Published by Revell on March 12, 2024
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Romance, Suspense
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“I will never fall again.” Landry Hutton and Callum Shaw both promised themselves that. Their hearts have been trampled by bad relationships, and they won’t let it happen again. But they never could have anticipated the plans God had—and how tragedies and danger would bring them together. Never Fall Again by Lynn H. Blackburn features a deep story with warm, kind characters. It also, however, demonstrates the evils of humanity, the devastations of a twisted mind, and the heartbreaking impacts “good Christians” can have.
After three years as artist-in-residence at The Haven, Landry is ready to build a dream home for herself and her daughter. She hires SPQ Construction for the project, working closely with former Marine Callum Shaw to turn her dreams into reality. They promise to maintain a platonic friendship, as they don’t want to risk losing even that relationship. A suspicious fire changes priorities…and their hearts. They have hard conversations. They don’t always get along, which I love. But they eventually come together so believably.
I can’t go deeply into some of my comments above without revealing spoilers. But Never Fall Again hurt my heart regarding a certain character’s history with the church. I think it’s safe to say we all probably know the cookie-cutter Christians. The ones who profess God’s love, who act welcoming and as ambassadors for Christ inside the auditorium. But you see them outside of Sunday mornings, and their behavior seems to juxtapose their professed faith. I know these Christians; in fact, I know many of them. Never Fall Again shines a light at this sad reality, a light which desperately needed to be ignited.
My only complaint about Never Fall Again: For me, the antagonist’s development lacked something. I guessed the identity early on, but the motives weren’t clear enough. Even now that I’ve finished the book, I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it. Fires. Guns. Bombs. Threatened lives. Blackburn’s book has a great build-up. But in the end, my reaction to the antagonist was “meh, okay.”
“Never fall again.” It can have multiple meanings. Callum and Landry go from “I will never fall in love” to “I will never again fall alone.” They promise to pick each other up, to support and protect. To be a family. They put aside their misgivings to embrace the love between them. Never Fall Again by Lynn H. Blackburn is a heartfelt work of fiction that will leave readers satisfied, yet also hungry for the second book of her “Gossamer Falls” series.