Blurb:
Life is a sequence of choices. Some are deliberate, others are forced upon you. This was a lesson that McKenzie Evans knew all too well. After the miscarriage of her son, she made the hard decision to leave her absentee boyfriend and move in with her former college roommate, Olivia Hamilton. That’s when she was introduced to Andrew Wise, a brilliant attorney, working for his family’s law firm in Sarasota, Florida.
To McKenzie, Drew became her salvation. He had a way of understanding her when no one else could. The closer they became, the more McKenzie found herself falling in love with Drew. He was everything she ever dreamed of in a man, and for the first time in her life, she felt truly alive. There was only one problem. Drew was dating Olivia.
With the help of fate and circumstance, Drew and McKenzie journey down a path of unrequited love and denied feelings. In the end, they must make a choice between their hearts or their consciences. In this one decision they discover that there’s always a glimmer of truth to a lie, that there’s a fine line between love and friendship, and sometimes you have to risk everything to gain everything.
Review:
McKenzie Evans has been through a lot in the past year and in The Truth in Lies we find her a crossroads in her life that ultimately can make or break where she is heading and how she is going to get there. In this story about picking up the pieces, McKenzie has to find out about herself as well as moving forward. Add in some curve-balls in the form of a sexy lawyer named Andrew Wise and her life is sure to keep her on her toes. The biggest question in McKenzie's mind, however, doesn't seem to her attraction to Andrew but whether or not it's right....he is her best friends boyfriend after all. Can she figure out what's in her own heart before it's too late? And what kind of repercussions can she expect to deal with because of the relationships with others?
For me, McKenzie was a great character to read about. Completely down to earth, she has this calmness about her that is refreshing. She is normal, and I loved that! She has a sensible job that she loves, she has friends and family that she adores and she's a nerd. There isn't anything that you can dislike about her really, the only downfall she has is that she is TOO NICE to the point where you can see other characters take advantage of her, which isn't cool. Even though she is still healing internally from a tragedy that she suffered a few months back and you can tell she is struggling to be happy again, that doesn't mean she is drowning in it. Maybe at one point she was, but from the time the stories starts you can see growth in McKenzie and see her really making an effort to move forward. I found myself rooting for her no matter what was going on and that's not something easily done.
The characters in this book were really great in general. The awesome and talented friend in Jared was someone I was really glad she had to help her out, even things got complicated. Andrew was someone I felt matched McKenzie in a lot of ways seeing as he clearly had his own demons he wrestled with but still made her feel like a million bucks and treated her with so much respect. Plus, they both let their nerd flags fly throughout the book and that just made me so happy! I always love a book that makes me go "Hey! I love that too!" It just brings the story down to your own level and makes it approachable. Then you had Olivia, the "best friend", who I hated almost immediately and never turned back. I'm normally not someone that approves of infidelity in any capacity in books but Olivia deserved what she got, how can someone be so vain is beyond me and the way she manipulates McKenzie is just plain wrong no matter how good she is letting her live in the condo. The story was great and the romance wavered between sweet and intense which was really nice. The one problem with this story?? THE CLIFFHANGER!!! Damn you! I can't wait to find what happens with these characters, because that just wasn't fair!- My Opinion- Buy it!
Get it here:
Excerpt:
He leaned forward on his hands, one knee placed on the sofa
into a near crouching position. His back arched high, lifting his t-shirt
up to expose his succulent muscled stomach as he moved toward me. “Andy,
whatever you’re thinking, stop thinking it,” I warned him, scooting away from
him.
“What are you afraid of, Mickie?”
He dropped his flip-flops onto the floor, his eyes wild and
playful. He inched forward, placing both knees on the couch. I
pushed myself up against the arm of the sofa, holding my knees to my chest.
“Really, Andy, stop it now,” I screeched in a high pitch
shrill.
Drew lunged for me, catching me by the leg. Dragging me
underneath him, he pressed his body against mine, holding me in place. I
flattened my hands against his shoulders pushing him as hard as I could,
breathless by the amount of weight he was enforcing on me. Without
warning his fingers made contact with my sides. I squirmed against his
ministrations as he started to tickle me.
“Andy…no…stop…please,” my words came out as mere breaths.
Drew encircled my legs with his, holding them to the surface
of the cushions. With one hand he tied my hands above my head while his
other continued to torture my ribs. I was his prisoner; unable to
disentangle myself from his prowess.
“I never lose, and if I somehow do, I always get my justice,”
he whispered huskily in my ear.
I wiggled and squirmed, squealing in laughter. With
each movement of my body my shirt would rise, but so would his. Our bare
skin pressed against each other as perspiration began to build.
Electricity crackled around the room. Our breathing became heavier
and deeper. His hand reached between my knees, tickling inside my leg. I
bucked and kicked in efforts to escape his relentless torture.
“Andy, please,” I pleaded.
The atmosphere in the room shifted. What was playful
banter had changed into heady desire. He released my hands, and brushed
my hair back from my face.
Every nerve in my body felt where our skin met. My
hands slipped between us, pressing against his sculpted chest. His heart
raced against my fingertips.
His hand slid over my hip leaving a trail of heat in its
wake. “Mickie,” he whispered my name like a sincere prayer.
A deep moan escaped my lungs as his fingers glided over my
rib cage. The thin fabric of my tank top wasn’t enough to eliminate the
heat of his hand from penetrating my burning skin.
His eyes fluttered closed. A throaty groan rumbled from
his chest. His thumb breezed along the curve of my breast. I
shivered in excitement. The pressure of his weight burrowed down on me.
Every ripple of his stomach, the firmness of his arms, the
muscles in his legs, they all encompassed me. His eyes open and a tender
smile caressed his lips. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.
I was intoxicated with the smell of his breath washing over
my face. I closed my eyes in anticipation of our lips touching. His
hand reached up and cupped the side of my face. His fingers crowned the
back of my head, pulling me closer to him.
I could feel the effects of his kiss even before his lips
touched mine.
About the author:
Jeanne McDonald began telling stories at the ripe young age of five, when her mother considered the truth to be a lie thanks to her extensive embellishment to the retelling of an event. She wrote her first short story when she was twelve years old, and at the age of sixteen she tried her hand at poetry. She reconnected with her love for writing in 2010 thanks to the encouragement of a dear friend.
Her passions include a “mild” Starbucks addiction, music, quotes, movies, and romance. When she is not spending time with her family, she can be found reading, writing, chatting with her friends or diligently working toward her bachelors degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. A proud Texan, she currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her family.
Check her out:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SparklingWand
GIVEAWAY!
Kathy, thank you so much for the remarkable review. I must say, you made me giggle and I LOVE IT! ;-) It's been a great honor to have the chance to visit with you. I can't thank you enough for giving me and this book a chance. <3
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~Jeanne
It was sincerely my pleasure to read it! Please do not hesitate to stop on by or reach out anytime!!
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