I knew from reading Tammy L Gray's My Hope Next Door that this book was probably going to be something I would end up enjoying. However, this book completely blew all my expectations away, and I could have honestly sat and read it again the second that I finished it.

I've long appreciated Christian authors that write about characters who aren't perfect, and Tammy is truly a master at this. I love reading about characters first coming to know Jesus, and I thought that January's journey was heart wrenching, beautiful and authentic. A Christian's walk of life is never without struggles, and January quickly learns this through the many amazing people she comes into contact with. Cameron is a struggling musician; who feels called to do much more than he's currently doing. He's frustrated in his season of waiting, and I'm sure lots of us are able to relate. Dillon has been struck by not just one, but two horrific tragedies, and he's questioning where the God he's grown up serving could be amidst it all. Lastly, January's aunt has always been her sounding board, but she's also hiding a world of familial hurt, and needs to learn how to truly let go and let God.

Perhaps my favorite part of this beautiful contemporary was the way that God uses many different people and circumstances to draw January closer and closer to Himself. It was a lovely illustration of the fact that His plan is always perfect, and He can accomplish it by means we never could have thought possible.

While I wasn't quite sure I was going to end up loving the romance, as anyone who's read my reviews in the past knows I'm not a fan of love triangles, but it ended up taking me by surprise. January's journey puts her into contact with two amazing guys, and I actually really enjoyed the way everything plays out. I loved the fact that the romance more plays a secondary role to the plot development of January learning to fall in love with faith and our Heavenly Father, and the author did a beautiful job of weaving in the romance around this.

I was prepared to enjoy this one, but I wasn't prepared for it to end up being one of the best books I've read this year. I ended up making myself take my time with it, as the story was amazing and I wanted to truly savor each and every page. It felt completely realistic, and like something that could actually happen, and I can't possibly recommend it enough. I appreciated the fact that it has its fair share of humor and lighter moments, but that the story also goes a lot deeper and more intense then I initially expected when I picked it up.I already know I'm going to have to reread it in the very near future as I'm not ready to say goodbye to all these characters who truly came to feel like old friends.It's truly one of the most realistic portrayals of the Christian walk of life that I've ever seen in a Christian fiction novel.

Before I end up writing a book about just how much I enjoyed it, I'm simply going to wrap up here and say go ahead and pick this one up, you will definitely not be disappointed.

Final Rating: 5/5.


Thanks so much to Bethany House and NetGalley for the opportunity to advance read this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Bethany House) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love and a Little White Lie is a subtle change of direction for Tammy Gray, and I loved it! Jan(uary)'s voice is fresh and flows right off the page. Creating real characters outside of Christian circles is one of the things Tammy Gray does best, and this story delivered a wonderfully wounded, flawed agnostic heroine (Jan) surrounded by wounded, flawed Christians in very real and relatable circumstances.

THIS is how evangelization happens in real life, in my opinion, less with words and tracts, and more by simply living alongside and loving your neighbor (or here, more often, your co-worker).

The result is a beautiful novel filled with multi-dimensional characters, a slowly evolving friends-to-lovers story, and a religious awakening.

I couldn't help being reminded of one of my favorite books, The Grace Crasher by Mara Faro, that shares a lot of similarities to this book. If you love Love and a Little White Lie, I highly recommend The Grace Crasher too.

This is my first book by this author.

January needs time to heal her broken heart after following her bf to another state and then being dumped. Instead of going back to Georgia to her mom and husband #4, she stays in Texas in a bridal cabin at her aunts 30acre wedding venue and starts working at her aunts church. The problem is she doesn’t believe in god and is telling herself this little white lie won’t hurt anyone, if everybody gets what they want in the end.

She doesn’t plan on a rebound guy, but when she meets Cameron, the church musician, she gets butterflies in her stomach.
That feeling gets crushed when she returns to her cabin and Dillon, an architect and contractor for her aunts wedding venue, calls her out and gets real with her.

Jan needs both of these relationships: the nice, down to earth one with Cameron and the witty, realistic banter with Dillon in order to realize that she may start believing and that it’s not as weird as her mother always told her.

I enjoyed this book and it wasn’t too pushy on the faith part.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was another rich read from Tammy L Gray. Her characters are always well developed, and you are sucked right into the story with them. January is a likeable character from the beginning, and seeing her grow through the book is a glimpse of the grace we are offered.

It's not a "fluffy Christian fiction" book, but one that feels like it could actually happen. Maybe to you, maybe to a friend, but overall, the book is REAL. And that is the kind of book I want to read.

“Prayer is not about changing your situation, although sometimes God grants those requests. It’s about changing your heart.”

This is my first Tammy Gray novel. I really liked this story and this quote! Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. The writing style, the wit, the faith thread, and the characters drew me in immediately. I was also interested in several of the side characters’ stories which made this story all the richer.

After a bad breakup, January moves to the town her aunt lives in and finds a temporary job at her aunts church. She has omitted one little thing - that she lacks in faith. At first, I was worried that January would be hard to like, and while I did have my issues with her, since this is written in first person, you really get to know her and feel for her, especially once you find out what she’s been through.

My favorite character in this story is...well, I don’t want to spoiler anything, so I’ll just say, it’s the one she ends up with! I really liked his character. He was intuitive, honest, and reliable. I really wanted to be in his head too!

My only issue with this story is that I wanted more page time with the two that ended up together. I loved when they were on the page and how their relationship grew. I just really wanted more of them -this is the reason why love triangle stories are not my favorite. I know that January needed the other relationship to grow, but I would’ve liked less of it and more time with the one she ended up with!

I will definitely be looking up Tammy Gray’s backlist and looking forward to whatever she writes next.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. January Sanders, an atheist, finds herself applying for a job at her aunt’s church while she tries to get over her latest heartbreak. She finds that it’s an “uncomfortable feeling when nothing matches the stereotype expected, and so far the people in this building haven’t fit with any of the churchy cliches” she was certain she’d find (location 127). All of her preconceived notions about Christians were challenged and it was fun watching her process that. I enjoyed her interactions with Ralph and how she tried to help him. But the highlight for me was her frenemy relationship with Dillon. He pokes all her buttons and is the one person who seems to see right through her.

There were a lot of amazing people in January’s life and I look forward to reading more
about them in future books in the State of Grace series. Thank you to Bethany House for
providing me with a free copy of this book. I’d highly recommend it. All opinions are my
own.

I was reading several books, but couldn’t get into any of them until Love and a Little White Lie. January moves into her aunt’s cabin at a wedding venue to escape heartache from a break up. She applies for and gets a job at her aunt’s church, but she doesn’t mention to anyone that she’s not a Christian. Through the book we find that the other characters also have their own secrets. The storyline that kept me reading every minute I had was that of her dating the worship minister while becoming friends with the contractor/landscaper Dillon . The book kept me guessing on who she would end up with in the end and how all the characters’ secrets would be resolved.
Love and a Little White Lie has a deeper storyline of grace, faith and forgiveness than most Christian romances. Give this one a try even if you don’t like romance books.

I enjoyed Love and A Little White Lie by author Tammy L. Gray, whose work I read for the first time. The novel is well written and the characters well developed.

On a mission to heal her broken heart and replenish her empty bank account, Jan settles into temporary living quarters graciously provided by her Aunt Doreen.

With the help of her aunt and Jan conveniently failing to mention she’s an agnostic, she lands employment at the Grace Community Church. It wasn’t a lifelong goal to work at a church, but as friendships are forged and time passes, Jan finds herself more and more comfortable with her life in the small Texas community.

When Jan becomes friends with Cameron, a handsome Christian musician, that friendship quickly turns into something more. Meanwhile, Dillon, a brooding landscape architect who spends a lot of time taking care of Aunt Doreen’s property seems to ruffle Jan’s feathers at every turn.

This novel is for romance readers that enjoy Christian touches throughout a story.

Beautifully written! The first person point of view is a refreshing shift in a genre that's typically focused on dual points of view from the hero and heroine. January is an interesting and complex character with a backstory many readers will find relatable. Dillon is a fantastic hero whom I was rooting for from the instant he arrived on the page. Love and a Little White Lie is a wonderful novel with an uplifting message about redemption and allowing ourselves to be truly known.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy. The opinions shared here are my own.

Love and a Little White Lie by Tammy L. Gray is a story that will stick with me for quite a while. This is the first book that I’ve read by Ms. Gray, but it most definitely will not be the last. I really love Gray’s writing style and the way she creates very realistic characters. What I found so unique about this story is the protagonist, January. Her agnostic voice is one of the most real voices I’ve read in Christian Fiction. She could easily be one of the many agnostic people I know in my own life. Her thinking about life and her contradictions and her selfishness are spot on. And the dichotomy between Cameron (the super good, raised Christian his whole life, seriously sheltered man) and Dillon (the Christian who has just walked through some serious fire and is now angry and questioning God in a Job-like manner) is outstanding. These two men represent facets of Christianity that many authors have illustrated before, but the way Gray juxtaposes them in her novel really makes a Christian reader stop and think about her own faith and the genuineness of that declared faith. I have to say, Love and a Little White Lie really blew me away!

January Sanders drove me crazy. She is the most self-focused character I think I’ve ever read. Everything she does, she does for herself. She is not bothered with lies if they get her to where she wants to go or who she wants to be or how much money she wants to make. It does not really bother her that she lies about being a Christian when she goes for a job interview at her aunt’s church because she just needs a job. As she works within the church, her idea of Christian people shifts a smidge, but she constantly refuses to believe in an invisible entity in the sky. She is going to do good for others because she is a good person and it will make her life easier. When she sets her sights on Cameron, the super cute guitarist in the church band, she tells herself that she will respect his Christian boundaries, but she totally doesn’t. In fact, this is what drove me the most insane. She literally tells Cameron that she respects him and his Christian beliefs, but the second she feels a certain way and wants him to feel a certain way, she throws respect out the door and allows him a physical/sensual opportunity she knows he should not take. And, if that isn’t enough, the way she treats Dillon is quite awful. He is her punching bag, and punch she does — often. In many ways, January is NOT the good person she thinks she is.

By the 3/4 mark, I was ready to tell January off and put the book down. Not because the story isn’t good — oh my goodness, this story is super engaging. The pages flew by. No, I wanted to put the book down because January’s self-focus and selfishness became overwhelming. Every time she “helps” someone, I was annoyed because I knew she was doing it for herself. Every time she hangs out with Cameron it’s because she wants something from him. Every time she uses Dillon as a punching bag it’s so she can feel better. Then she has the audacity to tell the people around her that what they believe in is nothing more than fakery. Argh! But, I kept with the book hoping for an excellent come-to-Jesus moment. It’s a pretty darn good moment! And, what is the most awesome, January’s come-to-Jesus moment helped me understand God’s grace and forgiveness better. Once she understands things better and the puzzle pieces fit into place, January becomes one of the best characters in this book. I found I could let everything she did and said earlier go … just like that. Kind of like how God does for us. I know that the Bible tells us that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8), but I also believe that humility covers a multitude of sins, too. January’s humility after her eyes are truly opened to God is my favorite aspect to this novel. Cause isn’t that how it really goes? We are so selfish and so sure in our SELVES until we find God. Then we see ourselves the way God sees us and we are humbled and then we are grateful that love does cover all those sins we committed. Ms. Gray did an absolutely fabulous job of crafting January’s insanely realistic character. January’s journey to God is illustrated superbly in this novel, and made me look within my own self quite a few times!

Love and a Little White Lie is an excellent story that I highly recommend. I know I wrote A LOT in this review, but trust me, I barely cracked the surface. This book is gritty, realistic, and deep. It forces the reader to contemplate and evaluate themselves. It’s gripping and thoughtful and romantic. Love and a Little White Lie is one outstanding story.

I received a review copy of this novel in eBook form from the publisher, Bethany House Publishers, via NetGalley. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A Christian romance that actually dealt with issues of faith...I appreciated that aspect of it. I could have done with a little less of the romance-that-wasn't-meant-to-be and more of the actual romance. But overall, a solid read that kept my attention.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! While contemporary romance is generally not my thing, this book was less about earthy romance and more about the wooing of our Heavenly Father to one lost sheep. January (Jan) Sanders finds herself at the end of her rope after a massive heartbreak and finds solace with her aunt who offers her a place to stay and helps her find a job. The problem is that the job is at her aunt's church, and January doesn't believe in God. I loved how this book portrayed Christians - imperfect, but loving human beings. While Jan didn't believe in God, she still cares about people and so she fits in, even if she doesn't "speak the language". I loved her compassion towards her boss and one of the elderly church members who'd ended up in a nursing home and the ways that she goes about helping them without them knowing about it.

This book had great characters, and great character development/growth. I found myself laughing at the banter and crying at the unraveling places. One thing I love is when books have characters with some serious quirks. Jan has a fascinating mind that looks at the world a bit differently and I loved that quirk about her, even if she didn't like it about herself. The story itself was great and the healing process was both intense and realistic - for many of the characters, not just Jan. The romance was a solid theme throughout, but everything that happened both within and without the romance was clear evidence of God seeking Jan's heart. The ending was wholly satisfactory as well and I was glad to see some loose ends tied up with Jan's relationship with her mother. All in all, this was a beautiful story of God's love and grace, shown to His children, often by His children.

Special thanks to Ms. Gray and Bethany House Publishers for an advance copy of this book via NetGalley. I was not obligated to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

Love and a Little White Lie was about a gal who had been through some rough times, something most of us have on some form. A family that doesn't quite fit what normal is. I LOVED this story from page 1, I didn't want to stop reading it, January was someone I wanted to know and be her friend, she struggled with her thoughts on religion with an aunt that helped her get a job in a church to her Mom that pushed her away from all beliefs. The way the story enfolds gave me so many different feelings. Tammy Gray is a new favorite author of mine,

I loved this romantic story about finding somewhere to belong and connecting with a faith. Love and A Little White Lie has a love triangle that provides a romance that is really fun and sweet as well as a romance that is full of connection and honesty.

January is looking to start over. Her last relationship failed just after she gave up her joy and spend all her savings moving across the country to be with her fiancé. Now she has returned to her Aunt’s property. Her aunt has also secured her a job at the local church. The only problem is that January doesn’t believe in God and isn’t an Christian. She decides not to tell anyone. But Grace Community is more welcoming than she expected, especially Cameron, one of the musicians, and she feels needed and like she is finally making a difference. Everything would be great if it wasn’t for Dillon, a landscaper working at her Aunt’s property, who calls January out on her deceit.

Love and A Little White Lie is a fun and easy book to read. I loved January’s voice. She is a genuinely nice character and reaches out to help others without even thinking about it. I was intrigued by the way she noticed little details and remembered information. While we are told this is one of her gifts (she considers it more a quirk), it’s also shown throughout the story, which made it really believable and nice detail in the story.

Honestly, I would have loved more time between January and Dillon. While her relationship with Cameron is necessary for her development and coming to know more about herself and God, it felt like a waste of time - she needed to be with Dillon!! Clearly you know whose side I am on in this love triangle. Her fights and conversations with Dillon touch on hard topics for the both of them and they both must face a bit of healing and restoring faith. The other characters in Love and A Little White Lie are delightful, from January’s caring Aunt to January’s overwhelmed coworker.

Love and A Little White Lie is a fun book about a journey from grief and disbelief to faith alongside a touching romance.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the setting and the characters, but what I liked the most about this book was the writing. I loved the humor and wit, and the overall feel of the book. It just made me happy. This is my first book by this author but it won't be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bethany House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Love And A Little White Lie was a beautifully written story with characters that were authentic and relatable.

January journeys through her family dynamics and her past with a rawness that draws the reader in. She struggles with being attracted to two different men and wrestles with being agnostic while working at a church.

I loved seeing the transformation in her heart occur in this story! Her feistiness and the swoony moments make Tammy L. Gray’s newest release a must read!

Thank you to the publishing team for this opportunity to read and review this book honestly!

Wow! This book had me laughing, crying and really thinking about all the aspects of my life. This story is about finding faith and trust in yourself, others and God. It was very moving and the characters were all very likable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Baker Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my humble, honest opinion.

This book drew me in from the very first page. I had a hard time putting it down! Tammy Gray addresses a lot of issues we all deal with - anger, frustration, and hurt but also what it’s like to love. You won’t be disappointed- excellent book!

“Love and a Little White Lie” is a sweet story of family, friends, love and loss. The book explores what happens when you look beyond the world as it has always been presented to you and start to see it for yourself. The book is so well written that the characters seem to come alive before you and you find yourself invested in their happiness. Great summer read that is difficult to put down.

This is the first book I've read by this author. January was an unusual character because she was an agnostic and happy being one. I liked that none of the church staff pushed their faith on her even though she worked there. Both Dillon and January had reasons to be angry. It was interesting to see how the author chose to use that. This is a very realistic story with characters readers will enjoy. Recommended!