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lizeylu's review against another edition
2.0
Was a tiktok suggestion, honestly didn’t love it. I don’t understand how a person can be attracted to someone so dominant and aggressive? Idk just my thoughts. It was also VERY predictable in the end. I honestly would prefer if the intimate parts were more suggestive and less confronting. I’m very mad that it isn’t a stand alone book and is obviously written so that you have to read the sequel. Like the end just isn’t satisfying and leaves you needing to read the next book for answers.
takealookatmybookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
Grand Lies is the first book in The Promise Duet and is JC Hawke’s debut novel. I was hooked from the beginning and could not put it down. The book begins with a prologue which gives us the heroine, Nina’s past. Nina has had a tough life, but she’s proud of where she is in her life. Nina is strong, independent, resilient, and what she desperately wants is love and affection. Mason is a successful businessman, with secrets and demons. All his life he’s been privileged and wants for nothing until he meets Nina in the most unexpected way.
I absolutely loved these characters. Their explosive chemistry, passion, and their connection. Nina is the perfect match for Mason. She’s sassy, sweet, loyal, and handles anything thrown her way. Mason is dominant, overprotective, and broody. He gets what he wants and demands that people bend to his will. Nina and Mason have intense chemistry. Sparks fly between Nina and Mason, nothing is simple, but together they collide in the most epic of ways. Nina and Mason make each other better, their chemistry is intense and in every sense of the word they are soulmates joined by heart, mind, and soul.
The character development, the writing, suspense, drama, and secrets kept me engaged throughout and I’m dying for the second part of this duet after that cliffhanger! September can’t get here soon enough!
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I absolutely loved these characters. Their explosive chemistry, passion, and their connection. Nina is the perfect match for Mason. She’s sassy, sweet, loyal, and handles anything thrown her way. Mason is dominant, overprotective, and broody. He gets what he wants and demands that people bend to his will. Nina and Mason have intense chemistry. Sparks fly between Nina and Mason, nothing is simple, but together they collide in the most epic of ways. Nina and Mason make each other better, their chemistry is intense and in every sense of the word they are soulmates joined by heart, mind, and soul.
The character development, the writing, suspense, drama, and secrets kept me engaged throughout and I’m dying for the second part of this duet after that cliffhanger! September can’t get here soon enough!
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
mochuu's review against another edition
1.0
Wanted to like the book but ended up stopping halfway through -- even when reading I skipped/skimmed a lot.
rihoward's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
Interesting start to this duet. It took me a bit to get invested but there was enough of a mystery that I wanted to keep going. I'm glad I did because the ending was filled with suspense.
Interesting start to this duet. It took me a bit to get invested but there was enough of a mystery that I wanted to keep going. I'm glad I did because the ending was filled with suspense.
rega1234's review against another edition
1.0
I hated it. It sucked. The main characters were both horrible in their own rights and together they were down right annoying. I want to read the next one to know the ending but I also can't stand to read it
milliehawkinss's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
janella_11's review
5.0
Man oh man what a ride. I was very relieved when I only had to wait a day to read the sequel because that cliff hanger was intense!!
I will definitely be reading more from this author.
I will definitely be reading more from this author.
bee_thebibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Grand Lies is an intense read - it’s definitely a roller coaster ride of emotions and will keep you guessing about what’s coming next. Nina and Mason’s relationship gets really involved, really fast, upheaving a lot of their daily lives and throwing them into something completely new. While the relationship moves fast, I felt like the plot took a while to really pick up. Once you’re into the thick of things, the pacing is great but the beginning is a little slow.
Nina’s had a rough life since childhood and her actions and behaviors show the defenses she’s developed to avoid being hurt again. She’s worked hard to create a life for herself that she enjoys, teaching dance classes and being in the studio to use dancing as an outlet for her feelings. But Nina is a runner - whenever things get hard or she feels caged in, she runs from it. She portrays herself as a strong, independent, stubborn woman but she seems to cave quickly when confronted with emotions.
Mason (Mase) is a rich businessman who is used to throwing money at his problems to make them go away and showering his female companions with gifts to keep them happy. But Nina doesn’t want that and he’s left wondering what he can do to win her over. He’s fiercely protective and is all in on his relationship with Nina from the very beginning. Typically I’m into the alpha male character and I mostly like what Mase brings to the table, but every once in a while he says something that makes me cringe...to me, there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed when it comes to possessiveness and Mason definitely steps over that line a few times.
There’s definitely chemistry between Nina and Mase, but I think they both could benefit from working on themselves as individuals before committing to a relationship. And learning to be more open, communicative and trusting, not keeping things bottled up or hidden. They’re both immature in their own ways and it’s really apparent when they’re together since they can call out the other’s shortcomings but don’t recognize their own. They’re frustrating to read at times.
The cliffhanger at the end of this book definitely highlights Nina and Mason’s mutual need to work on their communication as a couple, but also has me wondering where this story is going to go and how they’ll have to work to figure everything out that’s happened between them so far. Overall, I think this is a good debut novel from J.C. Hawke but I’m really hoping for some continued character growth in the second half of this duet!
Nina’s had a rough life since childhood and her actions and behaviors show the defenses she’s developed to avoid being hurt again. She’s worked hard to create a life for herself that she enjoys, teaching dance classes and being in the studio to use dancing as an outlet for her feelings. But Nina is a runner - whenever things get hard or she feels caged in, she runs from it. She portrays herself as a strong, independent, stubborn woman but she seems to cave quickly when confronted with emotions.
Mason (Mase) is a rich businessman who is used to throwing money at his problems to make them go away and showering his female companions with gifts to keep them happy. But Nina doesn’t want that and he’s left wondering what he can do to win her over. He’s fiercely protective and is all in on his relationship with Nina from the very beginning. Typically I’m into the alpha male character and I mostly like what Mase brings to the table, but every once in a while he says something that makes me cringe...to me, there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed when it comes to possessiveness and Mason definitely steps over that line a few times.
There’s definitely chemistry between Nina and Mase, but I think they both could benefit from working on themselves as individuals before committing to a relationship. And learning to be more open, communicative and trusting, not keeping things bottled up or hidden. They’re both immature in their own ways and it’s really apparent when they’re together since they can call out the other’s shortcomings but don’t recognize their own. They’re frustrating to read at times.
The cliffhanger at the end of this book definitely highlights Nina and Mason’s mutual need to work on their communication as a couple, but also has me wondering where this story is going to go and how they’ll have to work to figure everything out that’s happened between them so far. Overall, I think this is a good debut novel from J.C. Hawke but I’m really hoping for some continued character growth in the second half of this duet!
bdaniellet's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book at least a year ago, the audiobook came out and I definitely had to do a reread with it. I LOVED this book when I first read it, while I still love it, it’s definitely way more toxic the second go around