I loved the chemistry, the writing and the gradual suspense of uncovering a mystery that’s shocking and characters that are wickedly charming, witty, and naughty. Dive into a world of reporters, politicians, the ICU, and one sexy Cowboy.

I admit, romantic suspense is the genre I read least often. Maybe it’s because I want to know “who done-it” immediately. Or it’s because there’s typically some nefarious crime involved that borders on the line of too “scary” for me. Yes, I’m a wimp. However, Lucy Farago’s fourth book in her Women of Vegas series, Sins That Haunt, drew me in from the first page. Especially when FBI agent Noah Monroe falsely arrests his childhood sweetheart, attorney Shannon Joyce, for her father’s murder. Yep. That’s what I thought. Could he be any more of a douche? But, as with many romances, sometimes first impressions aren’t always accurate. And dang if Agent Monroe isn’t going to infest my dreams for some time to come.

Here’s what I love about Sins That Haunt—Farago unravels the entangled mystery with finesse. Who killed JJ Lewis, why they would kill him, and how he gets killed (love it by the way and no spoilers), all piece together like a Jenga tower. JJ spent his life as a con-man involved with some dangerous people, so it was just a matter of time before he was offed. At least that is what Shannon thinks. Moreover, the FBI’s been tracking JJ for some time, and they need Shannon in order to lure in some bigger fish JJ interacted with before his death. But Shannon wants nothing to do with her father’s illegal dealings, nor does she want to remember the pain of leaving her first love, Noah Monroe.

She wasn’t only running away from an abusive father and her part in a man’s death, she was forgoing the love of her life—him. She’d had no choice. They were so young. She assumed she’d get over him. And she had….Talking to him had been bad enough; seeing him had torn her in two. She’d nearly been dumb enough to throw her arms around him—then he’d arrested her.

Noah, though. He’s good. He’s especially good—working magic with his mouth—convincing her to stick around for the investigation and for him.

His lips were warm, and like so many times before she wondered what if. What if she hadn’t sacrificed the boy who’d vowed to love her forever? Had the words been said in teenage folly? Or could this man, the one kissing her like his very breath depended on his mouth staying pressed to hers, have been Shannon’s all this time?

And it’s not the male that needs convincing in this story, it’s Shannon. So hell bent on protecting herself, she doesn’t see that Noah is the real deal, here before her, ready to start over again. We want so badly for Shannon to say yes, because even though Noah tricked Shannon into helping with the investigation, Noah’s one of the good guys. He’s the hero we love, slightly flawed in a way that makes him almost perfect.

He wanted all these years between them to vanish, to never have known what it was like without her, but right now he’d settle for having her naked…He’d waited thirteen years to have her again. Thirteen years of mourning her loss. And he wouldn’t wait a second longer.

Yup, we don’t want him waiting any longer either.

As Noah and Shannon draw closer to the truth, the pages fly. Each character and their roles bring us closer until we finally find out who did what and why and how. I’m still able to read the story without needing a timeout Mickey Mouse playhouse to counteract some of the darkness involved with illegal crime, drugs, and murder. Throw in some curveballs—which mums the word—and it all comes together in the end. In all honesty, the last one hundred pages? Perfect chaos for me. Now I’m itching to read books one through three in her Women of Vegas series.

A Necessary Lie by Lucy Farago
Search and Recover #1

Loved this book! GREAT first in the new Search and Recover series by Lucy Farago and after reading it I don’t want to miss any of them!

Investigative Recovery Unity, ICU, has been hired to keep Grace Irvine safe. She is a reporter that is in search of her best friend who has gone missing while looking into a story for their newspaper. “Cowboy” is the professional sent in undercover by ICU to keep an eye on Grace and the two really hit it off on many levels. The chemistry was off the charts and so much fun to experience vicariously. Cowboy…WOW…but then Grace was no slouch, either. The caring was real. The bad guys were horribly bad. There was suspense and danger and uneasy times more than once during the story. I highly recommend the book and personally can’t wait to hear how Grace and Cowboy are doing in book two of the series while also hearing about more of the ICU team.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

A Necessary Lie is part of a new series by Lucy Farago. I really liked the Las Vegas Strip Series so I was expecting this to be a suspenseful romantic read. I was not disappointed. The Investigative Collection Unit is the type of agency you want on your side when you need help. A tough, smart group that will do whatever it takes to bring a successful conclusion to the case.

Missing person, political intrigue and danger all come into play in A Necessary Lie as well as sizzling chemistry between Cowboy and Grace. A well-written thriller of a romance that has intriguing characters who are complex and mysterious. It is a compelling read, making you want more from the Investigative Collection Unit and this author.