Living Lies

GIVEAWAY

WALTERS, NATALIE
LIVING LIES

In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everyone knows your name -- but no one knows your secret

At least that's what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton's newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she'll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

My Review:

What an astounding debut novel! And Natalie Walters brings something unique to the romantic suspense genre.

I love that she addresses the difficult topic of depression in this book. The insights she brings to Lane's character are phenomenal. Lane has allowed depression to define her for too long and this book is, in part, her journey towards not only accepting herself for who she is, but finding others to love on her and support her no matter what. As Ms. Byrdie says -- "Honey, we can only be who God created us to be. Mess and all." (p 31) I appreciate the realism the author brings to this topic. There's no magic, pray-it-away cure, but Lane does come to a place of acceptance and hope.

Another one of those supporters -- if she'll let him be -- is Deputy Charlie Lynch. Protective, understanding, persistent -- what's not to love about this hero? Lane has her reasons for keeping him at a distance and I love that he pursues her anyway. Not in a macho stalkerish way or anything, but in a gentle, respectful way. These two go from stilted strangers to sometimes friends and when that friendship develops into something deeper...well, let's just say their romance is as nail-biting as the suspense.

Speaking of which -- the suspense was so cleverly plotted. Sometimes Walters let us in on a secret before Lane and Charlie figure it out. You'd think that would take away from the mystery element, but instead it made it edgier. Plus, there were still plenty of intriguing pieces of the puzzle to fit into place. Top notch on-the-edge-of-your-seat stuff!

I love the southern small-town dynamics that bring both drama and humour to the story. There are secondary characters I loved to hate and ones I wanted to keep right next to me even after I closed the book. Ms. Byrdie with her big heart and sage advice -- "Their hearts are in the right place even if their good sense hasn't caught up." (p 31) Her husband, Sheriff Huggins, with his big ol' comforting hugs. Miguel -- so broken and lost. I just want to wander in to the Way Station Cafe and people watch!

Luckily I don't have long to wait to armchair travel back to Walton, Georgia since the second book in the Harbored Secrets series -- Deadly Deceit -- releases this November!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.


GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Living Lies, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 7 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!