Grace Maddox's mother, Lucia, has just been exposed as a traitor to her family. Her attempts at killing Grace's cousin, Kenni were almost successful. When she is caught and interrogated, Lucia accuses Grace of being the one who betrayed the family, so Grace believes she should start a new life away from Loudon, Tennessee, but she is in danger. As a member of the powerful family that runs the militia organization called "The Kin," she has many protectors, however, some believe the lies Lucia told them. Zack Richards insists that he be the one to guard Grace from further attempts on her life. Among Grace's skills is the ability to take vast amounts of information and see patterns to help draw conclusions. Zack has spent the last several months gathering data about "The Kin." Now Grace must make sense of it all before someone in her family assassinates her.
Dirty Little Lies is a continuation of the story from Wicked Lies. The mystery of who is behind the problems being experienced by "The Kin" is a good one, but the large number of people in several branches of the family that are barely identified as suspects, makes their stories difficult to follow and the ending a little hard to grasp. In addition, the romance between the two main characters is a fairly average depiction of a woman resisting the advances of a man based on her fear of being hurt. Overall, this was a pretty good story with enough romance and suspense to keep the reader interested until the end. ( )

An unknown traitor is after Grace, Zack steps up to keep her safe and take her as a lover. If you haven't read previous books in awhile it will help to reread before starting this one to keep track of the who is who. The Kin and Agency have traitors and they must find them to keep Grace safe. Lots of different people hiding things and telling lies. Was ok read, interesting side characters.
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ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

THE HEART HAS ITS SECRETS.
Zack Richards knows he’s asking for trouble. Trying to protect a member of the notorious Maddox family could get a man killed—even a battle-scarred, muscle-ripped alpha like Zack. But the woman who has captured his wildest fantasies is nothing like the rest of her power-hungry clan. She’s innocent, beautiful, and has quickly become the one shining light in his dark, desperate world. The only woman worth fighting for…and dying for…

BUT PASSION NEVER LIES.
Her name is Grace Maddox—and everybody knows that she is a marked woman. Targeted for her family’s sins and hunted like a wild animal, Grace has no choice but to accept Zack’s protection. In his arms, she finally feels safe. In his eyes, she sees an insatiable desire that mirrors her own. But the truth is dangerous—and could end up tearing them apart. Will surrendering to Zack end up being the biggest mistake of Grace’s life?

Betrayal and secrets are the norm in the Men of Summer novels, but Dirty Little Lies has a bit more of a plot than I have come to expect from the series and from Lora Leigh. The standard alpha male is present, the innocent yet stubborn girl won't leave his mind, but this time there's a darker threat, one that's carried over from the previous novel and threatens not just Zack and Grace, but their family, and possibly the entire country. I love Zack...let's be real, I love Lora Leigh's alpha males. Grace, on the other hand, I would probably argue with her over everything. She's a confusing sort, determined to stand alone, but unaware of the power others hold over her, unaware of her innocence, and lacking some common sense. Together they're an explosive couple, the chemistry is apparent, but the threat against Grace definitely puts the romance in the backseat. I enjoyed the suspense, because even I wasn't able to guess the connections.

While Dirty Little Lies can be read as a standalone, I suggest reading at least the previous novel, Wicked Lies, first. The story, though a unique one, has some carry over from the previous and I felt some of the smaller details were still pertinent. The Maddox Family is massive, the connections are twisting, and it's impossible to sort them all out. I can't tell you how many names I forgot, which was really terrible when it came time for the big reveal. The first 35% of the novel had me scratching my head repeatedly, I really struggled to follow along and considered stopping a few times. I pushed on, though, and found myself really enjoying the winding, suspenseful tale and erotic smutty moments shared between Zack and Grace.

If you love Lora Leigh's brand of alpha-hunks and strong, stubborn women Dirty Little Lies is the book for you. It's sexy and suspenseful, a mixture of dirty talking bedroom time and guns a'blazing action. ( )