Summary:

After years of living in the darkness of his past, Andrew Wise, a young attorney working for his family’s law firm in Sarasota, Florida, has finally broken free of the demons that haunt him. Wealth, success, happiness, and true love; everything a man could ever dream of, was right at his fingertips.  Or so he thought.  But in the blink of an eye, all of that changed.  Upon discovering that his ex-girlfriend, Olivia Hamilton, was pregnant, Drew fell back into some old habits, which led to him losing the one person that mattered the most in his life – McKenzie Evans.

When McKenzie left him and returned to Texas, Drew was beside himself.  The night before she left, he made an agreement with her best friend Jared Christopher, that he would give her time and space to come to grips with the fact that he’d fathered her best friend’s child.  Now, two months later, he feels as though he held up his end of the bargain, Drew can’t take their separation any longer.   With his brother’s wedding mere weeks away, Drew devises a plan to win McKenzie back.

Under the guise of a bachelor getaway for Gavin, Drew, along with his brother and Jared, jets off on an adventure to the panhandle of Texas.  There, he will learn what made McKenzie who she is and will find strength within himself that he never realized existed.

In this charming sequel to The Truth in Lies, Drew and McKenzie discover that not everything is as it seems, forgiveness is a matter of acceptance, and true love really can conquer all.

The Certainty of Deception by Jeanne McDonald

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that has a bit of a mixed review for me, but I will say there are some truly shining moments. The overall story deals with something that I believe many have experienced in today’s world. The author has tackled the tough issues of addiction, paternity, reconciliation, infant loss, and even drunk driving. When I read about these real world issues, I was so drawn into the story that nothing else mattered. I would have preferred more concentration on the real issues because some of the characters and the story did not connect with me. However, that is just my personal opinion. This is a romance, and there are some light-hearted moments (I so wish there had been more!). But for all practical purposes, this is a serious romance that will possibly keep you guessing till the end.

Warning to my readers–there is a lot of profanity, and there are some intimate scenes that are more detailed that I would have liked them to be (without being erotic). I did not allow either of these to affect the overall rating of the book, but the language was often a distraction. I believe that overused profanity can truly impede the telling of a story. I felt a little lost at the beginning of this story, and so it would have been better for me to have read the first book in the series. I still have a myriad of unanswered questions.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.

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Jeanne McDonald began telling stories at the ripe young age of five, when her mother considered the truth to be a lie due to her extensive embellishment to the retelling of an event.  She wrote her first short story when she was twelve years old, and at the age of sixteen she tried her hand at poetry.  She reconnected with her love for writing in 2010 thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend.