Simple Deceit

MEHL, NANCY

SIMPLE DECEIT

Gracie Temple has grown to love the Mennonite town of Harmony, Kansas, and the house bequeathed to her by her late uncle. New friendships among the residents, including the handsome farmer Sam Goodrich, seal her decision to leave Wichita and do freelance graphic design work from her new home.

But when Gracie is assigned a new client who is a developer intent on building an upscale retirement community in Harmony, the town is split. Some welcome the business opportunities while others fear the exploitation of the Mennonite lifestyle and the loss of their simple ways.

As the citizens of Harmony begin to turn on each other, an anonymous note accusing Gracie of being the mother of an abandoned baby causes Sam to seemingly turn his back on her. Soon Gracie is reconsidering her choice to stay in town.

But before she can make a final decision, a major winter storm move in that will put a friend in danger and take the life of another Harmony resident. The blizzard also forces Gracie to make a choice that just might lead to the final straw between her and Sam.

Note: Since this is the second in The Harmony Series, and since I feel readers would appreciate Simple Deceit more if they read Simple Secrets first, I am offering BOTH Simple Deceit and Simple Secrets to the winner of this Giveaway.

THIS IS THE PERFECT COMPLIMENT TO THE FIRST BOOK IN THE HARMONY SERIES. MEHL IS BACK DOING HER BEST TO CONFOUND HER READERS WITH CLEVERLY HIDDEN CLUES TO AN AMAZINGLY SUSPENSEFUL MYSTERY. IT WAS JUST AS AN ADDICTIVE READ AS THE FIRST BOOK.

MEHL HAS A REAL KNACK FOR CREATING A COMMUNITY OF MEMORABLE SECONDARY CHARACTERS THAT ENHANCE THE DRAMA, SUSPENSE AND HUMOUR. I ESPECIALLY LOVED SWEETIE, SAM'S AUNT. AND HER VILLAINS ARE PURE VILLAINOUS...ONCE YOU RECOGNIZE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE!

THERE WERE SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS IN THIS STORY, THE ANGST STEADILY BUILDING AS MORE AND MORE SEEMINGLY UNRELATED MISHAPS OCCUR -- WITH GRACIE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THINGS AND SAM NOT FAR BEHIND.

THE ROMANTIC DEVELOPMENT WAS CAPTIVATING -- BUT NOT WITHOUT PITFALLS. I COULD SEE A CLEAR GROWTH IN BOTH SAM AND GRACIE BY THE END OF THE BOOK AND I FELT THEIR RELATIONSHIP REALISTICALLY PARALLELED THEIR NON-BOOK COUNTERPARTS ALL OVER THE WORLD. BOTTOM LINE : LOVE ISN'T ENOUGH WITHOUT TRUST.

MEHL HAS NICELY SET UP THE NEXT IN THE SERIES AND I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON IT. SIMPLE CHOICES WILL BE OUT IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR.

REMINDER : IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR CHANCE AT WINNING YOUR OWN COPIES OF SIMPLE SECRET AND SIMPLE DECEIT LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW OR EMAIL ME AT kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. MAKE SURE TO WRITE GIVEAWAY IN THE SUBJECT LINE. FOR COMPLETE DETAILS SEE THE JANUARY IS GIVEAWAY MONTH BLOG POSTED ON JANUARY 5.