Active Defense by Lynette Eason – Revell Books Review

Active Defense was a very good fresh look on suspense. I haven’t loved Lynette Eason’s work before, but this one was good for redeeming herself.

As a former field surgeon in Afghanistan, Heather Fontaine is used to life-or-death situations. She just didn’t expect them to follow her home. When she returns from a party to find that someone has broken into her house–and threatened her friends–she assumes it is the stalker who has been following her and creeping her out. She hopes to find safety and peace of mind by leaving the city and hiding out in a small town. But trouble has followed her even there.

Luckily, a stalker isn’t the only one watching Heather. Travis Walker has been secretly watching out for her for weeks. As owner of his own security agency, it’s what he does. Together, Travis and Heather must figure out who wants her dead–and why–before it’s too late.

The Characters

The MC, Heather was a good character. Her distance from the people around her felt a little superficial, especially blaming it on one girl in a foster home. I feel like it’s not fair to put distanced characters all under the stereotype of foster care without elaborating on their actual experiences instead of labeling them all the same. Otherwise, I appreciated the work she put into tearing her walls down. I appreciated that she understood her feelings for Travis and instead of denying that they were there, she tried to manage them. I like the pace at which this all happened.

Travis was a cookie. His personality was adorable. I loved that he felt “intimidated” by Heather, without letting it stop him from pursuing her. His determined protectiveness over her was beautiful without being overbearing or annoying.

Ryker had my heart from the start. He was what I would expect from a child in his situation. Better than what Heather had been trying to be. I loved the last part too with the cakes. He was so special.

The Plot

The plot pace was very well done. I felt like it was handled with very capable hands and designed in a way that allowed the reader to get lost in the plot. I will be reading this one again! It’s one of the top suspense books that I’ve read. The resolution and answer at the end had me squealing in excitement and surprise. I was partially right about the person behind it all, but still held in enough suspense that I didn’t suspect the person that was in fact the villain until the author wanted me to. Very tastefully written

The Content

TRIGGER WARNING: There is talk and discussion of parental abuse and physical abuse in Active Defense. There was some violent content. A few characters get shot, one character gets kidnapped. One is left bleeding for dead on a bathroom floor. Another of the characters are threatened. There’s nothing overly graphic considering that this is a suspense book. If you are in the habit of reading these, then you’ll enjoy it!
Recommended 16 and up for maturity levels.

Four Stars! It was well done, but it didn’t hit my five star bell.

Thank you Lynette and Revell Books for a review copy of Active Defense! A positive review was not required and all opinions posted in this review are my own! You can read more reviews here.