Deadly Deceit (Harbored Secrets Book 2)

Deadly Deceit by Natalie Walters is a story with a lot of mystery and action blended with some romance. As the chapters progress so does the suspense. 

The story starts out with an intense scene where the main heroine, Vivian DeMarco, finds her boss lying on the floor and just minutes away from death. Readers might remember her from the previous book, Living Lies, but in this novel, she more than redeems herself. 

Walters commented, “In the last book she came off as very brash, tenacious, and driven.  In this book, I wanted to find out what made her into this person.  Although she has a take-charge attitude, she does not want people to get hurt by her stories. Because of issues with her father, she has insecurities that have caused her to build a wall. She does not want to appear soft, seeing it as a weakness.  Vivian is really good at keeping herself at a distance from people so she doesn’t get hurt.”  

She works with Deputy Ryan Frost who is assigned to investigate. After the death is ruled a murder, he and Vivian work together, searching for clues. When a video surfaces of her boss, with a mysterious woman, Vivian realizes that there is a blackmailer out there who wants to be compensated. Soon, there are more people involved as the blackmailer, known as The Watcher, tries to make everyone’s life miserable and leaves a trail of destruction in his midst. The deeper Vivian and Ryan dig, the more twisted the truth becomes with false leads and incriminating emails that put Vivian’s life in danger. 

The banter between Ryan and Vivian adds to the storyline, especially when they discuss Super Heroes. Both had some great one-liners that added humor to the intense plot. Ryan was lovingly nick named Captain America. As Vivian states, “why’d he have to be so Captain America-like? If he had the arrogance of Tony Stark, it would be a lot easier to hate him.” 

“I wanted to write a quote about people in a relationship. “The right kind of love isn’t earned…That’s the beauty of godly love.  The kind that is forgiving, unwarranted, undeserving, and unconditional.”  When people are single it is all about me, me, me.  In a relationship, it is about giving your best to your partner.  Trust is so important, to give 100% of yourself.  There should always be unconditional love between partners, parents, children, and friends.  It is a give and take.”

This story has danger, extortion, fires, and family secrets.  Readers are kept guessing until the last few pages. This is an incredible story of family, forgiveness, redemption, and love.

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About the Author

Elise Cooper

Elise writes book reviews that always include a short author interview.