Love and a Little White Lie (State of Grace)

by Tammy L. Gray

Winner of a 2021 Carol Award

There's a lot of irony in hitting rock bottom

After a heartbreak leaves her reeling, January Sanders is open to anything--including moving into a cabin on her aunt's wedding-venue property and accepting a temporary position at her aunt's church despite being a lifelong skeptic of faith. Choosing to keep her doubts to herself, she's determined to give her all to supporting Grace Community's overworked staff while helping herself move on.

What she doesn't count on is meeting the church's handsome and charming guitarist. It's a match set for disaster, and yet January has no ability to stay away, even if it means pretending to have faith in a God she doesn't believe in.

Only this time, keeping her secret isn't as easy as she thought it would be. Especially when she's constantly running into her aunt's landscape architect, who seems to know everything about her past-and-present sins and makes no apologies about pushing her to deal with feelings she'd rather keep buried.

Torn between two worlds that can't coexist, can January find the healing that's eluded her, or will her resistance to the truth ruin any chance of happiness?

"In this touching inspirational from Gray, a faithless woman gets more than she bargained for as she rebounds from a broken heart. . . . Gray's entertaining tale showcases the power of love and faith in unexpected places."--Publishers Weekly

"Once Jan opens up her heart to God, a family rift starts to mend, and she finds love and a place she belongs. Gray has crafted a sweet story."--Library Journal

"I found this book to be both enjoyable and entertaining. There is quite a bit of well-written humor that is dispersed within the story. The plot is believable, and the characters are realistic. Love and a Little White Lie by Tammy L. Gray is a quick, easy read that would be perfect for reading beside the pool or at the beach. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sweet romance novels."--Fresh Fiction

• ISBN10: 0764235893
• ISBN13: 9780764235894
• Publish Date: 4 September 2020 (first published 4 August 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Imprint: Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Publishing Group
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[phyllish]

A wonderful start to a new series!

I was so excited to see that Tammy L. Gray was releasing another book! It has been a while and I enjoy her writing very much!

What fun it was sinking into the pleasure of Love and a Little White Lie! It was the perfect blend of searching, snark, friendship, romance, and comfort.

January, or Jan as she preferred, was broken. Her life choices up to now were less than stellar and she had come to the end of herself. I loved her photographic memory and the quirky way it affected her. As a fan of the old series Psych, I cracked up to see her pick up on details that I would never have noticed and to make accurate assessments based on them. But I especially loved Dillon's observation: that she took those "abilities" and to mean knowing about people meant that she knew people.

In Jan's new position, her true heart of compassion came out. My heart melted when she saw the prayer request for the lady in the nursing home who was going blind and didn't have anyone to read to her - therefore she began going to visit and read to her every day! I loved the way she was able to help turn people's lives around for good, having no idea what she was doing as she bumbled her way around the foreign world of the church.

Cameron was all heart. His love for the Lord and the way he poured his heart out in worship was something amazing. And he treated Jan so well. Their instant attraction was sweet.

Then there was Dillon. What Jan assumed was simply his prickly personality ended up being so much deeper - he was dealing with a great deal of pain and loss. I loved Dillon's frank honesty and that he spoke the truth, even when it hurt.

Jan's search for peace led her to see her past from a different perspective and to realize the "imaginary higher power" she had never believed in wasn't as imaginary as she had thought.

I am really looking forward to the next story in the State of Grace series! I'm guessing I know who it is about but won't say more 'cause I don't want to ruin any surprises for you!

Read my full review at Among the Reads


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.