Kindle Edition, 266 pages
Published
January 12th 2016
by White Star Press
Her Dream Didn’t Include Falling in Love
Lily has a dream, a dream of a big house without lies, a place of refuge for runaway girls. She knows what it’s like to grow up feeling unloved, and she now fills every space in her tiny apartment with endangered teens. They don’t have everything they need, but together they have enough.
Or so she thinks—until she meets Jameson and glimpses the mysterious something between them that just might mean real love.
Jameson, who works as a teen counselor, believes the only way Lily can really help the girls is by certifying as a foster parent and going through the system. But becoming legitimate may mean losing some of the girls to the families who threw them away, and Lily hasn’t worked hard to save the teens only to abandon them now.
It seems Jameson will be one more entry on the very long list of things Lily has given up for the girls. What other choice is there when she is all they have?
When two of the teens’ fathers come looking for them, and another one’s mother plans to put her daughter in danger, Lily’s life spins out of control. They need a new home—and fast. A safe place. A house without lies.
Editorial note: House Without Lies is a clean, contemporary romance with a satisfying ending (no cliffhanger). There are currently two sequels that tell the stories of other characters connected with Lily’s House: Tell Me No Lies and Your Eyes Don’t Lie. Another novel and several novellas are in the works.
Lily has a dream, a dream of a big house without lies, a place of refuge for runaway girls. She knows what it’s like to grow up feeling unloved, and she now fills every space in her tiny apartment with endangered teens. They don’t have everything they need, but together they have enough.
Or so she thinks—until she meets Jameson and glimpses the mysterious something between them that just might mean real love.
Jameson, who works as a teen counselor, believes the only way Lily can really help the girls is by certifying as a foster parent and going through the system. But becoming legitimate may mean losing some of the girls to the families who threw them away, and Lily hasn’t worked hard to save the teens only to abandon them now.
It seems Jameson will be one more entry on the very long list of things Lily has given up for the girls. What other choice is there when she is all they have?
When two of the teens’ fathers come looking for them, and another one’s mother plans to put her daughter in danger, Lily’s life spins out of control. They need a new home—and fast. A safe place. A house without lies.
Editorial note: House Without Lies is a clean, contemporary romance with a satisfying ending (no cliffhanger). There are currently two sequels that tell the stories of other characters connected with Lily’s House: Tell Me No Lies and Your Eyes Don’t Lie. Another novel and several novellas are in the works.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
My Review: 4 Stars
I really do appreciate a clean romance and this one fits the bill, but I wasn't expected an emotional roller coaster in addition. I'm all about the happily-ever-afters and don't always like to dwell on the fact that there's a lot of crummy things that happen in life to good people.
Lily is born privileged, but decides at a young age that it's her mission in life to rescue and protect those less fortunate than her, namely runaway girls. At the ripe old age of 22, Lily is on the brink of becoming a foster parent, in addition to being guardian to a couple of teen girls. She is an aggressive protector of these girls and will do whatever it takes to keep them from the hands of their dangerous biological parents. Mario (aka "Jameson") is a fellow advocate and assists in ways that Lily couldn't have imagined. He has resources that will benefit her cause in leaps and bounds.
I couldn't help but admire Lily and her efforts, but at the same time, I struggled with believing that someone so young would know how and what to do to help these girls, not to mention being given so much freedom with fostering. Not much older than them, she acts like a mother, but plays the role of a big sister better, but she's very likable, as are the girls. Jameson is a dream come true and his character is very appealing. I love the natural progression of their relationship, especially in relation to their goals. There are some difficult subject matters to deal with and it's handled in an appropriate way.
Content: mild romance (kissing, vague talk of teen pregnancy, making out, sleeping with someone, mild innuendo); moderate violence (descriptions of child abuse--not graphic, but may be disturbing to some, fights). Clean for an older reader.
*I received a copy through eBooks for Review in exchange for an honest review*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Buy Links:
Rachel Branton has worked in publishing for over twenty years. She
loves writing women's fiction and traveling, and she hopes to write and
travel a lot more. As a mother of seven, including a four-year-old,
it's not easy to find time to write, but the semi-ordered chaos gives
her a constant source of writing material. She warns her children that
if they don't behave, they just might find themselves in her next book!
She's been known to wear pajamas all day when working on a deadline, and
is often distracted enough to burn dinner. (Okay, pretty much 90% of
the time.) A sign on her office door reads: Danger. Enter at Your Own
Risk. Writer at Work. Under the name Rachel Branton, she writes romance,
romantic suspense, and women's fiction. Rachel also writes urban
fantasy, paranormal romance, and science fiction under the name Teyla
Branton. For more information or to sign up to hear about new releases,
please visit www.RachelBranton.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment