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A review by bookishlynomes
Grand Lies by J.C. Hawke
3.0
3.5 stars
Grand Lies is the first book in The Promise Duet and sets up the story of Nina and Masen. Nina is a dancer with a difficult past and Mase is your typical billionaire playboy - until he meets Nina that is. Once they meet, Masen becomes overly protective and exceedingly alpha male in his quest to make Nina his.
This is Hawke's debut novel and I think overall it was a good job. The characters and storyline, while incredibly drama-filled, were consistent throughout; and despite the many ups-and-downs of their tumultuous relationship, you always knew where they stood with each other.
To be honest, I think the biggest thing I personally struggled with in this story was the hero and heroine's relationship. There was a lot of on-and-off moments that had me wondering about their maturity and how fast they were getting into the relationship. That being said, I think it would be interesting to see how each of these characters will grow and develop as individuals in the next book, and I definitely think both Nina and Masen would benefit from really working on themselves and seeing how that influences their relationship as a couple.
Outside of the relationship, the storyline was full of intrigue with many things hinted at that haven't yet been fully explained. It leaves a lot open for the second book and especially when you consider the cliffhanger at the end of Grand Lies. Overall, I think this was a good beginning to the story and I think the next book in the duet will provide a great opportunity for Nina and Mase to really develop themselves and their relationship.
Disclaimer: Thank you to Wildfire Marketing Solutions for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
Grand Lies is the first book in The Promise Duet and sets up the story of Nina and Masen. Nina is a dancer with a difficult past and Mase is your typical billionaire playboy - until he meets Nina that is. Once they meet, Masen becomes overly protective and exceedingly alpha male in his quest to make Nina his.
This is Hawke's debut novel and I think overall it was a good job. The characters and storyline, while incredibly drama-filled, were consistent throughout; and despite the many ups-and-downs of their tumultuous relationship, you always knew where they stood with each other.
To be honest, I think the biggest thing I personally struggled with in this story was the hero and heroine's relationship. There was a lot of on-and-off moments that had me wondering about their maturity and how fast they were getting into the relationship. That being said, I think it would be interesting to see how each of these characters will grow and develop as individuals in the next book, and I definitely think both Nina and Masen would benefit from really working on themselves and seeing how that influences their relationship as a couple.
Outside of the relationship, the storyline was full of intrigue with many things hinted at that haven't yet been fully explained. It leaves a lot open for the second book and especially when you consider the cliffhanger at the end of Grand Lies. Overall, I think this was a good beginning to the story and I think the next book in the duet will provide a great opportunity for Nina and Mase to really develop themselves and their relationship.
Disclaimer: Thank you to Wildfire Marketing Solutions for the arc in exchange for an honest review.