I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I was excited to receive this book. I love a good murder mystery. This book was based on an interesting concept but it really could have used more character development. The main people were developed okay but I never really had a strong feeling toward anyone in this book. The writer mother or the military sister could have developed into an interesting story line.

Two things turned me off on this book. I did not realize this was Christian fiction when I started this book. I am not into religion but was raised Christian and some religious references are fine with me. This book stuck in references to God and faith when it was not necessary. This is typical in Christian fiction books but it does turn me off. The second issue was the use of the word "photog" for photographer. Look up photog in the Urban dictionary and I agree with their crude definition.

I did read an advanced readers copy of this book and hopefully they still have some editing. I gave the rating the benefit of the doubt and hope they have further edits to this book.

Kelly Irvin has been known for writing Amish romances, and as a reader who can't stand Amish anything. Romance. Suspense. Or Historical. I decide to stay away from majority of Irvin's writing. But when Thomas Nelson showed her writing a romantic suspense novel, which is a genre I read widely in, I was curious. The novel sounded interesting, so I thought I would give it a shot.
The plot is my biggest issue, so I'll start there. The novel does start with a dead body in an office so that is done correctly. BUT . . . then the next thirty-two percent of the novel takes place right after the dead body, and Irvin wanted to show EVERY single person's perspective of the dead body. From the cop to the daughter, Nina, the heroine, to a number of reporter's and a lawyer slash boyfriend for Nina. It dragged and lost my attention really quickly. As for the rest of the novel, it was just killing everyone important to Nina in a hurry to make her more anxious and send her back to the police station for questioning for about the fourth time. That is a lot for a romantic suspense novel. I figured out from the first chapter who the two bad people were. No surprise for me.
The characters wanted more for their life, but I really didn't see them changing at all. Nina learned more about her biological mother and made her wish she didn't learn what she did. Adam, the best friend and love interest, arrived in the first couple of chapters, and I didn't really like him either. I didn't know if he really liked Nina for who she was or using her moment of hurt as a way to further his own personal career. So the ending didn't sit well with me.
Overall, Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin didn't have a fast-pace story line like a romantic suspense should have. I wanted a lot more action with moments of holding my breath. The characters were bland with a boring romance. Not a novel I would recommend for fans of romantic suspense.
I received a complimentary copy of Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

TELL HER NO LIES by KELLY IRVIN is a fast paced thriller with an excellent Christian message. There is also a good dose of romance. The book deals with such things as homelessness, parenting, foster care and adoption, addiction, the importance of forgiveness and acknowledging that God is the only perfect Father.
Nina and Jan Fischer were adopted by their uncle Geoffrey Fischer, who was a successful and well thought of judge. He and his wife Grace saved them from foster care when they were abandoned by their mother.
When Nina finds her dad murdered in his home office, things really go from bad to worse, first with her being a suspect, and then with secrets that she and her friend, Aaron McClure, uncover about the judge. She feels badly let down and wants to uncover the truth, but loved her dad and wants to save his good name.
The characters are very real and we are made to feel what they are going through. It is Christian suspense at its best. I can highly recommend it as a most enjoyable read.
I was given a free copy of the book by Thomas Nelson from NetGalley. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

As children, Nina Fischer and her sister were adopted by their estranged uncle after their mother went to prison for dealing drugs. Now, as an adult, Nina wants to please her adoptive father but her career choice (photographer and poet) doesn’t seem to please him. One night, Nina finds her father Geoffrey Fischer murdered in his study and has to work hard to prove her innocence since they were the only ones at home. The two men in her life wants to help but each have different reasons. Can she trust her on and off boyfriend Rick, an attorney, who seems to be more interested in his career advancement? Or should she trust her photographer friend, Aaron in the hopes he won’t use her family’s scandal to get the biggest news of his career? While cleaning out her father’s things, she stumbles upon a box of old letters and photos revealing secrets Geoffrey worked so hard to stay hidden. When her biological mother shows up at her father’s funeral and asks to be welcomed back in the family, Nina is more than determined to find out the truth about her past.

“Tell Her No Lies” is a fast-paced romantic suspense novel. Nina gets into several dangerous situations as she is searching for answers concerning her father’s secrets. I was surprised when the identity of the killer was revealed and enjoyed the way the facts were told leading to the discovery.

The book was set up to make it look like a love triangle between Nina and Rick and Aaron but it’s clear one of them his career is more important and the other one will put people he cares about first.

Overall I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t a page turner for me.