Jill Marie Landis's Heart of Lies ~ Reviewed

Heart of Lies: A Novel (Irish Angel Series) [Paperback]
Jill Marie Landis
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (February 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310293707

Description

Raised in a tribe of street urchins, Maddie Grande was taught to be a thief and beggar on the streets of New Orleans. But Maddie doesn't know her real name or where she came from. Raised by Dexter Grande, Maddie and her twin 'brothers' have recently left New Orleans and moved to the bayou. The twins are rarely there, but Maddie has come to love the swamp. She has learned to fish and trap and sell pelts at the local mercantile. Maddie longs to change her life but knows that her brothers will never give up their lawless ways. When they kidnap the daughter of a wealthy carpetbagger, the twins force Maddie to hide the precocious eight-year-old while they return to New Orleans to wait for notice of a reward. Pinkerton agent Tom Abbott is assigned to the kidnapping case in which Maddie has become an accomplice. In a journey that takes them to Baton Rouge, a mutual attraction becomes evident, but Tom and Maddie cannot trust each other. Will Maddie and Tom listen to their hearts or will they choose honor over love? Will Maddie ever discover who she is? Will her real family ever find her?

Review:

Heart of Lies revolves around a woman named Maddie Grande. After spending most of her life as an orphan in a New Orleans street gang, she is now living in the bayous with her twin “brothers,” who continue to spend their time stealing and causing problems in New Orleans. When they come home with Penelope, a kidnapped eight your old girl of a wealthy family, in hopes of getting a reward, Madeline is torn as to what to do. In the meantime, Pinkerton Agent Tom Abbott has been hired by a woman in search of her long lost sister, and his investigation leads him to Maddie Grande, not just in regards to the lost sister, but in regards to the missing Penelope. The events following keep the reader on edge to find out what will happen next.

I really enjoyed all the twists and turns this book takes. There are so many different elements to the story line. At times, you have to think back to remember how everything ties together, yet it wasn't difficult to follow. I enjoyed the adventure in the story, and how everything seemed to fall into place for the characters by the end. The only thing I would have liked to have seen done differently is seeing the character come to repentance in Christ. She comes to terms with the things she’s done in her life that were wrong, and can see them for the wrongs that they are, but the author doesn't delve into the spiritual side of their lives as much as I would have liked. However, it was a wonderful book…a great read for those who love adventure.

Reviewed by: Sarah Porter