This review is being withheld in support of striking HarperCollins Union workers. The hardworking people who make books like this one possible have been on strike since November 10, 2022 demanding living wages, increased diversity, and union protections.

Fascinating set up. I love Allie Therin and I really liked Liar City. Overall I found it a bit long on the technical and somehow a bit lacking in personal relationships but obviously we will see that expanded in the next book. I had just read a PNR romance and i think the fact that this wasn't a romance coloured my opinion of it and that's on me. I found the worldbuilding (real world but with empaths) top notch and I always love a PNR locale. I will definitely be reading the next one

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this because I've never read an Allie Therin book that I didn't absolutely love. That remains true. This book was phenomenal.
Alright, so. First, the shifting POVs took me a hot second to get used to, but I think that was more a product of having been reading clearly marked POV-by-chapter books recently. After a while I got used to it and barely noticed.
The mythos of this world is fascinating and the reader is dropped in with no real guidebook. Even after having finished the book I have questions about empaths and their origins, but they weren't enough to detract from the story. And here's the thing: this could really be billed more as science fiction than fantasy and I kind of love how blurred that line is. The abilities that characters possess in this world are studied by scientists, called mutations: sounds more x-men than buffy, if you get me.
And that brings me to how this book is being marketed. Some of this may be assumptions based on Allie Therin's previous books, but GoodReads tags and product category listings back me up on this: Liar City is being called a romance. It isn't. Is there attraction? Yes--from one side, at least. Is there tension? ...of a sort. But so much is vaguely implied and I spent the entire book waiting and hoping. In that regard, the ending was disappointing. My feelings got caught up in the action and then the over-for-now was just... not awful. It's like it falls somewhere between neutral good and chaotic good in an alignment chart. Happy, but... not enough.
Regardless, the plot and the characters were fantastic. Reece was a joy and I love that there seemed to be an underlining theme stating that being sensitive, needing protection, being different.. wasn't the same as being week or lesser. And while Reece definitely had character growth, the core things that made his character unique and enjoyable remained throughout the book. Jamey, likewise, was lovely. And I could write entire essays on the Dead Man.
I absolutely cannot wait for the next book and, honestly, knowing that I have so very long before it comes out is painful. If you like fantasy that's almost science, contemporary settings, snarky guys with enormous hearts and a penchant for sarcasm, supposedly heartless men with lovely manners and a predisposition to do the right thing, and government/corporate conspiracy.. you'll adore this book as much as I did.

A great start to what feels like a fantastic new urban fantasy series. Liar City is very much an urban fantasy with very low romance levels. The writing is on the wall with the two main characters, but that’s about it. I was fine with this, but definitely temper your expectations if you’re thinking this is fantasy romance.

We had multiple POVs, which I appreciated. The side characters all had great arcs, and I’m excited to see them throughout the rest of the series. Reece, Grayson, and Jamey were super dynamic and related well to each other. There aren’t any details on #2 yet, but I’m assuming it will still center on Reece and Grayson since their story together is far from complete so I hope we see Grayson’s POV in the next one.

Includes substantial world building, banter, nicknames, and real “I’ll be the villain so you don’t have to vibes”!

Thanks to NetGalley and Carina Adores for the arc.

This is an awesome launch into a new series! In typical Allie Therin fashion, the characters are truly engaging and authentic. The world building is first class, and I was certainly drawn in quickly.

One of the things that the author does incredibly well is a blend of humour and seriousness... I would say that's true of all of Allie's books. In this one, the characters are all quite unique and wiggled there way into my mind.

I can't wait to see what happens!

*Note: I Received A Free Reviewer Copy Through NetGalley*

The premise of *Liar City* is that there is a group of people who can psychically read others' emotions through touch, called Empaths. The main characters are an Empath named Reece Davies and his sister Briony "Jamey" St. James, a detective with the Seattle Police Department.

The story begins with Reece being called out to the scene of a murder investigation by a mysterious unknown phone number. The murder victim turns out to have been a senator who was pushing the biggest anti-empathy bill to date, and Reece finds himself pulled into an investigation that will challenge what the world knows about empaths and what he knows about himself.

Reece finds himself accompanied during the investigation by Agent Evan Grayson, known as "The Dead Man," an expert on empaths who is called in to handle crimes involving empaths. Tension ensues as Reece tries to figure out whether and how much to trust Grayson, who appears to have a softer spot for empaths than "The Dead Man" would be expected to.

I really liked the way that Therin handled the world-building info dumps around Empathy, what it does, and what people think about it. That's a challenge in a lot of fantasy, and rather than clunky "As you know, Bob" moments in the story, she handles the matter deftly by showing you what the world thinks of empaths through succinct paragraph-long epigraphs made of in-universe documents at the start of chapters. I thought it was a really good use of the epigraphs.

I liked the characterization of Reece and Jamey and Grayson. The banter between the main trio brings life to them while also tending to push things forward in the book.

There were a couple moments that felt a little *deus ex machina*, one toward the end with some safety nets being built onto a building faster than I think a corporation could approve them, but those moments are small ones. I noticed them for a minute, but they just allowed small story beats to be had.

Overall, I really liked this one. When I first opened the book, I noticed it billed itself as "Paranormal Romance" which isn't a genre I usually go for. But the premise I'd read hit enough of my urban fantasy fan buttons that I wanted to give it a shot. And if that describes you, please don't let the word "romance" discourage you. This was a really fun mystery plot with a cool fantasy twist. I'm glad I read it.

I personally think I'll be checking out more of Therin's books.

A great start to a unique urban fantasy setting. I really enjoyed the set-up-all the empath powers are new and no one really knows what they can do. It was interesting to see how Therin fast-danced around having a pacifist as a main character-she did a good job. But more than anything, this feels like the beginning of much more detailed and interesting series. I look forward to the future books.

Warning: This book is not a romance. There is the slightest whiff of a HFN but I think it will be a long journey to get these MCs together.

Allie Therin forgoes her historical paranormal series (Spellbound, Proper Scoundrels, etc.) for a contemporary but still magical setting in which a small number of empaths have the ability to read others people's emotions. Although they are avowed pacifists, empaths are mistrusted and feared by many, resulting in laws that limit their involvement in certain fields and think tanks that seek to uncover their potential hidden threats to democracy and our way of life.

Reece is one of Seattle's two empaths, and although he is snarky as hell, he's not the one to call for backup in a fight - he becomes physically ill when exposed to violence. After he receives an anonymous phone call tip that his police detective sister Jamey is investigating the homicide of a legislator who introduced a strong anti-empath bill, he rushes to her side, desperate to help in some way. But when he encounters the foreboding Evan Grayson, aka The Dead Man, Reece realizes he has found the one person he can't read.

Grayson insists he is not an empath hunter, but an empath specialist, although Reece has trouble understanding the difference. He has no choice but to accompany Grayson for his own protection while Jamey actively pursues the killer. Reece and Grayson manage to get themselves in the middle of danger anyway, as the body count increases and surprising suspects are revealed that will change the way the world looks at empaths. Reece is also hiding a secret about new powers he has recently developed that are unprecedented even for an empath, and may be the first sign of oncoming madness.

As I mentioned, this book is not a romance, and the series will have to do some heavy lifting before I will accept Reece and Grayson as a couple. From the beginning, Grayson has all of the information, and he drags Reece around without sufficient explanation. The power differential is disturbing; Grayson is above any other law enforcement agency and can kill with impunity, while Reece vomits whenever he witnesses violence or even anger. Reece's only upper hand in the situation is his insistence on safe driving, which drives Grayson crazy since all Big Tough Guys drive fast and recklessly.

The book ends with the apprehension of the legislator's murderer, but it leaves many other questions unanswered. There is a hint that Reece hasn't seen the last of Grayson, but the two haven't even touched yet. I'm not a big fan of the unemotional alpha/Care Bear cinnamon roll pairing; Grayson will have to open up a lot for their relationship to be at least a little believable.

ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for objective review.

Note: I have been holding my review of this due to the ongoing Harper Collins strike. It has now been clarified by the HCP union that they are not asking for reviews to be held for Harlequin and Carina titles. This is a Harlequin title.

I’ve read the first two of Allie Therin’s Magic in Manhattan series, and for the most part really enjoyed them. Insofar as I had reservations, it was that I dug the characters, but the worldbuilding and magic stuff kind of imploded.

In this case, I had pretty much the opposite reaction. I am intrigued by the setup and the outlines of this world of (always existing, but newly recognized) empaths – and the backlash sparked by their supposed mind control powers – but I just couldn’t with the main character. For all that Reece is an empath, he reads like someone with the emotional intelligence, maturity, unquestioned sense of his own superiority, and impulse control of your average 5-year-old – with the equally strong conviction that he is RIGHT!, everyone else is WRONG! *tantrum* *woe is me*. The constant POV shifts at least got us out of Reece’s head for a while, at the cost of being too many and too much, creating a stop-start narrative that I found frustrating rather than tension-raising.

After pulling myself through the first 20 percent or so, I put this aside in exasperation since the HCP strike had started and I figured I would be holding the review anyway. I resumed reading with a resolution to stop being Mean! Kathleen, but alas. Mean! Kathleen can only be held off so long. Indeed, it only took another section of Reece for Mean! Kathleen to come roaring back. At which point I realized that I will never buy Reece as a convincing romantic hero (I should note that the author has advised that the romance is a very slow burn, stretching out over the course of the series – so adjust expectations accordingly). And because I simply wasn’t invested enough in the mystery to push on considering my antipathy to one of the main characters (Mean! Kathleen is impatient) -- dnf with no hard feelings at 34%.

A sassy bisexual pacifist empath and a Southern-accented mysterious empath “specialist” work together to solve a brutal high-profile murder. Allie Therin does it again making me fall in love with her characters and world.

I absolutely love Therin’s debut series Magic in Manhattan, 1920s queer historical fantasy romance, and its ongoing spin-off, Roaring Twenties Magic, and was thrilled when I saw the deal announcement for a brand new trilogy. Liar City is an urban fantasy mystery/suspense with a slow burn romantic subplot but retains all the things I love about Therin’s category romances, including: amazing cast of diverse characters; spunky, vulnerable and always growing protagonists; fluid blend of the fantastical with reality and amazing world building; intriguing layered mysteries, and sweet, high chemistry romances and just as strong and prevalent platonic and familial relationships.

We go through a few different POVs but of course I have my favorites: our main boy Reece because I love Therin’s main characters, and I also loved his sister Jamey. All the POVs worked well in terms of developing characters and the main whodunit mystery as well as the overarching plotline that I anticipate will run through the rest of the series.

I love Reece. Would die for him. Sassy and sarcastic with a mouth that gets him in trouble, and, as one character says, snack-sized. He’s a fun POV character and primary protagonist. His weaknesses and strengths are laid out and developed well already and he fits in the urban fantasy world Therin’s created. I really loved how she plays with perceptions of empathy/pacifism.

If you love banter, there is plenty of that between Reece and Grayson. Between Reece’s uncontrollable mouth and Grayson’s dry drawls there are plenty of great interactions that leaven tense scenes and plot developments. There’s a bit of a running gag that is well executed for what I found to be a surprising but great payoff that had an effect on the character, other people’s perception of that character, and the role of people like that character in this world.

I need the next book, heck, the rest of the series and anything else Allie Therin’s got in her magic writer brain ASAP.

3.5*

This was hard to rate as I absolutely raced through it, really gripped by it, but then was incredibly bothered afterwards by some of the world building and questions raised. As this is the first in a series I am giving a certain leeway that maybe some of these will be addressed and/or answered in the rest of the series.

WARNING! This review will have a couple of vague spoilers (but mot about the mystery at all).

First off, while it is pubbed as a romantic suspense, the romance in this book is of the far-off, potential hints variety, not so much slow burn as a glacier that may one day start to melt. The end is a HEA as far as the mystery goes, but a romance is nowhere near hinted at yet. I personally am super keen to see how this might develop later on...

Secondly, Reece is a great character, I loved his snark, his sincerity, and I enjoyed being in his narrative so much. Many of the other characters were enjoyable to read, with a nice depth to most of them. The Dead Man was excellently intriguing and again I am so excited to read more of him later.

Now what was not so good for me....the worldbuilding was interesting. The fact that Empathy was a pretty new phenomenon helped explain why there were these various doubts, fearmongering, studies etcetc. But I kept asking why it suddenly arrived, and was expecting something about it, but nothing came? Now maybe this will be a topic later idk. But it was as a missing thing for me.

Even more so, I was so confused by the amount of Empaths vs their impact. It is said a lot of times that there are only 2 Empaths in the whole of Chicago. Which would then equate to a very small number in the whole of the US. Yet there is a business making anti-Empath protection stuff and making huge amounts of money doing so. Everyone knows that Reece's gloves indicate, even though they could barely have ever seen anyone with them before? There is a club filled with people pretending to be Empaths to trick people but how could they if there is only 2 in the whole city? Like I keep thinking I must have misunderstood! It just didn't make sense to me, that there was simultaneously such a huge impact from Empaths, that everyone was so au fait and expecting to see 1000s of them, while there were really so few. Now I did wonder if that was the point? That they were a tiny tiny number but the fear was incredibly high. But I think I needed that to be a bit clearer, for example for Reece's narrative to note the disparity. Or maybe I just misunderstood it.

I think when I just finished I felt it was a 4* read, gripping, compelling characters, and different enough to give me a real sense of originality. But the ongoing questions plagued me onwards and sent it to more of a 3. Giving it 3.5* as a compromise but I am 100% going to read the next in the series.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC*

Allie Therin’s Liar City is set to be on many best of 2023 lists. Sarcastic, quick witted empath Reece and mysterious, dangerous—and somehow loveable despite the threat he poses to Reece—empath hunter Grayson leap off the page and suck the reader into an alternate Seattle that feels real, gritty, and immersive. Therin is a master at banter, and it shines in the interactions between Grayson and Reece as their slow burn romance simmers. Put this one on your TBR, you won’t want to miss it.

A deeply enjoyable and layered urban fantasy with impeccable worldbuilding and compelling characters. I’m enthusiastically looking forward to the sequels! The romance is an extremely slow burn at this point, so readers familiar with Allie Therin’s with genre romance works will want to adjust their expectations accordingly for this first book — there’s a secondary romance that is delightful, but the main characters are only just beginning to have sparks fly here. Knowing Therin’s stellar writing and romantic pacing, I’m confident the rest of the series will capitalize on that building tension in a way that is sure to please romance fans and urban fantasy readers alike.

"Liar City" was freaking incredible. Absolutely wonderful, utterly addictive, and by far, one of my top reads of the 2022.
Scratch that, my favourite read of 2022.

Allie Therin has been one of my favourite authors these past few years, and her books have been my comfort reads for months and months now. But with this brand new, paranormal series, I think she's outdone herself: "Liar City" is an absolute gem of a book, and I'm pretty sure this is only the start of what will surely be a gut-wrenching, action-packed, emotional ride of a book series. If I'm feeling this unhinged about this first book, I can only imagine what the next two books will be like for Future Me: it will probably involve a lot of screeching and screaming and sobbing.

"Liar City" features some of my absolute favourite tropes, and all the stuff I adore in my reads: heaps and heaps of action and mystery, a setting and a world-building that are damn fascinating (and vividly stark, highly unusual and creative), and a cast of characters that are unforgettable.

This book is also the slowest-burn to ever burn: the romance aspect is very, very minimal in this first installment, but the enemies-to-lovers framework of their (future) romance is impeccable, and the chemistry and barely-there-but-definitely-there tension is so damn palpable, so damn delicious, I can already see myself going absolutely FERAL over them both.
I cannot wait to witness their journey towards love: it's going to be freaking great.

Individually, they are equally fantastic characters. Reece is literally the sweetest, most lovable human ever: he needs to be protected at all costs. His sarcasm, his enormous mouth, his recklessness, his obsession with careful driving, every single one of his quirks and insecurities made him an utterly lovable, unforgettable protagonist: he's an overly stressed, anxious little bean and I love him with my whole heart. The way his empathy works was so very fascinating, so kudos to Allie Therin for creating such a complex and ridiculously lovely protagonist.
Evan, on the other hand, is a whole mystery; we hardly know anything about him, but he still has me in a chokehold. His lack of emotions, his peculiar way of dealing with his enemies (or literally anybody standing in his way), his ruthlessness, his mysterious past... He's shaping up to be as unforgettable as Reece. I literally lived for any single crumb we got of his real personality; and the way he was with Reece? His Southern Gentleman act? All the nicknames? His very peculiar protectiveness and his gruff care? INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS.

“Oh, good.” Reece scrubbed the glove over his hot face. “I was wondering where we were going to have angry hate-sex.”
Oh no, his stupid fucking mouth—
“What kind of man do you take me for,” Grayson said, deadpan. “We only just met. I save hate-sex for second dates.”

Anyway, I'll be praying all the literary gods that Allie Therin will bless us with his POV for the sequel: I'd sell my soul to be able to read his thoughts and his real feelings towards Reece.

All the other side characters were as fantastic and vividly characterized as Reece and Evan: especially Jamey. She was a favourite of mine: she could walk all over me, run me over with a bus, and I'd cheerfully thank her.

And the plot? GAH, where do I start. It's brilliant and thrilling: an action-fuled murder mystery, where the heroes and villains aren't what they seem, and the lines between good and evil, between monsters and victims, are constantly blurred. I was completely addicted from the start, and I managed to devour the whole thing in literally two sittings, work obligations be damned.

So, what else can I say? Allie Therin, brava.
Her writing is majestic, and exciting and emotional and it flows wonderfully. Every time I read one of her books, I'm amazed by how much they seem to be made specifically for me: every single one of those has been a 5 star read (actually, more like 6 or 7, or 10!) and "Liar City" is no exception. It's an utterly marvelous book, an incredible, heart-stopping start to a brand new series, and I'd literally sell my soul (and quite possibly, a few of my non-essential organs) to get my hands on its sequel.
I cannot wait, and I'm not sure how am I supposed to wait: maybe by re-reading this one, and highlighting half (or all) of Reece and Evan's interactions? Yes, I think so.

I'm so excited to learn that this book isn't covered by the HarperCollins strike (support the strike; don't cross the picket line!), because I all-caps LOVED it. I am all about the slow burn, and this series promises to deliver it in abundance. It's been a little while now since I read it, so I'm not going to try to recreate any specific analysis—suffice it to say at about 70% through the novel, I was already longing for book two. If you like urban fantasy, run, don't walk to get this book. I can't wait for it to be available on audio!

My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Allie Therin has a knack for writing edge-of-your-seat paranormal thrillers that are queer-friendly and manage to make me chuckle often, despite the life-threatening events going on. I admired that about her Magic in Manhattan series, and Liar City showcases those same skills.

Set in Seattle in a world where some people have begun manifesting empath powers over the last few decades, this book follows a wild couple of days in the life of Reece, an empath who would really just like to have a calm existence where everyone drives responsibly. Instead, thrown into the middle of a string of murder investigations along with his bad-ass detective sister, he gets taken into the custody of the enigmatic but alluring Agent Grayson. Whether this forced partnership is going to end in Reece’s arrest or in the saving of his life, he can’t quite be sure.

I loved the tentative chemistry between the two (there’s almost flirtation—my money is on it getting deeper in the next book in the series), as well as the sinister exploration of what society would really do if certain people could read and potentially control others’ emotions. One technique I especially liked was the snippets of documentary information at the start of each chapter, giving us a little more about the world’s conflicting views on empaths. It was a much more elegant way to discuss the subject than a narrative info-dump.

Therin has a great series started here, and I recommend it for those desiring a cool new twist on paranormal thrillers!

I loved this book. The world was so well done, I enjoyed exploring how it worked. The romance was a slow burn that I really became vested in seeing grow. Everything about this book. Hit all the marks. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

Liar City was unremarkable. It didn't keep me awake. It's a book about an empath named Reese, his sister Detective St. James and Grayson, aka The Dead Man, who called himself an empath specialist. There was also another empath, Cora. There were four murders and it was assumed to be an empath who did the killing. One who was murdered was a woman, a senator Hathaway who had written bill number 1437 against empaths. Cora fled after the senator's murder.

I read 16 chapters of this book and simply couldn't stomach anymore. It moved very slowly and absolutely nothing was happening. I was bored silly. It was a real snooze fest. I wouldn't recommend this book.

I expected to love this book. I loved her other ones. But for some reason I just felt detached to the story and characters. I'm going to put this book down. Maybe in a few months or so I can pick it up again and have a different experience.

This book is so good! It's an excellent mystery/thriller with fascinating characters and interesting worldbuilding. What would happen if certain humans began to manifest a mutation that made them empaths? This book explores that question, with clever excerpts at the beginning of each chapter that reveal the deep impact empaths have on politics, culture, science, and more. Even though I was familiar with the concept of empaths from other media, I hadn't thought too deeply about it and was enthralled (lol) by the world of Reece, the Dead Man, empaths, scientists, government agencies, and sinister politicians. Reece is one of my new favorite characters! He's sarcastic, hilarious, and can not keep his mouth shut. He's also incredibly lonely and hiding some painful memories. The Dead Man is everything you could want from a powerful, mysterious, and surprisingly suave secret agent. Together they make a great team and I thoroughly enjoyed their bickering, banter, and hectic search for truth through the streets of Seattle. Exciting, fast paced, and filled with emotion, Liar City is a must read!