Scan barcode
A review by kfriend
The Lie by Karla Sorensen
5.0
Washington Wolves fans rejoice! Karla Sorensen has gifted us with some second generation magic. The Lie is a delightful opposites attract romance- where the sunshiney philanthropist crosses paths with the capricious footballer and sparks fly. And it is everything I love about KS’s story telling- nuanced characters, a focused storyline, swoony moments, captivating chemistry, and lots of feels. Yet another delicious consumptive treat!
Ever since my much beloved Faked, I’ve come to realize that my very favorite stories of Karla Sorensen are the bad boy-good girl/jaded and sunshine contrasts. She delivers them with a practiced ease- stories with intense chemistry, complicated character dynamics, but so much swoon. The Lie is everything I love about Karla’s writing- and everything I love about this trope.
Fans of Bombshell will recognize the extremely endearing Faith- daughter of Wolves owner Allie and Luke, now all grown up and running the team’s charity, Team Sutton. A role that puts her directly in the line of fire with the wolves’s new wild child- Dominic, a notoriously hot headed and off putting baller. This tatted bad boy is already treading thin ice with team leadership, and his antics soon land him in mandatory community service with Faith’s charity. Dominic immediately lashes out at Faith, assuming she’s only in her role because of her privilege and nepotism, and Faith is less than impressed by the arrogant, bitter, and bad tempered player that’s been thrown in her path. But their thinly veiled hostility is challenged by a burgeoning respect when they start to see….and learn….unexpected things about the other, and after a highly serendipitous occurrence.
Faith is everything I love about Karla Sorsensen leading lady. She’s smart, capable, strong, and driven. And she’s also humble, generous, loving, and oh so kind. I loved her quirky charm and her brightness. After a less than palpable beginning, she somehow finds a way to be open to Dominic, because she sees the best in others. She’s the kind of person we should all aspire to be- one full of empathy, love, and joy. Dominic is perhaps the surliest of any Sorensen hero I’ve read to date, but we find his gummy bear squishy center pretty quickly. This is a man that has been consumed by grief for so long, he’s learned to cope solely through isolation and hostility. His arrogance and broody armor cause him to be misunderstood, and he’s cared little about challenging anyone's perceptions. Until Faith unleashes the breadth of his long suppressed heart, until he wants someone to see the good in him again. He’s deliciously complicated and imperfect, but also epically swoony when he wants to be. Dominic more than makes up for his misdeeds and mistakes, with some ovary exploding romancing.
While some of the aspects of their connection require a smidge of disbelief (fate really got this one on the head, amirite?!), ultimately their story is just adorable. These two have a sweet, tenuous at first but every strengthening connection that stems from a place of care and respect. We’ve got ample heat and tension between them, but even more swoon and charm. Banter, some heat, a bit of angst, and a lot of heart. And, like so many Sorenson stories, there’s a subtle but meaningful message around the power of authentic connection to catalyze compassion and healing. And these two have that authentic connection indeed- two seeming opposites that somehow end up being the one person who understands each other the most.
Karla Sorensen is quickly becoming my go to for heartwarming, feel good, swoony romance- and I just can't get enough of this Washington Wolves family. Looking forward for more second generation charm to come!
Ever since my much beloved Faked, I’ve come to realize that my very favorite stories of Karla Sorensen are the bad boy-good girl/jaded and sunshine contrasts. She delivers them with a practiced ease- stories with intense chemistry, complicated character dynamics, but so much swoon. The Lie is everything I love about Karla’s writing- and everything I love about this trope.
Fans of Bombshell will recognize the extremely endearing Faith- daughter of Wolves owner Allie and Luke, now all grown up and running the team’s charity, Team Sutton. A role that puts her directly in the line of fire with the wolves’s new wild child- Dominic, a notoriously hot headed and off putting baller. This tatted bad boy is already treading thin ice with team leadership, and his antics soon land him in mandatory community service with Faith’s charity. Dominic immediately lashes out at Faith, assuming she’s only in her role because of her privilege and nepotism, and Faith is less than impressed by the arrogant, bitter, and bad tempered player that’s been thrown in her path. But their thinly veiled hostility is challenged by a burgeoning respect when they start to see….and learn….unexpected things about the other, and after a highly serendipitous occurrence.
Faith is everything I love about Karla Sorsensen leading lady. She’s smart, capable, strong, and driven. And she’s also humble, generous, loving, and oh so kind. I loved her quirky charm and her brightness. After a less than palpable beginning, she somehow finds a way to be open to Dominic, because she sees the best in others. She’s the kind of person we should all aspire to be- one full of empathy, love, and joy. Dominic is perhaps the surliest of any Sorensen hero I’ve read to date, but we find his gummy bear squishy center pretty quickly. This is a man that has been consumed by grief for so long, he’s learned to cope solely through isolation and hostility. His arrogance and broody armor cause him to be misunderstood, and he’s cared little about challenging anyone's perceptions. Until Faith unleashes the breadth of his long suppressed heart, until he wants someone to see the good in him again. He’s deliciously complicated and imperfect, but also epically swoony when he wants to be. Dominic more than makes up for his misdeeds and mistakes, with some ovary exploding romancing.
While some of the aspects of their connection require a smidge of disbelief (fate really got this one on the head, amirite?!), ultimately their story is just adorable. These two have a sweet, tenuous at first but every strengthening connection that stems from a place of care and respect. We’ve got ample heat and tension between them, but even more swoon and charm. Banter, some heat, a bit of angst, and a lot of heart. And, like so many Sorenson stories, there’s a subtle but meaningful message around the power of authentic connection to catalyze compassion and healing. And these two have that authentic connection indeed- two seeming opposites that somehow end up being the one person who understands each other the most.
Karla Sorensen is quickly becoming my go to for heartwarming, feel good, swoony romance- and I just can't get enough of this Washington Wolves family. Looking forward for more second generation charm to come!