Liar's Heart: A Dark Revenge Romance

by Colleen Butler

They took everything from me once. It’s time to return the favor… till death do us part.

As the leader of the Society’s hitmen, Alec Sinclair believes himself untouchable. He’s protected by his wealth, reputation, and the lethal men he commands. But where Alec has built layers of security for himself, he’s left one glaringly obvious weakness—his heir, Ender.

Ender Sinclair was once his father’s protégé, infamous in his own right as a brutal killer. He might’ve walked away from the family business years ago, but as far as I’m concerned, he still has sins he must atone for.

Because nearly a decade ago, Ender and his father killed the man I loved.

For eight long years, I’ve plotted my revenge, and I’m finally setting my plan into motion—using Ender to get to Alec and destroy them both. The first step? Walking down the aisle.


Liar’s Heart is book one of the Lying Gods series and can be read on its own. This dark, revenge romance is intended for adult audiences, as it contains heavy subject matter, mature content, and explicit scenes. A full content advisory can be found on the author’s website, but it may contain spoilers.

Genres: Dark Romance

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 22, 2025

Reviews

[iremucka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yalancının Kalbi aka Hiç bir şey olmasa da bir şey oldu 😚

Kör dalış yaptım, pişmanım. İntikam Romanı dedik minnoş green flaş adam çıktı. “Dark Revenge Romance” Dark desem değil, revenge nerde gören var mı? Romance eh işte.. Yazar Yunan mitolojisinde geçen varlıklar yazıp entere basmış ve üzerine bişiler serpiştirmiş.

Merrick’ in hayatının aşkı ölür, hayalleri ve planlarıyla birlikte toprağın altına gömülür.. Aradan 8 sene falan geçer ve kızımız sevgilisinin katiliyle anlaşmalı şekilde (!) evlenerek intikam planını işleme koyar ve olaylar gelişir 😒 Plan bu kadar arkadaşlar bu kadar yani 👏🏻, sonrasında bir ay falan geçiyor herkes herkese yapıştırmış oluyor.
Harika potansiyel yine hiç edilmiş. Hera, Charon, ölenlerden alınan sikkeler vs iyi hoş, John Wick tarzı ortam yapayım demiş ama olmamış be aplam. 😑

Hele de aradaki twiste hiç gerek yoktu, motivasyon desen yok, Merrick (32) & Ender (35) yaşındasınız ama nedense 10 yaş gençmiş gibi hareketleriniz var.. İntikam okumaya geldim, aradığımı yine bulamadım. Güzel bir intikam romanı isteyenleri buraya alalım.
The Risk

[Shannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Colleen approached me with a “Hey, I did a thing and I want you to beta read,” I said absolutely. And she was like “don’t you want to know about the tropes or anything?”

And proceeded to list off some of my favorites.. marriage of revenge.. I mean convenience.. enemies to lovers…. MY WIFE… ONE BED, because we know this man would get rid of every bed in the house just to say so sarcastically, “Oh noooo… there’s only one bed….. WHAT A SHAME I HAVE TO SLEEP WITH MY WIFE.”

For a debut author, Colleen blows it out of the park with these two. Nothing went the way I expected it to and I was on the edge of my seat while reading. Individually, these two are absolute badasses and together are a force to be reckoned with. Their chemistry was hot & the bantering had me laughing and swooning. And their spice? The mouth on Ender was just chefs kiss.

Colleen brings the heat, the laughter and oh my god, the tears. I was absolutely destroyed. If you need anyone to write a sad letter for you, I found your gal. The whole spectrum of emotions you experience reading Liars Heart is vast.

This world had such vivid imagery that I felt like I was just sitting in their world watching everything unfold. Everything was described with so much careful description but also so concisely that the book read quickly, in the best way. I didn’t want to put it down & am already so excited to dive back into it again.

I am so so glad I let her have the brain cell for this. 🥹

[Yami’s Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liar’s Heart is a gripping debut from Colleen Butler that blends revenge, romance, and suspense into a darkly addictive read. Merrick’s plan to infiltrate the Sinclair family and destroy them from within is chilling, but her chemistry with Ender—her enemy’s heir—makes the story impossible to put down.

The characters are complex, the pacing sharp, and the atmosphere deliciously tense. While some of the darker content may be intense for certain readers, the emotional depth and morally gray dynamics kept me hooked.

A strong start to the *Lying Gods* series and a standout debut. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking for dark romance? Secret society? Greek mythology? Revenge? Spice? Look no further, Liar’s Heart hit all of these marks for me and more. I love Merrick. She is an absolute force to be reckoned with. And Ender?! Ugh, SWOON. I really enjoyed the character development and the way in which Colleen incorporated the mythology aspect into the storyline. Don’t even get me started on the spice 😮‍💨 The chemistry between the characters was top notch. I love the taste we got of the side characters and I am hoping to see more from then soon 👀

[Vivien Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written mafia romance and I can't believe it's a debut novel! This is Merrick and Ender's story. Merrick believes that Ender and his father k!lled the man she was in love with and now she wants her revenge. This book will have you spinning in a whirlwind of emotions. This story has secret societies, arranged marriage, ulterior motives and love unexpected. Merrick never counted on falling for the man she intended on harming. This story is wonderful and full of surprises. I highly recommend it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really decent book. It’s secret society and revenge. The FMC, Merrick is a strong force to be reckoned with. A marriage of convenience as Merrick marries the man who killed her boyfriend and she wants revenge. There are so many twists and turns. The spice is elite. There is tension and the MMC makes sure his wife is pleased.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIVE "How is this a debut novel?!" stars!

I was lucky enough to beta read this beauty, and let me tell you, I looked forward to every damn page of this delicious romance. I was a dark romance reader for years, and had fallen out of the genre somewhat, but found myself so INTO reading this that I was asking for MORE CHAPTERS quicker than Colleen could write them.

You know how some stories would make killer TV?! This is one of them- it has SO MUCH MORE HAPPENING for it outside of just romance. There is a layered and really exciting parallel plot that gave me the shivers and made my dark academia side VERY pleased... it had total mafia vibes, but... more interesting and.... smarter?? than your normal mafia read. The history of our morally grey boys here delves deep into the depths of ancient mythology, keeping me fascinated as the pieces of their backgrounds are unveiled. We have BADASS men who did BAD BAD THINGS and who am I to say what their current intentions are-- I will just say that trying to uncover and wrap my head around plot twists and secrets kept this read suspenseful in the BEST WAY!

Merrick and Ender are our stars here, both belonging to a secret society of sorts that leads to an arranged marriage. Merrick wants this marriage so she can kill Ender as revenge for murdering her brother, and Ender- well, I will let you discover his motives on your own. I was LOVING the tension as the wedding itself takes place- the rituals and background of the society make this entire book so atmospheric, and I was fascinated by all of the twisted things happening and dying to know what happened next.

Damn, Ender Sinclair was the MC of all romance readers' dreams- I really expected him to be more of a hardass but THAT MAN WAS DOWN SO HARD FOR HIS WIFE- what an adorable simp he turned out to be (WELL- A HOT, BOSSY, SIMP WHO UNALIVES PEOPLE-) God, I love a man who is an absolute unhinged asshole to everyone except his woman. Sign me up for that ANY DAY. Swoon.

This story was spicy as hell in the best way (fun kinks, tension, push/pull and lots of Ender doing any damn thing to please that wife of his) and I could not get enough of it. Lennon and Roman, the best friends of these two, were insanely fun with bickering and banter, and I am so excited for their story next!

Thank you so much to Colleen for the opportunity to be part of this process as it was being developed. I am truly honored to have been a beta reader and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you as an author!

[Rebecca Kush · Rating 5 out of 5]

🇬🇷Mythology Vibes
🔪Revenge
💍Marriage of Convenience
🤫Secret Society

I was in need of a dark romance, and boy did Liar’s Heart deliver! This is not your light fluffy romance book. This is dark. We’re talking morally grey characters, hitmen, human hearts kept in boxes, torture, and some extremely spicy scenes. This book was dark, it was sexy, it was action packed, and I absolutely loved it. I was truly needing something dark and depraved, and this book was fantastic! And I mean that all in the best way.

We start off immediately in the action with a marriage of convenience that’s slightly arranged or at least approved by a secret society matchmaker called “Hera.” Our MMC is a semi retired hitman, and our FMC is avenging her ex-boyfriend/lover who was offed by her future husbands family. However, our FMC quickly realizes that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to her new husband.

The spice in this book was off the charts and some of the best I have ever read! Let’s just say this book was hot, hot, hot. I also really loved the plot, it’s loosely based on Greek mythology and I found the entire story to be incredibly interesting. I had never really seen a book done like this before and I really enjoyed it. I love a good mafia romance and I am fine to read similar ones day after day and not get bored, but I really liked how different this story was. I loved how much it really revolved around the secret society and the Greek mythology undertones.

If you want a spicy dark romance, and maybe you need a palate cleanser from all the sweet romances, this one is gonna get you down in those trenches! I think one of my favorite scenes in the book very possibly involves a heart carved out… but I won’t say that much more and I’ll leave you with that ;)

Also I’m dying for Roman’s story next please!!!

[LeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Liar's Heart! It was the perfect amount of romance, darkness and thrill that I needed. Merrick Lockwood is a force to be reckoned with. She is such a bad**s and I loved it! Eight years ago, Ender and Alec Sinclair killed the love of Merrick's life, Lennox Prescott. For the last eight years Merrick had been plotting her revenge and finally the time has come for her to seek it.

The amount of love I have for Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair is unmeasurable. It was so easy to fall for these two. They are sexy, strong and unhinged. Ender Sinclair was the perfect husband. He was more of a cinnamon roll than I thought he'd be and it was enjoyable. This man is a simp for his wife and I was here for it! He is so in love and enraptured by Merrick. I love Ender so much and every time Merrick roasted him I died. Those poor knees 🤣. The banter between these two was one of my favorite parts. I could imagine them like a movie in my head going back and forth haha.

And let's just talk about their respective besties Lennon and Roman. They were the comic relief! I love how much they supported Merrick and Ender and how obsessed Roman is with Len.

For her debut novel, Colleen Butler has cemented herself as an author to watch out for. Her writing was so beautiful and she made it so easy for me to picture her characters coming to life. I didn't want the story to end and when it did, it was so good.

Thank you to Colleen Butler and The Author Agency for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Liar's Heart.

[Priscilla Herchold · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Now this one... this one I savored. Secret societies and marriage of convenience? The tropes pointed to everything I would like and I was not disappointed. Woven through with Greek mythology (not a rehash of old tales), I was hooked.

This is a debut, and it's so well executed. There are different parallel plot lines, twists, turns, and new information being revealed frequently (at times, it was a bit much for my brain to follow), but it was absolutely awesome. I can only imagine the planning and plot outlining that had to go into this. It all pulls together in the end.

From the beginning, I loved Merrick and her need to avenge her first love, Ox. How is she going to do that? Via Ender Sinclair since it was his family that killed Ox. Ender, however, is down bad for Merrick just about as soon as their arranged marriage is a sealed deal. It also doesn't take long for Merrick to realize there are more puzzle pieces than she originally thought. She really only had a very blurry idea of the picture.

All in all, this is like a fresh take in the dark & spicy romance world for me. It's not mafia, the morally grey doesn't quite bleed into pitch black, yet still, Butler weaves it all together for a fun, ruthless, and hot read.

🔥Secret Society
💍Marriage of Convenience
🔥Dual POV
💍Greek Mythology Vibes
🔥Touch Her and Die
💍He Falls First
🔥Forced Proximity
💍Ms. Independent x Mr. Sit Down
🔥Knife Play
💍Main Characters in Their 30’s

Thank you to the author and The Author Agency for the gifted copy!

[Smutbookluvr · Rating 5 out of 5]

FMC: Merrick
MMC: Ender
Tropes: marriage of convenience, secret society, touch her and die, he falls first, forced proximity, greek mythology vibes/references
Spice Rating: 4
Series: Yes | Lying Gods Series Book One (can be read as a standalone)
POV: Dual
Cliffhanger: No

Listen, I didn’t read a summary of this book before signing up for the arc or reading. All I saw was a list of tropes and honestly, that’s all I needed. Colleen Butler is an author I discovered by chance which has turned into her having a fan for life!
 
This book left me reeling. In a good way of course. Dare I call it a masterpiece. Yes… I think I dare.
 
Honestly, I had to wait a few days after finishing the book before composing my review. I mean holy cannoli, what a ride.
 
The tension. The smut. The secrets. The badassery. All of it was just whoa!
 
I loved the characters. The heroine is a Miss Independent, or I guess I should say Mrs. Independent, and the hero is morally grey and head over heels for his wife.
 
The two end up in a marriage of convenience. The heroine in a plan to get revenge on her husband and his father for their role in the death of the man she loved. The hero… well let’s just say not everything that’s believed is as it seems.
 
Highly recommend for those who enjoy a darker, revenge type romance!
 
Thank you to the author and team for providing me the opportunity to read this book early! I look forward to seeing what comes next!

[Kali O'Dell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Truly, every single piece of it. The FMC carries such raw, complex emotions that had me highlighting entire paragraphs. Secret societies, a revenge plot, and a kind-of fake marriage? I was locked in. The sexual tension is instant and electric, balanced with the FMC’s confusion, guilt, and a twist that had me gasping out loud.

This is a story where hate and grief transform into something softer, fiercer, and more consuming. I loved watching love grow in the cracks left behind by loss. Grief is written here as fluid and ever-changing—sometimes sharp, sometimes tender—and that felt so authentic. The redemption arc hit every note. The princess saves herself, but also chooses to submit to him, and the balance of that dynamic was perfection. Add in the banter, the chaos, the friendships, and the spice, and you have a book that does it all.

“Liars Heart is dark romance at its best: obsession, power, chaos, and love blooming where only grief once lived.”
“This book proves that redemption and ruin can exist side by side—and that sometimes the princess doesn’t need saving, but still chooses to give her heart.”

You’ll love this book if you’re into darker romances that play with power and control, obsession, and morally gray characters determined to overthrow injustice.

[Darcey Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books starts of with merrick wanting to kill her soon to be husband for the death of her first love but what she doesn’t expect is to fall in love with him…

This book was everything and more the plot was amazing I loved how both the mmc and the fmc are just as murderous and crazy together 🤣🤣
And it’s the hottest thing when they kill together…( maybe I’m weird)

The spice in this book is of the charts the fact that he makes her beg multiple times I meannnn is eveyone hot or is it just me. He makes her lick 💦 of a 🔪 so if you weren’t convinced already by Ender Sinclair then you should be now. Also merrick is the hottest women I’ve read about in ages I can’t cope.

The story line of grief is so beautiful done aswell and I love how they both work through their own grief together and how supportive he is of her missing her first love. We love when am man is not insecure 🤣😩.

The tropes are:
Secret society
Marriage of convenience
Tattooed mmc/stabbyfmc
Touch her and die
Greek mythology vibes
“Crawl to me wife”

There is some dark themes in this book so do check the trigger warnings going on but other than that this book liars hearts is out august 22 2025 you don’t want to miss it !!!!

P.s can we get a book of Roman and len please im begging 🙏

[Cassi B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dawn is where night and day can be together, even if it’s not for long enough.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

🖤Greek Mythology Vibes
🖤Touch Her and Die
🖤He Falls First
🖤Forced Proximity
🖤Ms. Independent x Mr. Sit Down
🖤Knife Play
🖤MCs in their 30s
🖤Murder

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Merrick & Ender have secrets on top of secrets. First off, he killed her one & only love years ago & she is only marrying him to enact her revenge on him. Their undeniable chemistry has her losing her mind & the plot too quickly though. It's almost as if she forgets her reasons for living too soon. I would have loved to see things progress over a longer time period than what we had.

Mer is a freaking badass despite the above. She doesn't shy away from anything dark, and her ascension at the end felt right. It was her role to fill especially with Ender not wanting it.

The secret society aspect mixed with Greek mythology was neat, but I wanted more of it. Maybe another book will dive into the complexities of it for us.

Overall, for being a debut novel I feel this shows real potential for the author in the future. While we received way more of Mer's POV, I felt like Ender's was more thought out and had more substance. I actually like the side characters or Roman & Len better and would love their story.

Thank you to The Author Agency for this ARC!

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the Author's Agency and Colleen Butler for the ARC. This is my honest review.

"Where do I even start with this? Dark romance, Greek Mythology vibes, a strong and badass FMC with an MMC who falls hard? Sign me up!

This story took so many great ideas, combined them, and still kept an original storyline that hits just right. The world-building was phenomenol, the character development was spot on, and the plot was present. Lovers of dark romance or those who want to get into dark romance, I cannot reccomend this enough!

Merrick is a member of a secret society, and arranged marraiges are common. The love of her life had been murdered years earlier and she has sworn revenge against Ender and Alec Sinclair, the men responsible for her lover's death. Her plan is to marry Ender and kill him when he lets his guard down.

As she moves into his home and secrets begin to unravel, Merrick quickly learns that not everything is as it seems, and that falling for her new husband may not be the worst thing after all..."

[VicReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝙻𝚒𝚊𝚛'𝚜 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝

🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

3.5/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️

↓↓
I enjoyed certain parts of this and other parts I thought were cringe inducing.

Lets talk about the cringe inducing first. The smut, it felt like it was something I have read over and over again. It wasn't anything new or exciting, I found myself bored and wanting to skip over it. Revenge?? Where?? What's that to Merrick? She was changing tactics with Ender almost immediately. I did not see the revenge part anywhere, until the very end with Ender's dad.

The good parts. They had a strong connection, that wasn't hard to deny or see. I really enjoyed Len and Ro and honestly at times I enjoyed them more than Merrick and Ender.

Not sure if I would continue this series but maybe I'll give the next book a shot.

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🖤 Secret Society
💍 Marriage of Convenience
🖤 Greek Mythology Vibes
💍 Touch Her and 💀
🖤 He Falls First
💍 Forced Proximity
🖤 Ms. Independent x Mr. Sit Down
💍 Tattooed MMC x Stabby FMC

[Aj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debut novel that reads like a seasoned author wrote it. 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

There's something so magical about Colleen’s writing that definitely sets it apart from your typical dark romance. She's a wordsmith. A literary genius who binds beautiful words together to describe incredibly dirty things. 

Without any hesitation this is an easy five stars. Based on the quality of writing alone it receives that. Add to it a strong fmc, a swoon worthy mmc, an incredible plot and a well thought out secret society with Greek Mythology ties, it's everything you could want in a book and more. And the spice scenes? Off the charts. They're so well described. Every breath, sigh, moan, and touch is on paper. The love story is a beautiful journey from hate to love. These two fall and fall hard. It's by far my favorite read of the year and Ender has definitely made the top book boyfriend roster *hums* 😉

Congratulations Colleen, on the release of Liar's Heart. I look forward to book two in the series and any other book you publish in the future.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE a good dark romance, and this book is exactly why I keep coming back to the genre. From the start, it pulled me into a world full of intensity, raw emotion, and tension that practically leapt off the page. The push-and-pull between the characters had me glued to the story, and I loved how every moment built toward something bigger.

The spice? Absolutely fantastic. It was steamy, bold, and perfectly matched the dark, edgy tone of the romance. But it wasn’t just the heat—the plot itself was gripping, layered, and kept me turning pages late into the night. There was a perfect balance of passion, angst, and suspense that made the story unforgettable.

Colleen Butler has quickly become a new favorite dark romance author for me. She has a way of writing characters that are flawed yet magnetic, and their chemistry was nothing short of addictive. I know this is one I’ll be re-reading, just to relive that tension all over again.

Now I need the next book on my Kindle right now—waiting is not an option after that ending!

[Seems · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 73%. Domestic violence works both ways. fmc realizes her iud is missing and just assumes the mmc did it without asking him. (spoiler, it wasn't him) He's been nothing but patient and kind to her throughout the book. She was already hard to like.

A smile breaks out across his face, lighting up his features as my presence fills him with a misplaced sense of joy. I’m almost to him when he opens his mouth to greet me. He gets out, “Hey,” before the heel of my palm connects with his nose in an open-palm strike, and his head flies back.

His hands come up to his nose on instinct, leaving his balls open for my knee to hit. Which it does. Hard. Good luck trying to knock me up now, motherfucker. The hit has him doubled over and off balance, so I don’t hesitate to take him to the ground. He’s stronger than me, bigger and better trained. I’m banking on the element of surprise and him not actually wanting to hurt me to get him where I want him.

It's not even discussed that she hit him, and they move on like it's nothing.

[Fabrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always consult the trigger warnings before reading the book🔥
Ok.omg a book about a secret society of assassin’s,a woman who wants revenge and an arranged marriage?Please I am in love,this book is everything I love,the plot is well written and done,the characters are amazing and so well characterised.
This is a dark romance and has some pretty heavy themes that I think were talked about very well and were done justice.
Can we talk about the plot twists?Because Omg I wasn’t expecting a lot of things so I was glued to the pages even though I had many things to do in this last days(that’s why it took me so long to finish😭).
The thriller part of this book is AMAZING,my gore-lover heart absolutely adored everything,especially the graphic scenes,it was amazingly done.
Then the Greek mythology vibes?It was spot on,very beautiful.
The world building was so amazingly done,the storyline is very effective and peculiar,I loved it.
I would absolutely recommend this book if you like dark romance novels and also love thriller and gore💜

[SinfulReadsByV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Spice 🫦🫦🫦
Merrick and her thoughts-internal and spoken, were some of my favorite parts of the story. The chats she has with herself are just awesome. Ender is dark and broody with a side of “touch her and die” 😏. He has a tough exterior, but underneath, he’s got that chewy gooey center, and its name is Merrick.
These two are part of a secret society (yes please, love this!) filled with secrets, betrayals, unaliving, and let’s not forget arranged marriages. All the fun things I enjoy in a book!
The storyline was fast-paced, and Colleen built this secret society world well throughout the pages. Those last couple of chapters were damn good. PS, grab Kleenex.
Merrick is a fierce, rage-filled MC determined to take down those who wronged her. Hello, revenge trope! And she does it so well.

I'd recommend this for someone who is not yet ready to get into the darker stuff of Secret Societies.

[Shayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liar’s Heart ✨

If you love:

🔹Secret Society
🔹Possessive MMC
🔹MMC that hates child abusers
🔹Touch her and die
🔹”Mine” / “My Wife” / “Good Wife”
🔹Dominant/Submissive
🔹Praise kink

“Good wife,” Ender purrs down at me. “Now take a minute and acquaint yourself with your new god. Don't be shy. You’re about to become very good friends.”

I truly enjoyed reading this book. This book had me laughing, crying, and back to laughing. There was a great combination of plot and character development. I would highly recommend reading this 5🌟 read!!

Genre/Type: Dark Romance
APK: ARC Kindle
Pages: 324
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Series or Stand Alone: Lying Gods #1
Tropes or themes: Dominant/sub play; fluids exchange; knife play; spanking; praise kink; human trafficking
Check Triggers ⚠️
Human trafficking; child abuse; spousal abuse (side characters); birth control tampering; grief; second chance; breeding kink; torture
✨

[Shruti Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐️ 1.5/5 🌶️
I am thankful for being given the chance to receive an eARC of Liar's Heart.

I wanted to like this book so much!!

Characters & Premise: An interesting premise, the book's start felt dark and gritty, but it somehow lost its edge as it progressed. I liked the main characters, a strong FMC and intimidating MMC; while engaging, the romantic plotline unfortunately didn't fully resonate with me, leaving me feeling somewhat underwhelmed in the end.

Secret Society: Intriguing but not fully developed, it felt more like a prop than a well-elaborated trope. Their purpose remains unclear, and the concept isn't executed well.

Revenge: It's not a revenge romance if the character forgets about the animosity the minute they marry their supposed adversary. It felt more like insta-love rather than a hate-to-love story, in my opinion.

All in all, average read.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a debut from this author, and she is certainly a name to look out for in the future.
Elder is the heir of the leader of a secret society, and he has a reputation of a brutal killer, but he walked away from the family business years previously, but he believes he must still atone for his sins. Merrick lost the love of her life 8-years previously, and has been fuelled by vengeance ever since, with her plan to use Elder to get to his father.
This is a good story which is action packed, with family, dynamics, friendships, emotions, secret society, tension, suspense, forced proximity, complex characters, vengeance, touch her a die vibes, revelations, undeniable chemistry, and love, which leads to an enjoyable, twisted, and unpredictable, dark story revealed by dual POV’s.
I look forward to reading more from this author whose work I recommend.

[Jasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liar’s Heart is book one of the Lying Gods series and can be read on its own and is the first book I read from Colleen Butler. This book has a lot of twist and turns. The trills, betrayals, and secrets being unraveled will keep you turning the pages. The world-building and character development was amazing and I enjoyed the book. The spice is definitely spicing between Merrick and Ender. I loved how what started as revenge ended up unfolding into something else. Eden sure was a strong badass FMC and Eden was surely a morally grey MMC. The banter between them sure had me entertained. If you love dark twisted romance then this book is for you!! I highly recommend it.


Thank You Colleen Butler and the authors agency for the ARC in exchange of my honest review!🖤

[Arya Ajwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨arc review✨

Oh my GOSH, this debut novel was amazing!! I love a revenge trope, and I love a "he falls first and harder" trope even more, but these two together?? AMAZING!! Merrick was a force, and Ender held his own even though Merrick was icing him out during their first moments together as a couple. The plot was amazing, and very well thought-out, and there were 2 moments were I was sure the author was going to go the traditional/boring route, but she proved me wrong and I was so happily surprised! There were a couple moments I wish were talked about in more detail (Ox's death and how Ender was the one to kill him, as well as Merrick confiding to Ender her revenge plot in the first place) but I can't WAIT for the next book!!

Thank you to Colleen Butler and The Author Agency for the arc!!

[Aimey reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I devoured this book! It is a perfect mixture of romance, darkness, thrill and spice! Not only you get an Alpha MMC but an Alpha FMC as well. They both are badass and are the perfect match for each other.
Merrick Lockwood is a woman suffering from the loss of a loved one and vows to take revenge no matter what she has to do.
Ender Sinclair is a man with many secrets. Also he is the soon to be husband of Merrick. The man has a love for all sort of knives!!
The writing was very nice and kept me hooked to every single page. And the spice 🔥🔥🔥🔥 was slicing a lot!!

This is my first book by the author and I am very grateful for receiving an Arc!

[Vix · Rating 4 out of 5]

~ arc review

3.5/5

soooooo this has a good storyline although the whole greek mythology thing was kinda confusing to me when i started the book and the whole marriage/ceremony happened… read almost like paranormal sometimes.

i like how devoted ender is from the getgo and honestly he is the best part of this book lol hot, sexy, devoted and honestly the best part is that he respects the place her first love had in her life and knows that there’s space for him too

merrick is a good fmc although i feel like she changed directions quite fast when she realized that ender pulled at her heart strings… she could also be a bit annoying imo.

overall a good start.

[Pà]

I really loved this one. Merrick Lockwood was such a badass and totally unforgettable. Her revenge plan against Ender and Alec Sinclair kept me hooked from start to finish. The banter between Ender and Merrick had me laughing so much, he was so sweet and messy in all the right ways. The chemistry between them was fire. The plot was full of secrets, twists, and unexpected turns that kept me glued to every page. The writing made the world and characters come alive, and I didn’t want the story to end. Thank you so much to the author and The Author Agency for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving an honest review.

[K Webz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Merrick Lockwood, she is the baddy we all didn’t know we needed! Eight years ago she lost the love of her life at the hands of Alec and Ender Sinclair and she has been plotting her revenge since then. This book is full of morally grey characters, secret society and dark themes, so check those trigger warnings.

This storyline is phenomenal! Right from the start, it jumps right in with an arranged marriage between Merrick and Ender. When she moves in with him and secrets are revealed, she comes to realize things aren’t as she thought. This is where her plan for revenge takes a turn.

The chemistry between them was hot and the banter was great.