Forgiving Lies by Molly McAdams (thoughts)

Forgiving Lies wasn't an easy book to read at times but it was a good read that left me eager to get my hands on the next book.  This was my first time reading a book in the New Adult genre and it was darker than I expected it to be.  It was also one of those books that was so easy to sink into that I found myself reading for hours on end.  Overall, I found that it left me excited to not only read more books by this author but also more books just like this.

In this book Rachel is a college student floating along in life after the death of her parents.  After a bad experience in her last relationship, she isn't eager or looking to get involved with anyone else for a very long time.  But then Kash moves in next door to her and everything changes.  Kash and Mason are undercover detectives that are investigating a pretty big case involving a serial killer.  Kash doesn't mean to get involved with Rachel either but he can't seem to resist her fiery attitude.  Will the two of them be able to figure out their feelings for one another?  And can their relationship even survive when it is all based off of one lie?

This book had some ups and downs for me but overall I found that I really enjoyed it.  Easily the best thing about this book was the chemistry between the two main characters.  I loved that they didn't just jump into a relationship and instead started off with a friendship.  It made it that much more satisfying because we were then able to see them grow together.  And then when they did really figure out their feelings for each other the heat between the two of them was off the charts.  I loved it! Without sharing spoilers (see below if you don't mind them) I thought that the author did a really great job of handling a tough subject in a sensitive manner.  She didn't gloss over it and I thought Rachel's feelings came across very genuinely.  Because of this I had a very hard time setting this book down and would find myself thinking about it for awhile afterwards.  Especially because I never knew what was going to happen next.  I found this book to also be creepy at times because of a certain character.  The suspense from that character really made me want to read this book even faster.

*Spoilers*

Okay, now be warned from here on out there are going to be spoilers so don't read this section if you don't want the book spoiled.  But there are things that I definitely want to discuss so here we go.  First off was the touchy subject that I alluded to earlier.  In the beginning of the book Rachel is raped.  I think that the author did a really solid job of handling it but this is the kind of thing that will put some readers off.  Because it definitely wasn't easy to read about Rachel trying to deal with it afterwards and boy did I want to shake her "best friend" Candace for not believing her.  Ugh!  I really didn't care for Candace's character AT ALL!  Rape is never an easy issue to read about which is why I couldn't help but mention it.  While I liked most of the book there was a believability factor that this book lacked.  And the ending really cemented that for me.  WTF?  I am so lucky that I peeked at the last few pages before I read the ending of the book (and yes I do that sometimes but not often) because I would have been pissed otherwise.  I hate when books have cliff hangers for endings and this one comes with a huge blow!  I found myself shaking my head with both disbelief and frustration.  Really, how many bad things can happen to Rachel?  It wasn't enough to take away from my overall enjoyment of the book but it was enough to effect my reading experience in a negative way.  It also means that I will be picking up book two as soon as it comes out so there is that I guess.  In the end, I'm curious to see how other readers are going to feel about this book and the ending.  If you've read it then definitely share your thoughts with me so we can discuss!

*Spoilers Over*

Overall, I liked this book and am very, very eager to get my hands on the second book.  I loved the chemistry that the author created with these characters.  The author left me with lots of questions at the end so I just cannot wait to see happens next.  I hope she also features more of Mason because I think that he would be a great lead for the next book!  I'm excited to start trying more books like this filled with some angsty romance and lots of heat.  This book took my expectations and completely shattered them in multiple ways.  That is what I get for judging a book based off of its' cover.  Lesson learned yet once again :) I would recommend this book with only one minor hesitation.

Bottom Line:  This was an intense read that left me wishing for the second book!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this books thanks to the publisher as part of a TLC book tour.  Thoughts and spoilers are my own!