Deception in the Truth by A.B. Medley 💕 Book Blitz and $20 Gift Card Giveaway 💕 (Romantic Suspense)

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Sometimes you think you know the truth.

Sometimes, it knows you better.

Sometimes you think you know the truth.

Sometimes, it knows you better.

Ivie Davis’s seemingly perfect life is not quite so perfect thanks to a stalker who is determined to hurt her in every way possible.

The guy she falls for is forbidden.

Malicious intent is around every corner she turns.

She runs…for a while.

When she returns home to piece together the puzzle of her past, she finds herself working painfully close to the one man she knows she can’t have.

Her heart has other plans.

Sterling Brigg is a rancher by blood, detective by choice.

He is driven by a need to find the truth.

He fell in love with Ivie, even though he knew better.

Years later, he still searches for the answers to her past.

Now that she’s back in his life, he has no intention of letting her go again.

Together, they vow to find the truth, and in doing so, they will have to decide if the truth will bring them together or be the barrier that keeps them apart forever.

I open my wallet and pull out a tattered photograph of Ivie. She’s smiling at the camera and lying in a hammock wearing a black dress. The photo’s black and white, and she’s holding a yellow and orange flower that’s in color. It was a picture that Lucy gave me after she left all of us in the dust.

She knew I had feelings for Ivie. I suppose she thought the picture would help me. It did and it didn't. When I needed to see her face, I pulled it out and stared at those mesmerizing eyes. Other times it served as a reminder of heartbreak— something I wanted so badly but could never have.

I’ve tried to throw the picture away many times over the years but could never bring myself to do it. I put the photo back in my wallet.

I never told her that I was becoming an officer, much less that I was doing it to protect her and to try to help her find answers. I remember the night she said goodbye. She’d been avoiding my calls for weeks after her attack. Then she pulled up at my house, car loaded down, to say she was leaving.

“No sense in dwelling on the past,” I tell myself. I give my room a onceover. “Camden Springs, Alabama, here I come.”

I turn off all the lights and I get into my personal rig, a black Dodge diesel 2500, and pull out of my garage. I see my partner on the ranch and close friend, Tate Marks, and stop to tell him I’ll be gone for a few days.

“Okay brother, you know I’ll be here. I’ll call if I need anything, but you know me, I can run this place in my sleep.” His confident words are punctuated with a wink and a theatrical yawn.

“Thanks, Tate. I’ll be back soon.” He smiles and heads back toward the stables as I turn the wheel to head down the drive. Tate’s family to me; he grew up spending most his summers here. He’s the brother I always hoped I’d have.

Darkness falls as I head toward the interstate. Ivie Davis is in for one hell of a surprise, and hopefully she can give me some answers as to why she left Greendale Valley in the first place, not to mention whatever’s going on now.

I hit the interstate and think about how much I loved her. I've never felt that way about anyone else. There's just something special about her. Sure, I date women. But I've never settled down, never gotten serious. There are a few who would like to, but it's just not in my plans. I’m too involved in my cases, in my work. And then there’s the ranch. A fling here and there is about all I’ve ever had since Ivie left. No one’s ever made me feel the way she did. I doubt anyone ever will.

My GPS says I should be there in a couple hours. So, Ivie left Tennessee, but didn't go so far that she couldn't easily come back home. I wonder what she's been up to. The thought occurs to me she probably has a boyfriend. She's way too beautiful not to. A prickle of jealousy surges through me, but I squash it. What I had with Ivie is ancient history, and this is strictly business. This case literally landed on my desk. I didn't go looking for it— although I’d still do anything to keep her safe. Nevertheless, once this case is closed, and maybe helps find who attacked Dean, the past can be left there, in the past.

I flip on my radio and set it to shuffle the playlist on my phone. As I continue down the interstate, the tires hum under me, and something floats to the surface in my mind I haven’t really allowed myself to think in a long time. We did love each other once. She never said it, but I think she did. I felt it. She had to know I did. Maybe she’ll forgive me for finding her. She was adamant she didn’t want to see me anymore. Then again, maybe she won’t forgive me. We’re about to find out. She left me with more questions than answers, that’s for sure. Maybe, just maybe, I can get some of those answered tonight.

A.B. Medley lives in Tennessee with the love of her life and two sons. Her husband stole her heart when she was sixteen and their relationship is one of those meant to be love stories you find in magazines and novels.

She is a dental hygienist who loves to read and has always dabbled in writing. When she's not making people's smiles shine, she enjoys belting out songs with her boys, dancing, raspberries, baseball, and anything vintage. Like any proper Tennessean, Sundrop is her drink of choice.

She loves her family and friends fiercely and believes in always chasing your dreams.

Deception in the Truth is her debut novel—but now she's hooked, and there's more to come!