If you knew your boyfriend was a bad guy, would you still date him? Ollie makes his decision and learns the hard way that sometimes you should stay on the side of the good guys.
From the blurb for The Lies We Tell:
"Lies destroy – especially the ones we tell ourselves. But reality can destroy too, revealing a truth that can shake you to the core."
BLURB
Nate
My marriage was done. The criminal I was chasing was giving me the runaround. I was doubting everything, wondering where my life was going.
I’d given everything to the job, but it had cost me everything, including my family and my home.
When Oliver Farnham gave me the lead I’d been looking for, I couldn't pass up the chance to put a murderer behind bars.
I’d promised to protect him, and I always kept my word. If he would give up his life as he knew it, to get justice for a man he never knew, I’m sure I could do what it took to keep him safe.
What I didn’t expect was to love him and if that meant giving my life to keep him alive, it was the price I’d pay.
Ollie
How much was my life worth? That was the question I asked myself. Was it worth losing everything for? Damn right it was. I’d give up my identity if it meant keeping ME safe.
Witnessing a murder and running away from the life I knew, it should have been a difficult decision, and if my ‘boyfriend’ knew that I was the one that had given him up, I’d have a target on my back for the rest of my very short life.
Then I met Nate. He’d sworn to protect me in exchange for my testimony, but the closer we became, the more I realised I’d give it all up to be with him.
I just wondered if he’d do the same for me.
The Lies We Tell - a gritty, dark MM romance featuring plenty of spice, steam, an age gap, and bisexual awakening. This is a standalone novel.
Trigger warnings for kidnap, torture and assault.
Lori C's Review:
Ollie is Gary’s kept man. He’s young and handsome, but being kept means being at Gary’s beck and call. It also means what Gary wants, he gets. Then Ollie witnesses the darkest part of Gary’s work and he’s no longer safe. He turns to Nate, a detective inspector with the police force. Nate is Ollie’s only chance at staying alive. Will he manage it or will Gary win again?
What happens next in this book is something I didn’t see coming. I wasn’t prepared for the twists and turns that author Alex J. Adams took us on. To me Adams’ writing is an expression of what can happen in our world. There is violence, there is death and all manner of things which lends a certain gritty realism to her writing that I really enjoy. I love reading a book that keeps me on tenterhooks the entire time and this is one such book. For me, dark romance is written on a spectrum and I for one am all in on The Lies We Tell.
Rating: 5 Stars
Tatted_book_freak's Review:
Another enjoyable read from Alex, a little darker than the first, but no complaints from me. A perfect mixture of suspense, twists, hesitations, and spice. There was plenty of action, which is to be expected when dealing with influential men. And, a complete turn of events since it focused on the storyline rather than the romance.
ℍ𝕖 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕟 𝕚𝕥𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕗, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥.
I want to start with my appreciation for the character's development before the meeting. It allowed me the opportunity to get to know a bit about their lives beforehand. But, Nate and Ollie! I loved Ollie’s patience with Nate’s biawakening, never pushing him too far too fast. And, the anticipation of their intimacy, Alex doesn't rush into the smut.
𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕖 𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕠 𝕞𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕦𝕤 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤.
All in all, this was an amazing story. The thoughts and feelings faced by a man's initial attraction to another man were interesting, and it was a nice change to said man not to have a panic attack while exploring these emotions. All while dealing with a divorce and a new baby for his ex-wife.
Rating: 4 Stars
SNik's Review:
Standalone. Age gap. Slow burn. Dual POV. Heed content warnings.
Nate’s marriage has long ago fallen apart and his current pursuit of the head of a criminal gang has stalled. When he finds that Ollie is a possible witness to murder, he vows to keep Ollie safe, but doesn’t expect his attraction to the young man which makes his job even more difficult.
Both Nate and Ollie are admirable in their commitment to justice, and there is some action and intrigue surrounding hiding with Ollie so he can testify. The mutual attraction and decision to get together is very fast, and I appreciated that there wasn’t any angst from Nate about his interest in Ollie, but I do wish there were more emotional interactions between Nate and Ollie as the romance felt secondary to the story.
The book moved along at a fast pace, and could have used a tighter plotline surrounding Ollie’s safety and more background for Nate and Ollie as individuals, but it was an entertaining read.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
The Lies We Tell is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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