Love, Lies, and Deception
by L.P. Dover
Summary: What do you do when the one person you thought you knew turns out to be the one you knew the least?Twenty-three year old Marissa Chase, and soon to be college graduate, has everything going for her: wonderful friends, a lucrative degree, and a chance to explore the world. What made it even better – or so she thought – was when her path crossed with the alluring Alec Holden. Unable to stay away from him, Marissa experiences a love like no other, and falls into his world of passion and intrigue. However, things begin to shift when this path takes a deadly turn.
Her trust is put to the test when hidden dangers unfold before her, revealing secrets that have been buried for years. Secrets that were meant to stay hidden. Murder, lies, and betrayal … will Marissa figure it all out in time and escape with her life intact, or will she be too late and fall into the trap of deception?
Release Date: August 15th 2013
Where to Buy: Amazon . Barnes and Noble
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Source: I received a copy of the book from the blog tour host in exchange for an honest review and participation in a blog tour.
Review:
Love, Lies, and Deception was a fast paced, enjoyable New Adult Romance with elements of suspense and mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were likeable immediately and the thrilling plot was unpredictable. A few of my fellow book bloggers rave about L.P. Dover and her novels and I’m glad I finally got the chance to read one because I enjoyed her writing a lot. I’ll definitely be picking up more of her novels in the future and I can see why she has great fans.
I loved Marissa right away and connected with her and her group of friends. She was a very relaxed girl, smart, able to have fun, but also completely motivated. I loved the dynamic between her group and how they all felt comfortable with each other. I immediately felt like Emily, Justin, and Kristian cared about her. I didn’t always understand the way that Kristian and Marissa flirted, but I think a lot of people can relate to having close guy friends, especially when they're not in a serious relationship.
When Marissa literally ran into her gorgeous neighbor, Alec, I knew things were about to get complicated for her. I loved their dynamic immediately. He was so different from her first impression and they both had some sort of attraction for each other long before the actual run in, which I thought was nice. He was such a down to earth character and I felt like Marissa was more herself when she was with him. I loved that he wasn’t cocky, arrogant, but he wasn’t the quirky and shy end of the spectrum, either. Even though their relationship bloomed pretty quickly, the author convinced me of their connection and made me like both of them together a lot.
Once the relationship between Alec and Marissa began, Marissa became a target of some cruel behavior for reasons she couldn’t understand. Alec had a lot of secrets and a wild past. Her friends started to act a little weird, too. I liked not really knowing who I could trust, whether the threat was from a complete stranger or a friend. It was a suspenseful ride. I liked the way the plot shifted a bit from being more like a New Adult Contemporary Romance to being similar to many Romantic Suspense novels I used to devour. I liked the mix and the added element of danger.
The only thing I can say that I didn’t always like about the novel was the way certain moments felt rushed. Many things happened quickly and I felt like some of those situations wouldn’t happen quite so fast in real life, so it felt a bit implausible. Part of it was that the actions themselves were rushed, but a lot of it was simply Marissa’s character, which is actually believable to a degree. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I wanted to smack her a few times for making decisions without finding out all the necessary information. She really let her gut and emotions lead her decision making and it didn’t always help her.
I definitely recommend Love, Lies, and Deception. It’s a fun and thrilling read with the right balance of suspense and steam. I thought it was well written and unpredictable, with characters I think people can really relate to. I will read more novels from L.P. Dover in the future, too.
About the Author:
L.P. Dover lives in the beautiful state of North Carolina with her husband and two wonderful daughters. She’s an avid reader that loves her collection of books. Writing has always been her passion and she’s delighted to share it with the world. L.P. Dover spent several years in college starting out with a major in Psychology and then switching to dental. She worked in the dental field for eight years and then decided to stay home with her two beautiful girls. Her works consist of the Forever Fae series, and the Second Chances series. She’s really excited to be able to experience writing in the different genres. Her reading used to consist of nothing but suspense thrillers, but now she can't get away from the paranormal/fantasy books. Now that she has started on her passion and began writing, you will not see her go anywhere without a notebook, pen, and her secret energy builder … chocolate.
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Excerpt:
Taking a deep breath, I turned around to face him with his hands still holding onto my arms. “Are you asking me on another date?” I asked, teasing him. He smirked, a slow tilting of his lip that had me aching to bite it. “That’s up to you if that’s what you want to call it,” he murmured heatedly. “What if I do want to call it that?” I asked boldly. Alec pinned me up against the counter and placed his arms on both sides of me, locking me in to the confines of his body. His piercing blue gaze held me captive, and I was drowning, struggling to breathe as he moved closer. Bending low, he continued his torturous teasing by breathing across my neck. My eyes fluttered closed as his lips connected with the tender flesh at my collarbone. I shivered as the chill bumps fanned across my skin and made me weak. His voice in my ear immediately counteracted the chills. “If you want to call this dating, then I think that usually requires a little bit of touching, does it not?” My breathing accelerated as Alec’s body grew flush with mine, leaning dangerously against me. He tilted my head back slightly so I had to look into his face. Slowly, I placed my hands on his hips, and instead of touching the waist of his jeans I was met with the bare skin of his body where his shirt had lifted up. Holy shit, his skin felt hot! I could feel the ridges on his sides where they disappeared beneath his jeans, and I wanted nothing more than to trail my tongue down the contours of his muscles. With hooded eyes, and a raspy, breathless voice, I replied, “I’m sure it’s customary to withstand some touching, but not too much since I don’t know you very well.” I said it, but my body didn’t really mean it, and he could tell I was lying to myself. Slowly, he brought his hand to my face and trailed one of his long, lithe fingers over my cheek and down my neck. “Like this,” he insisted, swirling his finger around my neck. “Is this the kind of touching we’re allowed to do?” Chill bumps exploded across my skin, making me shiver. “Yes,” I breathed, relishing in the feel of his touch. “Just like that.” Closing my eyes, I sighed as he trailed his finger further down, stopping at my navel. The heat of his breath fanned across my face as I felt him dipping lower. I didn’t dare open my eyes and risk breaking the connection, but I wanted to see the heat in his gaze. Ever so slowly, his mouth connected with mine, soft and confident. He lingered for a moment, not moving, just his lips touched lightly to mine. I wanted more … a lot more.
Blog Tour hosted by Kim Walker and Jaime Radalyac
