Reviewed by Alana Pate
Break My Fall (Revell 2025) by Lynn H. Blackburn is an exceptional read about Meredith Quinn, a dentist who moves back to her small hometown Gossamer Falls, North Carolina. This story is about love and an investigation of the drug world of Neeson County, which neighbors Gossamer Falls. It hooked me the second I began reading. There’s just something special about opening a book to learn of the challenges and harsh obstacles of a fictional character’s life when it is filled with suspense and romance.
On her return to Gossamer Falls, Quinn quickly falls head over heels for police chief Grayson Ward. In her early thirties, Quinn finds she is caught in an unrequited love story with Ward. He is a man with a troubled past who should never and could never open his heart to the woman who had stolen his heart long before he realizes what is happening.
The plot of the book is exhilarating through every twist and turn, including Chief Ward’s plans to take down the drug world in the county with the help from distant higher authorities. Unfortunately, Ward finds he is restricted as he has no jurisdiction there.?He learns that Meredith, the girl he refuses to love, is stuck in the middle of the drug world, and she doesn’t even realize it. Ward makes it his mission to not only take down the drug world of Neeson County, but to also save Meredith.
This novel will hook you until you cannot find it in yourself to put it down, as Blackburn effectively details each surprise she has for the readers. At times, however, it was hard to determine which characters’ thoughts Blackburn was writing. Throughout the third-person narrative, it switches back and forth between what Quinn and Ward were thinking and feeling. At some points in the book, the switch between the characters was abrupt, which may cause some readers to struggle following the plot. Even though this causes an occasional struggle, it wasn’t harsh enough to force me to stop reading.
Quinn risks her life as she attempts to help everyone she meets. Using her local dental business van, she drives to the neighboring counties to perform free dentistry, and she finds herself caught in a world of corruption and criminals. Her attempts to help those in need leaves her with more than a fear for her life but also bruises. She is attacked after leaving a friend’s cafe: “She lay in the middle of the road, desperately trying to pull in some oxygen and clear her head when she heard a sound that some part of her recognized as a vehicle… The fast moving vehicle was headed straight for them.” Meredith Quinn is officially wanted by the corrupt law officials and drug traffickers of Neeson County under the belief that she pushed too far into their territory.
Blackburn proves how easily the law can become crooked in small towns where everyone turns a blind eye out of pure fear: “I’ve concluded that there’s no one in Neeson County who is safe. The children aren’t safe. The adults aren’t safe. I’m not saying there aren’t any good people there. There are. But there’s so much fear there.”
Break My Fall is a thrilling love story filled with unexpected challenges, solid dialogue, and heartache. This book alone is enough to make people want to read more of Blackburn’s writings.
About the Author:
Lynn Blackburn
Lynn Blackburn is currently writing the Gossamer Falls series set in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The series will include three novels and one novella and kicks off with Never Fall Again.
Unknown Threat, the first book in her Defend and Protect series, was a 2021 Christy Award finalist, and her previous titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award.
Lynn lives in South Carolina with her family.
About the Reviewer:
Alana Pate is a senior at Creekview High School in Canton, Georgia, and will graduate in May. She has attended Reinhardt University since August 2023 as a dual enrollment student and plans to continue her education at Reinhardt in the fall 2025 as a college freshman. She has a great interest in literature, and in her spare time likes to read. She plans to study criminal justice and criminology in hopes of one day becoming a detective and helping people.
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