Lily's House

by Rachel Branton

Lily runs a place of refuge for runaway girls called Lily’s House. She knows what it’s like to grow up feeling unloved, and she fills every space available to help endangered teens. This series follows Lily, her sister, Tessa, and some of the former Lily’s House girls as they find true love.

"Lily is accustomed to fighting for others. Can she fight for herself as well?"

Contains  Books 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Lily’s House series.

House Without Lies (Lily’s House, Book 1)

Her Dream Didn’t Include Falling in Love

Lily dreams of a big house, a place of refuge for runaway girls. She knows what it’s like to grow up feeling unloved, and she now fills every space in her tiny apartment with endangered teens. They don’t have everything they need, but together they have enough.

Or so she thinks—until she meets Jameson and glimpses the mysterious something between them that just might mean real love.

Jameson, who works as a teen counselor, believes the only way Lily can really help the girls is by certifying as a foster parent and going through the system. But becoming legitimate may mean losing some of the girls to the families who threw them away, and Lily hasn’t worked hard to save the teens only to abandon them now.

It seems Jameson will be one more entry on the very long list of things Lily has given up for the girls. What other choice is there when she is all they have?

When two of the teens’ fathers come looking for them, and another one’s mother plans to put her daughter in danger, Lily’s life spins out of control. They need a new home—and fast. A safe place. A house without lies.

Tell Me No Lies, (Lily’s House, Book 2)

Tessa Needs a Husband—and Fast!

Two days before her wedding, Tessa Crawford’s world crumbles, leaving her hurt and betrayed. Worse, if Tessa doesn’t marry and receive her trust fund, her sister Lily will lose her house and the homeless girls she helps will have nowhere to go.

But Tessa can’t marry just anyone, can she?

Gage Braxton, the guy from next door, is willing to help her out, but rumors hint that he’s an ex-con. Tessa quickly finds herself attracted to a man who has no intention of ever falling in love or of passing on his terrible legacy.

When Tessa stumbles across evidence that may be proof of Gage’s innocence, suspects begin to line up. Someone is willing to kill again to see that the truth remains buried, and if Tessa doesn’t hurry and solve the old murder, she will lose not only her chance at love but may become the murderer’s next victim.

Your Eyes Don’t Lie (Lily’s House, Book 3)

Sometimes Survival Isn’t Enough

Years of living on the street and fending for herself have made Makay Greyson tough and resourceful, if a bit disillusioned. She’s come a long way from sleeping in parks and scavenging for food. Her entire focus is on providing a better life for her young brother, one without fear of loss and neglect.

That certainly doesn’t leave time for Harrison Matthews, who from their first meeting sends fire through her veins and upsets all her carefully laid plans.

Makay has done things she isn’t proud of to survive, and those choices now threaten the small amount of security she’s created—and any chance of a future with Harrison. They’ve been raised in two very different worlds, and the secrets they both hide can only lead to disaster.

There is only one chance to make it right, and one misstep could be fatal.

Your Eyes Don’t Lie is a story about facing fears, sacrificing for those you love, and about a girl who thinks she isn’t worth loving and a guy who knows she is.

Hearts Don’t Lie (Lily’s House, Book 4) (Contains three Lily’s House novellas)

Some Secrets Are Meant to Be Shared

Caring for the animals at Safe Haven Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary has filled the holes in Zoey Morgan’s life and soothed the memories that haunt her. It helps that she works with Stephen Carey, whose uncle owns the sanctuary, and Declan Walker, who is as wild and untouchable as the animals they help. When a storm hits, flattening buildings and flooding roads, the sanctuary goes into lockdown. Zoey learns that her younger sister is lost in the storm, and she will risk anything to find her. So will the man who loves her—if she’d let him. Can he slip past the walls Zoey has built to hide her secrets?

All Ruth Truman wanted was to open a little cafe and do what she does best, but the price tag is years out of reach. Then a not-so-chance meeting with a gorgeous photographer and help from her hodgepodge family might just put the goal in reach. Except now both her future and her heart are at risk—will the cost be too high?

A blind-date-gone-wrong is not the way Bianca would have chosen to celebrate the news that she might be losing her business, but saying no to the sister who took care of her after their mother’s death proves impossible. So for one date, one torturous evening, she’ll endure the company of an infuriating, heartless man she has no intention of ever seeing again. She doesn’t expect her heart to have other plans. Sometimes the unexpected is not only what you need, it’s exactly what you’ve been waiting for all along.

You first met Zoey, Ruth, and Bianca as runaway teens in House Without Lies. Now they are all grown up and finding love in this intertwined three-story romance.

Note: All the stories in the Lily’s House series are complete stories without cliffhangers. Reading all of them will catch you up with characters in previous novels, but you do not have to read them in order. Enjoy!

EDITORIAL REVIEW

“Readers seeking inspirational women’s stories with a broader focus than relationship-building moments will find House Without Lies just the ticket. It’s filled with many different characters and diverse circumstances, but the overall plot holds true to its intentions and presents a vivid story made all the more immediate by Rachel Branton’s choice of using the first person to capture Lily’s daily life and feelings.

Lily’s accustomed to fighting for others: can she fight for herself, as well? An engrossing read, it’s also a pleasure to add a note that while House Without Lies is part of a series, it’s actually a fine stand-alone story that neatly concludes its plot. Readers will want more, but won’t be required to hang off a cliff waiting for resolution—and that’s a huge bonus to the first book in this series.” –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review