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555quin's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
fourclarkes's review against another edition
3.0
This is my third book by this author and I liked this one too. It was a little slow at times but interesting enough to keep me engaged. There was a lot going on and at times I found the thoughts of the main two characters repetitive. That being said I still enjoyed it. I was in the mood for a little action with my romance and this fit the bill.
Milo, Parker and Garrett all have kept things from those that have meant the most to them. When tragedy strikes, those very lies and secrets all come to a head. Do the secrets that are kept to make sure others safe really worth it? Can the lies hurt more than the truth? And at the end of the day, can those that were hurt move on? It was definitely an interesting tale of deceit, but at times a bit predictable. At other times though, I thought to myself, well I didn't see that coming.
Milo, Parker and Garrett all have kept things from those that have meant the most to them. When tragedy strikes, those very lies and secrets all come to a head. Do the secrets that are kept to make sure others safe really worth it? Can the lies hurt more than the truth? And at the end of the day, can those that were hurt move on? It was definitely an interesting tale of deceit, but at times a bit predictable. At other times though, I thought to myself, well I didn't see that coming.
devansbooklife's review against another edition
4.0
This book packs a punch. Line after line you find yourself drawn into a larger web of lies. It's brilliant and completely captivating.
Parker meets two incredibly good looking guys in a coffee shop one day. Although she had made a promise to keep people at a distance she decided to allow these two boys into her life. Her world was forever changed from that day forward. Parker seemed to have found her soul mate in Garrett, he caused her to feel things no one ever had. A passion and need that nothing or no one else could quench. So she decided to date Milo, the safe one. And the three became best friends/pseudo family members to one another. Parker never knew Garrett felt the same way.
Years passed and Parker and Garrett keep their feelings a secret as she agrees to marry Milo. Then tragedy strikes and Milo is killed during a mission for the SEALS. The story takes a gripping turn as the reader finds out Milo had been deceiving both Parker and Garrett. They just don't understand the depth of deception.
An extremely well thought out plot with believable characters that I really enjoyed. A fast paced read that had you checking behind you in one breath and wanting to drop your panties in the next.
Parker meets two incredibly good looking guys in a coffee shop one day. Although she had made a promise to keep people at a distance she decided to allow these two boys into her life. Her world was forever changed from that day forward. Parker seemed to have found her soul mate in Garrett, he caused her to feel things no one ever had. A passion and need that nothing or no one else could quench. So she decided to date Milo, the safe one. And the three became best friends/pseudo family members to one another. Parker never knew Garrett felt the same way.
Years passed and Parker and Garrett keep their feelings a secret as she agrees to marry Milo. Then tragedy strikes and Milo is killed during a mission for the SEALS. The story takes a gripping turn as the reader finds out Milo had been deceiving both Parker and Garrett. They just don't understand the depth of deception.
An extremely well thought out plot with believable characters that I really enjoyed. A fast paced read that had you checking behind you in one breath and wanting to drop your panties in the next.
casimoore's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! This book was completely unexpected. It was like my two favorite book genres colliding. I was a little hesitate before starting reading this book because of Sivec's last Chocolate Lovers series (loved the first one but the last two were very repetitve and lacking). I cannot even believe this was the same author! There was a great mystery thriller plot combined with a love story and some pretty hot sex scenes. Can't wait to see what the rest of the series holds.
betty816's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Tara Sivec made the crossover to spy/espionage but didn't leave behind her romance skills. Great book , looking forward to more with these characters!
diabianca's review against another edition
4.0
I love how everything is connected in the end and the action-packed scenes!
ashkwtf's review against another edition
1.0
I just couldn't get into it. The flashes back to the past seemed awkwardly formatted on the kindle. I thought the heroine's reasoning for settling for the guy she didn't romantically love were a bit ridiculous. Add that to the reason she gets to go along on the assignment ... meh? I can normally suspend my disbelief but I think it requires me to care first.
anasatticbookblog's review
4.0
Read more of my reviews and ramblings at Ana's Attic Book Blog
4.25 stars
When I first heard Tara Sivec was writing a romantic suspense series and leaving the hysterical Chocolate Lover’s series behind, I’ll admit it….I died a little inside, and I went to my room and wept. But then I picked up my big-girl panties, and said “This better be good, or I’m gonna go ballistic and MAKE this bitch write some more comedy!” Well here it is folks, A Beautiful Lie, the first in the 4 book “Playing with Fire” series about hot and sexy Navy Seals. Filled with murder, intrigue and lots of tricky twists and turns, who the hell knew Tara had more than vaginas and vibrators in that wacky head of hers?
“But if you were given the chance to go back, to tell the truth instead of lie to save someone’s life and their feelings…would you?”
I have to admit, I found myself a little nervous I wouldn’t like it and was frustrated at the beginning. I was liking the story, a lot, but I wasn’t LOVING it. Then WHAM! BAM! HOLY FUCK! COULD.NOT.PUT.IT.DOWN.
“This one day, a sweet, beautiful girl walked into a coffee shop and my world came to a standstill. She was shy and had a smile that could light up a room. But there was something in her eyes that made me want to take away all of her pain.”
Anna Parker (referred to as “Parker”) swore she would never get attached to another sole. She would especially never allow herself to feel the all-consuming love her father had for her mother. Because after he mother passed away, her father couldn’t even look at her; she reminded him too much of her mother, and he drove Parker away.
“…Parker vowed to never love like that. She swore she would never let someone take so much of her heart and soul that it would wither away to nothing once they were gone. She gave up on the dream of finding someone to consume her mind, body, and soul. It only ruined you in the end. It only left you broken and unable to live.”
Garrett and Milo are two handsome Navy Seals who grew up together. Garrett stood up to a bully for Milo in grade school, and they were best friends ever since. Garrett’s family took Milo in at a very young age and loved him and supported him when his father beat him.
One day Garrett and Milo enter a coffee shop that Parker is at, in her senior year of college. Garrett and Parker have an instant spark for each other but don’t act on it. Parker didn’t, because she guards her heart and new he could shred it, and Garrett, because Milo called dibs.
“How could Garrett ever deny his friend a woman like that in his life? So he buried his feelings, his wants, and desires and stepped aside so his friend could finally find some peace and happiness. There were plenty of fish in the sea, as the saying goes, and Garrett spent all his time making sure he explored as many willing and able fish as he could.”
So Milo and Parker were engaged, but the three of them become the best of friends….family. Cut to 8 years later…Milo died in service in the Dominican Republic, just before his planned wedding to Parker. Six months later, Garrett and Parker still have doubts about the conditions surrounding his death. Garrett and Parker are still best friends, but the longing between them is growing. They are fighting hard to keep away from each other out of guilt.
“If you were mine, I would never be able to walk away from you. If you were mine, I would worship every inch of your body with my hands, lips, and tongue. If you were mine, I wouldn’t be able to stand in the same room as you without running my hands over your skin and tasting your lips.”
Garrett decides it’s time for him to head to the Dominican to investigate Milo’s murder further. Little does he know, he is going to have some company on the trip, posing as his wife. And some hidden truths come out.
“I didn’t lie to you. I protected you. There’s a difference,” Parker said softly, her mouth inches from his.
Then…..holy crap, twists and turns that you think you might have guessed, turn out to be something else! This book was like The Bourne Identity meets Alias…don’t turn away, so much action and intrigue and twists and turns happen, you just can’t put it down. Add to that the INCREDIBLE sexual tension between an awesome hero and heroine, some very hot sex scenes and a HEA, and you have the makings for a great book!
Likes:
-Oh Garrett, you are an amazing book boyfriend >sigh<
-I loved Anna Parker, she was an awesome, kickass heroine.
-Holy crap, the depth of the twists and turns in this book! You think you have it figured out, but no….you don’t!
-The sexual tension was hot, and the sexy stuff even hotter!
-No cliffhanger!! WooHoo!
Dislikes:
The 3rd person style, switching back and forth between Garrett and Parker, plus flashbacks, made me have some difficulty connecting at first.
For some reason, the name “Parker” kept throwing me off a little, I kept thinking of a guy, and confused myself a few times.
It was a bit of a slow ramp-up.
Rating: 4.25 Stars (the last 20% was a 5!), 4 Heat
Tara is writing this series under a pen name, T.E. Sivec, so there is no confusion between this series and her funny Chocolate Lover’s Series. I really enjoyed A Beautiful Lie, and I look forward to the next in this series that will be all about the Navy Seals we have met in this one. Although it took a little while to get into this book, I think Tara may have found her groove midway through as well, and the next books will be even better. A Beautiful Lie is unique and fresh, and I think this series will be phenomenal.
“When something you’ve wanted for as long as you can remember is finally yours, you have a hard time believing its real. You find yourself wondering if it’s just a dream and in one careless moment it will all be taken away from you.”
4.25 stars
When I first heard Tara Sivec was writing a romantic suspense series and leaving the hysterical Chocolate Lover’s series behind, I’ll admit it….I died a little inside, and I went to my room and wept. But then I picked up my big-girl panties, and said “This better be good, or I’m gonna go ballistic and MAKE this bitch write some more comedy!” Well here it is folks, A Beautiful Lie, the first in the 4 book “Playing with Fire” series about hot and sexy Navy Seals. Filled with murder, intrigue and lots of tricky twists and turns, who the hell knew Tara had more than vaginas and vibrators in that wacky head of hers?
“But if you were given the chance to go back, to tell the truth instead of lie to save someone’s life and their feelings…would you?”
I have to admit, I found myself a little nervous I wouldn’t like it and was frustrated at the beginning. I was liking the story, a lot, but I wasn’t LOVING it. Then WHAM! BAM! HOLY FUCK! COULD.NOT.PUT.IT.DOWN.
“This one day, a sweet, beautiful girl walked into a coffee shop and my world came to a standstill. She was shy and had a smile that could light up a room. But there was something in her eyes that made me want to take away all of her pain.”
Anna Parker (referred to as “Parker”) swore she would never get attached to another sole. She would especially never allow herself to feel the all-consuming love her father had for her mother. Because after he mother passed away, her father couldn’t even look at her; she reminded him too much of her mother, and he drove Parker away.
“…Parker vowed to never love like that. She swore she would never let someone take so much of her heart and soul that it would wither away to nothing once they were gone. She gave up on the dream of finding someone to consume her mind, body, and soul. It only ruined you in the end. It only left you broken and unable to live.”
Garrett and Milo are two handsome Navy Seals who grew up together. Garrett stood up to a bully for Milo in grade school, and they were best friends ever since. Garrett’s family took Milo in at a very young age and loved him and supported him when his father beat him.
One day Garrett and Milo enter a coffee shop that Parker is at, in her senior year of college. Garrett and Parker have an instant spark for each other but don’t act on it. Parker didn’t, because she guards her heart and new he could shred it, and Garrett, because Milo called dibs.
“How could Garrett ever deny his friend a woman like that in his life? So he buried his feelings, his wants, and desires and stepped aside so his friend could finally find some peace and happiness. There were plenty of fish in the sea, as the saying goes, and Garrett spent all his time making sure he explored as many willing and able fish as he could.”
So Milo and Parker were engaged, but the three of them become the best of friends….family. Cut to 8 years later…Milo died in service in the Dominican Republic, just before his planned wedding to Parker. Six months later, Garrett and Parker still have doubts about the conditions surrounding his death. Garrett and Parker are still best friends, but the longing between them is growing. They are fighting hard to keep away from each other out of guilt.
“If you were mine, I would never be able to walk away from you. If you were mine, I would worship every inch of your body with my hands, lips, and tongue. If you were mine, I wouldn’t be able to stand in the same room as you without running my hands over your skin and tasting your lips.”
Garrett decides it’s time for him to head to the Dominican to investigate Milo’s murder further. Little does he know, he is going to have some company on the trip, posing as his wife. And some hidden truths come out.
“I didn’t lie to you. I protected you. There’s a difference,” Parker said softly, her mouth inches from his.
Then…..holy crap, twists and turns that you think you might have guessed, turn out to be something else! This book was like The Bourne Identity meets Alias…don’t turn away, so much action and intrigue and twists and turns happen, you just can’t put it down. Add to that the INCREDIBLE sexual tension between an awesome hero and heroine, some very hot sex scenes and a HEA, and you have the makings for a great book!
Likes:
-Oh Garrett, you are an amazing book boyfriend >sigh<
-I loved Anna Parker, she was an awesome, kickass heroine.
-Holy crap, the depth of the twists and turns in this book! You think you have it figured out, but no….you don’t!
-The sexual tension was hot, and the sexy stuff even hotter!
-No cliffhanger!! WooHoo!
Dislikes:
The 3rd person style, switching back and forth between Garrett and Parker, plus flashbacks, made me have some difficulty connecting at first.
For some reason, the name “Parker” kept throwing me off a little, I kept thinking of a guy, and confused myself a few times.
It was a bit of a slow ramp-up.
Rating: 4.25 Stars (the last 20% was a 5!), 4 Heat
Tara is writing this series under a pen name, T.E. Sivec, so there is no confusion between this series and her funny Chocolate Lover’s Series. I really enjoyed A Beautiful Lie, and I look forward to the next in this series that will be all about the Navy Seals we have met in this one. Although it took a little while to get into this book, I think Tara may have found her groove midway through as well, and the next books will be even better. A Beautiful Lie is unique and fresh, and I think this series will be phenomenal.
“When something you’ve wanted for as long as you can remember is finally yours, you have a hard time believing its real. You find yourself wondering if it’s just a dream and in one careless moment it will all be taken away from you.”
book_recs_by_amy's review against another edition
4.0
WoW
This book is a headbanger and I love it :)
Great Book!
This book is a headbanger and I love it :)
Great Book!
bianca89279's review against another edition
1.0
1 star DNF
I struggled to finish this book. It was all over the place. The protagonists were not that interesting, for SEAL, CIA agents they seemed not very good at their jobs. The sudden change between POVs was causing me dizziness. The dialogues were bad and there were lots of typos, which is inexcusable!!! At the 58% mark I gave up.
There are lots of preposterous premises. Lots of things annoyed me, such as: calling the Dominican Republic the Dominican. Calling each other by their surnames and sometimes by their first names. That was confusing.
, because it would have been really easy to check on the internet if they actually worked for Fox News. And how come they were doing all that research, accounts checking, backgrounds checking while there, when they could have done it from US?
Really, there are lots and lots of things that were simply ridiculous and unlikely.
The sex scenes though weren't too bad. But that is not enough to maintain my interest.
So don't waste your time and money!
I struggled to finish this book. It was all over the place. The protagonists were not that interesting, for SEAL, CIA agents they seemed not very good at their jobs. The sudden change between POVs was causing me dizziness. The dialogues were bad and there were lots of typos, which is inexcusable!!! At the 58% mark I gave up.
There are lots of preposterous premises. Lots of things annoyed me, such as: calling the Dominican Republic the Dominican. Calling each other by their surnames and sometimes by their first names. That was confusing.
Spoiler
They were supposed to be working for Fox News. Obviously the Dominicans must have been really stupidReally, there are lots and lots of things that were simply ridiculous and unlikely.
The sex scenes though weren't too bad. But that is not enough to maintain my interest.
So don't waste your time and money!