relzreviewz.com No Secrets No Lies by Tamara Tilley

Synopsis:~

Charlie lives in hiding. Hunter lives in the limelight. She is afraid to be a part of his world. He cannot imagine her not being in it. As they struggle to blend their two worlds together, something far greater might keep them apart.

Hiding from her abusive husband, Charlie Foster lives a simple life. At times, she is lonely, but at least she feels safe. That is, until country music superstar, Hunter Jennings, shows up on her doorstep. When he tries to present her with the grand prize in a promotional giveaway, she politely declines, but not before a photographer snaps her picture, sending her in a panic.

Headlining the hottest music tour of the year, Hunter Jennings is tired of the groupies and giveaways associated with being on the road. When a simple contest turns into a major fiasco, his already short fuse is ignited. However, when he finds out the reason Charlie Foster does not want her picture taken, it stops him cold. Intrigued by the beautiful brunette, Hunter refuses to let a few missteps derail his pursuit of Charlie. But can Charlie put her painful past behind her and learn to trust again?

Necee’s take:~

As a survivor of domestic abuse, Charlie’s physical scars have healed after two years. However, the mental scars and fear of his finding her has made it difficult for her to trust. She’s been very diligent in staying out of the limelight, but when Hunter Jennings keeps showing up he wears down her defenses. Can she overcome the fears of her past to pursue a future filled with hope?

“Oh . . . I can handle anything you can dish out, cowboy.”

There were many ups and downs in this romance, but I loved the heart of Hunter and how much he sought Charlie out. I loved her spunky personality and love of horses. Her overcoming her past was inspiring and made me pray for so many women in her real-life position. Overall, I found the story a good read though a drawn out at times. However, It shows an enduring romance through the ups and downs of life. One of the things that stood out to me was how much a woman escaping her abusive husband has to go through to find a new life. Then, when she wants to start a relationship, how she still has to stay hidden to protect not only herself but those in her life. I think there would have been more than distrust in the relationship, but it was a powerful read about the aftermath of abuse.

“There were so many times in my life when I felt alone and abandoned. Now I realize God was there all along. The verse in the Bible that keeps running through my head is the one in Genesis that reminds us what men intend for evil, God can use for good.”

I think what I loved most about this book was the representation of Hunter being like Jesus, pursuing until she ultimately trusted and fell in love with Him. Though we go through many struggles in this world, ultimately we will have our happy ending. However, trusting in Jesus to see us through all those trials is really the key to overcoming our struggles. When Charlie stopped fighting and chose to believe her relationship with Hunter could work, she blossomed. When she trusted God and saw how much He was there through it all, she grew in her relationship with Him and others. I really loved how much the story pointed us towards our true Hope.

I was given a copy of the book by the author, but found it on my Kindle Unlimited account as well. I am giving my honest opinion in this review.

Tamara Tilley has been writing Christian Romance/Suspense since 2003. Her first book, Full Disclosure was published in 2006, followed by Abandoned Identity in 2007, and Criminal Obsession in 2008. Tamara stepped out of the publishing field for several years, and has recently come back with the release of Badge of Respect in 2014. Tamara is a retail manager at Hume Lake Christian Camps, where she lives with her husband, Walter.