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He lost her once. Now, he will do anything to have her back. Anything.

Welcome to Silver Falls University, where the elite come to thrive. My life as a queen bee was always traced for me. I'm rich, I come from an influential family, and I constructed my personality to become the girl everyone wants to be. I rule Silver Falls University with bright smiles and the pretense of being everyone's friend.

But in a place where toxic rich kids love to see others fall, no one is safe. Especially when my family loses its power and someone threatens to spill all my secrets. In the blink of an eye, my life as I knew it crumbles, and to save the people I love, I'm forced to initiate into the one place I thought I'd never be—the same Secret Society that betrayed my family.

Powerless, I'm thrown into a world of men who want nothing but to use and break me, and only one person can save me. My ex.

He wants to take care of me even though I hate him. He wants to protect me when he's not allowed. And he wants to make me his, even if it puts us both at risk.

I have no hope of surviving a secret society. But if Christopher Murray makes me his… I have no hope of surviving him.

Loving the Liar is an angsty, secret society, dark romance from bestselling author Lola King. This is the first book in a series of interconnected standalones. Intended for mature listeners.

570 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2024

1635 people are currently reading
19666 people want to read

About the author

Lola King

19 books2,728 followers
Lola King is a dark, steamy romance author who loves giving happy ever after’s to antiheroes. She writes about flawed and deeply broken characters and the women who bring them down to their knees. Her books are sometimes cute, sometimes angsty, but always sexy!
Lola lives in London and if she isn’t writing, she is most likely keeping her mind busy putting together a play or making music.

Let’s keep in touch on IG @lolaking_author or on FB readers’ group Lola’s Kings !

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,590 reviews
Profile Image for Marianna Moore.
478 reviews66.9k followers
December 8, 2025
The way I absolutely INHALED this. I swear when second chance is done right… it is one of my FAVORITE TROPES!

This is for the girlies who want dark dark dark DARK romance. Please check your trigger warnings…. Don’t say a didn’t warn ya. 😀

This is also for the girlies who like their fictional men morally black and entirely psychotic. Chris Murray takes obsessed to a whole new level and I would let him manipulate me any day of the week. Bye. Don’t worry guys I’m in therapy. But also Ella girl you’re stronger than me because the way I folded for this man before he even opened his mouth….. call me a lawn chair.

These two are toxic as FUCK. And will have you wanting to scream…. They will not be for everyone but for some reason they were for me.

✔️ dark second chance
✔️ brothers best friend
✔️ secret society
✔️ elite college
✔️ man entirely obsessive and possessive and will do things that make you feel question your morals and sanity and entire existence. But that’s fine we’re fine.

Lola King CONTINUES with delivering actual plot in her dark romance books and I am HOOKED! There’s some sort of crack in her books because I simply cannot put them down.

The ending was definitely a bit rushed but other than that I had so much fun!

I literally highlighted every other page of this book.

“I miss you. Every day I wake up here, I look at her, and I miss you. Blue eyes shouldn’t look so dark. Blue skies are my favorite, and they reflect in your eyes like a crisp spring morning. Blue is my favorite color.”

“You’re my first thought when I open my eyes, my last when I fall asleep, and the main character in every single one of my dreams.”

“One woman. That’s all it takes for my heart to lose itself in an uneven symphony of beats. One word from her lips, and I’m ready to get on my knees for her.”

“Yesterday. Tonight. Tomorrow. In ten years. She’s mine. Don’t test that. You don’t want to play with a man who would blow the world to pieces for her. Because, tell me, if I’m willing to destroy myself for her, what makes you think I won’t destroy someone as insignificant as you?”

“Ella is my safe place. She’s my guardian angel. Her mere presence makes me feel invincible. Her existence makes me want to throw my life to the flames for her.”
Profile Image for Yana.
182 reviews31.2k followers
August 17, 2025
I’m the problem I think? Idk her calling him daddy pissed me off, he also started to pissed me off at the end, and Ella (is that her name?) is lowkey dumb.
Profile Image for Laura Jane ♡.
263 reviews699 followers
January 1, 2026
LISTEN if loving this toxic, manipulative man is wrong then I never want to be right 🙂‍↔️ Christopher Murray takes being toxic & obsessive to a new level & I fear I would let him gaslight me any day of the week.

So I went into this with the lowest of expectations after only reading one book from this author and not enjoying it, but colour me surprised that I absolutely ATE this up! This the dark romance vibes I want. An MMC who is so over the top possessive that he will stop at nothing to get his girl. He will lie, manipulate, obliterate any form of boundaries and make you question your morals. He literally paralysed a man for touching her - I cannot explain why this is good a thing but it is. I will not be judged for it because he can’t help being a bit psychotic - you know, he just loves her that much & wants her to be safe from everyone but him 🤷🏼‍♀️ hehehehhheehe - I don’t know what you tell you - HE CRAWLED BACK TO HER!!! Just don’t expect some kind of redemption arc, this man is does not give a single fuckkkkk as long as Ella is his - and I loved it. If I am a problem, so be it.

The way this book gave me literal anxiety at times too… like the secret society gave me the absolute ick. A few parts I DID NOT LIKE, NOPEEEE. But we move and selectively choose to ignore them.

“If it takes until the day I die to fix this, I’ll work tirelessly every single day I’m alive. All I want is to see your beautiful eyes shining with love before I close mine for eternity.”

If you want a spicy dark romance vibe read then this is the one 🕺🏼
I have to say I was brave reading this most of this on the plane because the spice was spicinggggg - I just hope if anyone read over my shoulder they also had an enjoyable time, you are welcome.
My only other thoughts are that I wished we had a longer epilogue cause damn I’m so invested in this.

Bestie Lola you can do a lil dance that I loved it 🤣🫶🏼
It’s been a while since I’ve had a good dark romance vibe read so I’m very pleased.

As always with a dark romance, check content warnings! I don’t think it was THAT dark but we all have different levels of what we are comfortable with. If you want a MMC who is sweet, cute and has sanity, this isn’t for you. If you fancy leaving your morals at the door and thinking ‘awww’ to questionable things, hop on in.
Profile Image for Andy ₊✩.
120 reviews55 followers
January 7, 2026
4⭐️

So listen, haven’t read anything this unhinged since Haunting Adeline. While this isn’t “stalker” romance, trust me Christopher Murray does his fair share of stalking as well. This is “ second chance “romance that is not my fave usually, but boy did I enjoyed this one 👌.
Does he have a daddy kink, yes, did I care? No, I actually didn’t find it icky ( what does is say about me is a different story). I did actually enjoy everything about Christopher Murray and it doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that came out of his mouth.

Also this might be the spiciest book I have ever read, BUT it has a actual plot.❤️

As for Ella, she isn’t your average “doormat “ dark romance FMC, I think she does have a back bone or at least she tries to have it 🙏.

The ending was BEAUTIFUL, really.

I would advise everyone before starting this book to check the trigger warnings, then turn of your brain- you won’t need it and enjoy the ride ❤️.
Profile Image for becs ౨ৎ⋆.˚ (semi-ia + comment restriction).
81 reviews57 followers
Currently reading
January 3, 2026
i started my lola king binge for xi + alex and all the silver falls university couples so words can’t even explain how excited i am to dive into chris and ella’s story!! please don’t disappoint because i have the highest hopes for this series out of all of lola’s books 😭
Profile Image for Swathi✨️.
43 reviews7 followers
January 10, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐

🖤🖤🖤 I DEVOURED THIS 🖤🖤🖤

Loving the Liar was pure chaos, obsession, and dark romance indulgence—and I ate it up like my life depended on it.

This is not a gentle story. This is not a healthy romance. This is a book that grabs you by the throat, drags you into elite college hell, secret societies, betrayal, blackmail, and obsession so intense it makes you question your morals…and then dares you to keep reading 😈🖤

Second chance romance done right will always have me in a chokehold, and this one delivered ANGST in the best way possible. The elite college setting, the secret society with teeth, the sense of constant threat and loss of control—it all created a suffocating, addictive atmosphere that made it impossible to put down. I genuinely felt anxious reading parts of this, which honestly just added to the experience.

Christopher Murray is not a man you root for because he’s good. You root for him because he’s Unhinged. Obsessive. Possessive. Manipulative. Fully morally black. He does not seek redemption. He does not apologize for who he is. He wants one thing, and he will burn the world to have it 😩🤌🏻🖤

And yes, I folded immediately.🤭

Chris is my perfectly broken, dangerously beautiful, emotionally complex, dangerously captivating, whiskey-eyed, heart-wrecking, spine-tingling, soul-crushing, everything-I-never-knew-l-needed, tortured genius with the rizz to bring me to my knees and the ability to make me forget how to breathe-my heart's deepest obsession and unspoken addiction. Hehehe🤸🏻‍♀️

Ella as an FMC wasn’t perfect—she frustrated me at times—but I couldn’t hate her. Her inability to stand firm against Chris felt painfully real. If I’m being honest, I would’ve folded too.🤭 Their dynamic was toxic, combustible, and addictive in the worst and best ways. This is very much a “leave your morals at the door” kind of romance.

The secret society plotline was wild—sometimes brilliant, sometimes a little much—and the pacing did drag in the middle. The ending also felt a bit rushed compared to the build-up, and I desperately wanted a longer epilogue because I was not ready to let go 😩🖤

Still, the twists, the obsession, the spice, the tension, the sheer audacity of this man? WORTH IT.

⭐ 4-star read
Unhinged, dramatic, anxiety-inducing, and ridiculously addictive.
If you love dark romance with obsessive MMCs, second chances, elite chaos, and secret societies—this one will absolutely ruin you 🖤🖤🖤

Check trigger warnings. SERIOUSLY.

~pre-read~
Let me confess.
I AM HERE FOR CHRISTOPHER MURRAY💃🏻
My bestieee Grace Harper convinced me with just one review🤭
Let's goooooooooooo🤸🏻‍♀️
🖤💗🤍💗🖤💗🤍💗🖤
Profile Image for Brittany Ferraro.
245 reviews1,356 followers
September 6, 2024
FUCK, where is my damn neck brace? The whiplash I experienced reading this book was out of control. I was laughing. I was raging. I was crying. I was heartbroken . I was blushing all in the matter of minutes.
Actual footage of me -
😋😖😤😳😮‍💨🤭🥵🫢😡🥹😭😊

Man if you haven’t dipped your toes into Lola’s writing, you don’t know what you’re missing. She can make you fall in love with the worst of them. Chris is the golden boy with a hero complex. He loves to be there for everybody, to be the knight and shining armor, but there is an another side to him that he reserves only for Ella. AND FUCK that side of him is so manipulative, conniving, controlling and dominant. Just when you think he’s done the worst of it, he proves you wrong. Like this man is a master manipulator, probably the best to ever do it, and somehow I fell in love with him along the way….. I don’t know if it was the gaslighting but by the end of this book, I found myself rooting for him so hard & just wanting these two to get their happily ever after because they both have been through so much.

The circle (a secret society) has so much depth to it, and I feel like could branch off into so many storylines and directions because of how many people are in so deep and I can’t wait to continue to explore that. And Hermes (the gossip girl of Lola’s world) is such a nice touch. Everything this woman writes is gold and she’s going to take you on a true emotional roller coaster every time.

LIKE YOU NEED TO READ THIS, it’s gonna give you everything, it’s forbidden romance (brothers, best friend) wrapped up into a second chance romance/ secretly dating. One of the most possessive Mmcs, secret Society, the spiciest spice, and a plot that will keep you fucking feral as you flip those pages as fast as you can.

“remember the day they tried to keep me away from you and remember I crawled home to you. I will always come home to you” 😭😭😭



OH PS FUCK MEGANNNNN
Profile Image for Heather.
407 reviews48 followers
Read
September 15, 2024
~ I am not the target audience for this book. For one, I can’t stand the FMC. She’s so self-absorbed and very obviously thinks she’s the best thing ever. Being in this bitch’s head was downright nauseating.

“People love hanging out with me. And if I don’t want to acknowledge them, they hang around me until I give them the time of day.”

“First day of junior year. For some, it would be another year closer to the reality of the outside world. For us? The real world doesn’t exist. There’s rich. There’s richer…and then there’s us. The Stoneview kids.”

(Referring to herself in the 3rd person in her impression of how people react to her) “Ella Baker asked to borrow my pen! Wow. Tell your diary!”

~ The FMC is also VERY promiscuous and, I’m completely ok with other people liking that sort of thing and finding it empowering or whatever, but I do not like it nor do I relate to it in that way. I���m not trying to preach by no means, but for me— I like the idea of women valuing their bodies, and being selective as to who they share it with because not every man that comes along deserves to have that kind of access to it.

(In reference to a guy that’s part of her friend group she hangs out regularly with) “Matias and I aren’t even a thing. We fuck from time to time because he’s halfway decent at it, and I’m a way for social climbers to get to the top. Fuck the queen bee and become a subject in her court.”

(In reference to a different guy in her friend group— Achilles) “In high school, I was prom queen, and he was king. We never dated, never even slept together, but people liked to imagine we did because we would have been the perfect power couple.” (She says this as if sleeping with him would have been a more normal conclusion than actually dating him— but no she didn’t even do that! [Cringe])

~ I finally decided to DNF after she goes off on this huge tangent about having to meet her friends in the library where THEY have to study, but not her because she’s above having to do something as desperate as studying— then proceeds to walk in and announce enthusiastically that she slept with their professor! And when it’s not met with as much praised approval as she was hoping, she starts defending herself saying that she never would have had to if her dad hadn’t made her switch majors and she was making such a terrible grade in his class…. So I guess studying a little bit wouldn’t have been such a bad idea after all, huh?! But no, she’d rather earn that grade on her back. 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

Bottom line: This book is NOT for me. All the current, high [misleading] reviews would appear to be from ARC readers too since the majority of them were posted before the book was released. No rating, as I did not read enough to feel like it would be fair to leave a rating.
Profile Image for purlpur.
270 reviews52 followers
June 20, 2025
4⭐️
я не очікувала від цієї книги таких емоцій 🤯
тут стільки контрастів. тендітні та чуттєві моменти, безжальні та жорстокі, легкі та милі, болючі та драматичні, добіса гарячі та смачні. весь спектр в сюжет завезли. це дуже сподобалось ❤️‍🔥

сюжет насичений протягом усієї книги, мені не хотілося від неї відриватись. тут вам:
✔️ вайби пліткарки з її елітним коледжом.
✔️ таємне товариство, яке нагадало подібне з серії l.o.r.d.s. by shantel tessier. аналогію гери/афродіти з леді/обраницею важко не помітити 😏
✔️ складні стосунки з емоційними гойдалками між гг 💔

крістофер. я очікувала побачити токсичного, одержимого маніпулятивного гг. чи такий він? absolutely fucking yes! ще той червоний прапорець. але більшу частину книги не вдається його ненавидіти. його турбота, піклування, готовність зробити усе заради елли.. знає як підкупити, чортяка. а потім ти дізнаєшся його приховані вчинки і вже ненавидиш. потім знову любиш. і знову ненавидиш. і таких гойдалок достатньо протягом книги 😵‍💫

елла. не скажу, що вона сильна особистість, хоча намагається показувати себе такою для оточуючих. вона ніби гарна ваза на поличці, яка візуально усім подобається, а насправді всередині в ній купа тріщин, які от-от зламаються. але я все рівно прониклась цим персонажем, її біль і тривога не залишать байдужою 🥲

єдиний мінус. в кінці хотілося складнішої розвʼязки з планом кріса. ніби очікуєш чогось більш грандіозного від такого маніпулятора. а то кипіння пристрастей досягло апогею, а розвʼязка трохи meh 🫤

окрема згадка.
сцена в бальній залі під coldplay така чуттєва, я розтанула 🥹

в цілому знайомство з авторкою пройшло на відмінно. тепер хочу прочитати інші її книги 👌
Profile Image for —S.
46 reviews2 followers
September 25, 2024
words cannot describe how terrible this book was.
lola king graduated from rina kent’s school of writing with a master in ridiculousness.
Profile Image for Abigail.
206 reviews4 followers
January 9, 2026
The way this had me in a chokehold from beginning to end is Insane!! I’m a sucker for a second chance romance and this was done so right!! It’s been a while since a dark romance had me this hooked; it was giving LOG & Gossip Girl vibes and I ate it up.

The plotting was plotting and I really like the small found family in this group. Also the tension, angst and yearning between Christoper and Ella , yeah it was super good, toxic, but super good.

Christoper Murray… it is always the quiet ones!! The mouth on that man should be illegal because I was hanging onto to every word that that man spoke and he barely did!! His devotion to Ella was everything!! I love me a man who would burn down the world for her… the man literally crawled out of a grave for her!!

Ella tbh wast one of my fave fmc’s. She had her moments where I really liked her, but for the most part her decisions were not it and she ended up annoying me. I did love that she did stand up to Chris from time to time.

only reason this wasn’t a higher rating was because it didn’t need to be this long and the pacing was a little off , but I still loved it!! can’t wait for to jump into the next book!! Also pls check your TW’s

“When your heartbeat picks up mine is already racing. When your lungs feel tight from the overwhelming love between us, mine are crushed.”

“If I ever give you this journal, remember the day they tried to keep me away from you… I will always come home to you.” 🖤
Profile Image for ❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books.
2,633 reviews10.9k followers
April 27, 2025
piZap 'L𝐎V𝐈N𝐆 𝐓H𝐄 𝐋I𝐀R' Is the first full length book in the (Silver Falls University) series by Lola King. Ella & Chris.

After seeing that the next book has released, and it’s been popping up on my feeds, I gave in and one clicked this, took me a wee while to get into, then once I hit my groove I didn't put it down..There's soooo much to unpack in this book.

Ella is the girl everyone wants to be, Queen B on campus, everyone wants a piece of her, her power, her status, but like everyone else she's hiding behind a mask, she's as insecure as most of her peers, she just doesn't show it..

Until things start unravelling around her.

First her father supposedly commits suicide, and all her family's dirty little secrets come to light. Her father has left behind a mass of debt and the only way to clear it, is to succumb to the 'Circle' which comes at a price, first you need an invitation to be initiated, which can go either way, marry her chosen 'Shadow' or be used and abused by all within the 'Circle.' But either way, you are given one wish, and if her wish is to clear her family's debt she'll use it, the 'Circle' is her only choice.

Her only hope is that her ex, Christopher Murray will be the one that saves her. He's her dirty little secret, one her brother doesn't even know about. Christopher is back in town and he wants Ella back and will go to any lengths to get her back in his good graces.

If a boy becomes so obsessed will he kill anyone that comes too close, to the girl he loves?!? Yes he will!!

Meet Chris..aka Daddy

This guy was a walking red flag 🚩
But he was one hot 🔥 red flag.

He was toxic, but his love burned like a scorching flame and he would do anything to protect the girl he loved, a manipulator behind a secret circle society where he pulled strings to get her where he needed her.
Profile Image for Morgan.
579 reviews192 followers
March 18, 2025
Reread and it is still everything and more to me… 100% one of my favorite books ever. Chris and Ella have crawled into the folds of my SOUL and live there now. I cannot wait to get my hands on loving the reaper in April AHHHHHH🤩

————————————————————————————————————————————-

This book was EVERYTHING and more. The various emotions I felt while reading this absolute roller coaster of a ride…. It was complete and utter perfection. I would not change a thing about this book. Chris and Ella made me every emotion I could imagine. I felt anger, pain, happiness, etc for them and their story.

Chris was by no means a perfect MMC. He is toxic. He is manipulative. He is everything and more to be quite honest. I did not condone his actions and the things he would do to manipulate Ella into relying and turn towards him. But through that all I could see his pain, I could see his love for Ella and how that drove him to obsession and ultimately madness. And I loved him more for it in the end… now what that says about me idk but I still stand by my statement.

Ella is an FMC that I don’t normally gravitate towards. She is not a strong individual to start. She puts up this perception of perfection, but in realty she is broken. However, throughout this book, and through everything she is forced to endure, she became a character that I actually ended up loving and becoming emotionally attached to. Her pain, and her struggles with anxiety and negative thoughts that turned into self destructive behaviors, became something I could not only relate to but also something I could sympathize with. This made her into a character that felt REAL.

Absolutely amazing story by Lola King, and this has set the bar so high for when I dive into her Beautiful Fiend series (which I am hoping to do soon!!).

P.S. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU LISTEN TO EAHC SONG LISTED AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER. IT MAKES THE READING EXPERIENCE 100 TIMES BETTER IN MY OPINION!!!

Star Rating: 5 🌟
Spice Rating: 4.5 🥵🔥
Profile Image for Fahmida .
319 reviews48 followers
January 17, 2025
Before you read the review, I'll be pleased to inform you that I am the no.1 Rina Kent fan. Meaning if she has no fans, I'm dead.

I crawled out of my cave to hate rant about this book and forgive me if it's a little jumbled because my blood is boiling right now.

Before the lovers of this book come for me, I'll make it clear that I did read the trigger warnings and I do read the occasional dark romance. But this was HORRIBLE. This was so bad. This book made me feel itchy in places I didn't know could feel itchy.

Let me pain the picture for y'all:

She goes, “There is absolutely nothing you can do to get me back. I wouldn’t go back to you if you were my last option on earth."
And then he says, "I wouldn’t go back to you if you were my last option on earth."
That broke my heart.
Now you have to put it back together."

On first thought, you may think this is sweet, right? I did too. But this freak takes it to the next level. He orchestrated her initiation and EVERYTHING HORRIBLE she went through or had to go through because he felt like the only way he was gonna get a second chance is when he destroys her completely so she'll lean onto him.

“You said you didn’t want me even if I was your last option on earth. Do you have any idea what kind of damage that did? I had to make myself that last option and show you you’d choose me. I had to have you.”

Again, this sounds sweet taken out of context, doesn't it? But NOOOOOOOOO. The whole plot happened because of his obsession with this sentence. This man plotted the ENTIRE destruction of the fmc's life and what did she do? She let him. Why? BECAUSE SHE HAS A FUCKING BODY BETRAYAL SYNDROME. And ohmygod, I skipped through like all the spicy scenes but I read one and the overused 'daddy' made me gag.

The fmc, Ella started out good. I was really liking her character at first. But then, after Chris came into the picture, she became a fucking doormat. I'm begging these 'female' authors to write strong fmcs. How hard is it to write a strong fmc? HOW HARD? Both the mcs are shallow, stupid and boring.

The book ended so abruptly. One minute Ella was raging about how manipulative, toxic and forceful Chris was but the next, it all went poof. And then after her plan with her brother went through, she suddenly realised her love for him and he crawled out of his grave for her and then the society forgave him? And you're telling me that Chris, who wasn't willing to give Ella any choice up until a few hours ago magically understands that he wants Ella to be with him willingly after forcing her for the whole book?
Yeah, nice try shawty.

I love me a good secret society book. and the secret society part of this book is nicely crafted, I'll give the author that. But on a realistic note, it's absolutely sick and horrifying. And you CANNOT convince me that such things don't happen irl. Most men are SICK and urghhhhh....this is a very good representation of that. This triggered my inner feminist and every once in a while, I felt like teleporting into the book and kicking all these men's asses. But what bothered me is that the book ended with Chris doing nothing about it. He got Ella after all his twisted, manipulative mindgames and then that's it. But I'm guessing the plot will continue throughout the next series. Unfortunately, I will not be sticking around to find out.

That being said, I've seen ppl saying this author's books are similar to Rina Kent's and they could not be more wrong. Do NOT ever compare mother Rina to this atrocity. And yes there are questionable mmcs in rinaverse too but NONE would EVER hurt their girls to this point.
Profile Image for Grace Harper.
282 reviews240 followers
January 4, 2026
Christopher…. I owe you an apology. I wasn’t really familiar with your game 😂😂

Yes, he may be an unhinged, CONTROLLING psycho…. but he’s also a sweet baby angel 🧸

Your honor, pls forgive him 🙏🏻 he’s just a man in love 😫😫😫😫

I’ll admit when I realized just HOW crazy he was, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. And then of course, he manipulated me right back into understanding every action he’s made. I’m no better than Ella 😩

Is this realistic? I mean… no LOL. But who gives an f? Not me

This is dark, but I had fun 🤸🏻‍♀️ and christopher was so damn fineeeeeee, so I loved that too
Profile Image for Sabrina.
269 reviews116 followers
December 15, 2025
3.9⭐️

“𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭, 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

Okay I LOVED it ! I had already read a series from this author a few months back (that was in the same universe as the series btw which I LOVED, i could see the characters I loved again) and I knew I was going to love that book. And it did not disappoint. I guess I’m still not a huge fan of the whole society thing (kinda gives the same vibe as a cult in my opinion) but I still loved everything!

At some point, I did feel like it was getting a bit to long but once I got to the plot, I was glad the author took her time because it kinda distracted me from trying to figure everything out, because when we get to the plot, it actually makes sense and it could’ve been something that I would’ve figured out if it were shorter.

About the characters, I absolutely loved Chris ! More precisely his obsession with getting Ella back 🤭 and how composed and calm he looks most of the time despite being… well, him. About Ella, I really liked her but I couldn’t get a good read of her at first tbh. There were times she was scared and would panic, and that was not the image I had of her, at first. That’s why I was surprised but then I got to see how she was and I started really liking her. Also, I felt so bad for all the things happening to her 🥲

Anyway, I definitely recommend this book (after reading the TWs of course)
Profile Image for Kseniia ✨️.
293 reviews30 followers
dnf
May 2, 2025
DNF 46%

➸другий шанс
➸елітний коледж
➸таємне товариство
➸токсичні стосунки

Мабуть моя ера токсичних романів пройшла. Мені сподобався сеттінг, але не сподобались гг і все, що з ними зв'язано. А ще було нудно. Невиправданно велика книга. Може в нас щось би склалось, якби вона була на третину меньше. А так, я прочитала майже половину і з цікавого була лише ініціація з біганиною по лабіринту.

Що ми маємо? Елітний коледж, повний багатих діточок. Тут є своя альтернатива пліткарки. Хтось під ніком Гермес розповідає чужі таємниці. Ай лайк іт👍
Ще маємо таємне товариство пов'язане з грецькою мифологією під назвою Мовчазне Коло. Чоловіки - Тіні. Запрошені жінки - Гери (дружини) чи Афродити (коханки). Все залежить від того як пройде ініціація. Якщо не встигнеш піймати чоловіка, то тебе будуть пускати по колу все життя. Мені цікаві таємні товариства, але тут все тримається на соплях і більше питань, ніж відповідей. В чому суть товариства незрозуміло. Все дуже поверхнево розкрито. Поки що це виглядає, як збіговисько ґвалтівників.

Елла. Багата, дурненька, не підготовлена до життя дитина. У неї немає персоналії. Підлизує всім дупці, бо по-іншому не вміє жити це життя.
Бідна, нещасна дівчинка, яка має daddy issues, і авторка робить все, щоб змусити читача їй співчувати. Але я хз як це зробити, бо ВОНА НЕРЕАЛЬНО ТУПА ТА ЙОБНУТА. Просто найтупіша книжкова героїня ever.

Кріс. На людях скромний джентельмен, який полюбляє книги. А в душі гниль. Егоїстичний, маніпулятивний, контролюючий виродок. Я люблю одержимих чгг, які зроблять все заради неї. Але коли він руйнує героїню, а потім робить з себе рятівника та заново збирає її й прив'язує до себе, то ЙДЕ ВІН НАХУЙ. Чєл, не треба б було нічого збирати по шматочкам, якби ти не зламав.

Любовна лінія. У нас тут match психічних порушень. Вона шукає дорослого, який би взяв повну відповідальність за її життя. Він хоче повністю контролювати її. Просто пара створена на небесах. Мені переказали книгу і їхні стосунки це піздец. Рада, що закинула, шкода, що витратила на це один день свого життя.
Спайсі сцени мені не зайшли. Не дуже люблю цей кінк, але іноді читаю. І є книги з хорошо прописаними сценами, але тут для мене це було більш крінжово, ніж сексуально. Коли вона його сто разів за секс називала дедді, я перегортала, щоб не бачити цього іспанського сорому. Ну і звичайно вона кінчає сто разів, коли не знає хто взагалі її трахає. А чєл має волину, яку не обхватити чотирма руками.

Але я дам шанс 2 книзі, там мої улюблені тропи і має бути НЕ токсік.
Profile Image for Abby (booksinthefreetime).
128 reviews63 followers
September 24, 2024
ARC REVIEW

5/5⭐️ 3.5/5 🌶️

Ummmm I’m pretty sure Christopher is the most possessive and unhinged MMC I’ve ever read…. WOW 🥵

This is the first book I’ve ever read where it’s second chance but with all the twist. I went in blind not reading the description and I’m actually so glad I did.

This is hands down my favorite Lola King book 😍

Chris is this sweet golden boy who what seems to be level headed and smart guy among his group of friends. That is until you keep reading and find out that he’s really this manipulative obsessive psychopath 🫠 But why did I love it so much 😂. Ella is the epitome of what you would call the “It Girl”. She desperately wanted a man who would be willing to do anything for her… and girl you definitely got one.. 🔥 They are complete opposites but fit perfectly together.

If you haven’t read a Lola King book before.. FYI… the spice will always be top tier 🥵🥵🥵

If you love…

-Second Chance
-Dark Romance
-Forbidden Romance
-Daddy Kink
-Manipulative/Possessive MMC
-Boy Obsessed

READ THIS BOOK!!

Thank you Lola for the ARC! You have out done yourself again!! ❤️
Profile Image for khadeja.
136 reviews
December 20, 2025
lowering my rating cuz i just found out he started liking her when she was a freshman and he was a senior
Profile Image for ↬ Ⓛ.
378 reviews707 followers
October 23, 2024
“When your mind begs you to let go and let it happen, mine is already far down the rabbit hole. You will never love me like I love you, Ella. It hurts, and it gives me false hope. It drives me insane and pulls me back every time. You can’t possibly ever feel the same way. But I’ll take anything you give to me.” He takes in a shaky breath. “Anything, please.”

I’m not jumping on the Megan hate train. Megan is me and I’m Megan who will do anything anyone everything to get and be with my man Chris. 🙃 🔪
Profile Image for currently being delulu .
486 reviews222 followers
December 12, 2025
So he broke up w her bc he was to scared to tell her brother .. then started dating ow but she started being a bitch and blacking him .. and o guess this made him realize he wanted to be w the heroines he starts ruining her life so she can get back w him oh yeah he’s sooo. Hot & possessive …




I laughed so hard when his dad died that’s what you get you bitch ass
Profile Image for Lola.
126 reviews8 followers
January 8, 2025
This is my EXCAT taste in Dark Romance. Let me tell you, I had WHIPLASH. Were there times where I felt this could have been shorter absolutely. But that ending made up for it cause 😭

Let me tell you Christopher Murray is a gaslighter and a manipulator and I fell for it every single time. This man takes obsessive and possessive to a whole new level but I was here for it. This man put the Toxin in TOXIC. Ella was stronger than me cause I folded like a lawn chair as soon as I met him.

The plot also had me ENGAGED! Honestly just go in blind, I did and I had fun.

I need a book about Luke STAT!
🌶️🌶️🌶️
✨Second Chance DARK Romance
✨Brother’s Best Friend
✨Secret Society
✨Elite College Setting
Profile Image for Wobilba.
863 reviews130 followers
June 7, 2025
This was utterly ridiculous and i kinda ate it all up, not gonna lie.
I almost gave up during the initiation scenes but i'm glad i stuck to it because iy got juicier from there.
My favourite part of this story was how manipulative the MMC was. Loved every minute of it!

PS: Why does this book read like a Rina Kent book?

Story: 3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Heat Level: 4 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Profile Image for Надія.
32 reviews2 followers
August 31, 2025
Це мабуть найкраща книга за останній час з одержимим чоловіком, яку я читала😈
Кріс🫠 ну люблю я маніпулятивних і одержимих.
Один лише мінус. Елла🤦🏻‍♀️ госпаді прасті. Яке ж воно кончене.
Фінал шось мене трішки розчарував. Оці всі приколи з Колом🤦🏻‍♀️ Меган🤦🏻‍♀️могила🤦🏻‍♀️ а от поява Гермеса - наааайс🤩 дуууже цікаво хто це.
Profile Image for beca.
111 reviews10 followers
September 15, 2024
At first, I thought this book was a mess, like it had so much going on that, in the end, you wouldn’t even think it could be good, you know? There was a lot happening at the same time: a protagonist with a huge ego (which was quite annoying), her being the ex of her brother’s best friend, an almost forced marriage between them, a secret society, and someone playing the Gossip Girl role, leaking all her secrets... It seemed inevitable that all of this would go wrong, but surprisingly, it was TOO GOOD.

It’s been a while since I actually read for real. If I wanted to finish a book, I had to do it by listening to the audiobook, but this book... I read every word, every paragraph, every little detail. I went through all kinds of emotions while reading it, no joke

Ella and Chris became one of my favorite literary couples. My love for them grew with every chapter I read, and that surprised me so much. I think I’ve never read anything quite like this. Chris's love for Ella is so CRAZY, seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever read about someone so obsessed, to the point of doing so many crazy things just to have her. And Ella... my poor Ella... she suffered throughout the whole book. I cried almost the entire time because I was so fascinated by her character.

And their hot scenes??? Oh my God, those were insanely hot. Of course, that thing where she called him “daddy” was a bit weird, but there were moments when I have to admit I liked it. Even so, whenever it happened, I couldn’t help but judge it a lot.

Anyway, I think it’ll take me a while to get over this book. It was truly a read that made it to my favorites. I already want the second book because if the first one was already amazing, just imagine the others... I don’t know what to expect.

Favorite moments:

Quote 1:
“We are everything,” he finally says. “We are all that matters. And when things get out of control, I want you to remember that.”

Quote 2:
“You said it yourself, I’m an Aphrodite. You can use me whenever you want. Sure.” But you will never have me the way you did back then. I don’t know this man you’ve become. And I don’t want him in my life, let alone to give him my heart.”

“I’m going to make you regret every word you dared to put in that sentence, Ella. I don’t want to escalate this to a level you can’t handle. But you know I will if I have to. You might want to pretend you’ve moved on, but I know what I want, Sweets. I want you. I want us. Megan?” He laughs as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “She’s just a little battle in the war I’m waging to get back to you.
And the best things are worth fighting for.”
“And my hand will be so deep inside your chest that your heart won’t beat without feeling my grip around it.”

Quote 3:
“I needed you here so badly,” he murmurs in my ear. “No one can make me feel the way you do. Nothing is as safe as your embrace.”

Quote 4:
“You’ll go to bed one night, and it’ll be me you’re sleeping next to. You’ll wake up, and it’ll be my cock deep inside you. You’ll live because it’s me who allows oxygen into your lungs. And my hand will be so deep inside your chest that your heart won’t beat without feeling my grip around it.”

Quote 5:
“I’m scared of you,” I admit in a voice barely audible. “Of the things you make me feel.”

“Don’t be.” He buries himself against my stomach. “The things you feel can only be a fraction of my love for you.” As he presses his ear against my ribs, I understand what he’s doing. Listening to my heartbeat.

“When your heart races, mine’s already speeding.” He looks at me, pressing a hand against my chest. “When your lungs tighten from the overwhelming love between us, mine are being crushed.” 😭😭❤️
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