Love, Lies, and Deception

the blurb

From the back cover...

[color-box]What do you do when the one person you thought you knew turns out to be the one you knew the least?

Twenty-three year old Marissa Chase, and soon to be college graduate, has everything going for her: wonderful friends, a lucrative degree, and a chance to explore the world. What made it even better - or so she thought - was when her path crossed with the alluring Alec Holden. Unable to stay away from him, Marissa experiences a love like no other, and falls into his world of passion and intrigue. However, things begin to shift when this path takes a deadly turn.

Her trust is put to the test when hidden dangers unfold before her, revealing secrets that have been buried for years. Secrets that were meant to stay hidden. Murder, lies, and betrayal ... will Marissa figure it all out in time and escape with her life intact, or will she be too late and fall into the trap of deception?[/color-box]

My Review

Love, Lies, and Deception was, hands down, a page turner!   Contemporary romance meets thriller, this book had plenty of both.  Alec was the epitome of a perfect lead male… strong, gorgeous, and with a mysterious past.  Marissa hasn’t had the easiest of lives in recent years, but she is intelligent and strong.  The book revolves around the two of them and Emily (Marissa’s best friend), Justin (Emily’s boyfriend), and Kristian (Marissa’s other best friend).  Emily, Marissa, Kristian, and Justin seem like the perfect quad of friends, the kind that we would all like to have.  It isn’t until Alec comes on the scene that things begin to change.

There is a steamy factor to this book that cannot be denied, particularly between Alec and Marissa!  But as hot as that is, it isn’t all there is to the story.  For me, the mystery and suspense took first place with the book.  There were twists and there were turns and I repeatedly thought I knew the “whodunit” of it all.  And I was always wrong.  And just when we find out who the bad guy is?  I thought I knew the whole story  And I was wrong.  Fabulous suspense!

The characters were great, although there were times when both Alec and Kristian annoyed me.  Marissa is portrayed as a strong, intelligent, and capable girl but there were many times that one or both of the guys spent an inordinate amount of time assuming they knew best.  Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn’t.  It was the overbearing attitude that set me on edge.  But once I finished the book, and the whole story came together, it made sense to me.

The only thing that truly bothered me occurred at the end, and it is hard to explain without spoilers.  I didn’t like the end of Kristian’s story.  It seemed too easy, I think.

Things to love about Love, Lies, and Deception…

• Marissa and Emily.  They were perfect BFF’s… strong and intelligent and fully supportive of one another.
• The mystery.  It was so engrossing and kept me guessing and turning the pages.
• The steaminess.  Need I say more?

Things I wanted more of…

• Kristian.  Without spoilers, I can’t explain much about him, other than I wanted to know more about WHY?!

My Recommendation

If you love steamy romance, a must read! If you love mysteries and thrillers, a must read!