What do you think?
Rate this book
Dashing Deceit
Not yet published
Expected 2 Nov 26
Falling for the single dad wasn’t on her holiday to-do list … but neither was becoming the center of a dangerous obsession.
Lauren Davenport loves teaching her students, getting lost in a good book, and living the life she’s built in her hometown. She has always believed in the power of a love story; she’s just not sure if it will ever be her turn.
Until an innocent exchange with the single dad of a former student grows into something that feels anything but typical—and may even be something extraordinary.
Agreeing to testify against the mob put Luca Morelli in federal protection for over two years. Now he is focused on building a life in the small town of Forrest Falls, where his sister has been raising his children while he was away.
Falling for his son’s former teacher is a twist Luca didn’t see coming. As their connection deepens, Luca realizes he isn’t the only one fixated on the sweet school teacher.
Lauren unintentionally becomes a participant in a dangerous game, but when the truth gets unwrapped, will it be too late?
Dashing Deceit is a romantic suspense novella featuring a curvy, hopeless romantic heroine that never meant to fall for a single dad, and a protective hero with a dangerous past who never expected to discover love when he moved to the small town of Forrest Falls. This companion novella falls between books three and four of The Callahans series by Liz Colbert.
Lauren Davenport loves teaching her students, getting lost in a good book, and living the life she’s built in her hometown. She has always believed in the power of a love story; she’s just not sure if it will ever be her turn.
Until an innocent exchange with the single dad of a former student grows into something that feels anything but typical—and may even be something extraordinary.
Agreeing to testify against the mob put Luca Morelli in federal protection for over two years. Now he is focused on building a life in the small town of Forrest Falls, where his sister has been raising his children while he was away.
Falling for his son’s former teacher is a twist Luca didn’t see coming. As their connection deepens, Luca realizes he isn’t the only one fixated on the sweet school teacher.
Lauren unintentionally becomes a participant in a dangerous game, but when the truth gets unwrapped, will it be too late?
Dashing Deceit is a romantic suspense novella featuring a curvy, hopeless romantic heroine that never meant to fall for a single dad, and a protective hero with a dangerous past who never expected to discover love when he moved to the small town of Forrest Falls. This companion novella falls between books three and four of The Callahans series by Liz Colbert.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 2, 2026
About the author
Liz Colbert
9 books83 followersLiz Colbert loves her coffee strong and iced, getting lost in a good book, and believes in the Oxford comma. She always dreamed of writing a novel one day and decided to intentionally pursue that dream in 2024. Her stories include heartfelt characters, maybe an unexpected twist or two, but will always end with a happily ever after.
Liz lives in the Midwest with her husband and children. She is particular about pens that write smoothly, is an avid reader of romance novels, and when not busy with all of the above, she enjoys meeting friends for coffee.
Her debut romantic suspense novel was published on April 21, 2025.
Liz lives in the Midwest with her husband and children. She is particular about pens that write smoothly, is an avid reader of romance novels, and when not busy with all of the above, she enjoys meeting friends for coffee.
Her debut romantic suspense novel was published on April 21, 2025.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
4 stars.
"Dashing Deceit" by Liz Colbert is a fun, cute, fast-paced small-town romantic suspense Christmas novella about Lauren (FMC), a teacher, and Luca (MMC), a father who had to leave his kids when he entered WitSec after witnessing the murd3r of his best friend. Lauren and Luca have communicated via email about Dante, Luca's son, when Lauren was his teacher. They continued their epistolary relationship even after he left her classroom, where they got to know each other on a more intimate level, sharing details about their lives, likes, and wants. One night, at a Tinsley Sinclair concert, the two of them finally meet in person and are instantly smitten with one another. She is good with his kids; he clearly adores her, and the closer they get, the more something, or someone, wants to break them apart. I enjoyed this novella quite a bit! I loved Lauren. She is sunshine incarnate, a caring, bright spot in the world Luca has only known as bad and uncaring and cold as of late. Luca is a devoted father who is willing to do whatever it takes for the people he loves. He has seen a lot of loss in his life, so Lauren is a welcome presence for him. The chemistry is set up entirely via their emails, eventual texts, and in-person meetings, which I found to be palpable and realistic! I loved the mistletoe scene and the way his kids reacted to it! It made me smile. When they get to the spicy part, it felt earned! I also loved Lauren's interactions with her girlfriends, their inside jokes and banter, their Secret Santa exchange; it was all fabulous! I also loved seeing Cara, Luca's sister, and her boyfriend Max (from "Sugar, Sprinkles, and Secrets") again! As far as the romantic suspense aspect goes, I did not guess the baddie this time around! There is definitely a red herring that I followed right down the rabbit hole like a sucker! This one is quick and full of holiday fun. I can't wait to read more of this universe in the future!
Thank you to Liz Colbert and Luna Literary for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
"Dashing Deceit" by Liz Colbert is a fun, cute, fast-paced small-town romantic suspense Christmas novella about Lauren (FMC), a teacher, and Luca (MMC), a father who had to leave his kids when he entered WitSec after witnessing the murd3r of his best friend. Lauren and Luca have communicated via email about Dante, Luca's son, when Lauren was his teacher. They continued their epistolary relationship even after he left her classroom, where they got to know each other on a more intimate level, sharing details about their lives, likes, and wants. One night, at a Tinsley Sinclair concert, the two of them finally meet in person and are instantly smitten with one another. She is good with his kids; he clearly adores her, and the closer they get, the more something, or someone, wants to break them apart. I enjoyed this novella quite a bit! I loved Lauren. She is sunshine incarnate, a caring, bright spot in the world Luca has only known as bad and uncaring and cold as of late. Luca is a devoted father who is willing to do whatever it takes for the people he loves. He has seen a lot of loss in his life, so Lauren is a welcome presence for him. The chemistry is set up entirely via their emails, eventual texts, and in-person meetings, which I found to be palpable and realistic! I loved the mistletoe scene and the way his kids reacted to it! It made me smile. When they get to the spicy part, it felt earned! I also loved Lauren's interactions with her girlfriends, their inside jokes and banter, their Secret Santa exchange; it was all fabulous! I also loved seeing Cara, Luca's sister, and her boyfriend Max (from "Sugar, Sprinkles, and Secrets") again! As far as the romantic suspense aspect goes, I did not guess the baddie this time around! There is definitely a red herring that I followed right down the rabbit hole like a sucker! This one is quick and full of holiday fun. I can't wait to read more of this universe in the future!
Thank you to Liz Colbert and Luna Literary for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ugh, absolutely! My favorite quote comes from the gift-giving scene. As a pen enthusiast who often misplaces my favorite pens, I can totally relate! Not only did he gift her 100 pens, all in her favorite color, but he also understood that she would likely lose them—it's the sweetest gesture ever!
This cozy novella was a perfect addition to the Callahans Series. We not only get a glimpse of the family but also see the new family members achieve their own happily ever afters.
Thank you for this amazing opportunity to read the eARC, and I am happy to provide my honest review in return.
This cozy novella was a perfect addition to the Callahans Series. We not only get a glimpse of the family but also see the new family members achieve their own happily ever afters.
Thank you for this amazing opportunity to read the eARC, and I am happy to provide my honest review in return.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was given an opportunity to ARC read this title for my honest review. This was my first title by Liz Colbert; I chose to start with a novella to get introduced and I really enjoyed her writing style. It’s hard to make a novella seem like a full story but it was done with Dashing Deceit. Even with the limited pages it read as a full length story and I didn’t feel like any part was missing or questions left unanswered. Even though this was in the middle of her series for Forrest Falls I still connected with the side characters and enjoyed their addition to the story. Now moving onto to Luca and Lauren I really enjoyed them as a couple. Luca was a super sweet all in single dad who stood up for what he believed was right but has a delicious filthy mouth. Lauren was the sweetest gentle FMC who was so caring to Luca’s 2 children. I thought the chemistry between Luca and Lauren was so hot and they were perfect together. The pacing of the story was so quick I devoured this novella in a few short hours. This title was so enjoyable I quickly searched Liz Colbert’s backlog and seen Cara’s story was a novella and read that already as well. Thank you to Liz Colbert and Luna Literacy for the opportunity to ARC read this title.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Dashing Deceit
This is the second novella connected to The Callahans series by Liz Colbert. And this one is a companion book to last christmas' novella "Sugar, Sprinkles and Secrets". This time we meet Luca and Lauren and man I loved these two.
This is a fun, quick read but it is also a perfectly paced mystery romance. A romance built on friendship, with a full bucket load of chemistry which adds up to a perfect way to spend a couple of hours.
Liz writes such beautiful characters, characters you would love to be able to call friends. And the world that she has created throughout this series is deepened with each and every story.
Even though this is a novella, it never feels rushed. The relationship between our MC's feels organic and believable. The way that the story unfolds kept me invested the whole time.
Liz will always be a must read author for me. Ever since I read her first book, I eagerly await the next one. 5 stars for this one. Thank you Liz for introducing us to Forrest Falls and all of these amazing characters.
This is the second novella connected to The Callahans series by Liz Colbert. And this one is a companion book to last christmas' novella "Sugar, Sprinkles and Secrets". This time we meet Luca and Lauren and man I loved these two.
This is a fun, quick read but it is also a perfectly paced mystery romance. A romance built on friendship, with a full bucket load of chemistry which adds up to a perfect way to spend a couple of hours.
Liz writes such beautiful characters, characters you would love to be able to call friends. And the world that she has created throughout this series is deepened with each and every story.
Even though this is a novella, it never feels rushed. The relationship between our MC's feels organic and believable. The way that the story unfolds kept me invested the whole time.
Liz will always be a must read author for me. Ever since I read her first book, I eagerly await the next one. 5 stars for this one. Thank you Liz for introducing us to Forrest Falls and all of these amazing characters.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was really looking forward to this one. I loved the concept of a suspense holiday novella.
I think for me, the characters had more chemistry when they weren't in the same room. It felt a little awkward when they started flirting and spending time together. Also, the mystery and suspense really weren't there for me. It was quite obvious who was the bawd guy, though his motives really surprised me.
Luca was a really good guy, he was sensitive and I enjoyed the portrayal of his struggles at reconnecting with his family and finding himself in a new town. He was really protective of the people he loves and isn't afraid to put them first and I liked that a lot. Lauren was cute and adorable, she was really good with everyone around her and you can tell she loved being there for her little village. They made a cute couple, I just struggled at getting there with them.
The family moments and friendships were cute and wholesome. The kids definitely stole the show.
Thanks so much Liz and Luna Literary for this ARC. I think a lot of people will enjoy this one.
I think for me, the characters had more chemistry when they weren't in the same room. It felt a little awkward when they started flirting and spending time together. Also, the mystery and suspense really weren't there for me. It was quite obvious who was the bawd guy, though his motives really surprised me.
Luca was a really good guy, he was sensitive and I enjoyed the portrayal of his struggles at reconnecting with his family and finding himself in a new town. He was really protective of the people he loves and isn't afraid to put them first and I liked that a lot. Lauren was cute and adorable, she was really good with everyone around her and you can tell she loved being there for her little village. They made a cute couple, I just struggled at getting there with them.
The family moments and friendships were cute and wholesome. The kids definitely stole the show.
Thanks so much Liz and Luna Literary for this ARC. I think a lot of people will enjoy this one.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Dashing Deceit brings us back to Forrest Falls, and we finally get to see Luca get the life he deserves.
The emails set the tone with sweetness and anticipation as Luca and Lauren begin their journey. Their first meeting sparks the possibility of dreams coming true. You get pulled into the warmth and love Luca shares with his adorable children. You can't help but adore Cara and Max, whose big hearts help make a beautiful future possible for Luca.
Along the way, the romance brings a smile to your face as Luca and Lauren grab hold of love and make the best of it. The feeling of Christmas and joy is splashed across the pages, with gifts that make things fun. Or do they?
The Secret Santa suspense takes a twisted turn, delivering an unexpected surprise. Luca comes to the rescue, and you can't help but cheer him on as he saves his woman and gets the well deserved HEA.
Sweetness, warmth, fun, love, and a dash of suspense await you!
The emails set the tone with sweetness and anticipation as Luca and Lauren begin their journey. Their first meeting sparks the possibility of dreams coming true. You get pulled into the warmth and love Luca shares with his adorable children. You can't help but adore Cara and Max, whose big hearts help make a beautiful future possible for Luca.
Along the way, the romance brings a smile to your face as Luca and Lauren grab hold of love and make the best of it. The feeling of Christmas and joy is splashed across the pages, with gifts that make things fun. Or do they?
The Secret Santa suspense takes a twisted turn, delivering an unexpected surprise. Luca comes to the rescue, and you can't help but cheer him on as he saves his woman and gets the well deserved HEA.
Sweetness, warmth, fun, love, and a dash of suspense await you!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This was such a fun read and the perfect book for a slow, relaxing afternoon! It melted my heart right from the beginning.
There is just something so special about a romance built on a foundation of genuine friendship. Add in some undeniable chemistry, and you have the perfect recipe for a swoon-worthy HEA!
The suspense added just the right amount of intrigue. Did I figure things out pretty early on? Yep! Did it take away from my enjoyment? Nope! I was totally along for the ride!
And can we talk about Forest Falls? Because seriously, where do I sign up to move there?! I just love the small-town charm and sense of community.
This book reminded me how much I adore Liz Colbert’s writing and storytelling. She has a way of creating characters and places that make you wish you could step right into the pages.
Now I just need to catch up on the rest of her books! ❤️
There is just something so special about a romance built on a foundation of genuine friendship. Add in some undeniable chemistry, and you have the perfect recipe for a swoon-worthy HEA!
The suspense added just the right amount of intrigue. Did I figure things out pretty early on? Yep! Did it take away from my enjoyment? Nope! I was totally along for the ride!
And can we talk about Forest Falls? Because seriously, where do I sign up to move there?! I just love the small-town charm and sense of community.
This book reminded me how much I adore Liz Colbert’s writing and storytelling. She has a way of creating characters and places that make you wish you could step right into the pages.
Now I just need to catch up on the rest of her books! ❤️
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC REVIEW:
The way I demolish every Liz Colbert book should be studied.
I love a HEA and I love the way every character connects to other books and there is never a skipped beat. Luca gives off such a Doberman vibe, he is tatted, and handsome and seems like he could be misunderstood. But he lives with all his heart. He missed years with his kids for doing what was right and to help avenge his best friend. That’s a sacrifice not many would make.
Lauren is a beautiful soul who loves all the kids she teaches and the people around her. The love for coffee and books is my kinda girl.
Liz killed it again. And I can’t wait for more!
The way I demolish every Liz Colbert book should be studied.
I love a HEA and I love the way every character connects to other books and there is never a skipped beat. Luca gives off such a Doberman vibe, he is tatted, and handsome and seems like he could be misunderstood. But he lives with all his heart. He missed years with his kids for doing what was right and to help avenge his best friend. That’s a sacrifice not many would make.
Lauren is a beautiful soul who loves all the kids she teaches and the people around her. The love for coffee and books is my kinda girl.
Liz killed it again. And I can’t wait for more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
The most perfect holiday novella with a sprinkle of suspense! Love being back in Forrest Falls and seeing the gang again!
I love Luca and Lauren and how they instantly connected! Luca is the DREAM dad and I am just swooning how much he dotes on his kids. I adore Lauren and her love for romance books. The way she’s just the sweetest school teacher but also has a little wild side to her!
Make sure to add Dashing Deceit to your holiday tbr! So perfect if you love small town romantic suspense and the biggest found family!
Tropes
•single dad/school teacher
•found family
•romantic suspense
•holiday novella
Review of advance copy received from Author
Forrest Falls: Luca & Lauren
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
A fast-paced, cute, and slightly steamy romance with a little suspense thrown in!
I loved the small-town atmosphere and the sense of family throughout the story. The bond with Dante was especially sweet, and I enjoyed seeing Luca and Lauren’s relationship develop into something more.
Of course, things wouldn’t be complete without a little stalker drama to keep everyone on their toes! The suspense added some excitement without taking away from the romance.
A lovely little novella with a protective single dad, a sweet heroine, plenty of heart, and a cute HEA. Exactly the kind of quick, feel-good read I was in the mood for!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
A fast-paced, cute, and slightly steamy romance with a little suspense thrown in!
I loved the small-town atmosphere and the sense of family throughout the story. The bond with Dante was especially sweet, and I enjoyed seeing Luca and Lauren’s relationship develop into something more.
Of course, things wouldn’t be complete without a little stalker drama to keep everyone on their toes! The suspense added some excitement without taking away from the romance.
A lovely little novella with a protective single dad, a sweet heroine, plenty of heart, and a cute HEA. Exactly the kind of quick, feel-good read I was in the mood for!
Review of advance copy received from Author
For a novella, Dashing Deceit was so well fleshed out! I felt like I was reading a 300-page book rather than one that was just under 200 pages. The story didn’t leave me wanting for anything. I didn’t even see the villain being who it was!! It was such a sweet love story, and I could read dozens more books and never find something quite like this one again. 🖤
October 22, 2026
ARC review thank you Lunar Literary and Liz Colbert for the opportunity to read and review this novella.
If you like a holiday novella, small town, single dad x teacher, romantic suspense and found family then you will like this book. This was okay it’s hard to pack a lot of plot in a novella. I like Lauren and Luca I just wish we got more plot so it could be flushed out.
If you like a holiday novella, small town, single dad x teacher, romantic suspense and found family then you will like this book. This was okay it’s hard to pack a lot of plot in a novella. I like Lauren and Luca I just wish we got more plot so it could be flushed out.
October 18, 2026
I enjoyed reading this holiday novella! I love Liz’s romantic suspense books and this one was short but it go to the point and I actually wasn’t right with who the bad guy was so props to you Liz for that! Love this found family!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Luca and Lauren's book was so sweet with a little bit of suspense. I love that we got to read Luca's story after meeting him in last year's holiday book. This book is a quick read, perfect for the holiday season.
Review of advance copy received from Author
5⭐2🌶️
Liz is such an amazing storyteller!!
Dashing Deceit is a heartwarming, captivating holiday novella. I love Lauren and Luca's story! It's beautifully written, easy to read with amazing suspense! I love this story! I love all of Liz's books!
Thank you for including me as an ARC reader!
Liz is such an amazing storyteller!!
Dashing Deceit is a heartwarming, captivating holiday novella. I love Lauren and Luca's story! It's beautifully written, easy to read with amazing suspense! I love this story! I love all of Liz's books!
Thank you for including me as an ARC reader!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Absolutely loved this book. The way these two started working together over his son was so sweet. Also when they meet and his son is the one to officially introduce them is adorable. Luca being there to save her is swoony.
Read
July 3, 2026beta read
October 19, 2026
Such a great way to kick off the holiday season! This is a must read. If you like suspense, romance, and single dads!
Review of advance copy received from Author
RTC 💕
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews