Natalie Walters' Living Lies is the first book in the Harbored Secrets series. It is a book of suspense, loss, love, mental illness and PTSD. The characters are authentic, flawed and relatable. The small town of Walton, Georgia is full of secrets and now, a murder. As the worlds of the two main characters collide, the storyline develops from a chance meeting to a full on investigation into the murder of a young girl and a blooming romance. Living Lies is full of suspense, twists and turns and will keep you reading page after page.

Very well written, Living Lies was engaging and captivating.

The story is about a little town in Walton, GA where everybody knows your name. Secrets are kept secret or at least that is what Lane is hoping for when she returns to her hometown. She hopes to find peace after the death of her husband but instead finds a body.

There are enough twists and turns to keep you engaged until the very end. Quite a pleasant read.

I really wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. It didn't have enough suspense for my taste, and I found myself bored with the story for most of it.

The lies we are living in and under.

Widowed Lane Kent goes into a walk to quieten her stormed soul, only to meet an unknown man and later - to find a dead body. Who killed this young girl? And what about this ruggedly handsome newcomer to the local police forces?

This novel works wonderfully in the romance department, as the main characters just belong together. Charlie can be the right protector (without being patronizing) and Lane is just so believable in her uncertainties and brokenheartedness! Charlie is hunky and all, but my heart goes to Lane, who lives with all this undeserved shame and pain and she still can offer love and understanding.

I very much like that this novel tackles the painful topic of mental health and does it so sensitively and with open heart. So many people live in shadows and under a great burden instead of being able to ask for help and live their circumstances as freely and healthily as possible.

As for the mystery aspect - the topic is fresh and interesting and the villains are well-portrayed, but I find the execution being prolonged.

I plan on following Ms Walters’s further foray into the mystery field, as she definitely is a talented and skilled author!

Sounded like an interesting storyline but it just didn’t live up to it. It really didn’t hold my attention and it really slowed down my reading this month as I’m not one to give up on a book but it just didn’t make me want to pick it up. I also found the storyline didn’t flow well with jumping from one paragraph with one character in a location to the next paragraph with another character in a totally different location. There wasn’t much going on within the main body of the story and not enough development on the storyline that it came across as sketchy and rushed. I loved how it brings attention to the subject of mental health which is really positive as it’s another way to open up the conversation.

There’s a murder mystery. There’s romance. There’s mental illness. There’s Christian inspiration. So many facets bravely covered in this first book by Natalie Walters and she did an amazing job.

My only complaint maybe that sometimes the dialogue has me thinking that in real life someone would not say that in that situation.

I hope I will have the chance to read more of the author’s books.

Thank you NetGalley and Revell for the review copy. Sorry it took so long but this is my honest opinion.

An amazing debut novel by Author Natalie Walters! Living Lies is a terrific page-turning romantic suspense story that talks honestly about depression, anxiety, mental illness and hope. The characters are well developed and the story flows well. I am so glad this is the first one in the series, so I can see what comes next! Well done Natalie Walters, I will definitely be reading more of your stories.

This book was so good. I gave it 5 stars. It felt real and relatable and realistic. Natalie Walters is now one of my favorite authors.

Natalie Walters is a new-to-me author, but I will definitely be looking for more of her books. The suspense in this one is high paced from start to finish. The characters are well-developed and complex. Both MC's are realistic and have both every day weaknesses and strengths.

Set in small town Walton Georgia, Lane Kent has returned to her home town and purchased a bakery to support herself and her 4 year old son after the death of her husband in a car accident. Lane suffers from depression that overcomes her at times. When a murder happens in Walton (where they have had no murders for 30 years), new deputy in town, Charlie, nephew of the sheriff, is put in charge of solving it. But surrounded by lies nothing appears as it really is. Both Lane and Charlie learn through the solution to the murder that living lies does not bring peace and that only God's truth can set you free. The secondary characters were a wonderful addition to this novel and rounded out the cast of characters very well.

ATTENTION KEEPER!

It’s wonderful when a new author hits the mark with their debut novel. Natalie Walters accomplishes that with LIVING LIES. I highly recommend this book for readers who like to be drawn into a story quickly and can barely tear themselves away until they finish.

Lane Kent moves home to small town Walton, GA with her 5 year old son. If you’re from a small town, you get the picture. Everyone knows your NAME about how many have ever taken the time to really get to know you? If you had any slight idiosyncrasies, they never forget those. If you had a major issue, then you know you will be marked by that and carry it to the grave.

Lane comes to town dealing with severe depression triggered by the death of her husband. Quickly, she finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation and having to decide if she can trust anyone (particularly any man) again. Charlie Lynch is the new Sheriff in town and must solve two mysteries: 1) How to get Lane to trust him enough to work with him and 2) Find the killer.

I applaud Natalie Walters for taking on a subject many authors will not touch. The subject is depression. If you have loved ones that suffer from this debilitating illness, you know what a toll it takes on the whole family.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

This mystery was so suspenseful! I had a hard time putting it down, since I just had to figure out who was behind the mystery.

Title: Living Lies

Author: Natalie Walters

Series: Harbored Secrets book 1

Chapters: 30

Pages: 338

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher: Revell

Living Lies by Natalie Walters is the first book in the Harbored Secrets and it’s the first book by her that I’ve read. I was hooked from the first chapter small towns aren’t a place to have a secret like Lane Kent does, but it’s the perfect place for former Marine turned deputy to start a career in law enforcement. But all secrets have a way of coming to light.
This is a fast paced suspense novel that is page turning from the very beginning. I’m slightly bias about any hero who’s a Marine turned Law Enforcement officer because I’m the daughter of a Marine turned LEO and to me they are our real heroes. All in all I just have to say this is an awesome debut novel.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine

If this first novel is any indication of what's to come for this author mark me down as a fan. The plot is complex. The characters are intriguing. And the setting is one of my favorite areas. What more could you want. If you enjoy romantic suspense with an emphasis on suspense then I'm pretty sure you're going to like this one. setting is one of my favorite areas. What more could you want. If you enjoy romantic suspense with an emphasis on suspense then I'm pretty sure you're going to like this one.

Living Lies is Natalie Walters debut novel and it was a great read! I cannot wait to see what other stories this author comes out with. ;)

The suspense was wonderful. It kept me guessing and there were enough tense moments to keep me interested. I liked the characters a lot and how the MC suffered from depression (not something prevalent in a lot of books).

All in all, Living Lies was very good and I recommend it to fans of this genre.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

I’m not sure why but I wasn’t too impressed with this book! It was alright, but based on the glowing reviews from my friends, I was expecting more. I’ll expound a bit. From the start, Living Lies didn’t really keep my attention and didn’t keep it until right about the end — that’s when I got excited wondering how it would all unravel. The plot didn’t grab me and I feel like just wasn’t for me.

I did enjoy reading about the characters and I think it’s always interesting when you have a MC with her son actively involved in the book. Lane wasn’t my favorite character because I feel like we didn’t get to know much about her true personality, but I did like Charlie a lot and Meaghan, Lane’s sister.

Overall, it didn’t impress me as much as I thought it would, but I did enjoy the read and would recommend suspense lovers to give it a try!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

This is a suspense-filled thriller that grabs your attention from the very beginning and never slows down. Aside from being a great story, I appreciated the author’s compassion and sensitivity when dealing with the topics of depression and suicide. The character of Lane had my sympathy all the way through the book. In the author’s acknowledgments at the end of the book, she has a wonderful message for all of us: “You are loved. You are wonderfully made. You have purpose.” These themes are woven all throughout the story, and are great thoughts for all of us to remember. I’ll be looking for more more books from this author.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I read Living Lies right after reading two other brilliant Christian thriller novels. That may well have been a mistake, because Living Lies didn’t measure up. But the other two novels were both from multi-published award-winning authors, and I fully expect one or both of those other novels to feature in various 2020 award lists. So it may not be a fair comparison, given that Living Lies is the debut novel from Natalie Walters.

Lane Kent is the widowed mother of a young son, and the owner of a small-town bakery. She lives a quiet life, but that changes when she discovers a body in the woods. Charlie Lynch, the new deputy in town, is assigned to the case. This brings him into contact with Lane and her son. The police think the case a suicide at first, but it soon becomes apparent that it’s a murder … a murder to hide another crime.

Living Lies is one of the few Christian novels I’ve read that depicts mental health issues in a realistic way.
In addition, it was refreshing to see Christian fiction where the mental health issue wasn’t PTSD resulting from the hero’s time in military service in some place with more sand than water. After all, Christian fiction readers tend to be women, so it’s good and healthy to see a romance novel dealing with an all-too-common mental health issue that affects women as much as or more than men.

But there were a few things which bothered me. One was the heroine’s name: Lane Kent. Every time I saw it, my brain thought “Lois Lane and Clark Kent”. Yeah, that’s weird. But it is what it is. Another botheration was a research fact: I’ve heard (from a forensic pathologist) that Jane Does are identified by fingerprints, dental records, or DNA—not by distraught parents (apparently, distraught friends and relatives have a nasty habit of getting IDs wrong, especially when bodies have been in the woods for a few days).

The final botheration was Lane’s father’s attitude towards her depression. He came across overbearing and controlling for most of the novel. I later realised this was the attitude of a caring and protective father who didn’t know how to deal with something he didn’t understand, but by then the damage had been done. I’d been set up to not like him, and I didn’t.

Overall, Living Lies was a solid first novel that addresses issues most Christian fiction ignores. It was perhaps a bit too careful to tick all the plot and character boxes (but that’s better than the opposite), and I’ll look forward to seeing what Natalie Walters can produce next.

Thanks to Revell Books and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Murder, suspense and a little love story mixed into this fast paced thriller! This book is set in the gorgeous state of Georgia in a small town that has several likeable characters.

Living Lies certainly starts out with a bang! Opening right up with a murder mystery, I knew that this book would keep me right on my toes! The writing style kept me reading just as much as the plot, though—Ms. Walters knows how to spin a tale!

So, the characters.

Lane . . . oh my word. Right away, I wanted to jump into the book and pull her into my arms and hide her from every ugly thing life has to throw at her. She is definitely a character that will pull on your heartstrings!
Noah—hold on to your hearts, ladies, before this five-year-old steals every one of them! He was so adorable, and to see him interacting with Lane and Charlie will either steal your heart or melt it. So definitely lock your heart up in a super tough shell if you don't want one (or both) of those things to happen.
Charlie. The slightly cliche, I'm-a-gentleman-that-won't-do-anything-to-hurt-you knight in shining armor. He was easy to like, but like I said, kinda cliche. The way he understood how Lane felt, though, and the way he wanted to help her added to the story so well.

Or, at least, it added to the story until they really fell in love. I don't want to hear about the rush of electricity or heat that you get when you touch each other, 'kay? I don't want your kisses described in detail.

Honestly, I reallllllyyyyy disliked the romance. It's not that Lane and Charlie didn't belong to each other—far from it! I just didn't like the way their attraction was described so much.

The themes in the book, though—suicide awareness. Self-love and respect. Your true worth. So, so much yes. Ten thousand-star plot but, in my opinion, 1- or 2-star romance. Thus, I'll just stick with 4 stars.

The mystery definitely kept me guessing, but that could be because I was pretty confused through a good bit of the book! I'm not sure whether or not this was the author's intent or not, but I'll lean towards not. Of course we're supposed to be confused as to who the actual culprit is, but not how all the pieces are tying together. Much of the time while the detectives were discussing things, or when certain scenes played out, I was left going, "Wait, what?" All in all, though, the mystery was fabulous.

So, yes. If you can handle heavy attraction, murder mysteries, and suicide, this book is for you!

This story was an excellent one woven with complexity and very likable characters. The suspense and romance both added to the story and gave it a lot of depth. I would highly recommend this book and am looking forward to more books put out by this author!

I voluntarily received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and Revell. All opinions and thoughts are my own.