The exclusive wedding of one of the wealthiest men in the world to an up-and-coming artist turns into a nightmare for all involved. What was supposed to be a weekend celebration turns into one of death, lies and secrets revealed. Set in a centuries-old Villa filled with hidden passages on an island off the coast of Italy, Her Dark Lies tells the story of Claire and Jack, ready to start their lives together surrounded by friends and family. But both have secrets. Their families have secrets. Jack’s first wife Morgan died under mysterious circumstances. Since their relationship began, Claire has spent countless hours finding out who Morgan was and why Jack loved her and wonders if he can love Claire as much. From the moment Jack and Claire step off the boat and onto Isle Isola, things happen that make Claire believe the wedding is cursed. A skeleton is found. A storm is approaching. A mysterious note appears in Claire’s bathroom. Claire senses that someone is watching her while she sleeps. The power goes out. Is this all just bad luck or is someone trying to stop the wedding, or worse?

Ellison sets the scene for a mystery well. A remote island, an ancient Villa, stormy weather. I was never sure how to feel about the characters-do I like them or not? But this is part of the mystery, who is good and who is bad? Some of the truly likeable characters are barely in the story, I’m not sure why they are even there, or they get killed. My suspicions of who was responsible for all the happenings changed a few times throughout the book, which is what a good mystery should do, keep you guessing. But why some of the characters did what they did is still unresolved for me. And in the end, I still wasn’t sure if I really liked the main characters.

Overall, I did enjoy reading Her Dark Lies. The setting was perfect, it kept me guessing and kept me interested. I recommend it for readers who like a thriller/mystery with atmosphere and who don’t necessarily need to love the characters.

Thank you to Mira Books, Harlequin Books and Harper Collins Publishers for the print advanced reader's copy of this book.

A dark thriller with multiple POVs from potentially unreliable narrators. Claire, a rising artist from Nashville has caught the man of everyones dreams. She is engaged to marry Jack Compton, his family runs a wealthy mega empire. As close family arrives on the private Italian island for the wedding everything is not going smoothly. There has been a break-in at Claires home and the robber was killed. On the island her wedding dress is damaged beyond repair. The Compton's personal computer servers have been hacked and someone is trying to blackmail Jack. Add that to a moody storms, power outages and more mayhem. And how exactly did Jack's first wife die?

All this makes for a fun thriller. I wanted to scream into the book gather everyone together and stay safe. But like in every horror movie someone ventures off alone sometimes to deadly consequences. I get why some compare it to Rebecca. I liked Claire the most but even she was uneven and sometimes her motives difficult to understand. Even when all is resolved the epilogue adds an ending chill. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Slow moving story set on a beautiful island off Italy. The author does an amazing job describing the island and the unending storm. Claire, having such a troubled past is very naive and gullible. The Compton family's secrets slowly unravel leading up to a bloody, questionable ending. This was not my favorite book by this author.

I couldn't put down this book down! I really like the strong female characters. the secrets, and the setting. The action at the end of the book was exciting. Very well done!

Claire got the man. They are headed to the gorgeous island of Isle Isola off the Italian coast to celebrate their wedding with their closest family and friends. From the minute they land on the island however, something is not right. Claire doesn’t know much about how Jack’s first wife died, but suddenly she wants to know more.

Once again, Ellison kept me on my toes! All the crazy things happening on and around the island were so crazy, I needed to know what was happening! I did figure out part of the story mid way through, but I still loved this crazy thriller! Can’t wait for what J.T. Ellison comes up with next!

Could there possibly be more mayhem rolled into one book? So many unanswered questions. Such as how and where did Morgan’s funds and rehab happen. Much of this story was left unlinked and OMG, the death and disaster abounds. Too much, just too much. The potential was there, but missed the mark.

Claire is having her dream wedding, at a beautiful location, marrying into a seemingly amazing family. But weird things start happening. And what about the first wife???

Thank you so much to NetGalley and to Harper Collins/MIRA books for the ARC of Her Dark Lies in exchange for my honest opinion.

Just when I think Ellison can't get any better, she goes and outdoes herself again. I loved this book and this story. As twisted as it is, I couldn't put it down. Its filled with so many complex characters and you don't know who to trust. Especially given that they are all on an remote island. For me this reminded me of reading Christopher Pikes books when I was younger and I ADORED them. Thank you so so much!

Can anything else be tossed into this choppy, simplistic, unbelievable story? I didn't care for it, but I'm sure it will be popular. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. This novel will be published March 9, 2021

Brief Synopsis:
Claire Hunter, a budding artist, is set to marry in to one of the world's richest and influential families, The Comptons. Jack Compton is charming, handsome & a dream come true. When they are about to leave for their wedding at the Compton's private villa on an isolated island in Italy, something dreadful happens. Then, skeletal remains are found on the island, creepy notes/texts are being sent and Claire starts to wonder just how picture perfect the Comptons are. And..what really happened to Jack's first wife?

My Thoughts/Opinions:
My eyes burned all weekend because I didn't want to put it down. I NEEDED to know what was happening.
I wasn't entirely sold on the characters though. I mean, I enjoyed them but they didn't really stand out to me. I felt like they were just your average 'thriller' characters, aka handsome man keeping secrets with an attractive wife who has a trouble past.
We jump in to the POV of several different individuals throughout this book, which really added to the suspense in my opinion. I think that's what got me hooked to be honest. I wanted to know how everything was going to wrap up, I needed closure. However, once I got the closure, it was just kind of like 'Ah..okay...that was alright!'

I'm going to give 3 stars for this one. I did enjoy it and flew through it but it was kind of an average thriller. However, this was my first novel by J.T. Ellison and now I'm curious to check out more!

-I will post this review a bit closer to the publication date on my instagram feed, @brindlebooklover

I have to say J. T. Ellison writes excellent suspense. This one reads like a gothic mystery of old. Towering cliffs on a island owned by a powerful family. So many secrets in both sides. Twists and turns so crazy you never see what’s coming and a shocking ending. Great job!!

J.T. Ellison excels at writing atmospheric thrillers and this one check all of the boxes!

Box One: Dreamy Location.

Box Two: Closed Room Mystery

Box Three: Killer's POV

Thank you to Harlequin for gifting me a copy, it was my pleasure to write an honest review.

A destination wedding on a beautiful island off the coast of Italy? A handsome, wealthy groom with generations of secrets? A terrifying storm and no way back to the mainland? And finally, a killer lurking in the shadows and waiting for the perfect moment to get their revenge? Count me in!

Honestly, in the middle of a world-wide pandemic, traveling to a lavish Italian island through books is exactly what I need. The enormous villa is beautifully described in Her Dark Lies by the author and the island’s décor is also dreamy. If it wasn’t for the psycho killer loose on the property, I would say, please take me there!

Jokes aside, Her Dark Lies had all the elements for the perfect creepy thriller: an isolated and mysterious setting, scores of different characters with complicated relationships and a dark secret threatening to be revealed. While the ending wasn’t particularly shocking, it was a good one nonetheless.

I thought the main characters, Claire and Jack Compton, were well-developed and their relationship with each other felt genuine. You feel yourself rooting for them throughout the story, while being suspicious of everyone else. Even when you doubt one of them, you still want them to end up together.

I did think Claire’s relationship with her sister to be a little less believable. Claire’s sister’s animosity toward her felt a bit exaggerated. It played an important role in the story yet their interactions with one another didn’t reflect this resentment between them. This relationship could have been told better.

While I’m trying not to spoil anything, the epilogue is worth mentioning. The final words leave us with an ominous feeling and this is what I’m looking for in a thriller. There shouldn’t always be a happy ending.

All in all, Her Dark Lies was a very enjoyable read that allowed me to escape to the other side of the world for a little bit. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller and I give it four stars!

This is the first book I've read by J.T. Ellison, and it was an okay beach read thriller. I didn't find it remarkably thrilling and found it slow to start, but I found it picked up after the middle. I will admit that if I wasn't reading this for NetGalley, I would have given up on it.

Claire is an up-and-coming artist about to marry Jack Compton at the Compton family villa on an island off the coast of Italy. Jack's family is a wealthy and well-known technology and cultural family. Jack is 10 years older than Claire and his first wife died tragically and mysteriously soon after their marriage. Jack never brings up his first wife. Claire also never brings up parts of her past as well. It their unspoken agreement, I suppose their "Dark Lies."

The day before they are to fly out for their wedding, an intruder breaks into their house and Claire shoots him dead. But why was the intruder there? As they arrive on the island, Claire sees a person in off-limits area of the island archaeological restoration area and claims to have seen the island ghost "the lady in gray." From that spotting of the ghost, more and more strange occurrences happen and more murders abound on the island.

This thriller book is nothing extraordinary. It blatantly takes themes from "Rebecca," "And Then There Were None," and other more memorable classics. However, it is fun, and if you're looking for something to mindlessly read on vacation, I will recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The best thing about this book was the locale. The author is great at description and weaving a picture of the sinister beauty of Isle Isola, a remote Italian island where artist Claire Hunter and the handsome, wealthy Jack Compton will get married, surrounded by her close friends and family. But as soon as Claire arrives at the Compton compound on Isle Isola Unfortunately, the plot was so fraught. So many red herrings that I was exhausted, not surprised. There were too many characters that entered the story with sparse description and were quickly dispatched. Even the construction of the main characters was tortured—we are supposed to be swept away by their romance but I was only disturbed by their codependence and creepy possessiveness. I was also super bothered that the island's name seems to be "Isle Island" as "isola" is Italian for "island". There’s a dead ex-wife who is still causing problems for the family. And the family.... whew. They are secretive, criminals, spies, all at the same time? I LOVE locked room mysteries but this one did not hit the mark for me.

First, I love a book set with a good Italian backdrop. Second, I'm here for J.T.Ellison's writing. Her books are fun thrillers that are so easy to just fly through and filled with twists and turns! This one reminded me a lot of another great, classic novel. I don't want to say which one, becuase I feel it will give a lot of the story away, but if you've read both, you'll get it! The middle of the book had me puzzled, but then as the suspense grows and more details come to light, it's easy to piece it all together and then BOOM.

Ok whoa! This book has a lot going on in the best of ways. From the start there is so much description of both the characters and the setting and it stays this way through the whole book.

Claire and Jack are getting married on a private island off Italy that Jacks family owns. Claire is an artist that comes with a rocky past that she keeps secret. Wealthy is an understatement for Jacks family. Jack is a widow and ten years older then Claire but she is the love of his life. Though all starts off well, the minute they are on the way to the island things begin to unravel, starting with the giant storm that is about the hit. Though this is meant to be a private, intimate wedding, there is one person who has snuck their way in... the killer that is.

Everything about this book is creepy. Some of the characters and definitely the dark and remote island setting. This wasn’t so much of a whole done it as it was a what the heck just happened.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for my ARC!

"Fast-paced and brilliantly unpredictable, J.T. Ellison's breathtaking new novel invites you to a wedding none will forget - and some won't survive.

Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends...and a host of dark secrets.

From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire's otherwise blissful relationship - the strange mystery surrounding Jack's first wife.

Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out - and the real terror begins..."

Is it wrong that I like carnage at a wedding? Oh, who am I kidding, if I'm wrong I don't want to be right!

Thank you to NetGalley, J.T. Ellison and Harlequin books for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really dove into this one and hated to put it away! This one is so dark and the atmosphere is so creepy on this island that I just had to know what was going on with this family. There are so many twists and turns and I adored the main character and the perspective of the guilty party. It is really quick paced and the chapters are quite short making it feel like the book is going so quickly. This may be my favorite of Ellison's yet! I was super entertained and all I wanted was to forget the world and finish this one.

Her Dark Lies was appealing to me as I reviewed the synopsis and am thankful for Netgalley Harlequin Trade publishing for an advanced e-copy ion exchange of my review.
The mysterious vibe, premise and location were exciting. I found this book to be really fast paced as the story progressed but also felt some parts to be a little “too much” and far-fetched at times.
The characters & their dramatic ways were quite entertaining … felt like this would be a very entertaining “clear my mind” movie. Claire, however, was of a huge frustration!! Signs were too clear girl!!
This was the first J.T. Ellison read for me and look forward to reading more by the author.