Never Miss – Melissa Koslin

Never Miss Melissa Koslin
Never Miss by Melissa Koslin
Published by Revell on May 4, 2021
Genres: Fiction, Romance, Suspense
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two-half-stars

Former CIA sniper Kadance Tolle possesses a special set of skills and a rare pedigree. She comes from a family of assassins, and by saving Lyndon Vaile's life she risks being found by them. Despite the danger, Kadance feels compelled to help Lyndon discover who is after him--and his research that seems to prove that the Ebola virus was manmade and is about to be weaponized.
With shadowy figures pursuing them and a Mastermind watching their every move, Kadance and Lyndon must scramble to stop an impending bioattack at the State of the Union address. But their warnings fall on deaf ears, and it becomes increasingly clear that there's no one they can trust--except perhaps each other.
Strap in for a breakneck story that will have you up all night, hurtling toward the last page as the clock ticks and time runs out.

Never Miss is Melissa Koslin’s first published novel, and what an entrance it was! She did not slip into the fiction field quietly. Instead, Koslin presents a breathless adventure with exceedingly high stakes and ten questions for every one answered. The story never stops moving, propelling readers to turn one page after another. Good luck finding a moment to let your heart rate slow down, because Kadance and Lyndon’s never do. However, in the game of romantic suspense thrillers, this isn’t a novel I’d choose for the starting lineup; rather, it would be a benchwarmer.  Koslin’s debut novel was, unfortunately, mostly a miss for me.

From the moment I read the summary, I was drawn to the novel, but in the end it disappointed me. The characters did not seem realistic. I didn’t like them, and I constantly found myself rolling my eyes at their stories.  They resembled driving on a desert highway—flat, with little substance.  They also seemed superhuman.  Kadance—an expert markswoman. Lyndon, a genius-level nerd who also happens to be fit, attractive, and oh, he knows how to throw a fist. Koslin peeled their personalities away in layers, but I didn’t like how she did it.

Forced. That’s how I would describe Never Miss by Melissa Koslin. She tried too hard. Too many plot points with not enough detail.  It read like Koslin only wanted to move the story quickly, rather than diving into the real reasons why things happened. I kept saying, “Oh no!” but not in a good way. I developed outlandish ideas for the plot’s direction, and sometimes, I ended up being right. The summary, too, also gives away too much, in my opinion. I read it, downloaded the book, and promptly forgot what Never Miss was about until I picked up my Kindle to read the novel. Learning about the Mastermind, a potential bioattack, and Kadance’s complicated background are what kept my attention. With the synopsis, Koslin leaves little for discovery.

Finally, Never Miss was anticlimactic. What should have been explosive moments didn’t even sizzle. Koslin builds up to certain times—the State of the Union address, for example—for much of the novel, but when it happens? Nothing. She just…mentions them and rolls through, as though those “major” points are only afterthoughts.  Inaccuracies also abound in Never Miss, upon which I won’t expand. But I will say I laughed aloud with the comment, “Absolutely not. That would never happen.”

Never Miss is just…okay. I’ve read better, but I’ve definitely read worse. It’s a good first novel from an unknown author, but the Christian romantic suspense genre has too many big names. Melissa Koslin, though promising, may fade into the background.

two-half-stars