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The First Lie
One job. Two men. One dangerous obsession she may not survive.
Olivia Hart thought landing a position at Sterling Enterprises was the opportunity of a lifetime.
A stable career. A chance to prove herself. A future she could build with her devoted husband, Daniel.
Then she meets Ethan Sterling.
Brilliant. Charismatic. Untouchably powerful.
And once Ethan decides he wants something… he doesn’t let it go.
What begins as professional curiosity quickly turns into something far more dangerous. Ethan’s attention follows Olivia everywhere—his charm intoxicating, his intensity impossible to ignore. With every encounter, the line between fascination and possession begins to blur.
But Olivia is married.
Daniel has always been her safe harbor, the man who knows her best. The man who would never hurt her.
Yet the deeper Olivia is pulled into Ethan’s glittering world of power and influence, the more she begins to question everything she thought she knew—about loyalty, desire, and the men fighting for her heart.
Because Ethan isn’t just interested in Olivia.
He’s obsessed.
And some obsessions refuse to be denied.
Caught between the man she promised forever and the man who refuses to walk away, Olivia must decide how far she’s willing to go… before the lies surrounding her life unravel completely.
The First Lie is the gripping first installment in the Shadows of Deception trilogy—a dark romantic suspense about obsession, manipulation, and the dangerous power of desire. “
Deliciously villainous” – Nicky Flowers, Indies Today
Winner of Best Suspense 2024 – Indies Today
Dive into the obsession today.
Olivia Hart thought landing a position at Sterling Enterprises was the opportunity of a lifetime.
A stable career. A chance to prove herself. A future she could build with her devoted husband, Daniel.
Then she meets Ethan Sterling.
Brilliant. Charismatic. Untouchably powerful.
And once Ethan decides he wants something… he doesn’t let it go.
What begins as professional curiosity quickly turns into something far more dangerous. Ethan’s attention follows Olivia everywhere—his charm intoxicating, his intensity impossible to ignore. With every encounter, the line between fascination and possession begins to blur.
But Olivia is married.
Daniel has always been her safe harbor, the man who knows her best. The man who would never hurt her.
Yet the deeper Olivia is pulled into Ethan’s glittering world of power and influence, the more she begins to question everything she thought she knew—about loyalty, desire, and the men fighting for her heart.
Because Ethan isn’t just interested in Olivia.
He’s obsessed.
And some obsessions refuse to be denied.
Caught between the man she promised forever and the man who refuses to walk away, Olivia must decide how far she’s willing to go… before the lies surrounding her life unravel completely.
The First Lie is the gripping first installment in the Shadows of Deception trilogy—a dark romantic suspense about obsession, manipulation, and the dangerous power of desire. “
Deliciously villainous” – Nicky Flowers, Indies Today
Winner of Best Suspense 2024 – Indies Today
Dive into the obsession today.
- GenresMystery Thriller
346 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Did Not Finish
February 17, 2026Dnf chapter 2 😂 Atrocious.
Billionaire sees ramdom, married accountant for the first time and wants to marry her. Just saying I don’t think that’s how it works. I could understand if he felt that, over some time, but first look in the lobby?
Billionaire sees ramdom, married accountant for the first time and wants to marry her. Just saying I don’t think that’s how it works. I could understand if he felt that, over some time, but first look in the lobby?
October 12, 2025
This entire book reads like 50 Shades of Gray fan fiction with less sex and a less satisfactory ending. Do not read unless you want to read an entire book that ends with a " read the next book for the ending" disclaimer. Utter rubbish.
October 29, 2025
This is the worst book so far. Not continuing the series, that was enough of a waste of time
Did Not Finish
March 18, 2026DNF
On chapter 6 and BORING. Nothing thrilling or enticing has happened.
On chapter 6 and BORING. Nothing thrilling or enticing has happened.
March 18, 2026
cringe.... to the max.....
June 19, 2026
It was interesting lol. I didn’t realize it was a series!!!! Okay - Ethan is a hot mess lol…. Scary but I can see it actually happening!!!! The 2nd & 3rd books I have to see if the books are on Kindle because they’re not on Audible. I never read anything by this author before. Different style writing but I did enjoy the books & will read the next two .
March 29, 2025
the first lie
Wow this book is awesome , and me pulled in from the very first page. Now I’m ready for the 2nd one. Thank you
Wow this book is awesome , and me pulled in from the very first page. Now I’m ready for the 2nd one. Thank you
August 2, 2026
I painstakingly completed this book. I literally hate read every word. The narration was decent which is probably the most redeeming quality. The main characters are exhausting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2026
I don’t normally rate books because of how subjective book reading is. BUT I have to rate this series. Do NOT waste your time. It is a full on “me man, you my woman, watch me bang my chest” story. It was painful to read how narcissistic Ethan is and how utterly unaware Olivia is of how many red flags he waved. I could maybe see this being good in a time when women were just expected to be pregnant & in the kitchen. Maybe. Certainly not now that women are obliterating glass ceilings and creating new goals to strive for. If you want to be pissed off when finishing a book, then this may be for you. If you have an ounce of dignity, either as a man or a woman, move on and find something else to read.
November 30, 2025
Ugh. Characters are hard to believe in plus the book ends with no resolution forcing you to look for the next book to find answers.
March 28, 2026
This book was a soap opera I couldn't look away from. Zero likable characters.
December 7, 2024
📚 Book Review 📚
The First Lie
By
N. H. Steele
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The First Lie is the first book in the Shadows of Deception series by N.H. Steele proves to be a page-turner from the first sentence. We are initially introduced to Olivia Hart, a new junior accountant at Sterling Enterprises, an investment firm, where her husband Daniel, is also employed. Olivia’s audit of the company’s financial records discovers “Something Strange” and weird. Numbers aren’t matching up and the deeper she digs, the more discrepancy she finds. Olivia is unexpectedly delegated to present her findings to the company’s accounting committee, which would include senior executives, including the CEO, Ethan Sterling, the billionaire in charge of his father's firm. At the meeting, Olivia reports on the discrepancies, impressing Ethan with not only her accounting abilities but her charming good looks. Ethan decides then and there to make Olivia his, no matter what it takes.
I thought the storyline was well-developed and extremely intriguing. The inter-character relationships were intensely molded to provide the reader with a vast spectrum of emotions. The tenderness, suspense, tension, revulsion, and romance between the characters escalated as the story progressed, as did the danger. The ominous mood as I delved deeper into the book escalated with each new chapter, with unpredictable results. The book was a page-turner, trying to anticipate the future development of the characters involved and how the story would play out. I would recommend The First Lie to readers who are looking for a book with a masterly designed plot of romance, abuse, and the turmoil of not letting go. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Readers Copy
The First Lie
By
N. H. Steele
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The First Lie is the first book in the Shadows of Deception series by N.H. Steele proves to be a page-turner from the first sentence. We are initially introduced to Olivia Hart, a new junior accountant at Sterling Enterprises, an investment firm, where her husband Daniel, is also employed. Olivia’s audit of the company’s financial records discovers “Something Strange” and weird. Numbers aren’t matching up and the deeper she digs, the more discrepancy she finds. Olivia is unexpectedly delegated to present her findings to the company’s accounting committee, which would include senior executives, including the CEO, Ethan Sterling, the billionaire in charge of his father's firm. At the meeting, Olivia reports on the discrepancies, impressing Ethan with not only her accounting abilities but her charming good looks. Ethan decides then and there to make Olivia his, no matter what it takes.
I thought the storyline was well-developed and extremely intriguing. The inter-character relationships were intensely molded to provide the reader with a vast spectrum of emotions. The tenderness, suspense, tension, revulsion, and romance between the characters escalated as the story progressed, as did the danger. The ominous mood as I delved deeper into the book escalated with each new chapter, with unpredictable results. The book was a page-turner, trying to anticipate the future development of the characters involved and how the story would play out. I would recommend The First Lie to readers who are looking for a book with a masterly designed plot of romance, abuse, and the turmoil of not letting go. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Readers Copy
January 7, 2025
The First Lie is the first book in the Shadows of Deception series by Nellie Steele. The book is great from page one on. It looks to me like Nellie is going to have another hit series on her hands. She writes books in many genres and I have yet to read a bad book from her, this is no exception.
Here we meet Olivia Hart. She is so happy to have landed her dream job at Sterling Enterprises, an investment company and what a big break this is. Olivia is a junior accountant and when she does an audit on the books she uncovers a lot of financial irregularities. Now she is caught between a web of deceit and desires that she is feeling. Who can she trust with this new found information.
Her husband Daniel also works at the firm so here she is torn between his devotion and a boss that does not know the meaning of the word no. The CEO Ethan Sterling, the charismatic billionaire heir, seems determined to make me his. And even though I still say no I find myself slipping into his world of power and money.
The more that Olivia digs into the financial records the more errors she finds, what is going on? And now she has been told that she will present her findings to the companies accounting committee, which will include the senior executives. During her presentation explaining all of the accounting errors Ethan seemed extremely impressed by her accounting abilities and her beauty, so now he really does want her to be his. Who can she trust? Is someone stealing from the company?
Here we meet Olivia Hart. She is so happy to have landed her dream job at Sterling Enterprises, an investment company and what a big break this is. Olivia is a junior accountant and when she does an audit on the books she uncovers a lot of financial irregularities. Now she is caught between a web of deceit and desires that she is feeling. Who can she trust with this new found information.
Her husband Daniel also works at the firm so here she is torn between his devotion and a boss that does not know the meaning of the word no. The CEO Ethan Sterling, the charismatic billionaire heir, seems determined to make me his. And even though I still say no I find myself slipping into his world of power and money.
The more that Olivia digs into the financial records the more errors she finds, what is going on? And now she has been told that she will present her findings to the companies accounting committee, which will include the senior executives. During her presentation explaining all of the accounting errors Ethan seemed extremely impressed by her accounting abilities and her beauty, so now he really does want her to be his. Who can she trust? Is someone stealing from the company?
February 28, 2026
Good story but I can't decide if the main character is naive or stupid. She has so many chances to get out of the mess, but she doesn't. I loved it until about the niddle and slogged through the rest hoping it would get better.
The narrator didn't differentiate between characters so it was often hard to tell who was speaking.
The narrator didn't differentiate between characters so it was often hard to tell who was speaking.
September 30, 2026
Terrible…..The characters are not believable and the story line is so predictable that you know the outcome and cannot believe that intelligent characters in the book really act that way.
I do not think you should waste your time reading this.
I do not think you should waste your time reading this.
December 27, 2024
WOW!!! This is unbelievable!! Ethan doesn't take "NO" for an answer at all!! You don't want to miss reading this page-turner!!
February 19, 2025
Full of surprises
This book was a twisty tale that kept me surprised along the way. I can’t believe the ending though! I will have to read the second book for sure!
This book was a twisty tale that kept me surprised along the way. I can’t believe the ending though! I will have to read the second book for sure!
January 18, 2026
I was expecting a romance novel but found instead a very exciting romantic thriller with an obnoxious, immature, selfish, entitled, delusional stalking MMC. Very scary. Poor Daniel and poor Olivia.
March 19, 2026
Drawn out and then realized it was a first in a series. Just wasn’t for me. Felt like it could be one book.
July 24, 2026
Defiantly A Must Read!
This is by far a good book, found another great author and will be reading future books. This has psycho boss written all over it!
This is by far a good book, found another great author and will be reading future books. This has psycho boss written all over it!
August 19, 2026
Un-realistic
September 7, 2026
This was a crazy ride. I couldn’t stop reading it.
October 10, 2026
Audible. Not sure which character was the most pathetic in the tragic storyline
August 8, 2026
This is quite possibly the most utterly pointless publication I have ever had the misfortune of reading. The story centres on a billionaire boss’s obsession with his married junior employee, and almost every interaction feels like an HR complaint or lawsuit waiting to happen. The man is a walking red flag. I became so irritated while reading that I had to stop just to compose myself. Utter rubbish.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews