I didn’t love these characters. Or at least not their relationship together. There was just something off for me. I did like the narration and the setting.

I enjoyed this audio arc! It was fast paced and kept me guessing. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Even When You Lie by Michelle Cruz is a gripping and fast-paced thriller that explores the dark side of love, secrets, and justice. The protagonist, Reagan Reyes, is a former intelligence officer who works as an investigator for a high-profile criminal defense attorney, Cade McCarrick. They are also lovers, despite the firm's strict policy against in-house romances. Their relationship is based on a mutual agreement never to lie to each other, but that is soon tested when a mysterious woman leaves an envelope for Cade and ends up dead. Reagan finds out that the envelope contains a clue to a brutal murder that happened outside a nightclub, and that the dead woman had a connection to both Cade and the victim. As she tries to unravel the truth, she realizes that she is dealing with a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to silence her.

The author does a great job of creating a realistic and vivid setting of Dallas, Texas, where the story takes place. She portrays the contrast between the glamorous and wealthy Uptown and the gritty and dangerous Deep Ellum, where the crimes occur. She also exposes the corruption and racism that pervade the legal system and the police force, and how they affect the lives of the innocent and the guilty alike. The plot is full of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the end, and the characters are well-developed and complex. Reagan is a strong and smart heroine who has a troubled past and a fierce sense of justice. Cade is a charismatic and charming lawyer who has a hidden agenda and a questionable morality. Their chemistry is undeniable, but their trust is fragile. The secondary characters are also interesting and add depth to the story.

Even When You Lie is a captivating and suspenseful novel that will appeal to fans of romantic thrillers and noir mysteries. It is a debut that showcases the talent and potential of Michelle Cruz, a new and exciting voice in the genre. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mix of romance, action, and intrigue. Knocking a star off the rating just because personally I am not a romance fan, but if YOU are a fan of both love and mystery stories, this might be just your cuppa.

It was interesting like really interesting, this book genuinely get me entertained, I loved the plot, the writing, it’s hard to describe but I’ll recommend this book.

Ex-military intelligence officer, Reagan Reyes, has a few secrets that she is trying to protect, mainly a forbidden relationship with her boss. Reagan Reyes hunts other people’s secrets. I’m very confused by the motivations of the main characters. Particularly the narrator. I found this book a bit all over the place. At times it seemed like a romance book at times like a mystery, like the author couldn't decide what it wanted it to be.

This was a fantastic, pulse-pounding romantic thriller debut set in the dark underbelly of Dallas's criminal scene. Full of murder, lies and secrets, this was a fun read and good on audio narrated by Nan McNamara. I enjoyed this a lot and would definitely read more by this author! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Even When You Lie is an interesting story that fails to properly balance the mystery and romance elements. I mostly enjoyed the main characters. However, I was frustrated that Raegan, a former military investigator, was often depicted as helpless and weak. It was a well-written, quick read and I was genuinely interested in the mystery. It was a bit predictable at times but I didn't really mind. My biggest problem with the book is that the romance dominated the story. Their relationship didn't have a lot of tension so I wasn't that interested. There could have been room to add a bit more complexity to the mystery if the author had focused less on the romance.

I really enjoyed reading Even When You Lie! I honestly didn't think I'd love it as much as I did because I'm not a huge crime thriller fan, but while the story is about lawyers, it is a very well-written suspense focused on the two main characters and their relationship. Keagan's character was a little disconnected - there were times she was strong and independent, and times she almost seemed helpless (especially since she was former military). Perhaps it was intentional (we aren't one thing all the time), but I thought it weakened her character on the page as a whole. That said, I could not put this book down and I really enjoyed it from beginning to end!

For some reason I couldn’t get super invested into this story or the characters. It was entertaining, but I wasn’t on the edge of my seat or hooked on their every word. I wish there would have been more character development so that I could really fall in love with the characters.

I always enjoy a little romance with my thrillers but this one seemed a little too heavy on the romance. This story kept me turning to the next page. I could easily follow along and picture what was happening. With that said I did find it a tad predictable. I did enjoy how strong Reagan’s character was and the second half of the story more so. The characters fell a bit flat for me but I did really enjoy Raffi. I like the mystery aspect in this book the most.

Another audiobook listen for me, I did enjoy the narrator for this story.

Thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I enjoyed this book but I didn't love it. It was entertaining and has good suspense. But something about it felt a bit too unbelievable. If you have read it let me know what you think?

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This had a lot of potential and I definitely enjoyed it, although the tone was more "romance" than anything for most of it. I expected more for the main character but loved some of the supporting characters! The narrator was good as well.

This was alright. It’s one that you should go in realizing that it’s romance heavy. So you get a little bit of a thriller feel but I felt more like I was reading a romance story.
Reagan Reyes is a former intelligence officer who is currently working as an in-house investigator for the pricey uptown defense attorney Cade McCarrick. No in-house romance is allowed but Reagan and Cade are totally in love and they have promised never to lie to each other but, hey, things happen.
One day, a lady leaves a note for Cade at the office and in the blink of an eye she is dead. Nothing in the envelope is connected to any of Cade’s current cases but Reagan digs deeper and finds out that there is a strong connection to a brutal crime that occurred outside a nightclub.
This case surpasses the police and as she digs deeper and deeper she finds she is completely on her own and a killer out there who is hell bent on ending her.
This was alright. Like I mentioned, the romance takes a front seat in this book and I began to actually forget there was a big huge crime going on at times. It seemed like the characters did as well. In the end, the book is well written, has a fantastic narrator if you like audio books, and has an ending. It just wasn’t the book for me.

I went into this excited for a legal thriller but as it went on, I felt it was much more of a romantic suspense. There was a lot about the chemistry between Regan and Cade and a lot of build-up to sex and I wanted those parts to speed up and get to the thriller / mystery. I'm all about romance and love a good sexy book but I just couldn't get as invested in their relationship as I wanted to. Even about 80% in and I still felt like I was waiting for a big twist. I enjoyed reading about the lifestyle of the Dallas uber rich and appreciated the biracial protagonist and her inability to feel comfortable in either world as I can totally relate. The narrator was really good and I'd listen to her anytime.

Thank you for the opportunity to listen and review!

Sadly, this book was not my favorite. While Reagan had great potential, she never felt fully fleshed out as a character. Additionally, I wanted to fast-forward any scene with her and Cade - a truly toxic pairing.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audio ARC.

I think I might have enjoyed it more if I could have heard the whole thing. It was sadly archived before I completed it.

The premise of this book is what hooked me, a woman hands Regan a mysterious envelope and drops dead minutes later, police chalk it up to an overdose but she doesn’t believe it. I was disappointed to see that most of the book was focused on Regan and Cade’s relationship and a lot of the story was dedicated to describing how sexy Cade was and how Regan spent her time in the military.

I felt like Cade and Regan’s relationship was super toxic, either they’re passionately having sex all the time or fighting to the point of leaving the apartment in a huff and getting drunk. It’s immature for a couple of 30 something year old people. Regan talked about how their relationship was forbidden and not serious, yet she moved in with him before they said “I love you”? I also hated how Cade used objectification to assure Regan of his devotion to her, like “I couldn’t be with another woman, because you’re better looking than the others”. Also Regan is supposed to be hispanic, but pronounces Cesar like “seyzar” and doesn’t make an effort with any other Hispanic last names.

I found myself trudging through this book at 2x speed just to get to the good parts. I would label this more a romantic suspense than a thriller.

The narrator did a great job!

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was excellent. This was a fun, complex story with enjoyable characters. Highly recommend

Pick a lane....mystery or spicy. This book tried to do both and failed.

The synopsis of the book lays out the plot well so Im not going to reiterate it in my review.

What I will say is that without the narrator I would have dnf this book. I wanted to love Reagan. I wanted a badass female character. She was not this. Every time I thought Reagan was going to rise to the occasion she fell short.

The mystery was a who why and how plot. By itself it had great potential and I felt like the characters were an afterthought.

I found this a slow start but I kept listening and was drawn into a thrilling story. Reagan and her boss are living together in defiance of the firm's no romance rules, so Cade isn't eager for Reagan to investigate the senior partner. However, after Reagan's attacked and someone breaks into their apartment, he concedes. A slow burn to a scorching conclusion, this made my commute enjoyable.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media for access to an ALC on NetGalley.