Review: False Pretenses

False Pretenses by Kathy Herman
My rating: 💛💛💛💛

After the first 20% I actually thought I will put this book aside. I just was not in the mood for the specific topic (racial unrest), but I thought I will stick it out for another 20% after which it pulled me in and I've finished the book in two days.

If I have to sum up this story with one word, it would be Grace.

“Well, the Lord specializes in messes,” Ethan said. “It’s when we’re rendered helpless that we can really see His power at work. When we can’t, He can. I say we ask Him.”

I loved catching up with Ethan, Vanessa and Carter who I've met in the Sophie Tracie series. I loved how solid they are in their faith and how they impact others through this faith.

What I enjoyed and appreciated about this author's writing was the way she jumped between all the POV's in such a way that I never felt lost, especially between the different voices. I also liked how she included personal thoughts of the characters in a way which only the reader has access to and the flashbacks she included was done in a clear why and flowed smoothly with the rest of the story.

The suspense and the way the author imparted spiritual wisdom to the reader through the characters was what won me over. I also enjoyed how the writer spelled as the characters pronounced certain words - it helped this reader hear the accents.

I struggled a bit to connect with Pierce - especially how he handled certain truths revealed. His pride was evident.

Noah's story of his losses broke my heart.

I adored Adele and looking forward to seeing more of her in book 2.

“A day will come when someone you know is in desperate need of grace. Remember how this moment feels and pass it on. Healing comes as much in the giving as in the receiving.”

Recommended to fans who loves a great suspense novel with a strong Christian theme.

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About the book:

Zoe Broussard loves the life she and her husband Pierce have built in her beloved Louisiana hometown -- especially their popular brasserie Zoe B’s, to which folks drive all the way from Lafayette for lunch or dinner. It seems like heaven.

But it’s about to become hell. A series of anonymous notes is making her life a misery --because Zoe has a secret so terrible it could leave the business in shambles and tear her marriage apart. Can she find the courage to face her past?

The first in a new series from Kathy Herman, False Pretenses is a gripping suspense novel that leaves a lasting impression about honesty and accountability.

About the Author:

Best-selling suspense novelist Kathy Herman has written twenty novels—including the Secrets or Roux

River Bayou Series, Sophie Trace Series, the Seaport Suspense Series, and the Phantom Hollow Series—since retiring from her family’s Christian bookstore business. She and her late husband Paul have a blended family of three grown children. Kathy lives in the Northwest.