There is nothing I enjoy more in a story than quirky characters and this book delivered for sure. Tatum is awkward around people and that just takes the quirkiness to an entirely different level. This story was great, made me laugh out loud more than once. Fun book for sure!

Review will be posted soon at Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/index.htm

THE (HALF) TRUTH – Leddy Harper

Montlake Romance

ISBN: 978-1503905184

February 2019

Contemporary Romance



Six months ago, Tatum was engaged to Michael, the man she thought was the love of her life, but it all came crashing down when he broke the engagement off on the night of her birthday party. They both work at the same restaurant, and Tatum could have left, but she had worked too hard in the sous line to walk away. Then, Michael gets involved with a new waitress. Tired of the pitying looks she’s getting from friends, Tatum declares to them that she has a new boyfriend named Jay…except she doesn’t tell the man that she’s using him as her pretend guy. She’s only just met him! One lie leads to another, and soon Tatum is in way too deep. Too bad that she’s now attracted to him…



Jason (Jay) moved back to his hometown after years in Las Vegas, ready to start a new life after breaking off with his longtime girlfriend. His cousin, Kelsey, thinks he’s a “player” and warns her best friend, Tatum, to stay away from him. Yet, Jason and Tatum start to hang around each other and they even end up having sex one night. She does act a little weird around him at times, and her friends treat him like dirt. Jason soon learns that they think he and Tatum are a couple and that he cheated on her. Will he learn the (whole) truth?



Tatum spins one tale after another in THE (HALF) TRUTH, all in order to make her coworkers think that she’s moved on from her ex-fiancé. Jason is the “Jay” she has been telling them about and she is pretty convincing, even having a picture of them together on her phone. Tatum is attracted to Jason but it takes most of this tale before she realizes it. Meanwhile, Jason wants to see where things will lead between them and is flummoxed by her hot and cold attitude toward him. The lengths that she goes to in order to prop up Jason as her new boyfriend—while hiding it from him and Kelsey—makes for some cute and funny scenes. There’s no hiding the fact that there is sexual chemistry between them and they even end up having a fling. But is Tatum still in love with Michael? She thought once Michael saw that she’d moved on he’d look at her differently, like in wanting to get back together. Does it work?



In THE (HALF) TRUTH there is a lot of misunderstandings between Tatum and Jason. Is he still the cad that Kelsey claims him to be? What about his ex—has he moved on? The relationship between Jason and Tatum goes back and forth from on to off in a flash, enough to make you want to bash their heads together. But, watching them kiss and makeup is part of the joy of reading a romance. How long will it be before the truth is out and will they find a way for a happily-ever-after?



An entertaining romance with a bit of humor, I highly recommend THE (HALF) TRUTH.



Patti Fischer

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆
I’m on the fence about my feelings for this book. I really loved the characters and for the most part, the storyline, but I hated that Tatum, the main character, couldn’t just spit out the truth and it takes her most of the story before she finally does. Tatum is working towards her dreams of one day becoming a chef at a restaurant owned by her ex-fiancé... in a kitchen with his new girlfriend, who was given Tatum’s dream job – sous chef. To make an already awkward situation worse, Tatum winds up telling her co-worker she’s dating her roommate’s cousin, Jason, and that white lie spirals quickly.

Jason has just recently moved back home leaving behind an ex who doesn’t want to let go. He meets his cousin’s roommate, Tatum, and the attraction is immediate, but Tatum is a bit quirky. Plus, his cousin has vehemently warned the two from getting involved not wanting her friendship to be jeopardized. Tatum and Jason wind up having a bit of a secret fling but Tatum hasn’t spilled the beans about the fact that her coworkers think they’re dating – and things go from bad to messy when Jason shows up with another woman, making everyone at the restaurant believe he’s a cheater.

I will say that though I found Tatum’s “lies” a bit immature, the awkward situations she kept finding herself in were laugh out loud funny. I all-around loved Jason’s character – he was a playboy in his younger years, but his family doesn’t know he’s changed and him proving to them that he has made me a major Jason fan. I’m new to this author but I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to checking out more from her!


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars of fabulous humour-laced romance

Tatum and Jason have provided me with two days of absolute laugh out loud moments – at times a little embarrassing as I was travelling around London, but then I decided I might make someone else laugh at me, and happiness is worth sharing!

I am not always sure about how fake/lying can be turned around without ruining trust, but here Tatum managed to be selective with the truth to such an extent that if she hadn't been able to sort it out, the repercussions would have been endless! She gets in such a pickle with everyone, that both the living with the consequences and unravelling it is seriously funny.

Jason and Tatum together benefit from strong sexual chemistry, but they also clearly have the makings of good friends – and whilst they both expend energy denying that they have feelings for each other, they do take the time to just be comfortable in each other's company. It makes the story all the richer and makes their future a little more certain for the reader, as things start to fall apart.

I highly recommend this book as a really fun, sweet, and sexy read.

Tatum is a chef who works at her fiance’s restaurant. He chooses the night of her birthday, when her family is coming to dinner, to tell her that he has moved on and she is left trying to pick up the pieces. Her life gets a whole lot more complicated when his new girlfriend starts to work at the restaurant so one half truth where she says she is dating her best friend’s cousin Jason turns into a mountain of half truths that she is finding it hard to dig out of.

Jason has broken up with his girlfriend and recently moved back into town. He is attracted to Tatum, but his cousin has told him to keep his distance since they share the same group of friends. They decide to have a fling, but things become awkward when everyone thinks they are dating except Jason.

Jason is drawn into Tatum’s wild and wacky world and there is no denying the heat and humor between them and the situations they find themselves in. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This book cracked me up so much. I love these two! Ok, I also may have cringed my way through the entire thing. No not the writing. It was Tatum. All Tatum. 🙄

Tatum girl, what is wrong with you? How did you manage to get yourself into all these situations throughout the entire book? Sure, hilarious, but cringeworthy. 🤣 That'll teach me to tell a little white lie.

The banter between Jason and Tatum will have you laughing for days. I loved Jason's quick wit. Like he instantly had a rebuttal for any situation and it was hilarious.

This book had the perfect mix of laughs and steam to make it one of the best rom-com's I've read in a while. I highly recommend for all the laughs.

4.5 stars
This was one of those pleasantly surprised moments. I'm sooo happy I was provided an ARC. I absolutely adored this book. It was super cute and funny. The main characters, Jason and Tatum had a great connection. Tatum's awkwardness was completely delightful. I loved the flow of the story and the brilliant dialogue. I would recommend this book to anyone.

The (Half) Truth was my first book by Leddy Harper but not my last. I've already downloaded a couple of her previous books onto my kindle.

Tatum is broken hearted. After dating her boyfriend for two years, he proposes and she couldn't be happier. However, on her birthday of all days, he back pedals with lame excuses. Unfortunately, he's also her boss and rather than give up all that she's worked for, she decides to tough it out. Who cares that he's hired his new girlfriend? Tater doesn't mind having a front row seat to their romance. Obviously. But she also doesn't want to seem like a loser. So what does she do? Tell a lie. And that lie just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And do you know what happens to liars? THEY GET CAUGHT!!

So now you know the gist, right? But there is so much more to this tale. Tatum is as awkward as can be, which makes for some laughs. This girl says and does the wrong things at the very worst of times, but her heart is solid. And the hero... Jason... reformed manwhore y'all!

So my thoughts
🤥 easy and enjoyable read
🤥 likeable characters
🤥 slow build romance, although the fling part started quickly
🤥 low on angst - the conflict was pretty tame
🤥 no muss, no fuss
🤥 I found it hard to buy into these characters actually loving each other because they shared virtually no screen time as a couple beyond their fling. I barely felt the chemistry, which was necessary because... fling!
🤥 Is it bad that I was more interested in Jason's cousin, Kelsey, than the main characters themselves? I wonder if she'll get a book. She definitely drove this story, even if she was only supposed to be a sounding board and advice giver.

Like I said, it was an easy read and I liked it. Between Tatum's antics and Jason turning out to be a really great guy, this story took on a life of its own. I recommend it to anyone looking for a book that will leave them with warm fuzzies

The (Half) Truth by Leddy Harper is the story of Tatum and Jason.
Tatum dream is to be a successful sous chef and has the chance to prove herself at her ex-fiancé’s restaurant with his now girlfriend. But to add to the pot she makes up a relationship with Jason who is her best friend Kelsey / roommate's cousin. Jason was the ultimate playboy but he is changing his ways and trying to prove now that he is back after his stepfather's death. When he is roped into Tatum's story that is getting added to along the way. Can they keep their story strait along with their feelings? Enjoyed this funny cute romance!!

I found this romance totally adorable.
Tatum is a young woman dealing with heartbreak in a ludicrous, but understandable way. Old boyfriend dumps you and flaunts his new love in front of you? Solution, fake boyfriend right? Well yes, if you remember the old adage 'keep it simple'. As the lies become bigger, but feelings become real what is Tatum to do? Mess things up royally is what.
I loved the combination of humor, some angst, some maturity and plenty of romance.
Jason, for his part truly is a good guy. He isn't looking for love but is willing to see where this seemingly harmless lie takes the two of them.
I genuinely laughed out loud at times, Tatum's not cut out for deception on any level. Neither is Jason, but at least he doesn't over embellish!
Thoroughly enjoyable, sweet, funny romance.

Stretching the truth comes back to bite you!

Chef Tatum Alexander had been engaged to her boss until he broke up with her on her birthday. Tatum moved in with her best friend Kelsey after the breakup but wouldn’t leave her job at the restaurant because she didn’t want to change where she worked. Everybody at work thought Tatum was dating someone even though she wasn’t so when they started to bug her about who she was seeing so she described her roommate’s cousin. Jason Watson had moved back from Las Vegas because he wanted to be closer to his family and there were no jobs nearby for his now former girlfriend. Jason had never dated seriously until he got to Las Vegas because he never let anybody have a second chance. But when he met Tatum all things changed.

This is the first book I have read by Leddy Harper but it won’t be the last because I really liked The (Half) Truth because the relationship is very realistic and normal.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

A fun and funny rom com from Leddy Harper!

Tatum is working for her ex-boyfriend and to prove she's moved on, she claims to be in a relationship with her best friend's cousin Jason. Jason, though, is new to town and has no idea they are supposedly dating. When they decide to have some fun together it seems like her lie has a little bit of truth to it after all. However, keeping up pretenses gets harder the more lies she has to tell, and the truth won't stay hidden forever.

Tatum is quirky and awkward, and I liked her and Jason together. Their banter, growing attraction, and chemistry were fun to read.

The author did a nice job of building up to the inevitable unraveling of all Tatum's stories as well as the aftermath of what happens next. Despite knowing right from the blurb that the truth comes out, the journey they go on is well worth the read!

This was a new author for me, and I really enjoyed her writing and the story. The characters were really likable and Jason “Jay” as Tatum called him, was soo swoon worthy. Tatum was adorable and such a hot mess. The term snowball effect should be her middle name, cause with her one lie always led to another and another till finally she was rolled up in it like a human snowball with arms and legs. 

Jason and Tatum started out with a relationship of convenience. A friends with benefits situation if you will. But it was more than that, they also talked, laughed, and definitely loved. Even if it was a bumpy ride at times, it was still beautiful!

I really enjoyed watching the development and relationship grow between Tatum and Jason. He was patient and kind to her. Even when she didn’t deserve it. Jason came with his own set of baggage and together these two helped each other move past all their drama. I loved how in the end they both realized their past doesn’t dictate their future. I’m so glad these two got their HEA, they deserved it!

I highly recommend this book. It’s was hilarious, sexy, and melt your heart sweet. 

Live on the blog 2/19 9:15am est

I loved what a mess Tatum is! She is just silly, goofy, and her entire life is one big calamity of errors after another. From the moment she meets Jason and fibs about how they are already dating up to almost the very end, Tatum just keeps digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole.

The connection between Tatum and Jason is pretty sizzling right from the start. And I really loved that The (Half) Truth was a story that SHOWED me how they begin to fall for one another, despite both of them wanting nothing more than a casual post-breakup relationship.

Leddy Harper writes just as great a romcom as she does a heavier romance. The (Half) Truth is a quirky, fun romance that will leave you with a smile on your face. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

I'm not sure how exactly I've never heard of this new to me author! Her writing style, humor, and witty banter are right up my alley. The characters in this book really make the story work. Tatum is hilarious without meaning to be. Jason is fantastic and has no idea what's hit him when the whirlwind that is Tatum enters his life. Jason's trying to prove to his family that he's put his "player" ways behind him but having Tatum around is making that difficult. Don't miss this laugh out loud funny read. I definitely recommend it.

3.5 stars

The (Half) Truth by Leddy Harper was a fake love romance that was a slow burn story. Tatum Alexander is close to reaching her dream job, but her boss is an ex with a new girlfriend. What is a girl to do? Make up a relationship of course!

And so, begins Tatum and Jason’s journey. He plays along with Tatum and he finds her charming. Eventually they even give in to a light, no strings relationship. But as we know, things do not always work out as we planned! As her lies begin to unravel and things around her implode, can she show Jason how she truly feels?

The (Half) Truth by Leddy Harper was a light read. Tatum was hilarious in all her awkwardness and Jason was a good guy stuck in a weird situation. I did not always feel their connection, but their story was not angsty or full of too much drama.

This book will have you laughing out loud!

Tatum works at her ex-boyfriends restaurant ... with his new girlfriend. Everyone feels sorry for her, so she invents a boyfriend ... well the guy is real, he just doesn’t know Tatum is his girlfriend. When Jason moves back home after his 5-year relationship ends, he can’t believe he’s falling for the awkward girl that his family considers family. After awhile Tatum can’t stop more lies coming out of her mouth in order to cover up her original lie.

This book had me rolling on the floor laughing! Tatum is such a nerdy klutz that I just couldn’t help love her. When Tatum came out of the kitchen with the cake and sang ... I had to put the book down and wipe the hysterical tears before I could continue. Jason just couldn’t keep his mind off Tatum because she is so different from the usual type of girl he went out with ... and that just made him more endearing to me. But there were times the story seemed to drag and I thought Jason’s ex-girlfriend could have come to visit and cause more trouble. Don’t get me wrong ... I really enjoyed this book, I just thought it could have been more.

I received an early copy courtesy of Montlake Romance through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Another very enjoyable book by this author. I always enjoy the writing of Ms. Harper and how she can pull me into her stories with her words and character development. I felt like Tatum and Jason were very likeable characters and many times I found myself literally laughing out loud at the situations that Tatum would find herself in as things spiraled out of control. I look forward to the next book by this author. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

Leddy Harper is a new author to be but that’s about to change after reading The (Half) Truth.
Tatum is looking forward to her birthday and the perfect life with her fiancé until he starts making excuses and finally dumping her on her birthday of all days. Problem is he wasn’t just her boyfriend he is also her boss and he has now employed the new girlfriend but Tatum is stronger than most and decides he will not win she will tough it out because she loves her job and her career, so what does she do to get through the day she tells a little white lie that seems to just get bigger and bigger. Jason is convinced long term dating or relationships are not for him but that was before he met Tatum....
This book is a mix of rom-com and forbidden love, it has the perfect mix of romance, passion and humour with just a hint of angst so I’m sure it will suit a wide choice of readers. This was an easy read, i giggled and I smiled and in the end I was left feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

This is my first time reading this author. I must say the writing kept me interested through the whole story. I enjoyed this rom com and laughed outloud and cringed a few times. It’s a perfect quick read for a cozy Sunday or a day at the beach. Thank you #netgalley. Will be reading more books from this author

I have had a hard time getting into this book to which I have put down and picked it up a few times. Unsure as to why but I did find it strange for Tatum stayed working with Michael after there break up. I hope to be able to pick this up again in a few more weeks and be able to enjoy the story. I have gotten about 20% into the book so far, and as I read a lot of book per week this sometimes happens when the story is similar to previous books I have read. I have not posted a review on Amazon as I have not completed the book.