Lies We Extinguished: A Novel

by M.K. Morris

She was the successful businesswoman. He was the city’s most beloved firefighter. They were polar opposites with a fiery attraction.

Elizabella Hale has everything going for her. She’s a stunning, sharp executive assistant with a glowing personality and a placid lifestyle. Things are good, but they’re far from great, as she has shocking secrets that are about to come out after years of silence.

Blake Hayes has rebuilt his life from scratch. Following in his father’s footsteps, he’s known as one of Pendelana, Maine’s finest firemen. He’s strapping, winsome, and made to handle any situation. But he’s got a past. A dark one. A painful one. And it won’t stay buried, no matter how deep he digs his holes.

When Blake and Elizabella first cross paths, the tension between them is apparent. She’s inquisitive and open. He’s a moody, sealed mystery box. The attraction on both sides is confusing and something neither one wants, but when things heat up—all puns intended—it’s a blazing connection they cannot douse.

In time, old secrets resurface, tensions rise, and everything becomes threatened. It’s Blake’s duty to protect Elizabella, but he may just be the reason she finds herself in a fight for her life.

Additional author's Slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, dual POVs, enemies to lovers, holiday romance, steamy romance, big city romance, heavy suspense, life/death situations, broken relationships, childhood trauma, sworn off relationships, emotional scars, book 1 in series.

365 pages, Hardcover

Published February 5, 2023

About the author

Pennsylvania native, M.K. Morris, has dreamed of being an author since she could hold a pencil. She writes spicy new adult romance and romance suspense novels and has turned her love of writing into a thrilling career alongside her other goals.

M.K. lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia and has an A.A. in behavioral and social science. She is a dedicated advocate for mental health awareness.

When she's not locked into writing steamy romance novels about dreamy, flawed hunks and confident female baddies, she spends her free time in cafés, bookstores, and restaurants with top-tier margaritas.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really really wanted to love this book and I do think there is an audience out there that will love this book. It is very hallmark, but in my opinion not in the best way. I feel like the writing was very millennial in a way that made it hard to finish this book. I put it down for a week and then made myself pick it back up. I really did not like Blake. He felt like someone who was trying so hard to be masculine, but it came off cringey and I did not like how he freaked out on Elizabella about his parent situation. I understand conflict, but he was just an actual asshole and I don't think there was enough pages in the book for that to be fully flushed out. Elizabella was fine, but again, I don't think her character was flushed out enough for me to love her and want her and Blake to be together. Words like "fadoodles" were used and I don't know, this book was just not for me. I will read the next book because I do adore M.K. Morris and I would like to see if the writing changes.