Tell Her No Lies Review & Blitz Giveaway

Title: Tell Her No Lies
Author: Kelly Irvin
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Publishing Date: November 13, 2018

About the Book:

In Tell Her No Lies, a new romantic suspense novel, talented author Kelly Irvin explores the question of what makes a family—nature or nurture?—in a fast-paced race to the truth.

As children, Nina Fischer and her sister were plucked from foster care in Florida and brought to Texas by a wealthy uncle they’d never met after their mother went to prison for selling drugs. Now, as an adult, Nina loves her adopted father and wants to please him, but she’s chosen her own career path as a photographer and poet—choices state district court judge Geoffrey Fischer can’t appreciate. When she finds him murdered in his study on a night they’re home alone, she’s the prime suspect and has to prove her innocence or face her own prison term. Is she her mother’s daughter, after all?

The two men in her life want to help, each for their own reasons. Can she trust her on-again, off-again boyfriend, attorney Rick Zavala, whose political aspirations seem more important than Nina’s tragic loss? Can she trust her friend, photographer Aaron McClure, or will he use their friendship to break the biggest news story of his career?

While cleaning out her father’s things, Nina discovers a box of old letters and photos, revealing the secrets her father had been concealing for so long. When her biological mother makes an appearance at Geoffrey Fischer’s funeral and asks to be welcomed back into her daughters’ lives, Nina is even more determined to find the truth about her past. Following the evidence leads her on a journey of discovery about her father’s shocking masquerade as a law-abiding, family-loving Christian. Unlocking these secrets could prove deadly, but it’s the only way Nina will ever be able to trust love again.

My Review:

Kelly Irvin is a new-to-me author but this book certainly left me wanting to read more! It was fast-paced and packed with plenty of suspense from cover to cover. I liked how the romance was weaved into the story in a way that was more believable and not forced or cheesy. It didn’t take me long to devour the entire book.

Confession: I am not a huge fan of Hallmark romance. It’s not to say I don’t watch any of the movies (especially around Christmas time), but the the truth is I prefer romance that isn’t shallow or cheesy. It drives me nuts when I read a book where two people that met 10 minutes ago are already head-over-heels in love, or when the good guy rolls into town and everything is sunshine and daisies right up through them walking down the alter  together (after the girl dumps her bad-guy boyfriend of course). I felt that the romance was more believable in this story. The history the characters shared added more layers to their development as individuals as well as added depth to their relationships. Their interactions breathed reality. This is the type of romance I more thoroughly enjoy.

Another thing I really liked in reading the story was that while a “bad guy” was revealed to the reader early on, Nina and the other characters were left in the dark and had to work to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. I won’t share too much detail on this so that there is no spoiling, but this can be difficult to pull-off and I believe Kelly succeeded in it flawlessly. It certainly added to my emotional involvement in the story, since I was afraid of Nina ending up in dangerous situations or giving up information to the wrong side. It made reading the book go faster because I couldn’t bring myself to put it down!

While this was my first book by Kelly Irvin, I’m quite positive it won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will certainly be looking up more by her. The story-line was believable and the pages basically turned themselves.  I’d recommend this one to fans of Terri Blackstock and other romantic suspense.

*I received a free copy of this book from the author through JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not required to share a positive review. Thoughts and opinions expressed are mine alone.

Rating: 

Age Appropriateness/Content Warnings:

Considering this is a murder mystery, there is some violence sprinkled throughout the book. While not incredibly graphic, there are crime scene-like descriptions given. Nina and Jan were adopted by their uncle when they were young because their mother was an addict and they were often homeless. I could recommend this story to ages 14 and up.

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Giveaway!

Stop by my Twitter page for more information and a chance to enter a special giveaway through JustRead Publicity Tours for a SIGNED copy of this book!