Redeeming Lies

Redeeming Lies is a very good book. I enjoyed the plot and the author’s writing. I recommend this book to fans of historical romance. I received an arc from Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

Redeeming Lies is an intriguing and enjoyable read. It has a good balance between mystery and romance. I liked to see the developing of the different friendships and relationships throughout the story and in particular I loved the loyalty and tenancity of the supporting characters. Their kindness and concern were genuine, and mixed with their individual quirks and humour made for a warm setting for our heroine to take a breather from the stressful situation she finds herself in.
Maddie has had a unique life and finds herself suddenly in a stressful and unknown situation. Her skill in reading people helps her to cope with the precarious situation while she gets her bearings and decides her next step. She meets Dr Reynolds at the start of this journey. He is running from his own problems and is hoping to mend a broken heart with a fresh start in town. Its apparent he develops feelings for Maddie earlier than she does, or at least is able to acknowledge and process them quicker. They start a cute fledgling relationship that is only really getting off the ground when things come to a head with Maddie’s troubles.
The difficuly and potentially dangerous situation that has followed Maddie has the opposite effect than what she expects with Dr Reynolds and the others feeling protective for her and rallying around her to keep her safe. You can feel the unease with Maddie as she is carrying guilt for bringing these troubles to town and also because its apparent she is not used to people caring for her in this way. At times this seems to overwhelm her but also gives her the courage she needs to put this behind her and do what needs to be done.
I found this book to be an interesting and amusing read. As mentioned earlier I like the friendships that developed and particularly the humour they had amongst themselves. I also liked the way the story handles the subject of womens rights and how the change was slowly picking up momentum at this point in history. You can see the subtle changes happening in society, and the start of this conversation amongst people, I appreciated hearing it discussed from many different personalities and perspectives.
All in all I would recommend this book. I can’t say I was “hooked” or that I couldn’t put it down but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I would be interested in reading more of this Authors work
*Thanks to NetGalley, publisher and author for this ARC*

A fun adventurous novel, Redeeming Lies begins with Maddie Jennings and her father on a train bound to the Idaho territories. Without explanation her father had pulled her from the ladies boarding school. While on the train she finally convinces her dad to tell her why they left so abruptly. Apparently, her dad who is a con artist and taught her numerous tricks to help him out got involved with the wrong people. The Sicilian mob and they want their money and revenge for his con.

Maddie finds quickly herself in over her head when her father dies of a heart attack at a train depot.. Left to fend for herself, she is quick to act in a way to protect her identity and she poses as a plain school teacher. Using the tricks her dad has taught her, she steals this and that to come up with a disguise..Getting on the train, she follows the doctor who tried to save her father and before she knows it she is settling into the boarding house and making new friends. But fear is a powerful motivator to keep up her guard and not let anyone in too close...including the doctor that she enjoys arguing with.

Redeeming Lies is about much more than the deceptions that Maddie employs as a matter of survival... it is about the power of friendship, love, and faith to get you through the ups and downs that life may bring. The action toward the end was fun and surprising, I did not expect everyone to be so adventurous! I love the message of empowering women and also of redemption. I really enjoyed Maddie's adventures!!

This is the fourth book in the series and I did not realize it until after I finished reading the book, fine as a stand alone.

As always thanks to NetGalley, Samantha St Claire, and River's End Books for this advanced reader copy for me to enjoy and review. As always, my opinions are my own.

This is the first book I've read by this author. It was a wonderful story. Maddie is a great character. An educated woman who believes that women are at least equally as capable as men. David is a young Doctor she meets who has hidden strengths. Other characters are quite interesting and they all come together in this story full of intrigue and love.

"Redeeming Lies" is a romance set in 1889 in the Idaho Territory. This novel is the fourth in a series. Characters from the previous novels play a role in this one, but you don't need to read the previous novels to understand this one.

Much of the story was about Maddie settling into a little town under an assumed name and making good friends that help her to trust others. She used her skill to read people to help her friends, but she feels burdened by her father's guilt--especially since people are after the stolen money in her possession. The ending was an exciting sequence of people trying to get the money and her friends helping keep her safe while bringing bad guys to justice. Very fun. The characters were likable and acted realistically. Historical details like the Pinkerton's and the teachings at the Willard’s School were woven into the story.

There was no sex. There was no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable story.

Redeeming Lies by Samantha St. Claire was truly a wonderful book. I always enjoy catching up with characters from earlier books in a series. The books in the Sawtooth Range series have never failed to deliver with a little mystery along with the romance.

Maddie’s father was a con artist and he used her talents for reading people to help in his scams. He withdraws Maddie from a School for Young Ladies and takes her on the run from a scam that ended badly. He was now a wanted man which made Maddie an accomplice. The truth was that Maddie didn’t know about his recent scam and he died before he could get her to safety. They had made it into the Idaho Territory but now Maddie was on her own and needed to protect herself. She quickly changed her plans and bought a last minute ticket to Ketchum.

David Reynolds was a doctor who was traveling to Ketchum and came upon a man who collapsed suddenly on the train platform. Despite his best efforts, he was not able to save the man. Dr. Reynolds assisted Maddie on the train when she fainted and helped her acclimate in Ketchum. He introduced her to the couple who ran the boarding house he was staying at.

All Maddie wants is to live an honest life; one that isn’t filled with lie and deception. The more she comes to know the people at the boarding house, the more she wants to spend time with them. They are good people and she wants to be the same. Dr, Reynolds is obviously a man of great integrity who abhors lies and deception. The more time Maddie spends around Dr. Reynolds, the more she wishes she had the type of life that would allow her to be what he would want in a woman. What she can’t see is that she is a good person but doesn’t know if anyone else will ever be able to see that.

I absolutely loved this book. It was filled with a wonderful story about lies, deception, intrigue, danger and romance. There was so much depth to the characters who were well developed and who I would want to have as my friends. When danger came looking for Maddie, they risked their lives to help to save hers.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I enthusiastically offer my review.