“All creativity left Vivian DeMarco in the face of small-town news.” - Opening line of Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters
The second in Natalie Walter's Harbored Secrets' series, Deadly Deceit focuses on Vivian DeMarco and Ryan Frost's stories. We met them in the first story, Living Lies, and all the delightful townspeople return to this one as well.
With a dramatic opening, our leading lady, Vivian, finds her boss and friend, Harold, dying in his home with a story on his lips. Ryan is the deputy investigating and the two soon realise together they'll achieve more. Using her investigative journalist skills, Vivian soon believes there is more to Harold's death and when she is attacked at the office, Ryan begins to agree.
As in the first book, the mystery is complex and surprising. In addition to this, the characters are interesting and realistic. I love the way Natalie captures the trust issues both Ryan and Vivian struggle with and how they reconcile those issues with their faith in God,
“Trust [God] to do his job and care for them so you can do your job.” - From Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters
The relationship between Ryan and Vivian is the heart of the story and it's a lovely journey to go on with them. It's full of humour and sass! I'd taken to these two in the previous book so it's great to spend time with them centre stage.
“Vivian had let him in. Trusted him. And he let her down. She didn't need him to apologize. She needed him to show her that he would be there for her. No matter what. She needed him to fight for her and make her believe she was enough.” - From Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters
As I turned the last page, I saw the start of the next one in the series. I loved the first two and can't wait for the next one! If you love suspense romance, don't miss this great adventure! It's five out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale, I highly recommend it!
