Just A Little White Lie

Author: Lynette Hallberg

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date 9/12/2011.

Carina Press website

One of the best things about romance novels is how they keep the reader second guesssing herself along with the heroine. Things are never what they seem- the guy pursues the girl, then decides he can't take her because it's wrong. The girl runs from the guy, ends up in his arms, then flees again. Lynette Hallberg's latest novel, Just A Little White Lie, fits this mold perfectly. There are, of course, multiple lies, not just one. Hallberg uses them to keep the reader's interest.

First, Lucinda Darling leaves her deceptive husband at the altar after she learns of his cheating. She takes off in her wedding dress with no idea where she is going. Lucinda is a child of privilege- her father is a land developer- so she is unable to fend for herself when her car breaks down. Jake Parker, Harley rider, ex-oilfield worker, and all-around Hot Southern Guy, shows up to rescue her from the stifling Georgia highway. He helps Lucinda find a garage, then enlists her to help him deceive his grandmother. Lucinda agrees to pose as Jake's fiancee.

Through a series of coincidences that only happen in romance novels, Jake and Lucinda share a hotel room. She resists him, and he resists her, but that never lasts in books like this.

I knew what was coming, and anyone who reads romances will know too. But I could not resist either. Who can say no to a book with a line like "she shot him a grin that singed his Levi's?" The characters and dialogue make Just A Little White Lie as comfortable as a favorite pillow. Another conflict arises when Lucinda's fiancee and her family come after her. You didn't think they would just let Lucinda go, did you? In a romance novel, the only things you let go of are your inhibitions and your painful past.

Just A Little White Lie is romance gold. This reviewer will look for more books from Lynette Hallberg. I recommend this book to anyone who loves the genre and needs to live vicariously through Lucinda (or Jake) for a few days.