Unbreakable by Melissa Seal

Fast-paced, plot-twisting, romantic thriller…

Book blurb

Alexandra “Lexie” Fleming is the hottest detective on the Norfolk Police Department. She is on the trail of the “Last Call Killer,” a brutal serial killer who preys on college girls. Lexie is driven to solve the case even though her life is falling apart. She must find a way to stay one step ahead of the killer despite her grief over the sudden death of her partner and the betrayal she feels as her marriage implodes.

When Lexie’s new partner, detective Danielle Watkins, enters her already chaotic world, the tension is undeniable. Danielle is good at her job, strong-willed and just as stubborn as Lexie, and at first they clash professionally. Danielle is also beautiful, and the electricity between the two detectives is impossible to ignore: the subtle touches, the lingering looks, the late-night conversations. Lexie is swept away by the forbidden feelings growing within her. As they track the killer, they come to trust and depend on each other, and their relationship deepens. Will they discover the killer’s identity in time to save his next victim? Will Lexie play it safe, or give in to her passion? Will the “Last Call Killer” destroy Danielle and Lexi, or will their love be unbreakable? Buy this fast-paced, plot-twisting, romantic thriller to find out.

My thoughts

If you’re a regular here you’ll know that Melissa Seal did an author piece with an excerpt of Unbreakable on my blog a few weeks ago. This is her first book and I was delighted to be able to support Melissa in some small way.

I bought the book towards the end of March here’s what I thought.

In the first third of the book Melissa Seal explains that Lexie whilst working the active casework on the serial killer was stymied. She is working other cases currently without a partner which is why Danielle is brought in. I thought it was interesting to get a perspective of detectives having to work more than one investigation, giving priority as leads, new information and so on allows.

The working relationship between Lexie and Danielle is strained from the beginning. Lexie is openly hostile at times. Lexie is married but finds herself attracted to Danielle, who is single. It’s a complicated personal relationship as Lexie and her husband have been separated. However, the feelings Lexie has for Danielle seem to push her closer to a reunion with her husband.

This early part of the book wasn’t quite as smooth a read as the second two-thirds. I say this because some readers won’t finish a book if they are not invested early on. However, if you stick with it then I think you will find it will be worth it.

As we move more into the investigation of the “Last Call Killer” things begin to move forward with good pace, it helps in settling the professional relationship between the two women. What happens on a personal level is not handled well by Lexie as she tussles with her feelings and sends mixed messages. Some readers may not like the overlapping of relationships.

I think Lexie and Danielle could certainly become a good working detective team. I quite liked them although there is some work to be done on on the personal level.

I enjoyed Unbreakable throughout but especially from about a third of the in when it really seem to get some rhythm and pace, the story is good and has quite the twist which I really liked.

It would be good to read more from Danielle and Lexie – get their relationship settled one way or another (in a good way: just my preference!) and another good case for the two of them – so I hope Melissa keeps writing.

Information

If you’d like to support Melissa then buying a copy of “Unbreakable” would be a great thing to do:-

Buy: AmazonSmileUK | Amazon.com

At the moment you can get the Ebook free on Kindle Unlimited and $1.24 cent | 99p on Kindle.

Publisher: Independently published (5 Nov. 2019) | Language: English; Paperback: 150 pages | ISBN-10: 1694623955; ISBN-13: 978-1694623959

Author

Melissa Seal is a U.S. Army veteran with over 25 years of honorable service. She is an outdoor enthusiast and loves hiking, kayaking and traveling. Her happy place is the beach. Melissa resides in Courtland Virginia with her longtime partner Wendy, her daughter Olivia, cat Smokey and their dog Jake. Melissa published her first book in November 2019 and is currently working on her next one.

Author page: authors.emerald-design.co

Twitter : @msealauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissasealauthor

Instagram handle: @melissasealauthor