GRAVE DECEPTION (Secrets and the City 4) by Kathy Lockheart-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 15, 2023

My new neighbor is a scorching hot police detective—one I have a massive crush on, but I never wanted to get his attention like this: as the apparent victim of an attempted murder.

After rescuing me from the icy waters of the Chicago River, Shane begins investigating the people closest to me, and to my horror, discovers several of them have a motive to want me dead.

Worse, he firmly believes they will try again.

The more time Shane spends with me trying to unravel how I plummeted from that bridge, the more protective he becomes, and the harder we fall for each other. But I can tell Shane is hiding something from me—something that has the power to destroy our happily ever after.

All I want is to solve the case so we can put this entire nightmare behind us.

But I never imagined the shocking truth about that fateful evening… or what’s about to happen to us both…

•••••••••

REVIEW: GRAVE DECEPTION is the fourth instalment in Kath Lockheart’s contemporary, adult SECRETS AND THE CITY romantic suspense series. This is police detective Shane Hernandez, and HR representative Willow Johnson’s story line. GRAVE DECEPTION can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from first person perspective (Willow) GRAVE DECEPTION follows in the wake of the rescue of Willow Johnson. Out for a late night jog, CPD Detective Shane Hernandez witnesses a woman falling off a bridge, and jumps into the icy water to rescue. Having no recollection of what happened or why, Willow Johnson discovers her rescuer is her next door neighbor, a man who refuses to leave Willow alone. Believing the police are reluctant to investigate beyond the obvious clues, Shane begins to question everyone in our heroine’s life, pointing a finger at all of the people who may or may not hold a personal grudge but as the investigation continues, a series of mysterious occurrences threaten the safety of the woman with whom Shane is falling in love. What ensues is the the building relationship between Willow and Shane, and the potential fall-out as the past refuses to let go of our story line couple.

Willow Johnson lost her father when she was a child, a loss she is unable to remember, one of which her mother and sister refuse to discuss. Shane Hernandez grew up in a family of law enforcement, front line workers, but a bullet took his father way too soon. As Shane and Willow continue to struggle with demons from the past, someone is targeting our story line couple.

The relationship between Shane and Willow begins as a rescue but Shane has lusted after his neighbor from afar, a lust that at times feels a bit stalkerish in his need to defend and protect. At the same time, someone is targeting Willow Johnson, and our heroine refuses to to accept that anyone she knows could be wishing her dead. As the list of suspects continues to grow, Willow finds herself falling for man who may not be relationship material. The $ex scenes are limited but passionate and intense, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

The secondary and supporting character include Willow’s ex boyfriend Ezra, her mother and sister Hayley, as well as co-workers Amelia, Emily and Tracey, police officer Rosse, and Shane’s best friend Chicago DEA agent, police officer Fallon O’Connor. The requisite evil has many faces.

GRAVE DECEPTION is a story of betrayal and vengeance, obsession and madness, family and relationships, forgiveness and acceptance. The fast paced premise is intriguing and interesting; the romance is seductive; the characters are broken but struggling to move forward.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Deadly Illusion
Fatal Cure
Lethal Justice

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Kathy Lockheart is an author of Romantic Suspense novels. Her books—which have a unique blend of emotional elements typically found in women’s fiction and the romance and danger elements found in romantic suspense—contain themes of dark romance, antiheroes, and forbidden romance. When she’s not writing, you can find her silently cursing the person who put fluorescent lights in dressing rooms.

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