Lynette Eason has once again done it with ease, dropped us right into an explosive situation.

It's fascinating to read about the different branches of law enforcement. and the main character law enforcement officers in this series are women as well which makes it so we get a women's perspective of the problems.

This one is a FBI special agent top-notch negotiator. I've never read one where a negotiator was the lead. My son is a LEO so these types of books fascinate me. There is so much to learn.

The book was pretty intense with so much going on, nonstop action.

In this one, it got personal the suspect wants to take what they believe is well deserved revenge for a past incident.

Former sniper with the 75th Ranger Regiment, Clay Fox can't get FBI negotiator Julianna off his mind but is there a chance a romance will happen with so much action happening?

When a hostage situation that hits too close for comfort ,these two are racing against the clock to try to make it right. Kept me reading late into the night. I had to see how it ended. Highly recommended!

Characters: Julianna and Clay were both sympathetic characters, and their backstories added to the plot.

Language: Clean.

Moral/theme: The theme of forgiveness played a huge part in this novel.

Plot: Plenty of twists and turns, suspenseful moments, and high stakes kept me flipping pages.

Romance: Clean. Just kissing. I enjoyed that Clay and Julianna's relationship developed slowly and naturally.

Writing: Lynette Eason's clear, fast-paced writing style worked great for this book.

Overall: Crossfire was an entertaining read that I'd recommend to those who love Christian fiction and romantic suspense. I'm looking forward to the third book in the series!

This book is a race from page one. In classic Lynette Eason fashion, the hero and heroine each have richly layered backgrounds and interesting jobs that thrust them into the middle of the action. This was a fantastic, fast-paced read. Inhaled it!

Intense drama as hostage negotiator Julianna comes up against her past and she is not the only one in danger. The author paints a realistic picture of what a negotiator goes through. Julie is proud of her record of no hostages lost ... until one criminal makes it personal.

This story will have you turning page after page in anticipation and giving you whiplash with unexpected twists and turns. And just when you think it is over- Wham! Another twist!

Ms. Eason comes up with the best characters, so noble and capable and vulnerable, too.

Hero Clay Fox, former Army Ranger, is a role model to teens at a high school. It was interesting to see him organize an event to expose teens to various law enforcement careers.

The faith element is consistent throughout with Julie and friends established as Christians, while some characters are portrayed as struggling in their faith.

I like the way Julie and Clay connect, as well as the friendship that grows between their sisters. They each have their group of caring friends and colleagues. This injects some humor into an otherwise fierce situation.

I have been a long time fan of Lynette Eason and this book solidifies my assessment. She writes non-stop exciting, well written and well researched suspense.

Scripture Connection
Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. Eph. 4:32

Spiritual Content
Julianne is a believer and prays, throughout the novel. Clay has distanced himself from God, in response to a tragic incident.

Forgiveness plays an important role in the novel, as does grace/mercy. There are multiple references to the sanctity of life, which I enjoy seeing in a Christian novel– all the more after the miraculous overturning of Roe.

There is also some discussion about free will and God’s sovereignty, as well as a scene I really enjoyed that touches on trusting God and not honoring bad circumstances over Him.

What I Liked
This is my second time reading a novel by Lynette Eason (my first was the first book in this series), and, again, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eason has such a strong handle on the craft, and after beginning the book, I couldn’t help but think of the words of Josephine Barry (aka Diana’s Aunt Jo) in the Kevin Sullivan adaptation of Anne of Green Gables: “I like people who make me like them. Saves me so much trouble forcing myself to like them.”

As I thought of it, Crossfire was a book that “saved me the trouble” of making myself like it. There are so many books that start out slow and then pick up traction as you go along; this was not one of them. Eason swept me right into the action, from the start of the book, which is so refreshing!

Friends and Family
Book one introduced the friendship between four remarkable characters: Penny, Julianna, Grace and… Raina. Book one is about Penny and book two is about Julianna, so my guess is that the following books in the series will follow the other ladies.

There are several things I like about the characters’ friendship:

The women have been friends for almost two decades, and they became Christians, together (long before the start of the book)

It’s nice to read about a friendship where the characters don’t all live super close to one another. While I enjoy reading about girlfriends who can meet up for coffee whenever they feel like it, I like this realistic portrayal of friendships, since people aren’t always in close proximity to their friends

And yet, in spite of the distance, the friends are very much there for each other (including Grace driving several hours to Julianne’s house, in the middle of the night) I like that there are four best friends, as opposed to two sets of best friends. It’s fun to read about a group of girlfriends.

Additionally, I liked the family relationships portrayed in the book. I think books often explore sibling relationships, or parent-child relationships, but I enjoyed Eason’s twist, with two older siblings who watch out for their younger siblings. (And, in Julianne’s case, she is basically her sister’s guardian). It was also really fun that the little sisters, despite the five-year age gap, became friends with each other.

Perspectives
I believe there were five perspectives in the book, although the bulk of the focus was on Juliann and Clay. Eason did a fantastic job of building intrigue this way, as there were two minor characters, whose connection to the main characters was not initially apparent. And the shift from third to first person at one point. That totally threw me off, but in a good way, as in “this seems like a potentially risky choice on the author’s part, but it works!”

Mystery
After reading book one, I really felt the need to keep on my toes. I kept shuffling through possible suspects, as I didn’t want to be surprised by the revelation. (When an author does a good job surprising me, I’m impressed, but also sometimes offended haha. I want to figure it out!) I really enjoyed trying to figure out what was going on, and the mystery element was so well-written. As far as mystery/suspense goes, Eason has already become a favorite author.

Content Notes
There are multiple hostage situations, including deaths of hostages.

This is clearly referenced on the back cover, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend this book to someone who has experienced / been personally affected by a school shooting. We get several flashbacks to Julianne’s memory of the event.

There is a little bit of narration from the villain’s perspective. From what I recall, book one was “worse” in this regard and a lot creepier, overall. Comparatively, book two was less graphic/gruesome (although there was still a bit of death).

I think there was a little bit of kissing. Nothing too memorable which, for me, is a good thing!

There was one line about a character “always” having another character’s back. This is something I do see a bit of in Christian fiction, but I do believe that God is the only One who is ALWAYS there. This isn’t to discount the covenant of marriage, but humans are… human.

Recommendation Status
As much as I liked book one, I feel that I can more easily recommend book two. The plot was a lot less creepy, so I didn’t feel as weird about reading it. Additionally, I feel that the spiritual elements were a bit more memorable, in this book. I’m really enjoying Eason’s books and look forward to number three!

'Honestly, if he thought God would listen, he'd discard his pride and pray.'

Lynette Eason kicked off her Extreme Measures series in a powerful way and she continues with this second offering. She gives us a great plot, believable characters, and enough action to keep her readers captivated throughout. Then, as if that weren't enough, Eason throws in a 'no-one-saw-this coming' twist, total surprise here, then tops it with another one! Absolutely riveting! Completely blew me away. This book was just great. Well done!

The cover of this book is one of Lynette Eason’s best to date. The yellow tone is gorgeous, and I love that tree-packed landscape too.

A hostage negotiator was featured, and that job, when well written, is a huge magnet that draws me in. This one was spectacularly done. I especially enjoyed how many times the negotiation came up throughout the novel. It did not feel glossed over in the least; instead, it was presented in a way that made it feel like the author had personally experienced such events. That’s the sign of a great writer, if you ask me.

While this book was packed with action and suspense, there were some sweet moments that allowed me to catch my breath too. The sock-tossing scenes were entertaining, and the moments between the sisters were some of my favorite of the calmed-down scenes.

As with most, if not all, of Mrs. Eason’s previous books, this one was family oriented. The leading lady was the guardian of her little sister, which is a familial experience not typically highlighted in Christian fiction. It was handled so well here that the bar has been moved higher for those sibling-guardian books that will be written from here on out.

School shootings were featured but not in the typical way. One was in memory form, while the other was not a mass shooting event but rather more targeted. It was interesting to see this take on this type of social tragedy, because it presented very personal cases of what it can look like to see cries for help before these sorts of events happen as well as different ways in which they may be resolved.

It was fantastic to see how Dottie dealt with a bully during a crisis. I can’t really say more than that without spoiling anything, but my heart melted and tears gushed to the surface so that I had to blink fast and hard to be able to continue reading. That moment near the end of the book was a prime example of how a caring heart can make a huge difference in the lives of those around us.

The insanity one character was immersed in was so well written that it gave me chills and made me check my own mind after reading certain scenes. I loved how exquisitely this character was written, and this added a richness to the story in a different sort of way. It was perfect for this book’s plot and definitely made it one to remember.

There was one point of view that felt completely random. However, I felt like that was on purpose even as I was confused by it, because Mrs. Eason doesn’t do random. She always has a design in play, and I knew that would be the case here. I’m so glad I reserved judgment until the end, because when I figured out the connection on the page before the final chapter, my brain exploded and every moment of foreshadowing flashed through my mind. I kept thinking, “You foreshadowed it here… and there… and again here!” I loved that moment! This is a book I will read again with the intent to study how Mrs. Eason so exquisitely layered in the foreshadowing so that I didn’t see that big revelation coming. Hopefully this is something I can learn to apply in my own writing as well, because it was something I really enjoyed about this book.

I can hardly wait for the next two books in the Extreme Measures series!

This book starts off with a terrifying hostage situation and this is just a preview of what's to come! Crossfire is an exciting, pulse-altering story filled with danger, suspense, and great character development. I was fascinated with the methods of skilled hostage negotiator Julianna Jameson, but I also admired her efforts to provide a stable home for her teenage sister. Clay Fox is a school resource officer haunted by his tragic past but still determined to make a difference. Especially when a hostage situation occurs that is Julianna's worst nightmare!

Realistic characters and events that could be torn from today's news make Crossfire totally believable, and there is also a powerful faith message woven into the plot. Trust and forgiveness are lessons that need to be learned, as Julianna and Clay struggle to determine their feelings for each other. This is the second book in the Extreme Measures series, but it can easily be read alone. Lynette Eason demonstrates her ability to captivate readers and I highly recommend Crossfire to all who enjoy romantic Christian suspense.

Wowzers, what an amazing second book in the Extreme Measures series! I have been reading Lynette Eason for almost ten years now, I’ve read nearly all of her books, and she is one of my favorite romantic suspense authors!

Crossfire was one of my most anticipated releases of 2022 and it most definitely did not disappoint! This book throws you right into the action at the very beginning, and keeps you flipping pages at breakneck speed to find out what happens!

I loved Julianna and Clay, they are both awesome characters and it was a joy to watch their relationship develop. I loved that Julianna is an FBI Hostage Negotiator, which is not a profession you see featured often, in fact I think this might be the first book with a negotiator heroine I’ve read since reading The Negotiator by Dee Henderson years ago!

The faith story in this book is excellent! Lynette Eason delivers a beautiful story of grace and forgiveness, while simultaneously showing the evil some people are capable of if they allow themselves to be consumed with hatred and bitterness.

In each of her books this author always includes several scenes from the villain’s point of view, but I believe Crossfire is the first time she has written those scenes in first person POV (the rest of the book is in third person)

I found this fascinating and loved that she wrote it that way! The first person narration of those scenes also kept the reader from being able to know whether the villain was a man or a woman, and I thought that was absolutely brilliant, well done Lynette Eason!

Crossfire is a winner! I loved every minute I spent reading this book! I think I might have loved Life Flight the tiniest bit more than Crossfire, but this one is still a solid five star read for me and definitely a favorite of 2022!

I highly recommend Crossfire, and I cannot wait to read the third book in the series!

Crossfire by Lynette Eason is a sweet revenge story sprinkled with romance and sisterly love. Right from the opening chapter, Eason draws readers into the action with a court scene and the explosive power of everything going wrong. From then on, Eason keeps her foot on the gas, putting her characters through harrowing events after events. Anything to keep the pace of the novel on the rocks. Just the way I enjoy my suspense novels. As for the romance, it really does not take away from the suspense, it just happens on the sidelines of the plot, which is the way that I like my romance in a novel. As for the characters, Julianna cares a lot about her little sister. Even enough that she allows her little sister to move in with her to remove herself from the disastrous environment of her home life. A nice quality in a character to have. A heart that puts others before herself. As for the hero, he also has something from his past, which hero really does not, that affects his present day world. As for the story, it was a little different with a harrowing feat of heroics, but overall, it lines right up with what fans are expecting from Eason. Nothing but a non-stop thrill ride. Overall, Crossfire by Lynette Eason will delight romantic suspense fans and keep readers guessing to the climactic explosive ending.

This is an intense story of revenge and redemption written by a master of suspense. It tells how special agent Julianna Jameson, a top-notch negotiator, path crossed with former sniper Clay Fox when she was called in to negotiate a courtroom hostage situation involving Clay’s sister Reese, who was one of the hostage. One situation led to another and love is in the air...

This story is a winner very hard to put down. From the opening pages I stayed glued to the mystery. Well-thought out action that never ceased coming. When a copycat situation emerged a week later I loved how Julianna and Clay were sent on a cat and mouse chase while the perpetrator escaped after killing several hostages. It didn’t take long for Julianna to suspect those behind may be led by someone from her past. This story has great character development and excitement. I couldn’t wait to see what would come next.

This is expertly plotted to keep the suspense moving at a relentless pace and the high octane momentum is with us till the breath stealing conclusion. The narrative as always is clean and sends a message that we are not alone “God” whoever he may be is with us. Of course sweet romance is effortlessly weaved into this suspense novel.

Crossfire is a thrilling, dramatic addition to the Extreme Measures series. The story centers around FBI Negotiator Julianna James and former Army Ranger Clay Fox who unite to protect family members, rescue hostages, and find a killer while also struggling with emotional traumas from their pasts. The expertly woven, multi-layered plot drew me in with the first line and kept me hanging on every word as the story progressed toward the satisfying ending. Ms. Eason effectively conveys the feelings of her diverse characters making them come alive. Julianna, Clay, Dottie, and Reese captured my heart. Warm romantic undertones and a gentle faith element added depth to the read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book written by a master of romantic suspense, and I highly recommend it. Note: Even though this book is part of a series, it can be easily read as a standalone.

What a thrilling story! FBI negotiator Julianna Jameson keeps her cool in dire circumstances. She became a negotiator because of a traumatic experience in her past. Now it becomes personal and those she loves are caught in the crossfire. Former Army Ranger Clay Fox meets Julianna when his sister is held hostage in a courtroom case gone wrong. I could not stop turning pages!! Author Lynette Eason is one of the best in the romantic suspense genre, her talented writing grabs you on the first page and keeps you guessing until the very end! I loved how Lynette Eason takes two characters each with some unresolved traumatic experiences, who meet in a dire situation, and builds in trust and mutual attraction. And they each have wonderful sisters, I love the added family dynamic. Such a good story! I highly recommend Crossfire!

Great book! The storyline kept you guessing — even when it was over, it wasn’t over. Loved the ending. Perfect t!

Second in the Extreme Measures series Crossfire focuses on Julianne. Julianne was one of four girls who spent a short amount of time in juvie. One good thing that came out of spending time in juvie was that they were introduced to Jesus there. Julianne is a hostage negotiator and she is raising her half sister Dottie. Their mother is no longer on the scene. She is very good at her job but someone is targeting her and her sister and she can't figure out who. She does eventually figure out it is someone from her past but the danger is not over. This book was a thrill ride from beginning to the end with most of the action at the end.