Another great book from Ellison. Not so much a thriller, but a mystery of suspense, lies, and deceit, Her Dark Lies will keep you turning the pages and wanting to know the truth.

This book had my mind racing. Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on it took yet another sharp turn in a different direction. I greatly enjoy having my thinking challenged when reading books like this. Her Dark Lies definitely kept my mind racing right up until the end.

Claire fell into the good life. Marrying the most eligible bachelor and being welcomed into to one of the most powerful and influential families in the world. Not to mention her art career has been taking off since Jack walked into her life. What more could a girl want? A wedding without murder might be one thing. But for Claire that might be way too much to ask for.

When secrets start to be revealed suspicions surrounds the infamous Compton family. A family that Claire thought she wanted to be a part of, but now she can't really be sure. Until she finds out what's really going on her guard is up and she's constantly questioning who she can trust.

A riveting and intriguing story. It will keep your mind racing until you come crashing to the end.

this was a wonderfully done thriller novel, the characters were great and I really enjoyed going through this book.

A secluded island in Italy is the backdrop for the a wedding for this thriller full of twists and turns. It kept me turning the pages late into the night. Jack Compton is about to marry Claire Hunter. Somethings just don't seem right . Claire's wedding dress is ruined, storms hit the island, strange noises are heard and then there is the mystery of Jack's first wife's death. This one will keep you guessing.

Claire is supposed to be marrying the man of her dreams in an idyllic wedding in a villa off the coast of Italy which is owned by her fiancé's mysterious family. The bride and groom have secrets and get ready for a wild ride of twists and turns. This one will keep you guessing!

J.T. Ellison is known for page turning thrillers but this one was just captivating. From page one you are immediately sucked into the book and completely engrossed by Claire’s story. I knew immediately there was no way I was going to be putting it down until I was finished.

When artist Claire heads to Isle Isola to wed her wealthy fiancee Jack in a small family ceremony, things immediately feel off kilter when odd things start to happen. With skeletal remains being found, odd texts being received and her wedding dress intentionally being defaced, Claire’s exquisite already off to a rough start. As a huge storm descends on the island and the power goes out, both Claire and Jack both have to face some dark secrets from their past to make it through this wedding alive.

Ellison’s newest is quite the gripping read. The story line was easy to follow and kept me guessing while the main characters were likable but just shady enough to make me question their reliability. There was non-stop action around every corner, and I truly questioned everyone as the culprit as I continued to read. This one has tons of twists and turns and the ending is a show-stopper. A fabulous thriller full of suspense. This is one I definitely recommend. Another powerhouse novel by J.T. Ellison added to her list.

This book had so much promise, but mostly fell flat for me. I had a hard time getting into it, but eventually got there. The things I struggled with, though, are plentiful (and mostly petty, but did distract me):

- Claire kept calling her mom and step-father her “parents”. This seemed out of character for her; I actually went back to confirm that her dad did, indeed, die.
- Why was there a third brother? He played no role whatsoever and it seemed like tokenism on the author’s part.
- Claire kills someone and two days later is in a foreign country going ahead with her wedding. Seems a little cold, but I don’t think Claire has much depth to her.
- The never ending describing of every little detail. So much description! This is what almost did me in during the first 10% of the book.
- A pile (a literal PILE) of dead bodies. At what point does Claire pack up and jump ship (again, literally). At NO POINT, that’s when.
- The family’s secret enterprise (which I didn’t care about at all) and the whole ending (which I cared about even less).

Just not for me.

Claire Hunter has got it good. Marrying the wealthy Jack Compton at a remote cliff-side villa in Italy with their closest friends and family in attendance is a dream come true...or is it? When her wedding week starts with a home invasion before the couple even crosses the pond and continues with dead bodies showing up one after the other, Claire, Jack, and the rest of the Compton family know old secrets haven't stayed buried...literally. Will the wedding of the century happen? Or will Claire be the next lifeless body to turn up?

The story itself was just okay. The mystery was suspenseful but I did find myself confused by the amount of characters and their relation to the bride or groom. Especially the people who were dying. I had a hard time caring about who the dead bodies were since there were quite a few of them and most were highly unlikable anyways.

All in all, a three-star read, because it was a decent suspense novel. I'm not sure if I'll give Ellison another try or part ways with her at this point. I know many many people love her work and I can definitely appreciate that. Give this one a try if you're looking for a novel of suspense that puts you smack-dab in the center of an Italian cliff-side wedding gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I loved this edge of your seat Thriller! J.T. Ellison really knows how to get in your head and keeps you guessing until the end. I love that this book was a page turner.

J.T. Ellison is one of my favorite "go to" recommendations for those with love psychological thrillers. The girl can write! I never know what to expect and I can never predict the way one of her stories will end. That is talent.

Her Dark Lies was incredible. I couldn't stop turning the pages and I was captivated by the story.

Highly recommended~

Claire Hunter is on the verge of having all of her dreams come true, but just days before Claire and her fiance, Jack Compton, are supposed to leave for the Compton's private island off the coast of Italy for their wedding, a man breaks into their home and Claire kills him in self-defense. Claire and Jack are cleared of any wrongdoing and hope to put the event behind them so they can celebrate their nuptials with close friends and family. But once they get to the island, it is clear to Claire that the forces are working against them. Somebody out there wants to ruin their wedding, and maybe worse. Will Claire and Jack make it to the altar?


Her Dark Lies was the first book by J.T. Ellison that I have read. It was a fast-paced read with a rather high body count. Claire Hunter was hiding a lot of secrets, but she wasn't the only one. Jack Compton and his family were the pure definitions of "entitled rich elitist." I really got the vibe that they were all jerks. Including Jack. I loved the atmospheric setting of the island. It created this gothic-vibe that I appreciate in novels. I wasn't all that surprised by the "twist." It was predictable but did not ruin the book for me. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS.



Bottom Line - I enjoyed Her Dark Lies enough that I will definitely go back and read some backlist for J.T. Ellison.



Details:

Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison
On Instagram
Pages: 416
Publisher: Mira Books
Publication Date: 3.9.2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

I really like J.T. Ellison so I was excited to read this. When I first started it, I wasn't sure. It felt incredibly slow. However, as the story began to unfold and new lies were uncovered, I found myself falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole.

Her Dark Lies by JT Ellison was another book in the subgenre of destination wedding thrillers that I've found my way into lately. The problem with this unexpected subgenre is I inevitably compare and contrast the stories. If I'm being honest (and I obvs am because that's what I do with these reviews), there are other destination wedding thrills I liked better. For me, this was a slow start. I prefer a thriller the sucks me from its first moments, and this one took awhile to get going. The story focuses on the wedding of Claire and Jack. As it goes, both Claire and Jack have some big secrets. This includes some mystery surrounding what really happened to Jack's first wife. Oh, and add a side of some crazy stuff that goes down on the island where the wedding is being held. I did think the big twisty reveal was good, so I was into the thrills by the end. Thanks to NetGalley for the look at this recent release!

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This had an ok story but the writing was weird and I wasn't a fan of the style.

An idyllic, wealthy, wedding weekend off the Italian coast quickly devolves into murder and mayhem.

Clunky writing, too many points of view, unlikable characters galore, ridiculously absurd and over the top situations. These are just the main reasons I disliked this book. Not to mention the author revealed their own plot twist to the audience not even a fourth of the way in. Not to mention the ridiculous dialogue that made me feel like I was reading a daytime soap opera. I enjoy thriller/suspense novels with a little bit of mystery. There was no mystery to be had here.

With the island as the setting, this was atmospheric. Though a slow start, almost at a snail's pace, I was about to DNF it, but I persevered. and the book got interesting. IT held some surprises, but overall it was a good predictable read.

Even if you think you know how it ends, you won't be able to stop reading until you know for sure whether you were right or not. There were some chilling revelations throughout this story, showing you that people aren't good or evil, but shades of grey in between. You won't ever truly know the deepest secrets hidden inside a person, unless they willingly share it. And even then you won't know the full story.

Claire is marrying Jack, but his family has secrets. Don't for a second think that's all there is to it. The wedding is on a private island and storms are coming in. To make matters worse, a skeleton is found, there are hidden cameras, and menacing texts too...

I've had such a fun time while reading this book, although the pace slowed at times. It was mysterious, twisty and dark. The lies spin out of control, but makes sense when you take into account how wealthy Jack's family is.

If you love mysteries, then this might be a book you need to look into.

Thanks to @netgalley and @thrillerchick for the book, in return for an honest review.

This is one of those hit or miss books, that you almost have to be in just the right mood for. I really enjoyed the premise and characters (most of them). Parts are really slow and that's hard to trudge through, other parts are so fast paced you can't keep up!

Suspense books are a great way to keep yourself distracted. I read this book over the past few days and really enjoyed it. There were some good twists and turns in the book. The book was written with two narratives which I enjoyed.

Claire Hunter is an artist who falls in love with Jack Crompton. Jack comes from a very affluent and influential family. She and Jack are getting married on Isla Isola on in a very private and prestigious wedding. Claire's life now is so different from her life when she was younger. She never would have expected to be here.

Jack is attentive and wonderful fiancé and she can't wait to start her life with him. Jack was married before to before for brief period of time ten years ago to Morgan. Morgan died in an unfortunate accident and Jack has been able to talk about it with Claire.

So many lies in this book, read away as all the truths start to come out.

A free falling roller coaster ride that is packed with suspense! Great psychological thriller! Ellison never disappoints!