I’m the only writer in my family. And the most avid reader also. So growing up, I was the nerd, the awkward and the dreamy one. And I love to write about my dreams, about those characters that always visit me. They’re kind of stubborn, some would visit even after I make sure they get their happily ever after. They usually want me to write about their friends. Ugh… these characters won’t leave me alone. So that’s why I keep writing.
This book was a stand-alone and there was a ton of drama, so many secrets and lies and a lot of angst to top it off. The romance was good. It was a story of a woman named Grace who is getting her life on track after having a bad start at life and later trying to kill herself after drowning in guilt because she got adopted into a good life when her friend “Sam” apparently had to go through much worse and never came out on the other end of things.
First of all, the character of Grace is now strong and she is trying to accept what she tried to do and move forward. She knows she won’t ever try that again, so she is strong in some ways but still fragile in other ways. Grace’s friend and roommate is a bit too wild so Grace wants to move out and she sees a note on her neighbors door advertising free rent in exchange for cooking meals. He neighbor is a hot successful businessman by the name of Ian Skene.
Grace and Ian are attracted to each other from the start. Grace’s friend Sheila even tells Grace how Ian would always be looking at her when she didn’t know it. However, not long after Grace moves in, she realizes that Ian is sending mixed signals and tries to hold himself away from her. Grace finds out that Ian is love with someone else. However the attraction between the two of them eventually wins out and they become intimate.
The romance between Grace and Ian is a bit odd with both of them alternately backing up then bulldozing forward. But the thing I really disliked was the alternate POV. Because whenever it was Ian’s POV it wasn’t him and Grace, it was him flashing back to his romance with this other girl named Acacia, who has short pink hair and a bunch of secrets she keeps from Ian throughout their relationship.
The book kept alternating between scenes of Grace and Ian’s relationship moving forward with similar flashback scenes of Ian and Acacia. Even after the first time Ian and Grace were intimate, it flashed back to the first time Ian and Acacia were intimate. Now I accept in romance novels that the people involved may have had past loving relationships, but I don’t want to read all the details of their nights together and how lovely it all was when I am trying to pull for the heroine to get her guy. I just didn’t like it.
Also there was so much angst and back and forth, I just wanted to smack these people at times. There were so many secrets and sometimes it just didn’t seem to make sense to keep the secrets when the secrets are hurting someone you claim to love. Everyone was keeping secrets in both of Ian’s relationships. I can see being afraid that telling your secrets may kill the relationship and being afraid to tell the person in case they hate you after hearing, but when the secrets are killing the relationship anyway, why not just come clean?
Of course some couldn’t be told for specific reasons and that drove the storylines.there were huge reveals towards the end and I did like the surprises. So the book deserves three stars for being unpredictable and I certainly liked the two main characters. The romance was steamy, but not super steamy so I give it a heat index of four out of five flames 🔥🔥🔥🔥. Overall this one, as I said, was just not my cup of tea.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Okay…..You need to read ALL of my review since it is going to sound as if I didn’t like it unless you read the whole thing to get my full feelings. I won’t give anything away since part of the charm of this is going in somewhat blind.
I seriously almost DNF’d this book because I was getting so frustrated but since I did this as an “*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*”, I decided to stick it out and I am so glad I did.
There were so many mixed signals for the first half of this book and then he says something that is crushing and she doesn’t really do anything…..WHAT???? WTH??
I had so many emotions while reading this book…..I was frustrated and mad but then I would think “How sweet” and then there would be the sexy stuff that would then give me hope. My feelings were confusing me, which might possibly be exactly what Jude Ann was going for. Mission accomplished!
I couldn’t decide if Grace was really forgiving or ignorant…..it seemed like a really fine line. 70% and they were arguing and she would NOT come clean why she was keeping him at arms-length. At this point I am cussing at my Kindle and possibly considering myself mentally unstable and then BAM!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW, I did NOT see that coming! ANGST PERSONIFIED!!
I cannot tell you how truly glad I am that I finished this book. If you are a fan of Romance with a lot of angst and feelings read this book!!
**The only reason this book did not get a 5 star rating is the editing. It is distracting to me when there are typographical errors and incorrect words used. **
Congrats to Jude Ann for completing her first novel.
The premise of the story is the highlight of the book. Jude Ann brings a fresh storyline to readers. Something that I’ve certainly never read before. It keeps you interested. For those like me who are mystery and suspense junkies, you will probably figure it out very early, but it still makes the story interesting.
Areas for improvement, IMO: 1. Desperately needs an editor 2. Light-speed insta-love: connection needed more construction. 3. Prolonged suspense: at some point, readers may give up. Prolonging EVERYTHING until the end is risky.
Debut novels are rarely perfect and I hope Jude Ann continues to write.
The book blurb gives a generous tease to what you’ll find inside the pages of Jude Ann’s contemporary romance debut. I was enthused with the basic plot. Hauntingly beautiful at times with intense characters – kept me flipping the pages with curiosity nipping at my heels.
Packed with heat, a sizzling and sexy rollercoaster ride with undercurrents of suspense and relentless emotions. Full of devotion and never-ending love. The writing on the wall came fairly easily at mid-point. Chaotic and twisty, the unraveling of Grace and Ian’s truth is torturous.
At times, the flow in the writing had some bumps, grinds and challenges. A little wordy with unimportant details that caused sluggishness and slow-going from time to time. The editing fell short with some minor blips that one last proofread could easily have solved.
The building conundrum within the storyline was the draw for me, although some parts felt a little unrealistic. Even with the criticisms, this one is still a good debut overall.
*I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This neither affects my opinion or the content of my review.*
When I started reading Lie Till I Believe I didn’t know anything about the author. I didn’t know if she was a seasoned author or if this was her debut novel. But one think I know for she she delivered an outstanding story! Then I found out it was indeed her debut novel and that blow me away even more. I appreciated the way she goes into detail about the main characters,the secondary characters and the buildup to the finale. Once I was finished with the book I fully understood why she did that. Ian and Grace are complex people in a complex plot. Without all the details,even the minute ones the plot would have fell short. I loved Grace. And her name fit her perfectly. She’s on the shy side,she’s sweet,loyal and has the biggest heart. She’d rather be hurt than to hurt someone else. That’s why she keeps quiet on a lot of things that bother her. She doesn’t want to hurt those she cares about. No she is not a pushover. She is sensitive and caring. The people that know what she tried to do to herself treat her with kid gloves. But Grace believes and keeps telling them that she would never again to such a thing. I believed her because she has shut herself off. Both emotionally and physically. She does have a life. But she lives safely. Wow and Ian yes I love that man! But at times I really wanted to yell and shake him. And other times I wanted to smack him upside the head. Ms. Ann did a brilliant job with keeping Ian’s character a bit of a mystery. She had me so intrigued with him because she only gave the basic of details. He’s sexy. He’s rich. He loves his sister and family dearly. As I got further into the book his persona had me so excited to see all of him. The author built the tension between Ian and Grace so tight at times I was like okay that’s it they’re done. And the sexual chemistry between them was sizzling! Their journey is filled with so much emotion. It kept me on edge and my heart thumping fast. Holy Amazeballs when everything was revealed I was reeling!! I still am. I can’t believe the author did that and that I didn’t see that coming! I will definitely follow this author and read all her future books. Great Ms. Ann! 👏🏻
4.5 stars! *ARC provided in exchange for an honest review*
Wow, that was a roller coaster!! I really think the author has done an amazing job with this book!
I must admit, towards the middle and ending of the book, I was fully prepared to DNF and had even started planning me regretfully negative review in my head. However, I truly hate to DNF ARC’s so I pushed through, and I’m so glad I did!
As I’ve stated soooo many times before, I HATE scenes with ex’s and ow/om. However in this book, they actually had a purpose, and trust me when I say I don’t put up with that stuff!
In this book, the author did an amazing job of stringing the story line together and creating so much page turning angst. Why not five stars though? I feel like the way both the h and H acted some times was a bit...I don’t even know how to describe it, not childish, but something along the lines of not fitting in with the story line. After everything was unveiled in the end, I thought back to some of the things both of them did, and it just didn’t fit. One other thing that stuck out to me and kept me for fully giving it five stars is something the h did. I don’t want to explicitly state what it was because it’ll ruin the whole story, but the H does something that hurts her feelings and she acts “numb” by it. When she see’s the H the next day, she doesn’t make him grovel she puts up a small teensy weensy “fight” to him, but ultimately rolls over like a dog and forgives him. That is just not something I like in my h’s. This were my knot small niggles with the book though.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and, yes, I would even recommend it to the safety gang 😂 although I’m not one to usually say stay away from spoilers because I love spoilers, I would recommend going in mostly blind. The only thing I would say to people who are worried about the safety factor in this book is don’t be. When it comes to the iffy parts, just keep pushing!
Contemporary Romance roommates-healing-with a twist-angst-instalust/love Standalone. First Person,double POV. HEA? Yes. Heat: 🔥🔥🔥 (medium) Trigger: depression, suicide, abuse
I don't want to reveal too much about Lie Till I believe because I think the story line is the strongest feature of this Romance and spoilers will ruin your experience: all you need to know is in the blurb. I have never read a story like Lie till I believe: it's plot is unique, original and unpredictable . I didn't see the final twist/revelation coming and I was shocked. The ending was an unexpected but pleasant surprise and solved all the doubts and perplexities that I felt towards the hero. If you have problems with sensitive issues such as depression, suicide and child abuse this story may not be for you. Grace story is heartbreaking and I really like her character: she fights every day against her inner demons and for this reason she has all my respect. Ian is a very mysterious man and at first I wasn't his biggest fan but I can assure you..after the final twist you will be able to understand his reasons and you will appreciate his character. I think the author has done a really good job, especially considering this was her debut novel. Now I will explain why I didn’t give an higher rating (be aware I don't consider 3⭐️ a negative rating: 3 ⭐️= I liked it but I think there are some flaws) - writing style: As I said before I really think Jude Ann did a great job considering this was her debut novel BUT I also think this book needed more editing. There were too much exclamation and rhetoric question in the inner monologue for my taste. I think this author has potential and can certainly improve in the future. - personal taste in romance: unfortunately Instalove-lust /love triangle/other women dramas aren’t my cup of tea. I can't say too much because I don't want to write spoiler. If you have issues with love triangle and OW dramas try to go on and keep an open mind.. I can assure you the end of ”Lie Till I Believe” will satisfy you.
This book was a really good read for me. The author had a great plot line from the beginning. You never knew what was going to happen or what was going to set one of the characters off.
I was kept on my toes the entire time I was reading this. I’d think it was going one direction and it’d go completely different. I enjoyed the just perfect amount of angst, drama and romance. I didn’t feel like it was repeating itself or had to make the push to finish it.
Grace and Ian’s relationship I wasn’t entirely sure about at the beginning. He seemed very alpha male and Grace seemed to be completely smitten with him to the point where I was concerned her judgement was clouded. BUT! But then came the proverbial foot drop. I love when an author puts the right kinda surprise in that you don’t see coming.
I do recommend this new-to-me author! I enjoyed the book and I’m sure others will too!
**I was gifted a copy of this book in return for an honest review. That said, this has not influenced my review in any manner.**
Lie Till I Believe is the debut book for author Jude Ann. It’s a full-length novel that covers several troupes including mystery, second chance romance, and friends-to-lovers.
If you love books with suspense and drama, then please give this new author a try. Till I Believe will take you on a journey as you read about the tragic upbringing of our heroine, Grace, and her next-door neighbor turned roommate, Ian. They come together under unusual but necessary circumstances. He is a sexy and wealthy businessman, a wonderful brother and son, and someone who is harboring deep secrets.
Grace suffers from depression and nightmares from her past, and I admire her seeking professional help so that she can move forward and heal. She is fierce, a survivor, strong, caring and honest, and wanted so much to be loved. The storyline about her sister, Sam, was heartbreaking and emotional, and I really felt for Grace. The author did commendable job writing about the pain of addiction and sexual abuse, which is never easy.
This book often flashes back to the past, then back to the present time, and is told in dual points of view. I appreciate the build-up and suspense as you learn who Acacia really is, a young woman from Ian’s past. The plot is complex, unfolding to reveal new secrets as the book progresses and you will gain a clear understanding of all the little tidbits that were dropped along the way as it will all come full-circle with a surprise plot twist at the end. The characters are well-defined, and their actions will keep you guessing the entire time.
Ian went from being broody, bossy and complicated, to sweet, protective, attentive, and nurturing, and you will understand why at the end so don’t give up on him! He only wanted Grace to be his, mentally and physically safe and secure, with no more secrets between them. I did enjoy their journey overall, and am glad it included an epilogue with a HEA three years down the road.
Wow! I'm still reeling from the surprise ending. I never saw that coming at all. Story started off a little slow though the flow was smooth. The plot was interesting and one that I haven't really experienced before. It's one of those stories were you hate the Hero until the very end. I really couldn't read him at all which kind of made me mad but made for a great read. The slow-burning chemistry between Ian and Grace was there from the very beginning. I thought both were well-developed and easily relatable. I could relate to some of what Grace was going through having gone through it with someone in my family (possibly could be a trigger point for some). The ending exploded with clarity and understanding. It's a life lesson that needs constantly repeating.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book...