A nice story with some unexpected plot twists. The second in a trilogy. I wish I had read the first but it was still very good as a stand alone. ( )

This was a story that captivated you with the life on the bayou and then on the streets of New Orleans in 1875. It also was a story that saddened you when you read about the life of the street urchins during this time in New Orleans, but it was also a time of rejoicing to see how one young lady was able to survive and discover what true love and family is all about. This was the second story in the Irish Angel Series and I highly recommend you read book one, Heart of Stone first, so you will have the background for this story.

Maddie Grande was raised in a tribe of children (street urchins) in New Orleans, but recently she has moved into the bayou swamp with twin brothers, who are her "family". When the brothers kidnap a little girl off the street and bring her home for Maddie to watch until they get a reward things start to go wrong for all three (and at times this 8 year old girl they kidnapped will "steal the show"). Pinkerton agent Tom Abbott is looking for the kidnapped girl and his search brings him to Maddie. Now they both need to learn to trust each other, which neither one feels comfortable doing. Maddie longs to change her life, but just doesn't know how she is going to go about it. This story will take you on an adventure through many different places in the South and will keep you longing to see how Maddie can turn her life around. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I must admit that I liked book one's story line better than this one, but I am also anxious to read the third book in this series and see how it will all come together at the end. ( )

NCLA Review -Set in the Louisiana swamps and in New Orleans a few years after the Civil War, this tale of romance, kidnapping and mystery takes the reader through the beautiful, dangerous Bayou and through the sordid back streets of New Orleans. The heroine grew up in a New Orleans street gang, stealing for the tribe—cold, damp and dirty. She is now a young woman who traps muskrats in the swamp and has learned to find “small jewels of happiness in every life.” The hero is an organized and correct Pinkerton detective. A captivating child adds sparkle to the story. This book is the second in the author’s Irish Angel series. It can be fully enjoyed without reading the first book. Rating 3 —MS ( )

"Heart Of Lies" takes place in Louisiana in 1875. Maddie Grande keeps having a recurring nightmare, in this nightmare, she and a faceless blond girl are whisked thru the streets of New Orleans by man whom she knows will beat her if she falls behind. While this dream causes terror for Mattie worse still is the fact that she feels sorrow and loss because the blond haired girl promised to take care of Maddie, but Maddie has no idea who she is. Maddie didn't grow up in a family, instead she grew up in a "tribe" that lived in a shadows, earning their keep by stealing and begging. When the leader of the tribe dies, the members scatter and Maddie along with two of her tribe brothers known as the "twins" move to the bayou where Maddie hopes for a more peaceful life. When the "twins" kidnap an eight year old child named Penelope Perkins,in the hopes of collecting a reward they expect Maddie to take care of her.
Pinkerton Detective Agent Tom Abbott is in New Orleans hired to look for a woman's missing sister, but is pulled into the case of kidnapped Penelope. The case leads him to the bayou and Maddie, whom he starts having feelings for. Will Maddie do the right thing, and help Penelope get home, and what about Maddie and Tom? Is there a relationship there, or will he have to turn her in as an accomplice to kidnapping?

While this book was somewhat predictable, sometimes its nice to read a nice smooth story that while it holds your attention its easy to follow and figure out the ending, and thats how this story was for me.Maddie's character was easy to like,her backstory really had me feeling sorry for her, and I really wanted things to work out for her, she deserved it!.My favorite parts of the story revolved around Penelope. She was such a charmer, and her personality just jumped off the pages.
Fans of historical romance with a spiritual message woven in will certainly enjoy this story. This is the second book in the Irish Angel series but can easily be read as a stand alone. I for one will be watching for the next book in the series titled "Heart Of Glass" due out in 2012. ( )