Arete Resort. A private retreat in the Rocky Mountains where men who've hit rock bottom can heal.
I pose as a guest, follow the program, and report back to the investors. That’s the assignment. Lying about who I am and pretending I need help is part of the job.
Then I meet my Guide.
Luka is new and inexperienced. I don’t trust him to do his job, and I don’t believe in the program. I’ll finish my report and leave.
But that isn’t what happens.
The more time I spend with Luka, the harder it is to do my job. What starts as guidance becomes personal, and the lies I’m telling may cost me more than I’m prepared to lose.
Romeo Alexander writes M/M romance out of Michigan, usually late at night, usually with coffee, always with one dog and two cats who couldn't care less about his deadlines.
He's a gay man writing what he knows: love that's messy before it's easy, men who need to be cracked open a little before they let someone in, and the kind of hurt/comfort that makes you want to reread the same chapter three times.
He believes in happy endings. He also believes they should cost something first.
Coś naprawdę musi przykuć moją uwagę i być dobre (z mojego punktu widzenia oczywiście), żebym to przeczytała chętnie i szybko. Miałam nadzieję, że taka będzie właśnie książka Romeo Alexandra. Uwielbiam go, ale jednak nie bezkrytycznie. A ta książka jest po prostu marna.
Sam zamysł tego resortu, w którym mężczyźni dostają pierwszą, siódmą czy trzydziestą szansę na "wyleczenie/wyzdrowienie", której nie chcą dać im gdzieś indziej, jest jakiś taki niejasny. Przewodnicy, którzy są przydzielani do każdego gościa/rezydenta. Nie są profesjonalistami, są w jakiś tam sposób szkoleni i mają przeprowadzać ludzi przez proces "dochodzenia do siebie" i "wykombinowania, co jest z nimi nie tak i co muszą zmienić". Nie ma specjalnych reguł w tym resorcie: nie wolno pić, brać używek i lekarstw, które nie są oficjalnie przepisane przez lekarza. Ale za złamanie jednej z nich można nawet trafić do izolatki 👀
I mamy Rowana, który przyjeżdża tam pod fałszywym pretekstem i nazwiskiem, oczywiście z torebką leków przeciwbólowych, które nie są przepisane przez lekarza. Mamy Luka, który zostaje mu przydzielony jako Przewodnik i jest to jego pierwsza praca w tym resorcie. Można na kilometr wyniuchać, gdzie i o co będzie konflikt.
Pierwsza pi razy połowa to nudne gadanie i przyzwyczajanie się panów do siebie. Druga pi razy połowa to seks przeplatany gadaniem, równie nudne. A potem nagle się skończyło, z kumulacją oczywiście tego, co od samego początku było wiadomo, że się zdarzy. Skończyło się totalnie z dupy i absolutnie niesatysfakcjonująco. Jest wprawdzie epilog, ale również daleko mu do dobrego.
Nie miałam w ogóle wrażenia, że czytam książkę Romeo Alexandra. Wiało nudą, nudni byli bohaterowie. Czytałam ten niespecjalnie długi tekst 13 dni 👀🤦♀️ Daję 2+, ale tylko dlatego, że to Romeo Alexander i każdemu może się zdarzyć coś słabszego. Ktoś inny dostałby wypasioną jedną gwiazdkę.
"I'm not here to heal. I'm here to audit". Arete Resort is supposed to be where broken men find their way back. My job is to find out if that's true before the investors write another check. Two months, one alias, simple enough. Except I have my own reasons for knowing what rock bottom looks like. The accident I caused. The back that never healed right. The pills I smuggled in that are nobody's business but mine. Then there's Luka. He's new. Too easy with people, too comfortable in his own skin, too willing to show up when I've given him every reason not to. When I'm being a total ass, he tells me directly. When I shut down, he stays anyway. Then he found the pills. I could have let him take the blame...but I didn't. The audit was the job. Luka was supposed to be nothing...he isn't.
This was not a bad story; it just had an entirely "different feel" to the entire book; different than this author's stories usually are. Romeo Alexander is one of my all-time favorite M/M Romance authors. I can always count on him to give his readers a read with real emotions, and a made-for-each-other couple; although it sometimes takes them a while to realize that; and always...a "happy ever after".
I started out thinking that this one might be the exception to the "happy ending". I really didn’t like Rowan very much to begin with. I understood why he was sent to the resort to do a secret audit; I understood the job he had to do, but did he have to be so negative? I just had to be patient, which I'm not... and work to all out. That was just his personality. He needed data and he didn't work on emotion. That took some time for me to get into. Then there was Lucas! Him, I liked right away. He's a "happy- go-lucky I like everyone and everyone likes me" type of guy, and a team member at the Arete Resort...and he's given Rowan to help with anything he might need. It doesn't take long for Rownan to "need"...but I don't think it's what the boss had in mind when he made the assignment:)
Lucas had always done the training but only as a guide; Rowan is his first client. To say that they’re first meeting doesn’t go as planned would be a true understatement. The more time they spend together the more things seem to just happen; especially if you happen to enter a room and catch them; which is more than a mere possibility. I don't see how any real work ever got accomplished. Lucas knows what he should be doing in his role as Luka's guide, but he chooses to go an entirely different route.
There are no rules broken but you can't deny that there is a real connection happening between these two guys. I liked that Lucas didn't cave in and put up with some of Luka's rubbish plans and ideas.
The biggest question throughout almost the entire story was when Lucas’s morals are questioned will Rowan be there for him? Overall, it was a good read. Romeo Alexander ALWAYS writes a good story with interesting and usually lovable characters. I'm now going to Amazon for the other three books in this series. I sincerely hope there will be more.
Against his better judgement Rowan a certified Company Auditor agrees to his families request to go incognito to review their support and charitable investment into the Arete Resort, and provide feedback to other possible financial supporters. Rowan’s wealthy family is a major investor and uses shell companies to avoid using their real identity.
He went through the official channels of being accepted as a ‘guest’ (patient) for a two month stay. Rowan has a weird personality and manner but he is in constant awful pain due to an accident which makes him difficult to read and know.
Luca is a newly recruited Guide at the Resort and is assigned to Rowan as his first ever ‘guest’. He has no diplomas or degrees but he does have skills that do not require such documentation. Their working relationship starts off like a pair of squabbling prickly porcupines until Luca sees something that he shouldn’t and it alters something in their interactions.
I liked Luca from the beginning, Rowan took a lot longer because of his ‘lockdown’ on emotions. But Luca’s uncertified skills and warm caring personality starts to work on his assigned guest, just as his bosses knew they would when they recruited him.
Arete is an all male facility, similar to a Rehabilitation Centre where men come to learn to deal with stuff that has happened to them in their lives. Usually the fallout of life altering events that they cannot work past. Not drug or alcohol addictions. Guest’s belongings are searched on arrival for such items. We meet a few other guests, Clay and Cade who have their own ‘issues’ but add extra interest to Rowan’s time at Arete, and of course the two men who oversee the facility, Marc Shepherd, Head Honcho, who founded and set up Arete and Reggie Wentworth, Director of Operations. They may nor may not have something sparking between them.
Something definitely sparked between Rowan and Luca that was catching on fire that could surely unmask Rowan and destroy the trust between himself and the sweet Luca.
The setting and setup in a place like Arete Resort was very unusual as was the regulations governing staff/guest interactions, perhaps lots of artistic liberties called into action I guess to create a good storyline.
I enjoyed the storyline and the characters in ‘The Man I Lied To’ and I would have liked to learn more about Clay and Cade’s stay at Arete Resort. There are two other books by the author, Romeo Alexander, set in Arete Resort, which may enlighten me in that regard, but either way, I’m happy to check both of them out.
3.5 rounding up. I enjoyed the core concept and the different characters. Plus, the potential for future books focusing on different guests is great. However, the pacing felt rushed. I would have loved feeling the emotional moments deeper and seeing the consequences of the secrets play out more at the end.
Ok, so I was really excited to see what Romeo was bringing into 2026 and I didn’t know what to expect with this series, but Romeo killed it! This is a different take on a “wellness retreat” and honestly I didn’t hate it.
I ate it up and then back for seconds. Yep, I’m re-reading it already, to catch every detail.
The banter between the MCs was on point, the supporting characters were fun, and the chemistry between them was FIRE.
‘Everyone’s nervous their first time, and second…and every time’ – A healing resort adventure
Michigan author Romeo Alexander has demonstrated that not only does he have a talent for writing romance but also the gift for exploring opposites in people’s lives and stations in life and how exploration of apparent disparities can actually be a source for bonding. In this new novel he creates a resort where men can heal, as the plot summary suggests: ‘I'm not here to heal. I'm here to audit. Arete Resort is where men who've hit rock bottom come to heal. My job is to find out if that's true before the investors write another check. I'll pose as a guest and follow the program, simple enough. Except I'd hit rock bottom before. Eight months ago. A car, a ditch, and a decision I can't take back. The pain is a permanent reminder, and the pills I smuggled in are nobody's business but mine. Then there's Luka. He's new. Assigned to guide me like I'm something he can fix. I don't trust the program or him. He's too easy with people, too comfortable in his own skin, too willing to show up when I've given him every reason not to. He has his own reasons for knowing what rock bottom looks like. He hasn't told me what they are. I haven't asked. But the longer I stay, the harder it is to remember why I'm here. He doesn't push. He just keeps showing up. When it falls apart, I have to decide what I'm more afraid of losing. The audit was the job. Luka became something I don't have a word for yet.’
Romeo’s ability to establish fine atmosphere is evident in the opening lines, introducing Rowan: ‘It was ridiculous. Coming here had been a stupid idea, and following through on a plan I had zero confidence in was even more stupid. Checking the time, I grimaced and realized that if I was going to show a shred of sense, I needed to stop before it was too late.’
The range of themes in Romeo’s impressively large output of novels always encourages his readership to plead for the next volume. This is a very well-conceived and written story with a significant theme worthy of everyone’s attention!
4.5 stars Rowan and Luka are polar opposites in many ways, but after a slow start, they find themselves drawn to one another with meaningful conversations and some steamy sexual chemistry. As there is more than one secret to be revealed, there is the expected fallout, but in the end, Rowan finds a great way to get past Luka's anger and feelings of betrayal and leads them to confess their love and find their way to a wonderfully perfect HEA. I really enjoyed the epilogue. Rowan has a grumpy, closed off demeanor, but eventually shows he has a very dry sense of humor. He was born into privilege and has a good connection with his loving family - I adored the bond between him and his sister and the grief she gave him. Luka is a lighthearted, easy going guy who later shows he has a temper when provoked. He is a bit of a lost soul, he was raised in various foster care homes, many of which were not good, but set the foundation for him to never settle into one job or one location. Looking to change this aspect of his life, he's hoping his new job will settle him. The Arete Resort is a facility with unusual methods that are geared towards helping men heal in some way, to recover or recuperate. There is some traditional counseling and there are rules to follow, and while there is no real structure to what is required of the men while there, each man has a guide to help them. The seriousness of the journey towards healing is balanced with moments of levity that kept the book flowing. Both MC's are likeable individually, but I really loved them together as they are well matched. There were a few interesting secondary characters that enhanced this story by adding depth and intrigue. While I found some parts of this book dragged a bit, it was worth it to get the full picture of the facility, those in charge of it, and of course the MC's. I would recommend this book and I am looking forward to the next one.
I received an ARC from Booksprout, this review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
If you build a something, a relationship, a friendship, on lies can any of it be true? It really depends on the lie. In this case the lie actually has very little to do with the relationship that forms between Rowan and Lucas. Yes, Rowan is a visitor at the retreat under false pretences but having Lucas as his guide, the relationship that forms between them is not part of that, not really.
Romeo Alexander gives the reader plenty to ponder over with this story. There is the question of the honesty, or lack thereof, which Rowan is demonstrating. Then there is the question of Lucas, his work as a guide, his background and the way he is trying to help himself, hoping he has found the right route. There is also the sense that there is a message in here, about learning to care for ourselves in any way that makes sense for us. Admitting we need something, need some care is the first step and even the stoic Rowan comes to realise the place could be doing him some good despite his reservations.
The romance develops slowly, the focus is on the characters, their backgrounds, the people they are and the people they become. There are plenty of serious moments, offset by dry humour and a considerable amount of self-depreciation. This is slightly gritty, wryly amusing and very much Romeo Alexander. I couldn't put it down!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I wasn’t sure about Rowan Now I have read many books by Romeo Alexander and I would say hand on Heart huge fan but this one really took time for me to get into and I think I put it down too. I didn’t like Rowan. I understand why he was sent to the resort to do a secret audit, I understand the job he had to do but he was so negative and I just had to work out. That’s his personality. He needs data he doesn’t work on emotion and that really took some time for me to get into but Lucas I liked he is this happy Go lucky everyone likes him, he is a Team member at the resort and he is given Rowan to guild. Lucas has done all the training but as a guide, his first client is Rowan. And it’s safe to say they’re first meet doesn’t go as planned but the more time they spent together things happen especially when you go in the room and catch the man in a private moment. He knows what he should do as his guide, but he chooses to go a different way. There’s no rules broken but is there a connection happening with these two. I like that Lucas doesn’t put up with some of his rubbish. When lucas’s morrows are called into question will Rowan be there for him?? Overall a good read and I hope to see more books from the resort.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Rowan checks into Arete Resort pretending to be a guest while secretly auditing the program. He’s not there to heal. He’s there to evaluate. And eight months after the accident that shattered his life, he’s holding himself together with pain management, control, and a whole lot of emotional distance.
Then there’s Luka — assigned to guide him through the program.
What really worked for me is how Romeo Alexander handled Luka. He doesn’t chase. He doesn’t force breakthroughs. He doesn’t try to “fix” Rowan. He just consistently shows up. And for a man like Rowan — analytical, guarded, hyper-controlled — that steady presence becomes the crack in the armor.
Now let’s talk about the writing style. It leans formal and analytical at times, which did make me work a little harder as a reader. The introspection can feel clinical in places. But honestly? It fits Rowan’s personality. He processes everything through logic first and emotion second, so the voice mirrors that. It’s intentional — even if it occasionally slows the pace.
The emotional payoff is worth it. Watching Rowan move from detached auditor to vulnerable man terrified of losing Luka felt earned. Their connection builds through trust, not heat-first attraction, and that slow burn made the intimacy hit deeper when it finally landed.
This new series has a really intriguing premise - a resort designed for men who need to heal, rebuild, or rediscover themselves. It's a compelling setup, and I'm excited to see where the rest of the series goes. There is a lot of potential in this world, and I'm looking forward to spending more time in it.
I did enjoy Rowan and Luka together, and their dynamic had some strong emotional moments, especially as Rowan started to let down his walls. Still, I found both of them a little irritating at times. Rowan is stubborn and prone to self-sabotage, but that felt true to his situation. But It still tested my patience a bit. And I struggled with Luka as a Guide because he seemed to have a hard time controlling his emotions.
Overall, it was a good book, but it didn't quite grab me the way some of Romeo's other stories have. Still, it's a promising start to a series I'll definitely continue.
[I received an advanced copy of this book. All reviews and ratings are my own.]
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a bit shorter than many of Romeo’s usual novels, but his prose is just as rich and satisfying. The story is well crafted, centered around a guest who arrives under false pretenses with a hidden agenda, only to find the healing he didn’t expect along the way.
The main characters are well developed, and as the story unfolds you can feel the undeniable attraction growing between them. Rowan and Luka come from completely different worlds. Rowan assumes the identity of a guest seeking healing, while Luka is the Guide assigned to help him through the process. Their dynamic is engaging from the start, and the tension between duty, deception, and growing feelings keeps the pages turning.
Of course, the inevitable confrontation comes, but as romance readers know, love has a way of pushing past deception and finding its way forward.
I’m definitely looking forward to the second book in the series.
This story at first made me think it was going to be focused on a privileged person and using others. BUT I was totally wrong and Grealy pleased. This story drew me in,and held me with the focus on Luka. It was great to see a foster child turned adult pick apart and help a privileged man see his reality and fall in love. This story had believable interactions with the main characters as well as the side characters. We grew into a love and respect for all. The author does a great job with the changing of environments within the story as well as giving us other issues to add some suspense and doubts into the mix. The exchanges of dialog made me feel like I was there. This story will make you eager to finish and enjoy. The epilog of this book was the Icing on the cake! and made me feel happy 😊 Enjoy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book is part of the new Arete Resort series. This is the story of Rowan Thompson and Luka. As this is the first book in the series there is world building that had to happen. Rowan has gone to the Arete Resort undercover. He is checking out their program and seeing if investors money is being used wisely and efficiently. Luka is the new guide assigned to help Rowan on his journey. The two are personality opposites. Rowan has walls and is grumpy. Luka is sunshine and upbeat. This is their story. The book is written well and is easy to read. I enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The Man I Lied To is a compelling and emotional romance set against the intriguing backdrop of the Arete Resort. The story draws readers in with secrets, tension, and a powerful connection between the characters. As the truth slowly unfolds, the emotional stakes grow stronger, creating a captivating mix of romance, drama, and vulnerability. The characters feel layered and realistic, and their journey through trust, regret, and forgiveness makes the story especially engaging. The pacing keeps the plot moving while allowing space for meaningful character development. Readers who enjoy emotional romance with secrets, second chances, and strong character dynamics will find this story very satisfying.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Under false pretenses, Rowan signs himself into Arete Resort. This resort is designed to help men who are down and seek help an unconventional way. Everyone thinks he is a patient. However, he is there to see if the Resort is worthy of funding Luka finished his training and his first assignment is to be the Guide to Rowan. Luka was is as adorable as Rowan is grumpy who alhas walls up. The side characters were fabulous. However, Reggie is spit your drink funny. I hope he gets a story. I hope to be just the beginning of a new series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Rowan is a business auditor, and what starts as a work related visit to a healing resort turns into something much more than he expects. I really loved Rowan and Luka together and watching their relationship evolve.
Rowan is very analytical and sees things in black and white, so it was great to see him slowly come out of his shell, become vulnerable, and truly be himself with Luka.
This book also felt like it may be setting the stage for future stories, and I hope that’s the case because I’d absolutely continue the series. 💕
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Written in a very analytical and quite formal way, this style fits Rowan, a closed off auditor, exactly. It seems to potentially be the first of a new series, as there was a lot of time spent on the setting, the goals of Arate Resort, and characters who worked there. The resort was an interesting take on a healing program. Luka and Rowan together made a lot of sense even though they had extremely different backgrounds. I'm looking forward to reading more about the people from the Resort. Thanks for the advance copy via Booksprout, I am happy to leave a voluntary review.
Interesting! Luka, grew up in foster care, so he has a lot of emotional baggage. He is ready to look for permanence, a forever home. Rowan, is at the resort on a secret mission to do an audit and to ensure they are who they say they are. They have a bit of miscommunication and start out on the wrong foot. They are a bit hindered by their opposite personalities and outlooks on life. Romeo, gives them time to get acquainted. Romeo, seems to be taking a new approach to romance. Nicely done. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Although Rowan was hired to evaluate the program at Arete Resort. He checked in under false pretenses to do that job but it turns out he has needs that go beyond the job. And Luka, who was assigned to guide him through the program, turns out to bring more to Rowan than just the assist he does not want to admit to himself that he needs. He went there for one reason and it turns out he got so much more out of it. Rowan's journey was emotional and Luka was just the person he needed as he travelled it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Romeo's books have ways been a favorite of mine. This book definitely felt different from his other writing. I felt so emotionally invested in these characters. Not saying I haven't felt that way about his past books but something about the way he has written them just pulled me in. I can't wait to read more from this series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
As always with this author his stories are very well written and keep you totally engrossed. I was hooked from the beginning and couldnt put it down. The premise is about Rowan who goes undercover at a wellness retreat for men to verify for the investors that its working and worth the funding. While there he meets Luca.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Rowan is sent to audit Arete Resort to see if they were right to continue donations to the place, he was still taking pain medication for his back after his accident even though the doctors wouldn’t give him any. Luka found a place to be after getting out of foster care and was training to help with caring and helping men heal. Even though Rowan wants to be alone Luka shows up and getting under Rowan’s skin they started connecting then big decisions had to be made.
2,5 Dawno tak długo nie czytałam książki. Odkładałam, wracałam, mogłaby działać jak tabletka na sen 🥱 Pierwsza połowa ciągła się niemiłosiernie. Druga była trochę lepsza, dlatego 3 gwiazdki. Szczerze mówiąc cały czas próbowałam odnaleźć w tym jakiś większy sens. Główna para nie przekonała mnie do siebie, nie czułam chemii. Ich związek był taki ni z gruszki ni z pietruszki. Trochę boję się kolejnej części.
It seems that even though Rowan is at the Resort undercover both him and Luka benefit from the experience. Luka is surface level a happy guy, but he has anger issues that do surface. Rowan is able to help him get past some of this as they just naturally connected emotionally through their initial chemistry. I enjoyed seeing Rowan start to show a more casual side too!
Arete Resort is where men who hit rock bottom cone to rebuild their lives. I'm sent there to see if their doing what they say their doing. Then I meet Luka who is my Guide. He's supposed to help me heal. The more I trust him the more I find I'm changing and my job doesn't seem important. I really enjoyed this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked the idea of the resort and this new series. Rowan and Luka are opposites who fall for each other. However Rowan's job does cause some problems but I'm glad they work things out.
This is book one of the authors new series called Arete Resort and this is Rowan and Luka’s story which is an opposites attract slow burn romance that starts on untruths but turns into something real. Good start.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The Man I Lied To is the first book in the new Arete Resort series and it seems like it will be another wonderful series from Romeo Alexander. This is a slow burn, opposites attract read between Rowan and Luka. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next book.
The twist in this book Was really interesting I really want to know who was going into his room hopefully in your next book you will put that in there I love reading your books Story