4 stars

Last was "Caught In The Crosshairs" by Natalie Walters. It's always interesting when the people in danger are some type of law enforcement or the like because they have a really hard time with being protected. The thing that drew me the most was Claudia's struggle with her family's approval. But otherwise, this book was not really my style. Too focused on physical attraction.
~ 3 stars

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Amazing book! I love this novella with some of my favorite authors. Splendid. Excellent. SO amazing. AMAZING

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I love to read about FBI, CIA, Secret Service etc., and I like short stories that I can read in one sitting. This book provides 3 short stories in the genre I enjoy and each one was satisfying and a great read. I will continue to watch for books by these 3 authors. Highly recommend!

I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All views expressed are only my own honest opinion.

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Three satisfyingly suspenseful stories told by some of the best writers in the business.
A doctor and FBI agent, a physical therapist and a Secret Service agent, two CIA agents find themselves on the run, dodging bullets, and falling in love. What more could the reader want?
Each story is well plotted with believable characters who jump off the pages. I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout this collection of romantic suspense novellas. Excellent book I highly recommend.
I received a copy courtesy of Revell through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

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Two of the three authors of this collection of novellas are authors I really like. I figured that the third author was probably just as good, and she was!

So, all three of these books were romantic suspense with heart-stopping moments galore. All three stories were engaging, thrilling and romantic, just what I look for in a book. Faith was also an important component in these novellas, which is something else I really like.

All in all, fabulous read.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell.

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Talk about a dream team of writers! This book has them! I am in "Christian romantic-suspense heaven,' so to speak! I loved Lynette Eason's continual high-riding suspense story that keeps you flying high! Her stories always exceed any high expectations! I love reading about a therapist, whether speech-language, physical or occupational. In the second story, by Lynn H. Blackburn, I really enjoyed reading how a physical therapist was involved and seeing how the story weaves seamlessly together. In the final story, by Natalie Walters, observing Claudia and Ari use their clever minds to solve the mystery, while challenging the false misconceptions the other had, was very satisfying.
I was thrilled to learn that Revell Publishing Co. allowed me to read this complimentary book! I appreciate it so much! However, my thoughts and words are my own.

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I absolutely loved the Eason novella. It was so fun to revisit so many characters I've loved in her novels and I really loved the tension that Daria and Ryker were living under. I also thought her romance developed very organically.

I liked the Walters one too. I thought Ari and Claudia had some good banter. The story was a little more rushed but still good and still had good intrigue.

I didn't love the Blackburn one as much. For some reason I just couldn't get into it.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

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Way to go ladies! I loved all 3 stories in Targeted. If you love romance and suspense then I highly recommend this book. The only drawback is that all 3 novellas refer to people in earlier books. The storylines were strong, with fantastic characters. I really enjoyed the settings. So brew a pot of tea while you snuggle under a cozy blanket and read Targeted!

I was given a copy of Targeted by the publisher with no expectations, All thoughts are my own.

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