Inherent Truth

Blood Secrets #1

by Alicia Anthony

A woman with buried secrets…
An agent with an impossible mission…
An inheritance that will destroy them both…

When Liv Sullivan’s dead grandmother beckons for help from beyond the grave, the reluctant psychic is forced back to her small Ohio hometown. Scrambling to make sense of her grandmother’s legacy, Liv finds herself face to face with undercover Agent Ridge McCaffrey.

Assigned to protect the woman whose gifts unnerve him, all for a covert psychic intelligence operation he doesn’t understand, Ridge struggles to place duty over desire. But when a body is found at Sullivan Farm and Liv’s allegiance is called into question, Ridge’s mission becomes clear.

Can Liv unearth family secrets that are best left buried before the ghosts of her past destroy her dreams of a normal future?

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Mystery, Contemporary, Supernatural, Fantasy, Fiction

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 14, 2020

About the author

Alicia Anthony is the award-winning author of the Blood Secrets psychological suspense series. Although her first novels were illegible scribbles on the back of her truck driver father's logbook trip tickets, she’s since graduated from scribbles to laptop, and now pens novels of suspense in the quiet of the wee morning hours. A full-time elementary school Literacy Specialist, Alicia hopes to pass on her passion for books and writing to the students she teaches.

A Silver Quill Award winner and two time finalist for both the Claymore and Golden Heart®, Alicia finds her inspiration in exploring the dark, dusty corners of the human experience. She is a graduate of Spalding University's School of Creative & Professional Writing (MFA), Ashland University (M.Ed.) and THE Ohio State University (BA). Go Bucks! She lives in rural south-central Ohio with her amazing family, two dogs, and three horses.

When she's not writing or teaching, Alicia loves to travel and experience new places. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, or at www.AliciaAnthonyBooks.com. She’d love to hear from you.

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inherent Truth by Alicia Anthony is a supernatural suspense or psychic suspense novel with some romance weaved into the story. Liv Sullivan’s grandmother dies, and she leaves California to go home to Cascade Hills, Ohio for the funeral. Her grandmother comes to her in a dream asking for help. As Liv deals with her increasing visions, she finds herself also dealing with undercover agent, Ridge McCaffrey, when she is attacked at the family farm. Ridge struggles with duty versus desire while assigned to protect Liv.

Liv has had visions or dreams since she was a child but has tried to hide it in recent years. That is getting more and more difficult. She is afraid to talk about them at the risk of others disbelief and condemnation or worse. She experiences anxiety as she tries to make sense of her circumstances. Ridge tends to be quiet at times, loyal to friends, and somewhat overprotective. The secondary characters play pivotal roles in support or opposition to Liv and Ridge. I especially enjoyed Adam and Brian and hope to see more of them in future books in the series.

A plot that moved quickly combined with a story that captivated me kept me turning the pages. The author weaved a tale involving family, friends, lies, trust, distrust, secrets, romance, visions, and action that pulls you in and keeps you hooked from beginning to end. Other themes included self-worth, grief, attraction, assault, death, small town gossip, love, forgiveness, guilt, and much more. One small quibble that I had was the occasional spate of unnecessary wordiness. While many threads were resolved in the story, the ending wasn’t entirely satisfactory to me.

Overall, this novel had exciting scenes, compelling, but flawed characters, and some heartrending moments. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received a digital copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

[Joy Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got psychological thriller

Initially off to a slow start, the story picked up around the 30% mark and kept going strong until the end. I enjoyed reading this book and am off to the second installment! Look forward to more from this author. Definitely one to watch!

[myreadingescapism · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a local author to me and I had picked up her book at a local store.

This is not my niche. I hate romance and how his touch "makes her tingle"

🫠🤢

[Sandra Berryman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a fan of cliff-hangers, but this book was so good. The main character Liv was intriguing and I just could not stop reading. As the story unfolds you get sucked in as this complex book unfolds. Not a simple romantic mystery of paranormal mystery, but a combination of all. I am eagerly awaiting the next book. I received an e-book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Inherent Truth” has a plot filled with intricate twists and turns catching the reader’s interest and immerses them in the story from the very beginning.

Read full review in the 2020 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (2/20/2021)! 🎁

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one of the Blood Secrets series and follows the main character Liv Sullivan as she returns home after her grandmother’s death. She has been working as a phone line psychic and has to follow a script, but is a real psychic who has had to keep this reality secret since she was twelve. Her parents never understood her ‘dreams’, and this caused a lot of problems between them and left her with a broken relationship with her mother in particular. They thought she was suffering from mental health issues and even had her committed as a child. Escaping to her grandparent’s home was the only thing that made her childhood bearable. But since she left, she has seldom been back.

Liv has ignored a call to her psychic line, saying she needs to go home, but with her grandmother’s death, she has no choice. She is the first contact person, even before her own mother. She is walking into an unusual situation, where her grandmother was being investigated by a unit of the FBI and a couple of special agents have been undercover in the small town’s police station for some time. One of them is Ridge McCaffrey and he has been told to get close to Liv to find out what she knows about this secret FBI unit and whether she truly is a psychic. He is a non-believer and struggles to place his professionalism over his attraction to her and his doubts about her supposed talent.

Liv is also faced with her mother and her new beau, but also with her old boyfriend Jason, who has more in mind than he reveals. Liv looks for clues to her previous vision and a more recent one, that is haunting her, at her grandmother’s home, but it seems someone else is after something that may be hidden there. A gruesome discovery in the house leads to more questions for Liv and soon accusations follow. Who is trying to frame her and why is unclear and those that should believe in her, leave her to the wolves. Her past is coming back to kick her in the back, but her past is something she doesn’t even know the truth about and she is being left to take the blame for!

An intriguing look at family secrets and those parts of ourselves that we hide to keep others from judging us. Liv has a big secret of her own that she hides, but she has no clue about the massive secrets that have been hidden by her parents and grandparents, for years. She will find romance, but whether it will survive all these secrets is yet to be seen. Her life is in danger and Ridge has been told to keep her safe, but even he can’t cover her all the time, from the evils in her family’s past. I loved this book and can’t wait to read the next instalment in the series. I received an ARC copy of this book from the author and have added them to my ‘to read’ list, I was so impressed. I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Laurie Tell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first 75% of this book. It had a good mystery, it had romance (which was not overdone), it had a psychic.. I was drawn into the world, into the characters and the mystery.

Then the last quarter sort of annoyed me. If you want to know why, then contact me, but I don't want to post spoilers.

It does wrap up the mystery, but it is obviously the first in a series, since a few things were left hanging. Personally, I don't like that. I am more inclined when I am invested in a character to read the next books. When I am left with so many questions, I get more annoyed and wont read the next book as often. That's just me. (I was the kid who unwrapped her hidden Xmas presents then rewrapped them because I couldn't stand the suspense). So if you like the anticipation of not knowing and wanting more, you will appreciate the ending more than I did.

I do want to thank the publisher and net galley for the advance copy. This did not impact my review.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding story.
The title is what first drew me to the book and made me wonder what was the truth? As soon as I picked the book up and read the first sentence I was hooked. This complex paranormal was so intriguing and the book is full of drama, lies and so much action and it did not end oh no it is a cliffhanger that so well done. Liv has visions and it has really messed up her life in so many ways. When Ridge and Liv first meet it was an interesting read. I am looking forward to the next installment. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

[Sian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Inherent Truth, #1 @AliciaAAnthony I would like to thank both her and @XpressoTours for the opportunity to read Inherent Truth I found it to be a fun and unexpected journey with lots of events
#ParanormalMystery #MustRead #Series
The full review is on my blog
https://quirkybookreads.wordpress.com...

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review disappeared but the heroine annoyed me! She just didn't think. Plus who was the little girl? That didn't make sense. Plus Ridge was an idiot boyfriend! He will now probably hook up with his nest friends sister since he doubted Live and totally treated her like sh#$! Plus the girl already kissed him and he can't be around Living anymore. Just a,cluster. Plus it.just didn't really.go into the psychic stuff except for dreams,,I want more of that.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minor Spoilers if you can read between the lines

********


2.7




*********

I lost faith in Liv when she lost all credibility. What? HOW? she sang like a canary to Mr. RF about her abilities despite saying she wouldn’t.

I did figure out who the bad guy was but I could never figure out why Liv rushed into a situation-ship with walking Red Flag.

Don’t get me wrong, I was engaged despite my eye rolling at times - she had a few TSTL moments - but I needed to understand where the plot was going.

I will say that Liv got mollywhumped a few too many times. Like - no guards? Really?

Also, the last third of the book.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inherent Truth by Alicia Anthony
Blood Secrets #1

Fabulous book! I could not put it down once I began reading and can’t wait for book two!

Liv Sullivan has a gift...or curse...depends on who you ask. It caused friction between her parents and her safe place to land was on the Sullivan Farm owned by her grandparents. When her grandmother dies Liv heads home for the funeral and that opens the door to this story. There is definitely a mystery, some romance, bad guys to thwart, some dead found, family secrets that were stunning and a government program I am curious about.

What I liked:
* Liv – an intelligent, loving, giving woman who sees dead people and uses the gift when she can to help get justice for those she sees
Ridge – conflicted and very by-the-book FBI man with trust issues but someone that could be very good with Liv...if he allows it to happen
* Brian – I like him and think I might like his sister, Mel. I hope they will show up in the future
* The secret hinted at dealing with Liv’s grandmother’s
* All the twists and turns that made this story so good
* The plan Liv has and where she will be heading in book two

What I did not like:
* Liv being thrown to the wolves
* The bad guys
* Not having all the mysteries figured out
* Having to wait to read the next book in the series

Did I like this book? Definitely!
Will I read more in the series? As soon as I can!

Thank you to NetGalley and Drury Lane Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

This title is the first in a new series and is an excellent read - as proven by the fact that I was up past 3am trying to finish it in one go!

After her Grandmother’s death Liv discovers that family secrets can be deadly when she is targeted in a series of attacks, resulting in the discovery of a dead girls body in a trunk. Ridge is the undercover agent sent to watch Liv and keep her safe, emotions should never have been part of their relationship.

Questions abound as Liv seeks answers, and struggles with who to trust; particularly since Liv has secrets of her own.

[Read All About It · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Blood Secrets Saga by Alicia Anthony. It’s a very complex Paranormal Romance Suspense. Olivia Sullivan can see ghosts so when her grandmother comes to her she knows she’s gone. Ridge McCaffrey is undercover FBI sent in to spy on Olivia. There are so many secrets and lies going on. Lots of action keep you going until the end. Sometimes it’s a little hard to understand what’s going on but everything comes together in the end. There is a cliffhanger of sorts at the end so be warned. Overall I really liked this book and look forward to the next book.

[Denice Langley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in a new series....YAY! When Olivia Sullivan, a young woman with physic abilities, returns to her Grandmother's home, she will come face to face with her worst nightmares. Her abilities are not complete, she sees "pieces" of stories as her communications are never as clear as she'd like. Alicia Anthony has given us Olivia and surrounded her with a cast of characters that will give her plenty of room for more books. In this one, we meet Ridge, protector, love interest, non-believer. How the two solve the mystery will give you goose bumps and looking for the next book.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I came across this author whom really fit right into what I have been reading alot lately. Mystery and paranormal bits you know I got sucked right away into this one. Liv and Ridge gives us a run in this one. She is there to help a legacy but runs into a undercover agent. As the story unfolds you are given plenty to follow. It will be interesting to see how Ridge comes to terms about Liv and even more alluring I found what she can do and does. The operation captures your attention in fact the whole novel will. I most definitely will be reading more from this author.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. A story with all kinds of secrets about a psychic, Liv, who returns home for her Grandma's funeral to find herself caught up in so many secrets, she doesn't know where to turn. This book had so many unexpected twists that you just can't put it down. It makes you feel for Liv and everything that happens to her. You won't want it to end, but it does, on a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next instalment. I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Leah Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action, suspense, shocks and twists make for a great read. The characters are intriguing and suck you in. There are secrets and lies to unravel. This is a thriller with a dose of paranormal. This first book sets a tone for the trilogy and makes the reader invested in the characters and their world.

[Denise M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Blood Secrets characters transcend the pages, turning them into believable, yet understandably flawed, people. The plot of government plans manipulating people is timely and fast paced. Do yourself a favor and try a unique thriller!

[SylviaV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inherent Truth by Alicia Anthony - Blood Secrets Trilogy - Book 1

Please be aware that this book is part of a Trilogy and while there were some questions answered, there are still a lot of unanswered questions left. The story continues in Book 2 and 3 and you will need to read all three books to get the complete story to see if Liv and Ridge will have their Happy Ever After. I liked the paranormal/thriller/mystery/suspense that this book incorporated into the story-line. There are romantic feelings between Liv and Ridge, but the majority of the plot in this book deals with secrets & betrayals. The story is told from both Liv and Ridge's point of view and the supporting cast of characters is excellent. For me both Liv and Ridge at times came across as immature teenagers rather than adults in their behaviours and at some point Liv behaves as a TSTL (To Stupid To Live) character out of a slasher movie. There were a few aspects of the story that did not make sense to me from a plot point of view, but overall an entertaining and fast paced story. This book 1 gets a 3 and half star from me.

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful 1st in Series!

Inherent Truth, written by Alicia Anthony, is the first book in the Blood Secrets series. This is also the first book I have read by this author, but it won't be the last. From the world building to the interesting characters, this book held me captive from the first page to the last! This book was well written with intelligent male and female characters, as well as mystery, intrigue, murder, paranormal activities, government secrets, family drama and secrets, friendships, romance and love. I am looking forward to reading the second book in this series.

[Samantha Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story pulls you in right away and won't let go till the last page. That doesn't happen very often to me! The best part is this is the first book of a Trilogy and I can't wait for the other two. Great characters that keep you obsessed with every page, and while there were some questions answered, there is still much we don't know. Liv’s life hasn’t turned out quite the way she wanted. Sometimes she sees dead people and sometimes they want something from her. The most recent person is her grandmother who just died. This book is very well written - thank you for the book Goodreads!

[Dena · Rating 4 out of 5]

love and power

Liv has had a hard time experiencing her gift. Her only safe space has been at her grandmother’s farm. There has been so many twisted lies and secrets I don’t think Liv has any idea what’s been going on. Then the police has gotten involved now she has no idea what’s to do. Ridge comes along to save the day and her heart. I hope we get to see what happens next with love and her gifts.

[Emily Dickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to this series!

I really felt for Liv. She was a great character who really was strong. Being psychic and returning home where there are so many secrets. Ridge was also a good character and the two had an interesting relationship. Lots of action and some steam with twists that kept me interested. Now I need the next book. Loved it!

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secrets All Around

An unwilling psychic returns home for her beloved grandmother's funeral. Plagued by troubling dreams she becomes enmeshed in a vicious criminal conspiracy. She also attracts the attention of a handsome detective with a hidden agenda.

This was a decent romantic suspense. The secrets and lies are somewhat convoluted but it is still a fun read.

[Joanne Nugent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sleepless nights

When I first picked up the book, I thought I'll just read a few minutes. It turned into a few hours. Inherent Truth is a very compelling story! The characters feel so real and human. The story is everything!

[Patricia Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is the first book that’s kept me up past my bedtime in quite a while. I’ve found me a new author to read❤️

[george mammay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful thought provoking read.

This story pulls you in and doesn't let go.... Even when this book ends, yes, you will want to go right into book two ..

[Inés Molina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a bit slow at first but when it picked up, i enjoyed it. It was a good thriller with lots of twist. As I read I did not know what would happen next, it kept me reading.