"You Don't Know Me" Book Review {Giveaway}

*Update from Our Crazy Life*
I have lots of reviews and giveaways this month! I will be announcing the winner of Dee Henderson’s Full Disclosure very soon, but don’t miss your chance to win a copy of Denise Hunter’s The Trouble With Cowboys (ends 10/12) and check out the recently updated free e-book page for some great books!

You Don't Know Me... but everyone has secrets, right?
I have thoroughly enjoyed Susan May Warren's Deep Haven series. In fact, it’s one of the few contemporary series I read (remember: history addict here…). I love Deep Haven - it’s the perfect small town and she makes it - and its colorful residents - come alive in a delightful way. 

I was super excited to get my hands on You Don't Know Me, who knew Deep Haven had such secrets being kept?

About the book: 
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?  

My thoughts:
Susan May Warren is one of the few authors (possibly only?) who can get me choked up in the prologue. My ‘mom’ heart was already beating faster and I hadn’t even made it to chapter one!

I love how the people of Deep Haven have come alive in this series. It takes a special author to make you feel as if you could be the person in the story – or your daughter or mother or neighbor. 

You Don’t Know Me was a story of secrets and the damage they can do. A much needed lesson for many these days… Even if our secrets aren’t as big as Annalise and Nathan’s, they still cause pain and can drive people apart.

Another great read by Susan May Warren (not that I would have expected anything less) and I will never again look at the soccer moms the same way! 

Note: While this is a standalone novel, I highly recommend all of the Deep Haven books (and everything else Susan writes as well!), starting with Happily Ever After.

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!

The Extras: 
Behind the story…

This novel began on a flight to Portland. I sat next to a woman fidgeting in her seat, clearly distraught at some turmoil in her heart. After a few nudges from the Lord, I leaned over to ask her how she was, and why she was going to Portland.
“To say goodbye to my daughter, who is going into the witness security program.” She looked at me wearing a haunted expression. “She witnessed a murder and now the family of the convicted killer is threatening her. She isn’t safe.”
I stared at her. “For how long will she be hiding?”
“Forever,” she said.
I swallowed. After a moment, “How old is your daughter?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Why don’t you go with her?” I asked, not quite able to comprehend the magnitude of her loss. Not knowing if your daughter was alive, not seeing her get married, not knowing your grandchildren…so many unbearable sacrifices.
“I can’t. I have a husband who is handicapped and two small children. They can’t move.”

See what others are saying about You Don’t Know Me on the blog tour.

And don’t miss Susan’s giveaway for a $200 B&B Giveaway! Click here, or on the button on the right hand side, for more information.

Read my reviews of other Susan May Warren books:
My Foolish Heart (Deep Haven)
Heiress
Baroness
Baby, It’s Cold Outside

The giveaway and fine print: 
The winner will receive a copy of Susan May Warren’s You Don’t Know Me via media mail.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions expressed are all mine and I was not required to give a positive review. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway