When Avri Lawrence’s high school sweetheart leaves her to enlist in the military, she nurses a broken heart. When Dillon returns four years later, their attraction to each other is stronger than ever, but life’s experiences has changed them. When her life is threatened she’s not sure he’ll come to her rescue or like what he finds. She has secrets and she’s not ready to share. Dillon Davidson wants to advance in his military career but didn’t plan on having to kill so many people to do so. On a Special Opps mission he’s captured and tortured for eighteen long months. After his escape, he ends his four-year career in deception. He wants to start over with his soul mate, Avri in Saddle Creek, Wyoming. But are there too many years of separation, too many secrets, and too many memories between them for them to overcome?
This was a decent read. It was a quick to read. The characters were likable and the overall plot was good. I recommend.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Secrets and Deceptions is a well written romantic suspense. Good plot and well crafted characters. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

SECRETS AND DECEPTIONS by Lorelei Confer is a well-written romantic suspense novel and is book three in the Saddle Creek series. It worked well as a stand-alone novel.

This story takes place in and around Saddle Creek, Wyoming. Avri Lawrence and Dillion Davidson were high school sweethearts. While Avri heads to college to become a lawyer, Dillion enlists in the military and leaves her broken-hearted despite his promise to return. He returns four years later and they are still attracted to each other, but both of them have also changed and both have secrets. However, when Avri’s life is threatened, she wonders if Dillion will help her.

Avri and Dillion are compelling and complex characters and definitely a couple you can root for. They felt real and three-dimensional and both had flaws and virtues. Their motivations were believable and the secondary characters were well-rounded and contributed to the story rather than detracting from it. The story has a lot of tension and several intense scenes.

Themes weaved into this novel include PTSD, picking up relationships after several years, feelings of betrayal and abandonment, trust, long-term friendships, communication, and much more.

Overall, I was fully engaged from the beginning and hoping for a happily ever after ending. Does it happen or do they go their separate ways?

I recommend this book to those that enjoy their romance with some suspense. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thanks to Backlit PR and Lorelei Confer for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.