What do you think?
Rate this book
Granton University #2
Loving Lies
Tess Simpson absolutely cannot handle seeing anyone suffer. When she volunteers to work as a candy striper after the Granton University school shooting, she is only supposed to coax the amnesiac in room 312 to eat his supper. Yeah right. After learning no one’s come to visit him since he woke from a coma and can’t remember who he is, Tess needs to make him feel loved, ASAP. Telling him she’s his girlfriend isn’t part of her plan, but that’s exactly what blurts from her mouth.
Except one little lie made from the purest of intensions can still rattle the hardest of hearts.
Except one little lie made from the purest of intensions can still rattle the hardest of hearts.
311 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2014
26 people are currently reading
1136 people want to read
About the author
Linda Kage
51 books5,537 followersLinda writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy.
Published since 2010, she first went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children’s literature from The Institute of Children’s Literature, then graduated with a Bachelor's in Arts-English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.
She currently lives with her husband, two daughters, a cat named Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas.
She started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club, then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spencer in high school. Now, she's all over the place with her romance reading tastes.
A few of her favorite things have been:
Stranger Things, Supernatural, Cheers, Teen Wolf, Umbrella Academy, Outlander, Yellowstone, Grey's Anatomy, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Shawshank Redemption, Dirty Dancing, Harry Potter, Tangled, A Walk to Remember, Dr. Pepper, Roast Beef with mashed potatoes and onion rings, the poem "Equipment" by Edgar A. Guest, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Published since 2010, she first went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children’s literature from The Institute of Children’s Literature, then graduated with a Bachelor's in Arts-English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.
She currently lives with her husband, two daughters, a cat named Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas.
She started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club, then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spencer in high school. Now, she's all over the place with her romance reading tastes.
A few of her favorite things have been:
Stranger Things, Supernatural, Cheers, Teen Wolf, Umbrella Academy, Outlander, Yellowstone, Grey's Anatomy, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Shawshank Redemption, Dirty Dancing, Harry Potter, Tangled, A Walk to Remember, Dr. Pepper, Roast Beef with mashed potatoes and onion rings, the poem "Equipment" by Edgar A. Guest, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
September 5, 2014
Genre: YA/NA Romance
Cover: 8/10
Writing: 7/10
Heroine: 4/10
Hero: 7/10
Humour: 1/10
Hotness: 3/10
Romance: 6/10
Extra book Details: Heroine & Hero POV; 3rd person. Can be read as a stand-alone. Approx 350 Kindle pages.
I'm really unsure how to rate this book because I can't put my finger on what I truly did/didn't like....
The heroine was somewhat immature, the story was somewhat well executed, it was kind of NA, it was a little hot.... See what I mean?
I know it felt more of a high school story, the themes of; besties since we were little, suicide, shootings, immature/virgin heroine, volunteering... It all felt like a YA book.
I got bored because I couldn't care for the majority of the tedious conversations with her apparent (and heavily featured) 'best friend', who didn't seem to understand her at all.
I liked the drama it had, when it had it and a few of the sweet moments. That's it.
Cover: 8/10
Writing: 7/10
Heroine: 4/10
Hero: 7/10
Humour: 1/10
Hotness: 3/10
Romance: 6/10
Extra book Details: Heroine & Hero POV; 3rd person. Can be read as a stand-alone. Approx 350 Kindle pages.
I'm really unsure how to rate this book because I can't put my finger on what I truly did/didn't like....
The heroine was somewhat immature, the story was somewhat well executed, it was kind of NA, it was a little hot.... See what I mean?
I know it felt more of a high school story, the themes of; besties since we were little, suicide, shootings, immature/virgin heroine, volunteering... It all felt like a YA book.
I got bored because I couldn't care for the majority of the tedious conversations with her apparent (and heavily featured) 'best friend', who didn't seem to understand her at all.
I liked the drama it had, when it had it and a few of the sweet moments. That's it.
February 21, 2016
I liked this book more than the first book in the series, but I still have my problems with the coincidences in this series. Sometimes it's just too much, but I guess most important is the moral of the story.
“After everything that’s happened, I’d think we’d have learned by now that every second we have is a gift we shouldn’t squander by worrying about things happening too fast. If we have a chance to be happy, then we should grasp it with both hands and hang on tight for as long as it lasts.”
I liked Tess and Jonah. They are cute, innocent and cheesy. But it worked for me :)
“Because you’re the first boyfriend I ever had, and —wait. It is okay to call you my boyfriend, right?” He blinked. Had she really just asked that? “Yeah. Yes. My God, Tess. I hope so.”
As he paused at the passenger side of his truck, he lifted her knuckles to his mouth for a quick appreciative kiss before he opened her door for her. And he loved that she was so short; it gave him the perfect excuse to grasp her waist and lift her up into the cab so she didn’t have to try to crawl in by way of the running board.
But I really loved Bailey and her friendship with Tess.
No way was Tess abandoning her. Best friends just didn’t do that. When one went on a super-crazy mission, like stalking a complete stranger outside a college building, the other was obligated to stupidly follow along out of pure loving loyalty.
But back to the main story. I would like to summarise it with Bailey's words:
“He lied. You lied. There’s… stuff…that’s kept you apart. Why isn’t one of you mad, or hurt, or really freaking confused right about now? Personally, I’m riding the confused train over here. But, no, you two just look happy to see each other, which makes no sense. You spent, what, five days together, lying to each other, before you went your separate ways. That’s not enough time for—” she waved her hand, motioning between them “—this.”
“After everything that’s happened, I’d think we’d have learned by now that every second we have is a gift we shouldn’t squander by worrying about things happening too fast. If we have a chance to be happy, then we should grasp it with both hands and hang on tight for as long as it lasts.”
I liked Tess and Jonah. They are cute, innocent and cheesy. But it worked for me :)
“Because you’re the first boyfriend I ever had, and —wait. It is okay to call you my boyfriend, right?” He blinked. Had she really just asked that? “Yeah. Yes. My God, Tess. I hope so.”
As he paused at the passenger side of his truck, he lifted her knuckles to his mouth for a quick appreciative kiss before he opened her door for her. And he loved that she was so short; it gave him the perfect excuse to grasp her waist and lift her up into the cab so she didn’t have to try to crawl in by way of the running board.
But I really loved Bailey and her friendship with Tess.
No way was Tess abandoning her. Best friends just didn’t do that. When one went on a super-crazy mission, like stalking a complete stranger outside a college building, the other was obligated to stupidly follow along out of pure loving loyalty.
But back to the main story. I would like to summarise it with Bailey's words:
“He lied. You lied. There’s… stuff…that’s kept you apart. Why isn’t one of you mad, or hurt, or really freaking confused right about now? Personally, I’m riding the confused train over here. But, no, you two just look happy to see each other, which makes no sense. You spent, what, five days together, lying to each other, before you went your separate ways. That’s not enough time for—” she waved her hand, motioning between them “—this.”
November 9, 2017
5 Stars!
‚Loving Lies‘ is the second book of Linda Kage’s Granton University series. It starts right after the end of ‘Fighting Fate’.
Paige’s friend Tess gets her own story when she’s going to meet Jonah, a boy who had fallen into a coma and has no memory after he finally wakes up. Tess is a girl who wants to help every poor soul crossing her path. So she ends up lying to the lonely, broody and angry Jonah about being his girlfriend.
What begins with a little lie to make him feel better, ends with Tess falling for the boy who is way out of her league (so she thinks).
Tess visits Jonah every day in the hospital. Every of this visits is intense and so heartwarming. I enjoyed this part of the book the most. These two form a bond you don’t want fate to break.
They are attracted to each other from the start. But I don’t want to call this insta love. I can understand why they are so much feelings developing in such a short amount of time. This never felt rushed to me.
Their story is heartbreaking. Not as heartbreaking as the first book but it wasn’t a light read at all. Jonah was a great guy and it was easy to fall in love with him alongside Tess. He’s not perfect. There are a lot of dark things going on. But Tess is all the light he needs to help him recover from the tragedies in his life.
Tess’ best friend Bailey was the greatest sidekick. This girl rocks! I hope we’ll get her story anytime soon.
Linda Kage is the best when it comes to new adult.
‚Loving Lies‘ is the second book of Linda Kage’s Granton University series. It starts right after the end of ‘Fighting Fate’.
Paige’s friend Tess gets her own story when she’s going to meet Jonah, a boy who had fallen into a coma and has no memory after he finally wakes up. Tess is a girl who wants to help every poor soul crossing her path. So she ends up lying to the lonely, broody and angry Jonah about being his girlfriend.
What begins with a little lie to make him feel better, ends with Tess falling for the boy who is way out of her league (so she thinks).
Tess visits Jonah every day in the hospital. Every of this visits is intense and so heartwarming. I enjoyed this part of the book the most. These two form a bond you don’t want fate to break.
They are attracted to each other from the start. But I don’t want to call this insta love. I can understand why they are so much feelings developing in such a short amount of time. This never felt rushed to me.
Their story is heartbreaking. Not as heartbreaking as the first book but it wasn’t a light read at all. Jonah was a great guy and it was easy to fall in love with him alongside Tess. He’s not perfect. There are a lot of dark things going on. But Tess is all the light he needs to help him recover from the tragedies in his life.
Tess’ best friend Bailey was the greatest sidekick. This girl rocks! I hope we’ll get her story anytime soon.
Linda Kage is the best when it comes to new adult.
September 9, 2014
"2.5 Disappointing Stars
Set immediately after the school shooting in Book 1, Tess and her bestie Bailey offer to volunteer at the local hospital to help out with the patients that have been injured. Tess gets tasked with helping out the shouty patient in room 312, he's refusing to eat and it's her job to cajole him into doing so. He has amnesia, but nobody has claimed him - no visits or enquires at all.
Tess is shy and somewhat immature virgin, who has been sheltered pretty much her whole life, by both her father and her best friend. She gets flustered by the hot guy in the bed and so accidentally tells him she is his girlfriend.
Jonah doesn't remember anything, he knows something doesn't feel right about the girl claiming to be his girlfriend but he doesn't really mind, he'll take what's on offer.
I actually enjoyed the first half of this book but then things started to annoy me. A lot of the book is focused on the relationship between Tess and Bailey, far too much I thought because I truly couldn't give a flying shit about her best friend, she wasn't a particularly likeable character. She treated Tess like her kid sister and in my opinion was very narcissistic.
Tess and Jonah only really knew each other for 5 days and they were 'in love' and pining for each other during their time apart. This book read like a YA, not the normal NA that I have come to expect from a Linda Kage book. Unfortunately the next book is about Bailey, I won't write it off yet but it had better be bloody good or I'm going to seriously sulk like a 5 year old."
Set immediately after the school shooting in Book 1, Tess and her bestie Bailey offer to volunteer at the local hospital to help out with the patients that have been injured. Tess gets tasked with helping out the shouty patient in room 312, he's refusing to eat and it's her job to cajole him into doing so. He has amnesia, but nobody has claimed him - no visits or enquires at all.
Tess is shy and somewhat immature virgin, who has been sheltered pretty much her whole life, by both her father and her best friend. She gets flustered by the hot guy in the bed and so accidentally tells him she is his girlfriend.
Jonah doesn't remember anything, he knows something doesn't feel right about the girl claiming to be his girlfriend but he doesn't really mind, he'll take what's on offer.
I actually enjoyed the first half of this book but then things started to annoy me. A lot of the book is focused on the relationship between Tess and Bailey, far too much I thought because I truly couldn't give a flying shit about her best friend, she wasn't a particularly likeable character. She treated Tess like her kid sister and in my opinion was very narcissistic.
Tess and Jonah only really knew each other for 5 days and they were 'in love' and pining for each other during their time apart. This book read like a YA, not the normal NA that I have come to expect from a Linda Kage book. Unfortunately the next book is about Bailey, I won't write it off yet but it had better be bloody good or I'm going to seriously sulk like a 5 year old."
August 15, 2023
This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.
Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️🦸🏻♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨
First Impressions
Loving Lies is the second installment in the "Granton University" series and this is one of this author's first series and I have been meaning to work my way through her backlist. This has been a trilogy I have been wanting to get to for quite some time. After the first book, I really couldn't wait but to step inside this one. I was very impressed with this one, and definitely had Linda Kage's balance of humor and emotion that she portrays so talently. Loving Lies was so intriguing in the set up especially as we are dealing with the after effects of a shooting. I would say if you are triggered by such events, to be aware before picking this one up. Loving Lies is a story of secrets from all avenues, its a instant love attraction but takes time for our couple to truly find their way together and delivers in all the swoony feels.
First Line
It was a good day to be a good person.
The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Jonah Abbott
Jonah is suffering from Amnesia after being shot by the boy we know as "Einstein". He is thoughtful and a bit of a grouch. But lights up when Tess is near.
The Heroine: Tess Simpson
Tess is bright and bubbly and beyond sweet. She is more of a follower than a leader. But is coming into her own and finding her own path of strength and forging ahead.
Summary
Tess Simpson has a kinda and caring heart and she suffers when she sees others suffer. When she drags her best friend with her to volunteer to work at the hospital, she hears of a amnesiac who is alone, has no one that has visited him. When she visits him, there is an instant attraction between the two. And even though Jonah senses that she is lying to him, he plays along with her game. He doesn't trust easily and when his memory returns, he wants to know if she is out there to deceive him or if she is real. When the truth comes out on who Jonah truly is though, he is caught in a horrible scandal that was unknowingly brought by Tess. Even though Tess had honest good intentions it went completely wrong. And now she is determined to find her way back to him despite the rumors that he was part of the bullies of Einstein. And when Jonah and Tess find their way together amidst the drama and chaos, they find a love worth fighting for and where healing can truly begin for both of them...
What I Loved
Loving Lies is a breathtaking romance that will take your heart by storm. I honestly couldn't get enough of this one here. I just wanted so much for this couple to find their way and they most definitely do and its delightful. There was so much charm and delights to this book especiall in the early chapters with Jonah and Tess. And I found it hilarious how Tess gets so nervous around hot men and how she just verbally stumbles. I knew this lie would get her and it does haha But in a different way than you would expect. The ways in which this couple finds their way back to each other was so fun and while it was a bit of a emotional road, the author really guides the reader through the angst and trial and to the glorious swoons. I absolutely loved the third act, it was everything I could have hoped for and more. I just want to live in their moments together. And seeing Jonah find healing and a solid HEA was very well balanced with the story.
What I Struggled With
I didn't really struggle with anything in here to be honest. I felt like everything was done just right.
Overall View
Loving Lies is a stunning portrayal of love and loss, of redemption and healing, and forging your own path that matches your heart...
Favorite Quote(s)
After everything that’s happened, I’d think we’d have learned by now that every second we have is a gift we shouldn’t squander by worrying about things happening too fast. If we have a chance to be happy, then we should grasp it with both hands and hang on tight for as long as it lasts
Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Character Types: College Student, Athlete
Themes: Football
Tropes: Opposites Attract, Amnesia, Grumpy Sunshine, Instant Love Connection
Book Perspective
Duo POV
Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
a blend of both
Song This Book Inspires
All Out of Love by Air Supply
Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes read in order if you can
Steam/Spice Explanations
Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.
September 12, 2014
3.5 Stars
Note: It's important to read book 1, Fighting Fate first as this book, Loving Lies, is heavily based off events that play out in the first story.
--------------------------
I quite enjoyed this story so much more than Fighting Fate. In Loving Lies, we get to learn more about Jonah Abbott and Tess. This story also answered lingering questions I had from the first story.
But what I really liked the most about this story, was the concept of how these two main characters meet and how things play out from their initial face-to-face meeting.
Tess and Jonah officially meet in the hospital where he can't remember a thing, at first, and she uses her "stupid gene" to blurt out she's his girlfriend. We also get to see more into the dynamics of Tess and her best friend, and suite-mate, Bailey. Paige and Logan, from Fighting Fate, are also in this story a little bit however, it's Bailey and Jonah who play a heavy part in Tess' life.
I liked how events from the first book played into this story and how so many things we THOUGHT we knew...were not as what they seemed; at. all. There were some twits and twisted twists that I liked about this book and I really enjoyed how it all came together.
This story definitely kept my interest until the very end and never made me want to skip to the end to cheat. My only two issues with the story were: the steamy scenes. Yeah, it really did nothing for me and I felt like it just didn't add much, in my opinion, to the story. My other issue was with something Jonah does at the end in a "heroic" move. I felt that it was something that wasn't completely believable. Otherwise, I liked this one leaps and bounds over this first story.
I can't wait to read more about Bailey and that darn Cowboy she is forever trying to find. I wish we had a little more cowboy sitings in this story.
Note: It's important to read book 1, Fighting Fate first as this book, Loving Lies, is heavily based off events that play out in the first story.
--------------------------
I quite enjoyed this story so much more than Fighting Fate. In Loving Lies, we get to learn more about Jonah Abbott and Tess. This story also answered lingering questions I had from the first story.
But what I really liked the most about this story, was the concept of how these two main characters meet and how things play out from their initial face-to-face meeting.
Tess and Jonah officially meet in the hospital where he can't remember a thing, at first, and she uses her "stupid gene" to blurt out she's his girlfriend. We also get to see more into the dynamics of Tess and her best friend, and suite-mate, Bailey. Paige and Logan, from Fighting Fate, are also in this story a little bit however, it's Bailey and Jonah who play a heavy part in Tess' life.
I liked how events from the first book played into this story and how so many things we THOUGHT we knew...were not as what they seemed; at. all. There were some twits and twisted twists that I liked about this book and I really enjoyed how it all came together.
This story definitely kept my interest until the very end and never made me want to skip to the end to cheat. My only two issues with the story were: the steamy scenes. Yeah, it really did nothing for me and I felt like it just didn't add much, in my opinion, to the story. My other issue was with something Jonah does at the end in a "heroic" move. I felt that it was something that wasn't completely believable. Otherwise, I liked this one leaps and bounds over this first story.
I can't wait to read more about Bailey and that darn Cowboy she is forever trying to find. I wish we had a little more cowboy sitings in this story.
September 17, 2014
Rating Clarification: 3.5 stars
I enjoyed the book I just didn't love it the way I loved the first one. I felt like there was a bit of insta-love going on or at the very least insta-lust and I'm not a big fan of insta-love. Plus, I didn't think Jonah and Tess had a lot of chemistry. Then there was the fact that they . Hence, my apprehension when at the end of the book they were . I would have loved to see more of their relationship together, I felt like we didn't get enough of that.
P.S. sorry for all the spoilers but I just need to say these things.
I enjoyed the book I just didn't love it the way I loved the first one. I felt like there was a bit of insta-love going on or at the very least insta-lust and I'm not a big fan of insta-love. Plus, I didn't think Jonah and Tess had a lot of chemistry. Then there was the fact that they . Hence, my apprehension when at the end of the book they were . I would have loved to see more of their relationship together, I felt like we didn't get enough of that.
P.S. sorry for all the spoilers but I just need to say these things.
September 7, 2014
It took me a while to get into this book. At first there is too much interaction with Tess and her best friend Bailey than with Tess and Jonah.
The book starts straight after the school shooting in book 1. Tess and Bailey are volunteering at the hospital where some of those injured in the shooting are being treated. One of the injured is Jonah Abbot but Tess learns from the Nurses that nobody has been to visit him. He has amnesia. Tess is a shy virgin and gets flustered around good looking guys so when she sees handsome Jonah is suffering and lonely and he questions who she is she blurts out she's his girlfriend. Now I did expect the 'fake' girlfriend scenario to last longer than it did. Yes they make a connection during that time but it's only 5 days before all is revealed and Jonah says something to hurt Tess but that's because he doesn't think he's good enough for her.
The couple are then apart for quite a bit of the book but we get both their POV's and both are pining for each other. The timeline was confusing at times. They meet in January then reconnect in May but we are told they have been apart for two months?!. In that time Jonah has moved in with his dead best friend's boyfriend, Aubrey. I did find it odd with all Jonah's injuries that Aubrey allowed Jonah to sleep on the sofa while he had the bedroom? How did the same nail polish stay on Tess's fingernails for two months?! Picky I know but I found a lot of the plot far fetched and then it became very predictable a bit like the previous novel. Also, Jonah's past with his parents is not fully explored. Would they really abandon their son in that way? A lot of the parents in this authors novels are always completely vile!
I do like this authors writing style but I find she uses similar themes in her series. Jonah was quite similar to Logan from book one whereas he felt guilt and wanted to redeem himself. It sounds like I didn't enjoy it but it did pick up for me and I did enjoy it but it's not as good as some of this authors books. The next book will feature Bailey and I presume her 'Cowboy'?!
This is not wholly romantic, it deals more with 'issues' (bulllying, parental death, abusive parent).
The book starts straight after the school shooting in book 1. Tess and Bailey are volunteering at the hospital where some of those injured in the shooting are being treated. One of the injured is Jonah Abbot but Tess learns from the Nurses that nobody has been to visit him. He has amnesia. Tess is a shy virgin and gets flustered around good looking guys so when she sees handsome Jonah is suffering and lonely and he questions who she is she blurts out she's his girlfriend. Now I did expect the 'fake' girlfriend scenario to last longer than it did. Yes they make a connection during that time but it's only 5 days before all is revealed and Jonah says something to hurt Tess but that's because he doesn't think he's good enough for her.
The couple are then apart for quite a bit of the book but we get both their POV's and both are pining for each other. The timeline was confusing at times. They meet in January then reconnect in May but we are told they have been apart for two months?!. In that time Jonah has moved in with his dead best friend's boyfriend, Aubrey. I did find it odd with all Jonah's injuries that Aubrey allowed Jonah to sleep on the sofa while he had the bedroom? How did the same nail polish stay on Tess's fingernails for two months?! Picky I know but I found a lot of the plot far fetched and then it became very predictable a bit like the previous novel. Also, Jonah's past with his parents is not fully explored. Would they really abandon their son in that way? A lot of the parents in this authors novels are always completely vile!
I do like this authors writing style but I find she uses similar themes in her series. Jonah was quite similar to Logan from book one whereas he felt guilt and wanted to redeem himself. It sounds like I didn't enjoy it but it did pick up for me and I did enjoy it but it's not as good as some of this authors books. The next book will feature Bailey and I presume her 'Cowboy'?!
This is not wholly romantic, it deals more with 'issues' (bulllying, parental death, abusive parent).
September 3, 2014
I admit reading the blurb, I was pretty iffy, because if you know my reading styles, I hate secrets.
Secrets is what ruins a lot of relationships, and just brings up a bunch of unnecessary drama.
But I had to keep in mind that Linda Kage is an amazing writer, and I'm sure she'll be able to make it work.. haha no pressure on future projects.
And yeah, I really enjoyed this book. It gives second chance a whole new meaning. The second chance books I usually read about couples who break up, and then get back together. Well this series' so far, has a totally different aspect of second chances.
Jonah wakes up in the hospital with amnesia. He wakes up with no one welcoming him back from the dead, he's completely alone. He's heart-broken that no one was there for him, during one of the most confusing times in his life.
Tessa is one of those girls who can't stand seeing someone so helpless. Being a volunteer at the hospital she was assigned to Jonah since no one wants to deal with his anger. Tessa goes in with a plan of being a friend coming to visit Jonah, that way he wouldn't feel so alone. Due to Tessa's stupid gene towards hot guys, she accidentally blurts out that Jonah is her boyfriend.
This series' really deals with how to handle guilt. Sometimes 'mistakes' are looked over, and the person is redeemable. A second chance in life.
I can't wait for Bailey's book, she was a great friend, and great character overall.
March 28, 2014
I want this book to be unleashed on the world. It's too good. I love it. Linda! Where is it?
May 2, 2020
I'd have to re-read the first book since I don't recall who the fuck Paige and Logan were.
It starts with Tess (Contessa Anabelle Simpson, to be exact), our formulaic sheltered innocent virgin girl who drags her best friend, Bailey to volunteer at the hospital that houses victims of a recent mass-school shooting.
Tess gets the 'unfortunate' job of taming the beast of an amnesiac patient in room 312 who won't eat his food and Bailey gets trolley duty. He's been shot, plus no one's been visiting the poor boy. If that isn't initiative to be more sympathetic, then what is? Tess goes in expecting, what? a thin, frail, dork of a guy,with glasses maybe, and a big nose stretched across a face full of acne.Lo and behold! Our patient is a hot piece of meat.
Tess's brain short-circuits and she blurts that she's his girlfriend. Why? Because hot guys make her nervous,thus rendering her incapable of logical and rational thought, that's why.
Really, of ALL things. His girlfriend.
She then vows to find his family and friends and help him rejog his memory. But of course, she leaves him asking more questions and much more frustrated than before. And so exerts her inner Veronica Mars and does some research on amnesia boy, Jonah. After finding out that he's a hella good athlete (who didn't see that coming?!), she goes to his home after some extra sleuthing since the address he's given in the school directory was false. We find out why is it that Jonah isn't having anyone visiting him, nor is he keen on being related to the people who raised him.
Our moping broken bird of a hunk hero looks so lost, sad and forlorn that Tess,being the ever compassionate, kind and understanding human being that she is, decides to keep up with the charade. We get told time and time again that our sweet Tess abhors lying, and yet she does so. Why?
He's a poor sad baby that needs someone to love him. :( :( :( That's why.
凸(-0-メ)
Bailey, being the sensible stock-character of a best friend questions Tess's motives. Why? she asks Tess. Because, Tess replies, He's a Poor Sad Baby that Needs Someone to Love Him™. Of course, days go by as she visits him more often, and we do get our main characters making a connection surpassing lust. Both Tess and Jonah are convinced that they're totally suited for each other, with Jonah thinking he's just reconnecting with a girlfriend he had forgotten, and Tess having her guilt eating at her. And she still can't bring herself to tell Jonah the truth.
We hit the turning point in which Tess and Co. has a revelation as to how Jonah come to play a part in the mass-shooting.
Thinking that she could make things better, Tess goes to Jonah's coach to try get the team to visit Jonah because, you know, teammate support and love, all that stuff.
Tess goes into denial the second time round. How could this be? How could this happen? D: D: D:
Tess goes into a bitch-fit.
During the period of completely stupid misunderstandings did both Tess and Jonah mope about, being emo. Tess going Twilight's Bella Who Has Lost Edward mode.
*cue All By Myself by Céline Dion*
Of course, we get the applied phlebotinum that's a grief-release love-letter written by Jonah that gets stolen and handed to Tess to read.
Tess, being so overwhelmed by his proclamations of undying love and heart-squeezing confession, takes off to find him so they get together with make-up sex and run off into the sunset hand-in-hand.
And they did just that.
50 or so pages left; I dropped it.
My take-away from this 'new-adult' novel was no character-development and no sympathy for any of the characters with the exception of Bailey, I found her slightly charming and tolerable. We didn't get to delve into Jonah's past and learn more about him other than him being the standard misunderstood hero who needs his mary-sue heroine to nurse him.
Tess and Jonah's attraction for each other was so strong that they hit third-base in a span of 5-6 days? Bullet-train speed here. Tess goes red-faced every time anything inherently sexual was brought up. Girl, you've been lying that you're his girlfriend. Of course, he's gonna ask if he had exacted his boyfriend privileges. She is so nerve-wrackingly besotted with
Tess went from meh to immature ninny the moment she forgoed telling the truth.
I had a hard time believing that Tess's love for Jonah was genuine.
Any 'issues' Loving Lies tries to deal with are almost nil. I suppose the only thing worth mentioning that shows some semblance of 'hardship' the characters had to go through was the extremely short part whereas Jonah overcomes his fear of being unable to walk again. But it got glossed over. One chapter he was bedridden and the next he was in crutches.
Thanks to the magical power of love that has taken the form of Tess.
November 2, 2015
This book can be read as a standalone but it's much better if you read Fighting Fate first. It begins in the aftermath of the events from that book.
I thought the idea that Tess pretends to be the girlfriend of a HOT patient with amnesia was fun. I actually liked it. Of course, you know things will get bumpy when his memory returns. I was surprised when I too fell in love with Jonah. I really liked having Paige and Logan being in this book since they were such an awesome couple.This was a sweet little love story and I definitely enjoyed it. But I LOVED Fighting Fate. Looking forward to the third Granton University book...which is Bailey's story!
I thought the idea that Tess pretends to be the girlfriend of a HOT patient with amnesia was fun. I actually liked it. Of course, you know things will get bumpy when his memory returns. I was surprised when I too fell in love with Jonah. I really liked having Paige and Logan being in this book since they were such an awesome couple.This was a sweet little love story and I definitely enjoyed it. But I LOVED Fighting Fate. Looking forward to the third Granton University book...which is Bailey's story!
April 7, 2015
Liked but didn't love. There were just too many parallels to the pervious book. It didn't feel truly original. I did like both of the MC and I'm looking forward to Bailey's book. I hope she gets he cowboy!
October 22, 2025
The story started promissing but soon deflated into a mediocre cliché...
December 10, 2014
2.5 Stars.
About This Book:
Jonah wakes up in the hospital from a coma only to discover he was one of the victims of a mass shooting in his college. Tess is volunteering at the same hospital when she overhears that the patient in room 312 has had no one come to claim him as friend or family. Tess is a very sympathetic, caring person so she decides to soothe him by making him feeling cared for. But she has this little problem you see, her brain turns into jello in the presence of guys she's attracted to and she ends up blurting out things she doesn't really want to say. Needless to say, instead of claiming to be a concerned classmate, Tess blurts out to Jonah that she's his girlfriend. Yeah...you can probably already guess where this is going.
At first Jonah's like
And then when she tells him she's his girlfriend he's like
Lol, not really. There was a lot more angst involved but I just wanted to use those gifs. :)
If only the story were that simple...
My Thoughts:
- I have not read the first book. The pervious couple do make many appearances in this book but it works fine as a standalone.
- I enjoyed this book but I just feel like it could have been better if it was shaved off a little.
- At first I thought Tess was going to be a take-no-shits, confident heroine but she turned out to be the total opposite! I was a little disappointed. I don't really like reading about heroines who are so damn innocent, who blush and gasp so much, who are easily scandalized, like at one point Tess actually referred to sex as "the S word." That, along with the heroine's sometimes immaturity, made this book feel more like a YA novel than a NA one.
- It was a little heavy on the angst for my taste, the H/h only know each other for a week but one separation and their worlds are officially over. It was full on emoville up in here. Jonah and Tess were seriously like
Overall, it was an interesting story. I enjoyed the second half better, after they clear the air and get over stupid misunderstandings. I am a little curious about Bailey's cowboy, though. ;)
________________________
Pet Peeves:
Cheating?
Love triangle?
Other woman/man?
About This Book:
Jonah wakes up in the hospital from a coma only to discover he was one of the victims of a mass shooting in his college. Tess is volunteering at the same hospital when she overhears that the patient in room 312 has had no one come to claim him as friend or family. Tess is a very sympathetic, caring person so she decides to soothe him by making him feeling cared for. But she has this little problem you see, her brain turns into jello in the presence of guys she's attracted to and she ends up blurting out things she doesn't really want to say. Needless to say, instead of claiming to be a concerned classmate, Tess blurts out to Jonah that she's his girlfriend. Yeah...you can probably already guess where this is going.
At first Jonah's like
And then when she tells him she's his girlfriend he's like
Lol, not really. There was a lot more angst involved but I just wanted to use those gifs. :)
If only the story were that simple...
My Thoughts:
- I have not read the first book. The pervious couple do make many appearances in this book but it works fine as a standalone.
- I enjoyed this book but I just feel like it could have been better if it was shaved off a little.
- At first I thought Tess was going to be a take-no-shits, confident heroine but she turned out to be the total opposite! I was a little disappointed. I don't really like reading about heroines who are so damn innocent, who blush and gasp so much, who are easily scandalized, like at one point Tess actually referred to sex as "the S word." That, along with the heroine's sometimes immaturity, made this book feel more like a YA novel than a NA one.
- It was a little heavy on the angst for my taste, the H/h only know each other for a week but one separation and their worlds are officially over. It was full on emoville up in here. Jonah and Tess were seriously like
Overall, it was an interesting story. I enjoyed the second half better, after they clear the air and get over stupid misunderstandings. I am a little curious about Bailey's cowboy, though. ;)
________________________
Pet Peeves:
Cheating?
Love triangle?
Other woman/man?
February 12, 2015
4.5 stars, it' just this close from 5 stars.
I guess it's because I was expecting a bit more drama with society and Jonah. But he actually live his life pretty well, not that I'm not happy with it because honest; I do, with no malice from others and I'm pretty disappointed because I look forward to that.
Tess is your real life goody-two-shoes. She can't see people suffer, that's why she volunteers on helping the victim of Granton University shooting. When she finds out there's a patient with no family or friends visiting him, plus he can't remember himself (yep, amnesia), Tess determined to cheer him up. But she didn't expect the patient to be so handsome! Caught off guard, she blurted a lie. Jonah's confused. He can't remember anything, but when a pretty readhead girl came into his room, claimed to be his girlfriend, he knows that his life will never be the same.
I loved how real this book feels, that I can't help to feel sympathy towards Jonah and what he's been through. Linda Kage's style of writing never cease to amaze me. I'm drowning in this book right after it starts. I didn't even realize that this book is an installment of Granton Uni series, because it's been a while since I read book one, Fighting Fate.
I cried a lot, because of Jonah mostly. Because he's such a good man with an unfortunate life. I'm proud that after what happened in his life, he still manage to be a good and gentle man. He treated Tess with care and even though I kind of dislike the insta-love (they only met for few times before they fell in love), I really think that he can make Tess happy.
Overall, this book is beautiful! I just need a better closure in Jonah's side. I want more about the TV thing, because personally I think it's not enough. Look forward to read another Linda Kage's books!!
I guess it's because I was expecting a bit more drama with society and Jonah. But he actually live his life pretty well, not that I'm not happy with it because honest; I do, with no malice from others and I'm pretty disappointed because I look forward to that.
Tess is your real life goody-two-shoes. She can't see people suffer, that's why she volunteers on helping the victim of Granton University shooting. When she finds out there's a patient with no family or friends visiting him, plus he can't remember himself (yep, amnesia), Tess determined to cheer him up. But she didn't expect the patient to be so handsome! Caught off guard, she blurted a lie. Jonah's confused. He can't remember anything, but when a pretty readhead girl came into his room, claimed to be his girlfriend, he knows that his life will never be the same.
I loved how real this book feels, that I can't help to feel sympathy towards Jonah and what he's been through. Linda Kage's style of writing never cease to amaze me. I'm drowning in this book right after it starts. I didn't even realize that this book is an installment of Granton Uni series, because it's been a while since I read book one, Fighting Fate.
I cried a lot, because of Jonah mostly. Because he's such a good man with an unfortunate life. I'm proud that after what happened in his life, he still manage to be a good and gentle man. He treated Tess with care and even though I kind of dislike the insta-love (they only met for few times before they fell in love), I really think that he can make Tess happy.
Overall, this book is beautiful! I just need a better closure in Jonah's side. I want more about the TV thing, because personally I think it's not enough. Look forward to read another Linda Kage's books!!
July 4, 2016
This was a sweet, angsty read. Tess, our heroine pretends to be Jonah's girlfriend because no one has come to visit him since he arrived at the hospital. This leads to some cute and sweet scenes between the two. However, once the truth is revealed (on both sides) is when we get our angst. Not a great deal of angst but enough to have me wince.
Overall, a very good story and a sweet romance.
Linda Kage has yet to write the 3rd book in the series, which will be about Bailey and I assume, her cowboy but right now she doesn't have any idea when she will write that book, per her tweet back to me the other day. Well, Linda, please, soon! :)
Overall, a very good story and a sweet romance.
Linda Kage has yet to write the 3rd book in the series, which will be about Bailey and I assume, her cowboy but right now she doesn't have any idea when she will write that book, per her tweet back to me the other day. Well, Linda, please, soon! :)
December 9, 2014
I had such high hopes for this book but sadly I'm a little disappointed. I liked the characters but I really hated the while insta-love thing that happened between Jonah and Tess. I mean seriously after one week they realized they were madly in love with each other (seriously) and to top it off the spent more time apart than actually together. I also got sick of Tess and Bailey's (her BF) relationship....I think it took up half the book. This was just an ok read for me.
October 21, 2016
RATING: 2.5 Hearts
July 18, 2022
Absolutely loved this book! It was sweet, it made me laugh repeatedly, and I couldn't stop reading it.
(I wasn't crazy about all the cussing and there were some steamy scenes, so therefore I gave it a 4 star rating.)
I didn't read the first book in this series, but it made no difference to the plot, nor did I feel like I was missing pieces which made things difficult to understand. Every character was so well-thought-out and believable as I was reading, that I found myself wanting more and more! The love story was so intense, but there was nothing fanatical about it, it just made sense start to finish. Even the secondary characters were great and genuinely have me wanting to read the rest of their stories. I haven't read a book this good in a long time and as I write this I'm thinking about how fun it's going to be to read again. Easy 4 stars!
(I wasn't crazy about all the cussing and there were some steamy scenes, so therefore I gave it a 4 star rating.)
I didn't read the first book in this series, but it made no difference to the plot, nor did I feel like I was missing pieces which made things difficult to understand. Every character was so well-thought-out and believable as I was reading, that I found myself wanting more and more! The love story was so intense, but there was nothing fanatical about it, it just made sense start to finish. Even the secondary characters were great and genuinely have me wanting to read the rest of their stories. I haven't read a book this good in a long time and as I write this I'm thinking about how fun it's going to be to read again. Easy 4 stars!
February 3, 2021
*
Read more of my reviews at Whoo Gives A Hoot
*
REVIEW COMING SOON!
REVIEW COMING SOON!
September 19, 2017
DNF 25%
Didn't hate it or anything, but I found myself skipping pages... so I dropped it.
Didn't hate it or anything, but I found myself skipping pages... so I dropped it.
December 28, 2014
I absolutely loved this book. I don't say that a lot but this book got me right in the feels.
This book is about Tess, our heroine and candy striper, pretending to be Jonah's (our hero and resident amnesiac) girlfriend because she feels that someone should show that they care about him. He has no idea who he is and that itself is very frustrating. Add in three bullet wounds and the associated pain with them and you have a very crabby man who lashes out in a sad attempt to relieve his own stress, anger, and pain.
Tess is a freshman at Granton University and Jonah is a junior. Tess volunteers at the local hospital as a candy striper and her first task is to help the amnesiac eat as he stubbornly refuses to do so. She walks in, sans candy striper apron, to convince him to eat. Then her "stupid gene" kicks in and the next thing we know she's his girlfriend. Jonah is suspicious at first then embraces the idea of a girlfriend wholeheartedly. make sure you have a box of tissues at hand because there are some very emotional scenes in this book.
I won't spoil the entire book for you but this is a must read. The characters are engaging and grow so much that it is astonishing. This book shows how split-second judgments can have such long term effects.
Loving Lies deals with the difficulty of trying to live up to the stereotypes society forces on us, the feeling of guilt when there is nothing to be guilty of, and the feeling of loss that is associated with this type of event .
This is an amazing story with a lot of subtext to it. Everyone needs to read this book.
This book is about Tess, our heroine and candy striper, pretending to be Jonah's (our hero and resident amnesiac) girlfriend because she feels that someone should show that they care about him. He has no idea who he is and that itself is very frustrating. Add in three bullet wounds and the associated pain with them and you have a very crabby man who lashes out in a sad attempt to relieve his own stress, anger, and pain.
Tess is a freshman at Granton University and Jonah is a junior. Tess volunteers at the local hospital as a candy striper and her first task is to help the amnesiac eat as he stubbornly refuses to do so. She walks in, sans candy striper apron, to convince him to eat. Then her "stupid gene" kicks in and the next thing we know she's his girlfriend. Jonah is suspicious at first then embraces the idea of a girlfriend wholeheartedly. make sure you have a box of tissues at hand because there are some very emotional scenes in this book.
I won't spoil the entire book for you but this is a must read. The characters are engaging and grow so much that it is astonishing. This book shows how split-second judgments can have such long term effects.
Loving Lies deals with the difficulty of trying to live up to the stereotypes society forces on us, the feeling of guilt when there is nothing to be guilty of, and the feeling of loss that is associated with this type of event .
This is an amazing story with a lot of subtext to it. Everyone needs to read this book.
September 6, 2014
Grief and guilt are heavy throughout this next book in the Granton University series. The aftermath of the mass school shooting from Fighting Fate is the backdrop of Loving Lies.
In the first book Jonah Abbott was thought to be one of bullies tormenting the guy who ended up shooting and killing so many on campus including himself and his best friend who he watched die right before his eyes. Jonah’s childhood and the truth about how he was connected to the shooter were both shocking and heartbreaking.
Tessa is a suitemate in the college dorm of Paige’s from the first book. Her roommate is Bailey who is really the only humorous part in the book. Tessa is a sweet soul. She doesn’t have a tragic childhood she needs to overcome as a lot of the characters in a Linda Kage book usually do. When she see one of the shooting victims (Jonah) at the hospital she and Bailey are volunteering at throwing a fit and finds out he has amnesia and no one has come to visit him in the two weeks since the shooting she drawn into his room and pretends she is his girlfriend.
Their scenes while he was still in the hospital were so touching. This is where it hit me where the title of the book came from. They were both lying to the other but it was done lovingly – and if you say yeah but a lie is a lie – you’d have to read the book to understand.
I loved how as the book went on a the author slowly revealed more about what really happened before the shooting and how so many of the characters were inadvertently connected and how some of the things we thought from the first book were not what really happened.
Love this series and Bailey was a powerful force through this book and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for her in the next book.
In the first book Jonah Abbott was thought to be one of bullies tormenting the guy who ended up shooting and killing so many on campus including himself and his best friend who he watched die right before his eyes. Jonah’s childhood and the truth about how he was connected to the shooter were both shocking and heartbreaking.
Tessa is a suitemate in the college dorm of Paige’s from the first book. Her roommate is Bailey who is really the only humorous part in the book. Tessa is a sweet soul. She doesn’t have a tragic childhood she needs to overcome as a lot of the characters in a Linda Kage book usually do. When she see one of the shooting victims (Jonah) at the hospital she and Bailey are volunteering at throwing a fit and finds out he has amnesia and no one has come to visit him in the two weeks since the shooting she drawn into his room and pretends she is his girlfriend.
Their scenes while he was still in the hospital were so touching. This is where it hit me where the title of the book came from. They were both lying to the other but it was done lovingly – and if you say yeah but a lie is a lie – you’d have to read the book to understand.
I loved how as the book went on a the author slowly revealed more about what really happened before the shooting and how so many of the characters were inadvertently connected and how some of the things we thought from the first book were not what really happened.
Love this series and Bailey was a powerful force through this book and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for her in the next book.
September 2, 2014
Can I just say… Linda’s books are like a Beyonce song. They’re “Flawless”!
You might’ve read about my #LindaKageWeek I had about a month ago where I read almost every one of her books in one week. Yea, I’m that obsessed with this chick. She writes book and book that I just loooooove, and I mean LOOOOOVE. They make me all giddy and happy, then shocked next, then back to smiley and blushing, and then leave me crying. They all make me shed tears, sad and happy ones. But each one of her stories ends on a positive note, and she always hits it out of the park. :)
If you know about my obsession with her Granton University Series by reading my review of the first installment: Fighting Fate , then you’ll know how much I was anticipating this next book! Though I knew and almost told myself it couldn’t compare to the feelings I felt from the first one, this second one had me blown away. I got to see my blissfully in love Paige and Logan <3 and then got to read and experience the magic of Tess and Jonah. They were perfect.
Read the full review here!! :)
You might’ve read about my #LindaKageWeek I had about a month ago where I read almost every one of her books in one week. Yea, I’m that obsessed with this chick. She writes book and book that I just loooooove, and I mean LOOOOOVE. They make me all giddy and happy, then shocked next, then back to smiley and blushing, and then leave me crying. They all make me shed tears, sad and happy ones. But each one of her stories ends on a positive note, and she always hits it out of the park. :)
If you know about my obsession with her Granton University Series by reading my review of the first installment: Fighting Fate , then you’ll know how much I was anticipating this next book! Though I knew and almost told myself it couldn’t compare to the feelings I felt from the first one, this second one had me blown away. I got to see my blissfully in love Paige and Logan <3 and then got to read and experience the magic of Tess and Jonah. They were perfect.
Read the full review here!! :)
September 5, 2014
I couldn't stop read this once I start it, especially after that bam! Who is Jonah actually? About a sweet sweet girl with a king of bullies or does he? What a nice surprise:) I have to admit I love Jonah as much as I love Logan and I hope we don't need to wait too long for Bailey and her cowboy story:)
September 30, 2014
I really enjoyed the friendships in this story. A lot of tragedy, finding love and strengthening friendships is what this book offers. Good book and I will look out for Bailey's story. I loved her filterless mouth.
October 12, 2014
Well it's happening at Granton University. Another great story from Linda Kage, I just love her stories and I'm so looking forward to Bailey's, I hope she finds her cowboy!
September 14, 2014
:-( Very sad to say that I couldn't get half way through this one. It's even more disappointing because I LOVED the first book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews