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Someone wants to see her silenced.

An Emergency Responders story

Back home after a mission trip, nurse and EMT Sara Southerland learns that her cousin’s death might not have been an accident—and now someone wants her dead. The only person she can trust is longtime crush and fire captain Adam Kane. With a stalker on their tail, Adam will do whatever it takes to protect the woman he’s realizing he can’t live without.

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published February 5, 2019

306 people are currently reading
164 people want to read

About the author

Valerie Hansen

180 books249 followers
Valerie Hansen is the pen name of Valerie Whisenand.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Although I have been a published author since the mid 1980s, I have been writing women's Christian fiction almost exclusively since 1999.

There is a longer, more detailed bio on my website so there's no need for me to repeat all that here. Right now, I write for all three Love Inspired lines, Romance, Suspense and Historical. I'm delighted to have been included that broadly and besides, it keeps me so busy that I stay out of trouble. Well, mostly.

You'll find me on the LI Historical blog as well as other LI features. If I try to do much more I won't have time to write my books!

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5 stars
182 (49%)
4 stars
116 (31%)
3 stars
47 (12%)
2 stars
17 (4%)
1 star
9 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Catarina Águas.
2,353 reviews207 followers
May 13, 2023
I loved this book so much, my rating is 4,5 stars. Adam wanted her but at the same time was confused and wanted to wait to start something. Sara was such a good woman, she didn't deserve all that hate from her cousin's family, I felt so bad for her. I know the family was grieving but beating her and trying to kill her for something that wasn't her fault was too much, Sara was a saint for putting up with it. This couple was so special, they loved each other but didn't know how to get past the childhood part of their friendship. But at the book advanced you could see that they couldn't fight what they felt anymore and just gave in. It was really good, altough I felt like the ending ended a little abruptly but yeah
3,915 reviews1,763 followers
March 14, 2019
"Adam was all man, with the honor of a brave marine, the attraction of his job as a firefighter and the ruggedness of a working cowboy." (p 78) And that right there, fellow readers, is why you need to read this book! (insert delicious shivery sigh of book hero worship!)

Phew -- gobsmackingly good -- from the explosive opening scene to the whirlwind of mayhem that follows. Page-turning, jaw-dropping romantic suspense bliss. It was hard for me (as well as Sara and Adam!) to untangle the threats and run down clues in this twisty-turny plot. Love it when an author keeps me on my toes like that!

Speaking of which, toe-curling is not optional during the course of this read. Because, well, Adam! He's infuriatingly stubborn and noble and moody and I was still swooning! Definitely a take-charge kind of guy which doesn't always sit well with Sara. In fact, she was infuriating in her own special ways -- like her impulsive urge to act without thinking things through! All. The. Time. Hence the moody Adam. :-) Loved their dynamics -- a friends to lovers romance that takes us on a bumpy ride right to the very end.

And -- woot! -- this is the first book in a new series about Emergency Responders! And you know what that means, right? More thrilling reads ahead! Bring 'em on!
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,500 reviews26 followers
February 28, 2022
I didn't like this one.

The start is the guy responding to a fire and the woman showing up and everyone being real a-holes because of something beyond her control, minus the love interest, of course. I really give people more credit than this author does. Can we make the people realistic instead of making a unbelievable soap opera?

The danger portion was just....why? Why? I didn't get it. And the whole time...Vicki? Vicki is just running. Always reacting, never planning ahead.

Also, why are we randomly hit of the head with the religious talk?

I didn't like it.
Profile Image for Dani.
678 reviews
November 13, 2021
The danger didn't really make sense to me. Why involve Vicki and the uncovered crime if they weren't going to do anything about it? They acted defensively the whole time instead of trying to get one step ahead. Also, and this is just a personal preference, but I didn't care for all the references to religion. It seemed to just pop in instead of be a constant theme.
Profile Image for Melmo2610.
3,616 reviews
September 15, 2019
Did not finish. The characters annoyed me and the plot was not one I enjoyed. Listened to close to half of the audio version and then skimmed the end. Not my cup of tea.
Profile Image for Alexis Sullivan.
4 reviews
July 1, 2019
Very interesting 😍 always had action but some very sweet romance too! It kept me on my toes and wondering what next horrific thing was gonna happen. Adam is very protective of Sara ( which he needs to be since a killer is on the lose). Sara is a person that wants to be independent even when she clearly needs help. The characters had great attitudes and I was so sad when the book came to an end. Was the best love inspired suspense I’ve ever read. Definitely will be reading more of them !!
Profile Image for Kristina.
1,155 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2019
I thought that this was a good book. This book definitely has you turning the pages. While I enjoyed this book I did feel a little unresolved. I was left with a few whys and what's. I would recommend this book to others.
Profile Image for Vikki Vaught.
Author 12 books160 followers
February 7, 2023
I enjoyed this emotionally-charged romantic suspense novel with conpelling characters and a fast-moving plot that will keep you reading quickly. The narrator is very good as well. Happy reading/listening!
383 reviews3 followers
May 19, 2022
Fatal Threat

I am so glad to finally finish this story! Somehow the jest of this story went over my head. The only thing I saw was a spoiled little girl, a control freak, or just plain stupid. Constantly putting herself and anyone else that was around her I danger.
4 reviews
August 6, 2022
Disappointing

I've read several love inspired books and really enjoyed reading them. This book was very slow moving and predictable. I didn't enjoy it at all.
2,329 reviews
March 30, 2022
This was my favorite romance that I have read from this line thus far. It had so many favorite tropes that I adore that I couldn’t help but be sucked in and invested in the romance between Adam and Sarah.

This was such a great childhood friends to lovers that had all the pining, longing and unrequited love that just really hit me in the right spot. The angst was amazing. The buildup was incredible. I loved they had that history between them with some misunderstandings about the past especially with her cousin, who was a part of their trio back in the day. There was just really nice emotional intimacy between Adam and Sarah that I really appreciated. Even in the background of danger, it still felt romantic.

The mystery was really good, keeping the adrenaline pumping. It made the storylines very action packed while at the same time adding intensity to the romance. There were just so many twist and turns along the way that kept me glued to the story. A lot of things happened while Adam and Sarah tried to figure out the mystery, and on top of that someone was trying to kill Sarah, which just upped the stakes immensely. I loved that.

The only thing that I didn’t care for was the faith based stuff. In this story, it was less subtle than the other stories I have read from this line. For me personally, it was just a little too much. I preferred it be more subtle like the other stories that I read in this line. Honestly, this was kind of what I was afraid of when I decided to read this line and why I tended to stay away from it, but I decided to give it a try after hearing some good things about the mystery and the romance in the line.

Even though I thought the faith stuff was a little over saturating, it didn’t my enjoyment of the story overall. I loved the romance. It was cute and adorable yet really emotional and intense with great development and angst. It was very action pack with lots of twist turns. The danger felt very real and just upped the stakes so much. Plus there were little kittens that were just icing on the cake. It was quite a ride that I enjoyed going on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Glenda Parker.
Author 14 books21 followers
March 20, 2019
My review today is on the Love Inspired Suspense, Fatal Threat. This is the first book in the First Responders Series. I'm always thrilled to get one of Valerie's books in the mail. I really enjoyed this book, it's well written, action packed, and full of faith. I know you are going to love this one.

Nurse and EMT Sara Southerland returns home after the death of her cousin. They had gone down south on a mission trip but things go incredibly wrong and her cousin drowned. Her cousin had found some discrepancies in the books of the mission. Was her accident really an accident if so why is someone trying to kill Sara. She must trust her best friend and long time crush Adam.

Fire Captain Adam Kane has been a best friend to Sara and her cousin since childhood. Most of the town blames Sara for Vicki's death but Adam knows Sara loved her cousin. Now someone is trying to kill Sara. Can he protect her and keep her safe even as he his feelings for her start to change?

A journey of tragic circumstances as the killer has both of these broken souls in their sights. They must learn to trust God and each other to survive. God has a plan for these two, a plan for a hope and a future. God has a plan for you too. A good plan and not for evil, just give Him your heart and watch Him move in your life.
Profile Image for Debbie.
3,629 reviews86 followers
March 3, 2023
"Fatal Threat" is a Christian romantic suspense. Sara and Adam were close friends as children, but they spent years apart and now have to find a new way of relating to each other since they've changed over the years. Sara always assumed that her impulsive actions would turn out exactly as intended (with wonderful results) even when experience didn't back this up. Even she began to wonder why she was taking such reckless risks. Adam is very much a planner who carefully thought everything out. He can't understand why now-independent Sarah won't just fall in with his very sensible plans (even if they don't always turn out as expected). This caused some relationship tensions in addition to the attacks on Sarah. As for the romantic pairing, they knew what they were getting into and didn't end with a vow to marry (just to explore a romantic relationship), so I'm happy with it. Both were Christians and prayed to God for help. There was no sex or bad language.
892 reviews13 followers
February 4, 2019
Fatal Threat (Emergency Responders)
Valerie Hansen

Sara and Adam must overcome events that threaten her with harm. Trying to figure out who is attacking her proves to be a not so easy task.
Action packed from start to finish that keeps you turning the pages to the end.
When you think it is solved, think again!
Profile Image for Elaine Applebury.
720 reviews5 followers
March 11, 2022
Sara Southerland and her cousin, Vicki, go on a mission trip, but Vicki drowns in a flooding accident.
Sara is pretty sure her cousin’s death wasn’t an accident, but no one believes her until people start threatening her life. Sara’s longtime crush and best friend, Adam Kane steps up to help keep Sara safe. Adam is a former marine and currently a fire captain and cowboy.
Lots of action!
1,281 reviews9 followers
Read
May 19, 2022
Twists and turns to this mystery

And some good Christian faith in action too! This story moves right along. The action is non-stop. The characters are vibrant and engaging. There is only one scene with kissing, no steam at all. The pace is breakneck and the tone is uncertain yet hopeful. I can't wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Clara K Page.
769 reviews9 followers
May 22, 2022
Good book

Lots of action in this book. Loved the characters. Kept me guessing right to the end who the person was that was vandalizing and attempting to kill Sara. When I did know it was a surprise. Characters spiritual growth was a plus.
Profile Image for Susan Clair Holt.
1,361 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2024
Fatal Threat

This storyteller spins a great tale. From tragedy to a childhood friend that turns to love during danger, seeing things to a happily ever after. Love this author and her impressive talent.
Profile Image for LeeAnn Nipper.
36 reviews6 followers
February 6, 2019
I absolutely loved Fatal Threat!!! Valerie wrote a real page turner! I so didn’t want to put it down! I love reading Valerie Hansen’s books!
666 reviews3 followers
July 11, 2019
WOW!!!!!!!

This was a really good book. I'm glad the mystery was solved and no one was hurt. They trusted in God and everyone was okay, including the kittens.
Profile Image for Kim.
487 reviews
July 22, 2019
Just didn't enjoy it....not a good read...didn't flow and the girl was annoying
974 reviews18 followers
April 28, 2020
Great suspense read. The suspense kept building trouble at ever end and a twist at the end.
14 reviews
June 14, 2023
Good read

The book was full of suspense every minute.You never knew until the end who was responsible for all the attacks.
42 reviews
Read
July 20, 2023
I didn't finish this one. I found the main character annoying, foolish, and unreasonable - not traits for someone working in health care.
Profile Image for Kari.
4,013 reviews94 followers
December 30, 2023
I really didn't like this one. It was short, but I probably should have DNF'd it. I wasn't a fan of the couple or the plot line. I won't continue with this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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