Ocean of Lies

by Ashley McCauley

A fake honeymoon, a missing step-sister, and an island paradise with danger around every corner.

For the past eight years, Sydney Davis has been living a lie. Just when she starts to enjoy her comfortable life in a gated city, her step-sister, Callie, is taken right in front of her. Desperate for answers, the recent college graduate turns to the mysterious man who witnessed the attack.

Luke Artino works for an off-the-record organization that specializes in preventing human trafficking in hopes that someday, he’ll forget about the one he couldn’t save. When his boss finds Callie on a resort island in the Caribbean, Luke volunteers to go. All he needs now is a partner.

With Sydney’s unrelenting determination and language skills that could be helpful on the mission, Luke reluctantly brings her along. The two pose as newlyweds at the private resort, but the constant surveillance forces them to grow closer than either was prepared for. As the mystery of Callie’s disappearance becomes more complicated, so do their feelings for each other.

From a new voice in the romantic suspense world, Ashley McCauley creates a page-turning story about two people who must learn to trust each other if they want to survive.

Genres: Book Club

304 pages, Paperback

Published January 9, 2024

About the author

Ashley McCauley has always loved two things: writing and traveling. Though Maine will always be her home, she has visited several different countries and loves weaving her unique experiences into her stories. Her debut novel, Ocean of Lies, is just the beginning of her novels featuring a slow-burn romance and a dangerous plot that threatens to tear them apart.

Reviews

[Kayla Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this! The plot was great and drew me in from the jump. The characters were enjoyable to follow and character development was solid. For a debut novel I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did!!

[Floraljoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good effort for a debut novel:
This book was was a bit choppy in the beginning but before long the story was flowing well and I was caught up in the suspense and drama. I did find it rather strange that the story hinted at a futuristic timeline in the beginning (meat tax) but the rest of the book seemed to be current.
Although a little violent at times given that this featured an off the books vigilante group, I nevertheless liked where things ended up. I think that this book's strength lay in its mystery and suspense aspects whilst there was a slow burn, clean romance on the side. Personally I would have liked to see the relationship flourish and progress more, yet I still liked both Sydney and Luke and I felt a connection to both of them.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brooke Biette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. A local Maine author, I grabbed this on a whim from a Free Little Library.. it's a great slow burn romance tucked neatly inside of an adventure thriller. A great balance between the two with really likable characters! I was hooked immediately and even though I don't usually read books with romance, this has zero spice but lots of tension and I found the plot so intriguing I wouldn't have even minded spice. I felt like the story had a good flow, the action was exciting - although completely unbelievable lol - and the ending was satisfying.

[Sam McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun adventure romance read! Perfect for a vacation read or day on the beach. Recently read it for our book club and everyone finished it within the first two days! The descriptions of the environments were top tier, and what a good build up romance! Very excited to see what this author has next in the series.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ashley has written and intriguing suspense that really can capture your eye. I felt like the fact that these two ended up needing to rely on each other so much really deepened their connection to the point where nothing could be stronger. But is it enough to last? Overall I really couldn’t wait to see how it ended as it was quite well written.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ellie Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a page-turner right out of the gates. There was certainly nothing boring about it. The characters are enjoyable, and their relationship is easy to become invested in. This is a good book for anyone looking for a romance book that also enjoys dark thrillers.
I would’ve loved to have seen some additional insight into the development of the relationship between the protagonists. It felt like it sometimes got lost given the complexity of the plot with both the romance and the thriller storylines.
The thriller portion was a little dark for my personal tastes. I would not recommend this read if you are triggered by discussions of human trafficking, sexual assault themes, date-rape drugs, murder, violence, etc.
Overall, this was an exciting, well-written novel. It’s a good read if you enjoy darker thrillers with a side of romance.

[Haley Avery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great! I loved how the author, Ashley, built the plot as well as her character development. I loved that she threw in some plot twists which kept me interested and wanting to read more. Highly recommend!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in the edge of my seat  I couldn't put it down.  Such a great thriller with a slow burn love story. Luke and Sydney go undercover to save her step sister that was taken and start to fall for each other. It had the perfect balance of suspense and romance.  Can't wait to read more by Ashley McCauley.

[Sarah Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great! Fantastic for a debut book, had me on the edge until the last page.

Well done, I did suspect a few things before they happened, but it was great.

I started off reading slowly, but couldn’t put the book down after a few chapters. I needed to know what happened and when and with who.

Sydney and Luke make a wonderful team, the fake fighting remind me of me and my husband. Bickering back and forth like a married couple.

I feel like I need more, like Callie and Wills story next or even a Summer book.

Thank you for this wonderful read!

[Ashley McCauley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author, I read this about a hundred times and still love it. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do!

For trigger warnings, check out my website at www.mccauleybooks.com

[SuzanneLovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an exciting and well written debut novel by Ashley McCauley. I really enjoyed the mystery and episodic pace of the story. The main characters Sydney and Luke have great chemistry and there is a sweet slow-burn romance that develops during their adventures.

Sydney and her step-sister Callie are from a gated community known for its wealth and privilege. When she and Callie are at a bar outside their safe environment, the girls are attacked and Callie is kidnapped. Luke is part of an organization that uses vigilante justice to accomplish its goals and he intervenes during the attack and stops Sydney from being taken too. When evidence is found by Luke’s operation that Callie is caught in a sex traffic ring and possibly being held on one of several small Caribbean islands, Sydney is determined to join the possible rescue mission and agrees to go undercover with Luke as a honeymooning couple in order to investigate. What they uncover will impact their lives in a way neither could have foreseen.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Jaycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

After hearing about this book from the author herself when I met her at books a million in Maine I fully expected to love it. I was very much correct. The book is a slow burn romance as she states and adorable. Very good first book for an author. The only things I noticed is the book is a bit choppy and some subjects were briefly touched on but never explained or talked about again. One being a character that (i don’t believe) had anything to do with the crime on Lupris island has said her real name in the restaurant. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not. The other one was Callie’s trauma and how differently she acted. I imagine if some more was discussed in the book it would’ve been much clearer and flowed better. However, I did truly love this book and can’t wait to see what else this author has in store.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘖𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴 is a wonderfully written debut novel. It has the perfect balanced mixture of both a thriller and a romance novel.

I was hooked from the first chapter. Although I had been expecting the major reveal of the twist, some twists I definitely did not see them coming.

Sydney is funny and her bickering on the fake honeymoon scene had me laughing. I love how the author has managed to sprinkle a heavy, stressful and intense scene with some light hearted humour.

I really enjoyed reading this and I'm looking forward to more of Ashley McCauley's books in the future. Thank you, @booksprout and @mccauley_books for this wonderful ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Omnia Atef · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was good one not the best easily predictable from the first but intriguing and exciting captured my sight so its a plus for my rating for any thriller if kept me discreet to any surrounding just incriminating to the book. To was easy pacing finished in one sitting but my other problem rather it was predictable we didn't so much for Valerie reasons for everything and the action part was so fast needed more incidents and motion other than that it was good suspense story

[Kat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this has everything that I enjoyed from the suspense genre, it had a great overall concept and a tense atmosphere overall. I enjoyed the way Ashley McCauley wrote this and enjoyed how everything worked together. It left me wanting to read more in this universe and I'm glad I got to read this.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily Conley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooked from the beginning!

This book was so good I could not put it down. The story gets you hooked on the first chapter. Love the story between Luke & Sydney all while they are on a suspense mission. There were multiple twists that you would not suspect. 100% recommend this book to any romance/suspense/thriller lovers!

[Marissa Iacobelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book! It was fun, exciting, and always kept me wondering what would happen next. I can't wait to read Ashley's other books as she releases more in the future. Amazing thriller debut novel!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my genre of book but was blown away at the imagery and storytelling in this book. Great read!

[Kaitlin Colicchio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly captivating from the beginning. If romance and suspense is your thing, runnn to buy this book!

[Majken · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyed this read! The plot kept me turning the pages to figure out what was going to happen. Looking forward to reading the next one when it is released.

[Tcozybookcorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ {Book}
Adventure Thriller—Debut novel alert! I picked this one up while on vacation at a local coffee shop in Maine. I went in blind and loved it—a suspenseful mystery with summer coastal vibes, dark twists, and a slow-burn romance.

The plot was unique, engaging, and plenty of tension. Sydney & Luke are characters you can’t help but root for. Perfect as a page-turning beach read, and I’m already excited for book two in the series. I need Callie and Wills story—pronto!

Perfect beach thriller for vacation or a beach day!!!