Heart of Lies by Jill Marie Landis - a review

I read Heart of Stone by Jill Marie Landis several months ago and enjoyed it so much I could hardly wait for her second book, in her Irish Angel Series, to be released.  I just finished reading Heart of Lies this afternoon and I enjoyed it very much.

Blurb from the back of the book:

BEFORE SHE FOLLOWS HER HEART ... SHE HAS TO CHANGE HER WAYS

MADDIE GRANDE GREW UP AS THIEF AND BEGGAR IN A TRIBE OF STREET URCHINS IN NEW ORLEANS.  As and adult hoping for a new life, she moves to the bayou with her twin "brothers" and fellow tribemates and learns to love the serenity of the swamp.  But her brothers stubbornly continue their lawless ways and kidnap the daughter of a wealthy carpetbagger and force Maddie to hide the precocious eight-year-old.

As Maddie stands at a crossroads in her life, the child escapes.  Pinkertong agent Tom Abbott is assigned to the kidnapping case.  Though Maddie is an accomplice, there is no denying their mutual attraction.  But Tom is a man of honor and principle and Maddie is a liar and thief.

The case may have led Tom to a woman he was already searching for, but will he reveal Maddie's true identity if it means giving her up forever?

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While, Heart of Lies, is second in the Irish Angel Series you don't have to read Heart of Stone in order to follow the story in Heart of Lies.  Ms. Landis does a wonderful job of reintroducing the characters from HOS but not until the latter third of the book.

Heart of Lies begins in 1875 Louisiana and tells the story of Maddie Grande.  In reading her story I almost felt like I was observing a catepiller hiding in a cocoon and then breaking free to float as a beautiful butterfly.  The reader is taken along as Maddie changes from the thief she was trained to be as a youth and turned into a caring loving young woman. 

The book starts out with Maddie's two "brothers" kidnapping an eight year old precocious young girl and bringing her to the bayou for Maddie to watch over while they work on how to collect the reward they are sure will be offered.  Maddie doesn't want to revert to her old life so she moves Penelope, the young girl, to her old friend Anita's place.  She asks Anita to watch over Penelope, but the young girl escapes and heads north.  The next part of the story has Maddie trailing Penelope, and Tom, the Pinkerton, trailing Maddie.  Maddie & Tom both catch up with Penelope and Tom brings them both back to New Orleans.  But once they arrive back in the city, Maddie....  well I won't tell you anymore or I might spoil it for you.  But believe me, it all makes for a very enjoyable read. 
If I were to have any complaints about Heart of Lies it is that I wanted more of Tom & Maddie's story.  Hopefully, in Heart of Glass (the third book in the Irish Angel Series) we will learn more about Tom & Maddie.  Because I felt I needed more of their story I would rank this book 4 1/2 stars.

I received my review copy of Heart of Lies from Zondervan for my honest review

Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy