Book Review - You Don't Know Me

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A Deep Haven Novel

Sometimes the secrets we keep to protect ourselves can be our undoing.

To all who know her, Annalise Decker is a model wife and mother. She’s a permanent member of the PTA, never misses a sporting event, and is constantly campaigning for her husband’s mayoral race.

No one knows that Annalise was once Deidre O’Reilly, a troubled young woman whose testimony put a dangerous criminal behind bars. Relocated through the Witness Security Program to the quaint harbor town of Deep Haven, Deidre received a new identity and a fresh start, which began when she fell in love with local real estate agent Nathan Decker.

Twenty years later, Annalise couldn’t be more unprepared for her past to catch up with her. When Agent Frank Harrison arrives with news that the man she testified against is out on parole and out for revenge, Annalise is forced to face the consequences of her secrets. Will she run again, or will she finally find the courage to trust those she loves most with both her past and her future?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning novelist of over thirty novels. A five-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.

A seasoned women’s events speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.

Find out more about Susan May at http://www.susanmaywarren.com/.

MY REVIEW:
 

This book grabbed me from the very first page. It starts out with a woman having to say goodbye to her daughter who is going into the witness protection program. It was very emotional and made me want to see what happens next.

Annalise is a wife and mother who is your basic “super-woman”. She is always at her children’s events and is also there for her husband, Nathan, who is running for mayor of town. She and her husband are pillars of their community and Nathan’s roots run deep in that town. 

She has been married to her husband for 20 years when her past rears its ugly head. She is forced to make decisions regarding her own safety as well as her families. The unfortunate thing is, she has never told her husband or anyone that she is not really Annalise, but Deidre, and that she is part of the witness protection. 

I liked how the books made Annalise face her lying to her family and its consequences, and also the lying of her mother-in-law regarding ex-husband, Nathan’s father. Maybe lying isn’t the right word, but her omission of facts has left a huge scar for Nathan. Because of his father’s “sin”, Nathan has felt the need to redeem himself in the sight of the town. There is a story of un-forgiveness and regret running through the book, too. 

Sometimes Annalise doesn’t seem to take the danger to herself and her family serious enough, which is rather surprising considering what she went through that forced her into witness protection in the first place. However, I think that this forced us as readers to wonder what we cover-up or hide in order to make others think we are something we’re not? There is another character in the book that I really liked because he represented perfectly that we tend to judge people by their looks and, as parents, we don’t always give our children the benefit of good judgement.

I liked the story of redemption and the story of relying on Christ through things. The ending was spectacular with many twists and turns I hadn’t expected. 

This book has some romance, a lot of mystery and is just a great read! It was hard to put down and I highly recommend it!

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Blessings - Julie