I loved this book! I t was a well written mystery that made it hard to put down and be responsible. lol. Now, I just can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!

I have mixed feelings about this novel of romantic suspense. Harris is a capable author and the novel has good scenes of suspense and romantic tension. I did have some issues with the way the plot developed.

One thing I can't tolerate is suspense due to poor police procedure. It happened twice in this novel. An attempt had been made on Gracie and she is obviously a target of the bad guys. Shortly afterward, police detective Nate takes her to a location all by himself. Of course they are attacked by bad guys and suspense ensues. Later in the novel Nate is transporting Gracie and another person when they are again attacked. Paige, Nate's partner had been with them but now the other car was twenty minutes ahead. What? Nate is with two people the bad guys probably want to attack and his partner is in a car twenty minutes away? That is just poor police procedure and poor thinking on Nate's part. And even though the police are dealing with expert hackers, the idea that their own system might be hacked is not considered until another suspenseful event happens. I really got tired of Nate repeatedly thinking he “should” have done this or that.

I had trouble liking Nate. He falls for Gracie and it seems to make him more dumb in his attempts at keeping her safe. I know he had a devastating experience previously but I just found him to not be the kind of competent policeman I like to see as a hero. I liked Gracie. She is competent and brave. Give her a badge.

I do like to learn something when I read fiction and in this case it was about hacking and how vulnerable the nation's infrastructure might be to attack. There was also information about healing from a traumatic event.

There are a couple of good plot twists at the end even though the plot was wrapped up very quickly by a minor character.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

A fun romantic suspense read with just the right amount of tension to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Grace Callahan is trying to get her life back on track. After suffering the loss of her daughter and going through a divorce, she has moved back to Dallas and is helping others as a psychologist. As the anniversary of her daughter’s death approaches, she readies herself for an emotional roller coaster. Little does she know it is about to get a lot worse. She is drawn into a major terrorist scheme involving murder, cyber hacking and the reintroduction of an old friend. Detective Nate Quinn is dealing with his own demons when he lands the case of a murder that leads him to Grace Callahan, someone he hasn’t seen or thought of in years. Finding out how deeply she is involved in the case, even without her realizing it, and trying to keep them both alive is a bit much for his first case back after being involved in a bombing that killed eighteen, including his partner. Together, Grace and Nate will have to work together to stop the cyber-attack and keep the country safe.

Lisa Harris’s newest installment is definitely one that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and questioning everything they think they know of the characters until the very end. I love when I read a romantic suspense book that is not filled with sappy romance scenes. To me, the romance is built by the tension and the way the characters come together by tackling the tough moments and coming out the other side stronger. Grace was a great character. She was strong and determined and even though she wanted to give up at times after the struggles she faced, she didn’t. I also loved that in certain scenes it might have been convenient for a big strong male character to come in and save the day didn’t happen. Grace was able to pull up her boot straps and do just fine on her own. The ending felt a little rushed and I was hoping for a little more but still not much to complain about. I hope that we can see more from these character in the future. I recommend this to readers that love Lisa Harris and romantic suspense reads. If you haven’t read anything by Lisa Harris before this would be the perfect book to get you started with her writing.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

When psychologist Grace Callahan agrees to meet with a paranoid client in a public park, saying they are watching him, he runs off, afraid Running after him, less than five minutes later, she discovers his body and realizes the truth of his paranoia.

Detective Nate Quinn's first case back after being cleared for active duty involves protecting his old friend, Grace. Someone believes the murder victim gave Grace confidential information before he died. Information that could get Grace killed.

Harris creates a heart-pounding, past-paced, amazing novel you wont want to put down as the characters literally race against the clock to save their lives and others.

The action starts in the very first line of this story and continues right up to the end as Grace and Nate try to work out exactly what it is that’s put Grace in the crosshairs of some pretty determined people. From cryptic clues left by a dead client, they begin to piece together a plot that has the potential to throw the whole country into chaos, and with the help of a recluse who’s now living completely off-grid in preparation for just such an attack, they race against time to find the crucial piece of software that has the power to save them—or destroy them.

As exciting as all of that sounds, I found it difficult to become fully invested in this story. There was something a little predictable about the way both the suspense and the romance plots developed. For example, the two main characters have reason to be wary of relationships—they feel the tug of attraction but frequently remind themselves of all the reasons why they shouldn’t pursue a relationship—and a lot of the action hinges around several attempts on the heroine’s life/physical safety. It felt like the story was sticking to a tried-and-true formula, even if some of the specifics were original to the story.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the novel. The writing is solid and there were a few surprises in the plot, but the characters didn’t grab me, which is often a big factor in how engaged I am with a novel, and I didn’t feel much chemistry between them. I did like cyber-attack plot though. It’s sobering to think about the implications of a world so dependent on electricity!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Wow this book was intense. Once I picked this book up, I couldn’t put it down. It didn’t matter if my favorite show was on TV; all I wanted to do was read this book. The characters were complex, the writing was vivid, and the emotions evoked felt so real.

I loved these characters. They both endured unimaginable grief, and each handled it so differently. It was really interesting to see how they influenced each other.

I felt like I was right there with Grace and Nate. I felt their pain, their fear, and rooted for their happiness. I was captivated until the last page.

Recommendation: This book was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense.



*I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own.*

A Secret to Die For by Lisa Harris is filled with action, suspense and romance!

Grace Callahan is being targeted by someone who murdered one of her clients and she has no idea why. When Detective Nate Quinn, who is an old college friend, is put on the case they try to discover why Grace is being targeted. It doesn't take long to realize that her client had a reason to be paranoid. As they work together on the case they also help each other overcome difficulties in their pasts.

Good story. Will read more of Lisa Harris' books. This was my first one.

I received this book from NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Good, solid romantic suspense, but overall the romance is better than the mystery/suspense portion.
I liked the development of the relationship between Grace and Nate. It felt real and I appreciated that a Christian fiction book portrayed a relationship between a divorced woman and a never-been-married man. It seems as if CF books nearly always have the previously married person as a widow or widower, and in real life, with younger people, a divorce is a much more realistic scenario.

The suspense parts of this tale weren't very surprising, and there were just too many perilous situations with Grace in the middle to be believable. I just cannot believe that the police/FBI would allow a civilian in the center of everything. And this had a feel of been-there-done-that with the mystery. Harris has much better books.

As a whole, I liked this book. It is fast paced and pretty easy to read in a couple of sittings.

The suspense quickly starts when Grace escapes from an intruder in her home. Nate, a homicide cop, is surprised to see Grace when he contacts her about a patient. One of Grace's patients had been murdered and had left a message on her phone. Against Nick's advice and comfort, Grace gets caught up in the investigation and her life is in danger. Both Grace and Nick have suffered major losses in their lives and have resisted relationships. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is a very good romantic suspense book. There is a good mix of their romance and suspense. Grace and Nick never forget the danger. I enjoyed reading this book

I always wonder how Lisa Harris pegs the American culture so well when she and her family have been missionaries in Africa for over thirteen years. However, she does it and she does it quite well. In A Secret to Die For Lisa deals with universal issues such as dealing with loss and having the courage to love. She also deals with first world concerns of cyber security, the enormity of our dependence on the electrical grid, and the fear that the loss of which will bring out the worst in humanity.

Psychologist, Grace Callahan has experienced the loss of her daughter to cancer and the loss of her husband to grief. Police detective, Nathaniel Quinn has experienced the loss of his partner and team to terrorists. Now these former college friends are thrown together in an effort to stop the loss of our nation's security, economy, and way of life, not to mention the loss of so many human lives to the work of those fueled by greed. Assault, home invasion, and kidnapping keep the readers on the edge of their seat, suspicion keeps them turning pages long into the night.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Revell for providing me with a copy of A Secret to Die For in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received to monetary compensation.

Lisa Harris hits it out of the park with her new romantic suspense book about terrorists who are threatening the United States as well as Grace Callahan and her old college friend Nate Quinn. Grace has already suffered a tremendous loss in her life and has become a counselor. Nate is a police officer and is suffering from PTSD, Although Nate is not ready for a relationship, he is determined to keep Grace safe at all costs. The interaction between Grace and Nate was realistic and written with empathy. The reader is quickly captured by the story because there is a murder and threat of terrorism at the beginning of the book, and you don’t find out what is really going on until almost the last chapter. Ms. Harris does a fantastic job of weaving a web of deceit so that the reader is drawn into the web and is working hard to figure everything out. I was totally delighted to be able to review this book because it is a clean read: no foul language or steamy sex scenes, and yet the book was absolutely enthralling. Readers of Christian fiction will thoroughly enjoy this thriller, wanting to know how the characters are able to be victorious.

Thank you to NetGalley, Revell and Lisa Harris for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

Another good novel from Lisa Harris. Not my all time favorite from her, but still a good solid suspenseful mystery. It was nice to get back into the world of police detectives solving mysteries in Christian fiction.

I enjoyed the world of conspiracy theories with good reason. The book was so psychologically terrifying. The fact that these things could happen in real life is so scary. Hackers attacking the power grid and leaving our country without power for months. The impact it could have on our country and so many people is terrifying. Such an interesting premise! There was a lot of action, physical and mental, that kept me reading, reading, reading to find out what happens.

Despite all the action that I loved, I didn’t really like that the murder mystery involved a psychiatric patient in any way. In this case, the patient wasn’t a suspect (not a spoiler), but there is so much stigma and stereotypes that I’m wary of books that even associate therapy, mental health, etc. with anything negative. Also a key to solving a major part of the mystery was overlooked until much later. If I were there, I would have found the object right away by doing a simple but thorough search. If the characters stopped to think for 2 seconds the detective and psychology would have found it. So frustrating!

Overall, a compelling mystery that unfortunately had a few nuances that bothered me. Loved the conspiracy theory ascent though.

A Secret to Die For by Lisa Harris is an exciting, heart-pounding, twisting Romantic Suspense.  Readers will definitely be sitting on the edge of their seat. Detective Nate Quinn, has just been released back to active duty after suffering from PTSD. Psychologist Grace Callahan, doesn't know she knows a secret.  Filled with danger, thrilling action, PTSD, grief, survival guilt, abandonment issues, good vs evil, cyber crimes and more. Ms. Harris is a talented author who pulls readers into her stories and holds them spellbound.  Action, Romance and suspense tops off an amazing story. Fans of Romantic Suspense are sure to enjoy A SECRET TO DIE FOR. 

"I voluntarily received a complimentary copy, however,  these are my honest opinions. I was in no way required nor compensated to write a review."

 

 

 

Rating: 4.5

Heat rating: Sweet

Reviewer: AprilR

This is my first read by Lisa Harris and it is full of mystery with a few moments of stomach drop suspense. I was surprised that the cyber-terrorism had an end of times feel given it is a romantic suspense novel. The budding romance between Grace and Nate was sweet. There was a small focus on grief and PTSD, even though it was the PTSD that forced Nate to be so overprotective of Grace.

Lots of action and suspense! Nate is back on the job after an bombing that took the life of his partner and many others. Grace, a psychologist is targeted when one of her patients is murdered and the suspect believes she has a missing key. Nate is surprised to see Grace, an old friend when he is assigned to the murder investigation. Nate and Grace make a great team as they race to find the answers to the murder. Highly recommended.

In this thriller, psychologist, Grace Callahan, finds herself right in the middle of a murder investigation that includes one of her clients. When he client began talking about conspiracies, Grace questioned if his theories were real or imagined. She soon finds her clients fears were real and that he has passed off evidence to her.

Detective Nate Quinn is returning to duty after experiencing great loss on the job. When he is called to investigate the connection between Grace and her deceased client, he is saddened to learn that his old friend, Grace from college, has experienced a great deal of loss herself. As Grace and Nate work together, their connection deepens. Nate is determined to keep Grace safe, but Grace finds herself in real danger. Connecting the dots in this mystery is dangerous with life and national security on the line. Can Nate keep Grace safe and will either of them allow themselves to be happy with one another?

I received an ARC of this book and this is my honest feedback.

Lisa Harris has quickly become one of my favorite Christian suspense writers, and this book was a wonderful addition!

There are so many different elements to this book that make it hard to put down. The main character, Grace, is still suffering from the death of her young daughter several years ago and the subsequent dissolution of her marriage. She is employed as a psychologist and after a patient of hers makes a late night phone call to her, and leaves her a mysterious message, she finds herself being hunted by some very bad people. Detective Nate Quinn is called to the scene and he quickly realizes Kate is an old friend he lost touch with years ago. He s suffering from PTSD after being at the scene of an explosion that took the lives of his work partner and others.

There is a lot of soul searching on the part of the characters. They have both grappled with why God didn’t protect them and their loved ones at times they really needed protection. Lisa Harris does a wonderful job of characterization, and I could empathize with what the characters were going through because her descriptions are just that good. I appreciated that the characters are Christian, and the book brings that into the story.

The story deals with a very real possibility of having a terrorist attack that takes out the electric grid.

I loved that this story started with a realistic, creepy-scary scene. The danger ramps up before Grace has any idea why she’s being targeted. The action is pretty consistent throughout with a few curveballs thrown into the mix. It is a pretty exciting read with a scenario that feels all too possible in today’s world.
I enjoyed seeing a few characters who are trying to live off the grid. My husband reads a lot of “prepper” books so it was fun seeing for myself more of what that would look like. I pray we never come to such a time that that is necessary.
Both Grace and Nate are struggling to heal from traumatic events. They showcase the tension of wanting to run away from God and others to avoid being hurt again and that tenuous thread that still longs for connection. Nate also wrestles with the seeming absence of God when everything is going wrong and evil men seem to be winning. I felt it was easy to connect with them as most of us have struggled with those same things at some point in our lives.
Thank you to Revell for providing me with a complimentary e-copy of this book. I was not required to leave a positive review. All opinions are my own.

A Secret to Die For has a lot of action, a whole lot of action in the first half of the novel. While the action continues in the second half, there is a bit more focus on the blooming romance between Grace and Nate in the latter half.

I liked that Grace wasn't a widow, but rather divorced after a tragic event rocked her marriage. Young widows used rather frequently by authors. I also found the premise of a group trying to take down a power grid in the United States completely plausible. Loved that there were a couple of characters living off the grid to be prepared for such an event. The way Grace's patient left her clues was creative and interesting.

What fell short for me was the romance and to some extent the suspense. The romance developed very quickly and I didn't find chemistry between the two. The suspense itself felt surface deep and would have been stronger if there was more about the villains and their motivations and aspirations.

Lisa Harris is a talented author and I look forward to what she has to offer next.

This is well written and adventurous book. I love this author and can't usually can't wait for her books. This book lives up to expectation. A must read and highly recommended.