Truth Be Told

by Marsha R. West

Needing a peaceful Christmas visit with her Fort Worth family, Meg Bourland is shocked to discover someone is blackmailing her father. When he rebuffs her offer to help, the Atlanta SWAT team member enlists her LA police officer brother and his former partner to uncover the truth. She fights her attraction for Scott and the immediate tug to her heart cause by his sacrifice. But her life is in Atlanta, and his is in California.

Scott McClaine, medically retired homicide detective, came to Fort Worth to recuperate from life-threatening bullet wounds he received saving the life of Meg’s brother. Hard enough to accept his new physical limitations, but they make him unacceptable for strong Meg. Regardless, he commits himself to helping her stop the blackmailer. Working closely with her, a bond forms. Could she feel the same?

In the search for truth, they uncover pieces of the puzzle, which threaten to ruin her father’s career as mayor and destroy the family she holds dear. Will Meg and Scott find their way through the maze of family secretes? Will they find the strength to make the sacrifices required for real love before the blackmailer makes good on threats to kill?

396 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2014

About the author

A retired elementary school principal, a former school board member, and theatre arts teacher, Marsha R. West writes Romance, Suspense, and Second Chances. Experience Required. She lives in Texas with her supportive lawyer husband and Charley, a deaf, Chihuahua/Jack Russell Terrier. Their two daughters presented them with three delightful grandchildren all who live nearby.
The theme of Marsha’s eight books is always second chances. She even has a four-part series titled The Second Chances Series. She believes in Happily Ever Afters. Her husband picked up a plaque for her on one of their several trips to Maine that states her philosophy exactly. Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end. The Heroines and Heroes in her books are in their 40s and 50s with their parents and children often playing supporting roles.
She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, the North Texas local chapter, NTRWA, Authors Marketing Guild LLC, the WORD BY WORD BLOG, and has her own weekly blog and monthly newsletter. Marsha loves making presentations to groups and has twice taught a Silver Frogs class on Indie Publishing for Texas Christian University. Her books can be found on AMAZON, B & N, KOBO, and iTunes. Print books are also at Indie Lector Stores and Amazon. Blurbs for each of her books with links can be found on her website https://authormarsharwest.wordpress.com/ Where you can also sign up for her NEWSLETTER and BLOG
Contact her at marsha@marsharwest.com , and follow her on… https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn
https://www.twitter.com/Marsharwest @Marsharwest
https://wordbyword.net/category/blog/
https://www.pinterest.com/marsharwest/
https://www.instagram.com/marsharwest

Reviews

[Book Lover · Rating 1 out of 5]

I must have read a different book than everyone else. I received a copy of this eBook from NetGalley. I assume, since the book was published in 2014, that what I received was the published version and not an ARC. There were over 93 extra words, missing words, grammatical errors, misplaced commas and run on sentences in this 396 page book. That is beyond excessive. In addition, you “break” up not “brake” up, it’s underwear not under-ware. Also, two different sizes of type were used in the same paragraph in more than one place. I really should have DNF’d early on.

There are SPOILERS in this review.

Meg Bourland is a SWAT team member in Atlanta, Ga. Her brother, David, is a cop out in LA. Scott McClaine was his partner. Scott took some bullets intended for David and has been medically retired from the force. Since Scott has no family, he is recuperating at the Bourland family home in Fort Worth, TX.

Joe Bourland is the Mayor of Fort Worth. His wife, Ellie, is very active in the community. When Meg and David discover their dad is being blackmailed, they get Scott to help them investigate.

I had a real problem with Scott’s character. I rolled my eyes at him constantly and wanted to yell at him to grow a pair, sac up, something. Yeah, he got shot in the leg and could no longer be a cop, but he wasn’t paralyzed or dead. His poor pitiful me act got old quick. It went on and on for over 90% of the book. It took Ellie calling him out on it and assuring him that Meg did actually have feelings for him to convince him to get over it.

Chuck creeped me out and made me a little nauseous. He wanted to “get it on” with his supposed half sister. We got to read his thoughts on this way too much in my opinion.

I did like that the characters are older, 40+. I liked the sibling banter between Meg and David. It was very realistic.

This is my first and last book by this author. I voluntarily reviewed a copy provided by NetGalley.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Truth Be Told
Author: Marsha R West
Publisher: Y&R Enterprises, LLC
Published: 5-14-2014
Pages: 300
Genre: Romance
Sub-Genre: Suspense, Mystery
ISBN: 9781771275316
ASIN: B071NSWWCJ
Reviewed For NetGalley and the Publisher
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4.5 Stars

A entense suspensful mystery. Well written and with a thought out plot. You will not want to put it down once you begin reading. It is a fast moving story filled with strong characters and descriptive writing that brings the scenes an characters to life. My rating for "Truth Be Told" is 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071NSWWCJ/...

Barnes and Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trut...

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The Reading Room: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DelAnne531/status...

[T.K. Lawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book. Highly recommend. Loved the romance blossoming between the two, which was more of a back story to this tale, but wished they would've realized how much they meant to each other sooner, instead of the story dragging their on again/off again interest for so long.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review"
A story blending romance and suspense with a recently wounded and medically retired cop and a strong heroine, both in their early forties. Yes, I’ve read this kind of plot before, but I always like to read it or rather its various possible deliveries. And I’ve enjoyed this story by Marsha R. West, it’s always pleasant to read a romance with older characters.
Both main characters suffered losses and are in a transitional phase. The hero, Scott, is still adapting to the loss of his career and debilitated physical condition. His initial outrage and despair are slowly replaced by acceptance and the will to find a new job, making the best of the new situation and of his skills. I really liked how the author handled this process. And he’s so attractive with the limp and the cane!...
There are plenty of indecisions in the romance and some inconsistencies in the suspense plot (seasoned cops/detectives forgetting to put the alarm on?!) but nothing really relevant to spoil the reading pleasure.
Other enjoyable aspects for me were the depiction of the familial relationships and the details about the setting, Forth Worth.
I'm grateful to the publisher, Y&R Enterprises, LLC/MuseItUp Publishing, the author, Marsha R. West, and NetGalley for providing a free copy.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take three police officers all with personal tragedy, a father being blackmailed and a family getting ready to celebrate the Christmas season and you have the perfect blend of mystery, family and a budding romance. The author takes you right into the heart of this beautiful family with all their quirks, problems and the love they share for each other. The story is "real", real emotions, real problems, and how they work together to solve them all. It's captivating yet a light read all at the same time. A beautifully written story.

This is the first novel I have read by Marsha, and I quickly started looking for her other books. I loved the story line, the characters and the real life family she brought to life in the pages of this book. I would highly recommend it. I was so graciously given a copy of this book by NetGalley for an honest review.

[Angela DeBartolo Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my this book grabbed me at page 1! I could not put it down so many strong characters bad great story line. Megan and Scott are they or aren't they getting together and the blackmail intrigue left me on the edge of my seat! Love love love

[Jo Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished reading this and am in two minds how to rate it. On one hand I did enjoy it but on the other hand it was utterly frustrating and totally lacking in credibility. I say this because the story is based around a well to do family getting ready for Christmas. Amongst them, two high ranking police officers with their own personal tragedies, a city mayor father and a loyal can do no wrong matriarch, add another police officer family friend into the mix and a blackmail plot involving the head of the family and the scene is set. Yes there is a bit of mystery and a definite bit of romance but where this book falls down is the expectation that the readers will accept how three seemingly high ranking police officers allow the blackmail plot to play out!

I just didnt find this realistic in any way and was frustrated that I was expected to accept that these intelligent law enforcers would handle this situation in this way!

Having said all of that, I did enjoy the book and found it a very easy read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

Merged review:

Just finished reading this and am in two minds how to rate it. On one hand I did enjoy it but on the other hand it was utterly frustrating and totally lacking in credibility. I say this because the story is based around a well to do family getting ready for Christmas. Amongst them, two high ranking police officers with their own personal tragedies, a city mayor father and a loyal can do no wrong matriarch, add another police officer family friend into the mix and a blackmail plot involving the head of the family and the scene is set. Yes there is a bit of mystery and a definite bit of romance but where this book falls down is the expectation that the readers will accept how three seemingly high ranking police officers allow the blackmail plot to play out!

I just didnt find this realistic in any way and was frustrated that I was expected to accept that these intelligent law enforcers would handle this situation in this way!

Having said all of that, I did enjoy the book and found it a very easy read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

[Susan Bernhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading, Marsha West's wonderful romantic suspense novel, Truth Be Told. Recently I had read Vermont Escape, loved the mystery of the novel, and looked forward to her next one, and I was not disappointed. Truth Be Told was filled with tension, suspense, and lots of twists and turns keeping me captivated from start to finish.

The story-line involved blackmail, family secrets, sacrifices, and romance. I felt like I was right there with Ms. West's compelling characters, Meg Bourland and her family and Scott McClaine; her descriptions were so vivid and the dialogue, rich.

Looking forward to more novels by the talented Ms. West.

[Jo-Ann Carson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truth be Told is a roller coaster story filled with love and suspense. The tension between Meg and Scott is palpable, two people who dedicated their lives to protecting others injured in the line of duty. Their wounds run so deep they struggle to connect to others. But in the end their love makes them whole.
Once again West writes about family life so vividly you feel like you're in the room with them.
It's a story of hearth and home, of hopes and dreams, and most of all--of love.

[Heather Brainerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by Marsha West, and it was just as good as the first. Once again, the characters are well-developed and the plot is intriguing. I enjoyed following heroine Meg Bourland as she navigated a blackmail situation with her family. I also liked seeing things unfold from the point of view of the hero, Scott McClaine. The underlying message of honesty, both with yourself and others, as well as the importance of family, added to the impact of the story.

[Heike]

I did not give this book a rating because I did not finish it due to considerably bad (if any) editing. Too many errors, missing words, use of wrong words, etc already on the first few pages to thoroughly enjoy a read. I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy and would hope that the final edition did get some proof reading and editing.