Review: Crown of Lies by Pepper Winters

“I couldn’t let him get away with such a remark. I couldn’t stand there and let him smirk as if I was a tantrumy adolescent who never worked and believed money came from fairy farts.” (3h12m)

★★★☆☆
🌶🌶

Series: Truth and Lies Duet, Book 1

Review:

First, I would like to thank Valentine PR and the author for providing me with a free audio review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cliffhanger is so gripping that you’ll be searching for the next book immediately!

Elle’s childhood was spent learning her father’s business, and she became the CEO of Belle Elle as a teenager. Working as hard as she does has led to a very sheltered life. When she finally decides to go out on her own, she is assaulted by two men, but a young vagrant saves her. Unexpectedly, Elle becomes smitten with the young man but never even learns his name before he is arrested and she is whisked away. Years later, her father is trying to play matchmaker, and a cocky young man claims he can win her heart. Caving to Penn’s seduction, she still mourns the absence of the man who saved her that night, but she needs Penn’s protection from enemies who want control of her empire.

Be forewarned, Crown of Lies is the first book in a duet, so it ends on a cliffhanger, right in the middle of the action. The cliffhanger is gripping, so there is no way to skip the second book!

Kylie Stewart was a perfect casting for the role of Elle. She has a youthful voice, and her emotions shine through her narration. Alongside Eric Rolon, the two narrate as a duet. Even though Elle’s night with the homeless man who saved her is fleeting, you can feel their desire and their instant connection. What I found frustrating, though, was the male characters. Elle’s father is weak and gullible–not what I would imagine a former CEO to be. And Penn–his weird outspoken verbal assault on Elle’s bullies is uncomfortable and overacted. And it honestly makes little sense for the plot. I really enjoyed the storyline, though, despite these factors, which is why I still gave the book a good rating. I’m devastated by the cliffhanger, so I’ll certainly be reading the second half of the duet!

Audience: new adult, adult
Trigger warnings: sexual assault, kidnapping, violence
Recommended for fans of: romantic suspense, dub-con, virgin FMC, socioeconomic differences, CEO FMC, possessive MMC, touch her and die, hidden identity, miscommunication

Publisher's Synopsis:

Noelle Charlston lives a fairy-tale life: a doting father, a powerful job, and a future blessed with financial security.

However, two meetings with two men changes her happy existence forever. First, she meets the man who makes her heart sing. Three years later, she meets the man who makes her blood quiver.

Broken-hearted from a teenage romance, Noelle's freedom is no longer hers. It belongs to the stranger her father believes is her perfect match. The stranger who pulls his lies over everyone he touches.

Including her.

Seduced and manipulated, Noelle gives into the mysterious Penn Everett. The lies he spins, the truth he hides, the mystery he weaves - it's all enough to slowly erode the woman she is and turn her into something else.

Until her past collides with her present.

And it's her turn to lie.

To everyone...including herself.

Source:

Valentine PR

©Pepper Winters: February 8, 2017
Edition: Audible audiobook
9 hours, 18 minutes

Start reading the Truth and Lies Duet series on Amazon!
1. Crown of Lies: https://amzn.to/3YOwWQE
2. Throne of Truth: https://amzn.to/4fT8x22
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