Out of Time: A Defend and Protect Novella

by Lynn H. Blackburn

Out of Time by Lynn Blackburn

An attorney in Raleigh, NC, Hope Malone has never let her wheelchair stop her from reaching her goals. She’s established a successful business law practice and enjoys the occasional pro bono work. But when a long-lost friend reaches out for help, Hope finds herself dragged into a world of organized crime, kidnapping, and murder— and right back in the path of the one man she’s determined to avoid, FBI Special Agent Charles Romero.

Just days away from arresting the notorious crime boss, Charles never expects Hope— the woman who ghosted him seven weeks ago— to show up at a crime scene and nearly destroy his entire case. If he wants to convince her to give them another chance, he’ll first have to keep her from sacrificing her life to save two innocent ones.

***Out of Time was previously published in the Heroes in the Crossfire collection, which is no longer available.***

Genres: Romantic Suspense

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: Also writes under the pen name Lynn Huggins Blackburn.

Reviews

[Patricia Rupell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out Of Time is part of the Defend And Protect series and is Hope Malone's story. I really enjoyed reading more about Hope and also getting more of the other characters in the series, especially Faith and Luke. This was a nice addition to the series.

[Tina Lowery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynn H. Blackburn just hit a grand slam with the short story, Out of Time. I loved this, as it was built upon the ongoing relationships between the men and women of both the Secret Service and the FBI, in Raleigh. The mixed group is a family of sorts, mostly not by blood, but built by love. Charles, an FBI agent had protected Hope Malone before, and fell in love with her, despite her disability. This time, so similar to the first time, brought her love back in full force, yet also a boatload of insecurity and processing of the facts. Thinking out of the box, Charles, Faith, Luke -- as well as an assorted blend of friends -- jumped into the fray to keep Hope safe. I gave this story 5 out of 5 stars for the fact that it grabbed me from the first page, and never letting me go!!

[JaneReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a short little story that provides Hope's romance story and a bit of a mystery. I loved seeing agents from the Defend and Protect series once again. For the mystery there are some kids who have gone missing and the agents trying to determine where they are and why Hope was called. There was a scene that literally gave me a jump scare as I was reading. This was a fun quick read with some great lines such as, "Love chooses to see the best in someone, and it makes that choice every single day." and "Love is hard work. We're sinners who choose to love other sinners. And we're going to mess up."

[Morgan Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Defend and Protect series and when I discovered this novella, I pounced on it. The story focuses on Hope and Charles and their relationship. First of all, Charles is a sweetheart - perfect book boyfriend material. And since we didn't get a lot of him in the other books, I enjoyed getting to know his character. Hope is a feisty little thing and when you put her with Charles, you get a lovely, sweet romance. The crime was well-integrated and I liked that we got to see the characters from the other books in the series. It was a pretty fast read; overall, highly recommended.

[curated reading reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this novella!! I finished it in one sitting. I loved Hope’s character from what I saw in faith and Luke’s book and I was excited to see her get her own story. I loved how much Charles showed her he loved her daily and I just love Hope!! 4/5 stars but maybe even a 4.5 because this got me out of my reading slump.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a page turning story, hope is a lawyer and was going out this fbi agent charles but stopped talking and taking his calls. but now she get a call and goes to a house that the fbi have an eye on. will she do the right thing or not. good story