The Great Pretender by Millenia Black

From Millenia’s Black website (http://www.milleniablack.com/):  “Castles Built on Sand are eventually washed away by the sea…  How deeply can the past be buried?  Don’t all secrets come back to haunt us?  Leslie Cavanaugh enjoys the perfect life in West Palm Florida. She has the best husband, daughter, and career.  But Leslie Cavanaugh is not who she claims to be.  And when her sorrowful past is exposed, she struggles to hold her family together, and nothing can prepare her for the most intimate betrayal of them all!”

This wasn’t the first book I’ve read by Ms. Black.  I read her first novel, The Great Pretender, which was a quick, exciting read.  I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Great Betrayal.  As with The Great Pretender, there were plenty of twists and turns in this book.  The author has a way of creating drama and heightening suspense. 

Once I finished, though, I couldn’t help but feel cheated.  Although I ‘figured’ out the betrayal early on in my reading, I still held out hope that I was wrong.  And if I was wrong, I would have had to give Ms. Black 5-stars because that’s such a rarity.   Alas, I wasn’t wrong.

The pacing along with my need to prove myself wrong propelled me to the end of the book.  And I have to say, I was disappointed. 

Overall, it was a good, juicy read (reminded me of a soap opera).  My rating:  3.5 stars.

Review: Sweet Little Lies by Michele Grant

Sweet Little Lies

By:  Michele Grant

Christina Brinsley has been burned by love, and that’s an understatement.  Her third engagement blows up in the worst way just days before the wedding.  As a result, she decides to dedicate herself to work and avoid relationships all together...until she meets Dr. Steven Williams.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Let me start by saying…I love a good romance.  Sweet Little Lies was a great romance/chick-lit.  I loved it.  The main character of Christina Brinsley was real, raw, and familiar.  I found myself simultaneously rooting for her and rolling my eyes at her in certain spots.  But I knew her.  Dr. Steven Williams?  What can I say about this hero?  I wasn’t prepared to fall in love with this character, but I did.  He was the perfect man for Ms. Brinsley.  He kept her on her toes AND gave her a dose of reality when she needed it.  He loved her so completely, despite her flaws. 

This is my first book by Ms. Grant, and I’m impressed.  I’ll definitely be checking out her first novel, Heard it all Before.  Ms. Grant took me on a journey with this book, exploring issues that are relevant to women and men in our community.  Everybody knows a woman so jaded about relationships (with good reason) that she doesn’t see a good thing when it’s staring her in the face.  We all know the ‘friend’ that you would never trust around your man.  And we all know about expectations.  This book had all of that and more.  I didn’t want the story to end.  In fact, I’m rooting for a sequel.

My rating:  4/5 Stars!