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Love and Lies: A second chance romance

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If this was a poker game, Zach Masters would fold and cut his losses.
The
The stakes included Faith Gardner’s life.
The notorious drug boss Chen Yong held the better hand.
And this was no game.


As a rookie DEA agent Zach takes a covert assignment in Billings, Montana. A chance encounter with a girl from his past threatens to blow his cover and puts her life in danger. Twelve years earlier, on the day before he deployed to Afghanistan, Zach Masters met Faith Gardner. They spent an unforgettable day together, and the memory of her helped him survive the dark nights of war and the battering of PTSD.

After years of medical school, Faith’s boyfriend Brett returns to Montana as the new emergency room doctor. But why, when Brett is perfect boyfriend material, does her heart seem stuck on Zach? Especially after finding him with some shady characters in an alley on the wrong side of town. Faith lost a high school friend to drugs and regret still plagues her. Even though Zach’s life looks like a train wreck, Faith vows not to stand by and do nothing.

Zach’s whispered promises on that long-ago Fourth of July still haunt her. If she had meant anything to him, why had he ghosted her?

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 18, 2024

5 people are currently reading
9 people want to read

About the author

Kelly Nelson

12 books

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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Profile Image for Cat.
2,202 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2024
This is book 2 in the Crooked Creek series following Faith and Zach's second chance romance.
They had met on the 4th July 12 years ago and spent a memorable day together,were Zach saved Faith's brothers life and rescued Faith having to tell her parents she lost her brother.
It was also the day they had shared their first kiss,but Zach wasn't in town to stay he was being deployed the next day.
They vowed to write to eachother and parted ways...
But it is years until they see or speak to one another today..the letter exchange never happened,Faith was devestated.
Now Zach was back in town no longer in the military but working construction or that is what everyone was meant to believe.
Zach is actually working for the DEA undercover to catch drug dealers who are selling drugs to veteran's destroying their lives.
Faith works in real estate and seeing Zach again brings back old feelings,but he is different now and he carries an injury.Faith assumes he is a drug addict or a drug dealer because of the people he is associating with...She takes it upon herself to save him.
Faith is unaware of the real situation with Zach and the DEA..they keep meeting and bumping into eachother and start to get to know one another again.
But Faith keeps interfering with his undercover work putting herself unknowingly in danger,Zach has to decide whether to confide in Faith or carry on with his lie.
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook which is narrated by Meghan Kelly who gave a wonderful performance acting out all the characters.
I found this story unexpectedly emotional as Zach has family issues to deal with that left me broken hearted.
Kelly Nelson has written a story with a very intriguing storyline the story traverses between past and present so we get the whole image of what Zach and Faith shared on that fateful 4th of July.
I loved the epilogue and the great ending after all they had been through.
Love and Lies is a Fabulous story and audiobook,I loved it.
5 Stars.
490 reviews4 followers
July 26, 2024
Love and Lies
Crooked Creek Romance

By: Kelly Nelson
Narrated by: Meghan Kelly

A Perfectly Balanced Potpourri!

Overall: 5 of 5 stars Performance: 5 of 5 stars Story: 5 of 5 stars
Reviewed: 07-26-24

I finished “Love and Lies” last night and I’m still reeling! It’s been a minute since I’ve listened to a book that hit me the way this one did … and again the tears are flowing. “Love and Lies” is a perfectly balanced potpourri, with every scent being an emotion, every bloom being a facet of this multi-dimensional story of love, loss, despair, deception, courage, sacrifice, honor, tragedy and triumph. We can’t have spoilers, and really, the details of how it all plays out are best savored by listening to this story, quietly and comfortably, with snacks, beverages and tissues! I can tell you that I spent as much time laughing as crying, worrying as wondering, and there were times I was a bit miffed at one or three and wanted to hug a few as well! I really came to care about the characters, came to understand them, sympathize with them and in the case of a few, identify with them. I also saw real people, people I know, my friends and relatives in a few. Once they became that real to me, what they faced also became real to me. I found myself becoming completely absorbed in the story as I listened, time became suspended and my emotions went CRAZY! I was a MESS! This is where that balance I spoke of saved me! Thanks to the combination of a brilliant author that knows how and when to inject humor, and just how long to leave a listener on the “edge” AND a phenomenal, professional first rate narrator that can voice every character, male OR female convincingly, consistently and so emotionally that they BECOME the character, THIS story became absolute stunning perfection and every future listener can rest assured that
the journey is well worth their time! Five awestruck stars and oh how I wish I could give more!

Profile Image for Laura.
Author 7 books155 followers
May 28, 2024
I loved reading the story of Faith Gardner and Zach Masters, both side characters from the first book of Kelly’s Crooked Creek Romance series. Twelve years ago Faith and Zach met on the Fourth of July and spent a memorable evening together before Zach deployed for war, an evening that culminated in Faith’s first kiss. Years later, Faith still remembers that night and wonders whatever happened to Zach Masters. A stroke of bad luck kept them from corresponding all those years, and the book begins with Faith running into Zach again, only this time he is working as an undercover DEA agent. Zach has strong feelings for Faith, too, but he’s caught between wanting to show Faith the real him and needing to uphold his undercover persona as a drug user and dealer. Packed with sweet romantic flashbacks of that Fourth-of-July first kiss as well as suspense/action as Zach’s undercover mission unintentionally draws Faith into danger, this novel was a fast-paced, entertaining read with all the feels.
255 reviews1 follower
August 14, 2024
Great Second Chance Romance! Audiobook Review 🎧
Faith knew Zach before he joined the military and runs back into him present day and thinks he is dealing drugs because she doesn’t know he is a DEA Agent.  Faith is starting to date Brett, who her family thinks she is a good match for, but once she sees Zach again, some old feelings come back.  I don’t want to spoil anything in this story so I will just say that there is a lot of action, some stuff that Zach needs to get over from his past and a lot of talking that Zach and Faith need to do.  I really loved this book and Meghan Kelly’s narration.  The different emotions came out in all of the characters she voiced and made the book great to listen to.
3,201 reviews47 followers
August 4, 2024
loved the narration of Meghan Kelly, who brings out the angst, humour, action and romance.

While Zach a DEA agent is undercover as a drug user and dealer. One problem is a woman called Faith who can blow his cover. Twelve years ago Faith and Zach spent a memorable evening together before Zach deployed for war. Faith still remembers that night and wonders whatever happened to Zach Masters. Zach has feelings for Faith, he’s caught between wanting to show Faith the real him and needing to uphold his undercover persona. When Faith is unintentionally drawn int the cross fires, Zach needs to save the woman he cares for.
This book is full of suspense, action and romance.
Profile Image for Ann.
1,941 reviews32 followers
August 7, 2024
I enjoyed this second chance sweet romance narrated wonderfully by Meghan Kelly. The storyline and characters were great.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews

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