Review: The Certainty of Deception (The Truth in Lies Saga #2) by Jeanne McDonald

by Sarah Reads - 7:35 PM

After years of living in the darkness of his past, Andrew Wise, a young attorney working for his family’s law firm in Sarasota, Florida, has finally broken free of the demons that haunt him. Wealth, success, happiness, and true love; everything a man could ever dream of, was right at his fingertips. Or so he thought. But in the blink of an eye, all of that changed. Upon discovering that his ex-girlfriend, Olivia Hamilton, was pregnant, Drew fell back into some old habits, which led to him losing the one person that mattered the most in his life - McKenzie Evans.

When McKenzie left him and returned to Texas, Drew was beside himself. The night before she left, he made an agreement with her best friend Jared Christopher, that he would give her time and space to come to grips with the fact that he’d fathered her best friend’s child. Now, two months later, he feels as though he held up his end of the bargain, Drew can’t take their separation any longer. With his brother’s wedding mere weeks away, Drew devises a plan to win McKenzie back.

Under the guise of a bachelor getaway for Gavin, Drew, along with his brother and Jared, jets off on an adventure to the panhandle of Texas. There, he will learn what made McKenzie who she is and will find strength within himself that he never realized existed.

In this charming sequel to The Truth in Lies, Drew and McKenzie discover that not everything is as it seems, forgiveness is a matter of acceptance, and true love really can conquer all.

My mouth dropped. For a moment, I was speechless. That was a rare occurrence. No one, especially little old women, have ever been able to get the best of me. Yet, this old woman had stunned me into silence. However, I regained my composure quickly and fired off the first witty thing that popped into my mind. “Sweetheart, you’re a beautiful woman, but you couldn’t handle me. I’m afraid I’d break you.”

Granny released my chin and patted my cheek. “Boy, you don’t know how wrong you are.” She reached around and pinched my backside. “Firm. Nice.” I about died right there. Not only did this woman make me speechless, but she made me blush. This was a record. One of which, I was certain Gavin was making note of for future reference.

“Mother!” Bill scolded her. “Mind your manners. You don’t want to scare the boy to death.”

Granny cocked her head to the side, glaring at her son. “He’s no boy, Billy. Drew here is all man.”

Jared and Gavin practically keeled over in laughter. “How is it that you know my name, but I don’t know yours?” I asked.

She patted my ass and grinned, exposing her oversized dentures. “I’m Glenda,” she stated, “but everyone calls me Granny.”

“May I call you Glenda?”

Her thick tongue washed over her teeth. “Only if you’re screaming it.”

McKenzie whipped around, her gorgeous eyes wide. “Jesus, Granny!” She covered her face, hiding her embarrassment.

“You can do better than him,” a snarling voice interrupted our banter.

I jerked my head around to find Gage entering the room near the kitchen table. He opened the refrigerator and retrieved a beer. He’d cleaned up from work, now wearing faded jeans and a tshirt that exposed the quarter sleeve of tattoos on his right arm. The voice in my head screamed to ram my fist into his ugly mug. The arrogant prick had no business being in this house or conversation as far as I was concerned.

Not a soul responded to him, not even McKenzie paid him a glance. I didn’t mind. He could disappear into thin air for as far as I was concerned. Fucking prick.

“What?” Glenda protested. “You’re over there, hiding in your stove. I’m taking advantage of the situation.”

“Go for it, Granny!” Cody hollered in laughter. “It’s about time you took interest in someone new.”

McKenzie stood still, not uttering a single word. Her body language screamed, “Get away from him!” She clenched her teeth and clutched the wooden spoon tight in her hand. It was a faceoff between age and youth. Youth finally won out.

“Fine. He’s all yours,” Glenda announced. She shoved me away and turned to Gavin, waggling her eyebrows. “I’ll take this one instead.” Gavin’s eyes widened and his face turned the color of a beet. “What’s your name, cutie?”

“Ga-avin,” he stuttered.

“Oh, don’t be afraid of me. I don’t bite,” she paused, “at first.” She patted his cheek, turning around to everyone. “He sits by me at the table. This one’s a little shy, but I like a challenge.”

My gut hurt from laughing so hard. Gavin had that deer in the headlights look. It had been okay when I was in her sights, but now that it was his turn, he was lost. “I’m engaged,” he countered.

“I don’t want to marry you, cutie.” Glenda grabbed his left hand, twisting his ring finger between her wrinkled fingers. “Long fingers. You’re going to be so much fun.”

“Help!” Gavin whimpered.

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This story gets four and a half hearts from me. I adored this book so much!

Oh, my lord! Author Jeanne McDonald second installment of The Truth in Lies saga is in Drew Wise’s pov! I may have squealed with excitement. I was dying to get inside Drew’s head after that first book. And let me tell you Jeanne did not let us down! You have no idea how much I enjoyed this book! I was crying with laughter most of the book. Jeanne does let us in on Drew’s secret and I won’t lie. I was crying like a baby when I found out.

Where should I start, how about how much our boy Drew needed to get his girl back. He has finally pulled himself together and realized he needs his girl! He hops on a plane with his brother Gavin and Jared. Yes, Jared. The banter and absolute guy bonding while on this trip had me in stitches. It is scary how well Jeanne can write a males point of view!

These three guys set off to drag Mickie home where she belongs! I don’t think they realized how many walls a girl can build up over two months. Especially our girl Mickie! She holds her ground and lets Drew know he messed up. She cannot handle her heart being shattered like that again. Who can blame her?

Drew also has to fight with his inner demons while on this little trip to Amarillo, Texas while trying to win his girl back. And his inner demons are strong. I loved finding out what made Drew Wise the way he was. Even if it caused me to sniffle like a baby.

I have to give a shout out to Glenda aka granny. This woman is an absolute hoot! I LOVED her! You cannot read this book and keep a straight face when it comes to Glenda!

Jeanne McDonald began telling stories at the ripe young age of five, when her mother considered the truth to be a lie due to her extensive embellishment to the retelling of an event. She wrote her first short story when she was twelve years old, and at the age of sixteen she tried her hand at poetry. She reconnected with her love for writing in 2010 thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend.

Her passions include a "mild" Starbucks addiction, music, reading, quotes, movies, and romance. When she's not spending time with her family, she can be found reading, writing, chatting with her friends or diligently working toward her bachelor's degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. A proud Texan, Jeanne currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.