Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin

Book description:

Even the most admired families have secrets to hide . . .

Nina Fischer carries a camera wherever she goes—so she can view life through a filter. Safely. After her mother abandoned her to the streets, Nina has kept people at a distance, including her uncle, who adopted Nina and her sister. Wealthy and proud, he is a good man, a fair judge, and someone many in San Antonio admire.

But when he is murdered, and the detective assigned to the case accuses Nina of the crime, she knows she must act. She’s determined to use her journalism background to find the real killer. The two men in her life want to help, but can she trust them? She’s known Rick since they were children, but now he’s an attorney whose political aspirations seem more important than Nina’s tragic loss. And then there’s Aaron, a news videographer; using their friendship could break the biggest story of his career.

Following the evidence leads Nina on a journey of discovery into her father’s shocking masquerade as a law-abiding, family-loving Christian. Unlocking these secrets could prove fatal, but it’s the only way Nina will ever be able to trust love again.

Combining romance and suspense, bestselling author Kelly Irvin’s Tell Her No Lies is a high-stakes race for the truth.

My review:

  Kelly Irvin is a new author to me. It looks like she has only written Amish fiction prior to this book, so that is one reason I haven't read anything by her. I am always eager to try out new authors, especially in the Christian suspense genre', so I was happy to get Tell Me No Lies to review.

  I like books that jump immediately into the suspense, and this one started out with a murder in the first chapter, and the suspense kept building from that point. I liked the characters, the plot, and definitely the suspense. I'll admit the idea of a photographer sounded a bit boring, but the book was far from boring.

 Christian books like this often address a certain topic, or have a theme. Trust was the one addressed in this book, trust of others and God. The author also dealt with the issue of homelessness in the book, and is something it is good to be reminded of and what a problem it for so many.

 Romance played a part in the story, as it usually does in this kind of book. I tend to get into that more than I used to, and found myself rooting for the one dude over the other...... and was happy to see the author agreed with me. :) And it made for a great ending.

 And just when I thought the crime had been solved, and all of the guilty parties arrested, the author threw a curve ball I did not see coming.

 As I stated, I have not read the author's Amish novels, but Tell Me No Lies shows she is great at suspense.

About the author:

Tell Her No Lies is Kelly Irvin's latest foray into romantic suspense. It debuts in November 2018. Kelly's newest Amish romance series, Every Amish Season, includes Upon A Spring Breeze, Beneath the Summer Sun, and the latest release, Through the Autumn Air from Zondervan/HarperCollins Christian Publishing. This follows the Amish of Bee County series, The Saddle Maker's Son, released in June 2016. It is an ECPA bestseller. It follows The Bishop's Son, and the critically acclaimed bestseller, The Beekeeper's Son, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The reviewer called it "a beautifully woven masterpiece." The Beekeeper's Son was a finalist in the romance category of the 2016 ACFW Carol Awards Contest.

Kelly has novellas in The Amish Christmas Gift and The Amish Marketplace, both of which were also ECPA bestsellers. She is also the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Amish Amish series. The first series includes To Love and To Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love’s Journey Home, published by Harvest House. The New Hope Amish series includes Love Still Stands, followed by Love Redeemed, which was an ACFW Carol Award finalist, and A Plain Love Song.

Kelly has also penned two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine..

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and ACFW's San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly has been writing nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso.

She worked in public relations for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department for 22 years before retiring earlier this year. Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for twenty-eight years. They have two young adult children and have two grandchildren. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite authors, and looks forward to visits with her grandchildren.

Tell Me No Lies is available from Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for the review copy.

Bodyguard for Christmas by Carol J Post

Book description:

Someone’s after his little boy. 

She has one chance to save them both.

When his young son is nearly kidnapped, assistant district attorney Colton Gale needs a Christmas refuge—and a live-in bodyguard. Though former military police officer Jasmine McNeal fights to shield them 24/7, she refuses to get attached. But growing close to the little boy and his father might be her only shot at keeping them alive—and becoming a family beyond the holidays.

My review:

 Christians suspense is my favorite genre', and I have really come to enjoy the Love Inspired Suspense line. Carol Post's are among the best I have read. And I am not saying that because I am reviewing her book. I recently found one of her older books that I had not read at a used store, and was delighted to find it. It had a message I needed, and I even emailed her about the book.

  Anyway, onto this one. I love kids, so I am a sucker for a story involving kids.....especially when it is one in danger. This is the third and final book in the Murphy series. The first two books were about the other 2 guys in this trio of friends, Bryce and Tanner, both in law enforcement. This third book centers on the third guy, Colton.

  It is unusual for a female bodyguard to be guarding a man and his son, though the assignment is mostly for the little boy. That was different, but I got used to the idea.

  This is not a book that slowly coasts into the suspense and danger. It dives into it on the 5th page with an attempted kidnapping, and keeps it up throughout the book. Post does a great job of portraying the anguish of a father trying to keep his son safe, and the determination to do so. I like a book that is unpredictable, and this one kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next.

  The biggest surprise was a bit twist I did not see coming. I won't say what it is because I try not to give spoilers away, but I will say this: the main character, Colton, has an identical twin, Cade, who is introduced at the beginning of the book. I was wishing the author would do a book about him, but this is the final book in this trilogy.

  The climatic moment of the book is very riveting. I didn't think the author would off a 3 year old little boy.....would she? That whole scene made the book worth reading, though it was anyway.

 I really enjoyed the book, and it had its moments that made my eyes "water". I liked the fact that Post brought back the characters from the other 2 books, which was not a surprise....they had all been in parts of the first 2 books already.

 Post has again shown she can spin a great suspense novel that is Christian and worth reading.

About the author:

From medical secretary to court reporter to property manager to owner of a special events decorating company, Carol's résumé reads as if she doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. But one thing that has remained constant through the years is her love for writing. She started as a child writing poetry for family and friends, then graduated to articles and finally novels.


Carol lives in sunshiny Central Florida and writes fun and fast-paced inspirational romance and romantic suspense. Her books have received a 2016 Royal Palm Literary Award and been nominated for a 2016 RITA® award and a 2014 RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. She is also a popular speaker, presenting workshops on a variety of craft topics. Besides writing, she enjoys sailing, hiking, camping—almost anything outdoors. Her two grown daughters and grandkids live too far away for her liking, so she now pours all that nurturing into taking care of a fat and sassy black cat and a highly-spoiled dachshund.

Check out her website here.

Bodyguard for Christmas will be released on December 4

Thanks to the author for the review copy.