All the Lies We Tell by Megan Hart (Quarry Road #1)
Released: May 1, 2017
Contemporary Romance
Montlake
Reviewed by Mandi
Megan Hart is an author I will always read. Even though All the Lies We Tell isn’t the most emotionally intense book by her, she still has a way of writing her main characters that allows the reader to have an intimate relationship with them. In this book, I’d say there are three main characters (maybe four) and we learn of their story, of their grief and how they all tangle together.
Alicia and her ex-husband, Ilya, still work together in their dive shop, even though they haven’t been married for some time. They actually live across the street from each other, just as they did growing up, so they are each a big presence in each other’s lives. Growing up, Alicia, Ilya, his brother Nikolai and Alicia’s sister Jennilyn hung out together almost on a daily basis. While the boys constantly teased the girls, there was a deep connection between them. Ilya and Jennilyn had a thing. Nikolai and Alicia had a thing…but it was all secrets and messy kisses. In their late teens, tragedy strikes as Jennilyn is found dead. Ilya was in love with her and is devastated. Alicia and Nikolai are as well. Fast forward, Ilya and Alicia end up getting married, devastating Nikolai who had been traveling. He takes off for a job in Israel and Alicia and Ilya start their ill-fated marriage.
In current day, Nikolai and Ilya’s beloved grandmother dies, bringing everyone back together. Things are still very messy in this family as only Megan Hart can write. I love her imperfect, flawed characters and relationships. They feel so realistic, especially in this book. I don’t want to give too much away, as I went in with a blank slate and liked that I had no idea what was going to happen. Ilya is selfish, and jerky and drinks too much. He lashes out at people, and uses them, and is lazy and yet you still feel for him and his grief for his dead grandmother,
Alicia and Nikolai still have a spark of passion between them, not having seen each other for many years. They are the hero and heroine in this book and their journey of figuring out if they want to pursue their attraction yet again, and what they want for the future, is presented well. We spend time in the past as well, getting to know Jennilyn a little and some mystery that surrounds her. We don’t get answers though, which leads me to the part where I say I had few problems with this book. The first half was strong as we get to know everyone, but by the second half I was wondering where we were headed. Nikolai and Alicia were on their way to a HEA (let me quickly say a Megan Hart HEA isn’t always the most solid, but I do have hope for these two). I thought there was going to be a big reveal about Jennilyn’s death and we don’t quite get that. I still feel like there is foul play, and per the blurb it looks like that mystery goes into book two.
I felt like the end of the book kind of rambled on. I still enjoyed this one, but I lost a little interest towards the end. But I’m ready for book two and to see how Ilya, who is not romance hero material yet, can be redeemed.
Grade: B-
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