Review of LIE TO ME by Chloe Cox

[Barbara Ann RS]

When I think about how to describe my reaction after reading this beautifully written love story between Harlow and Marcus, the first adjectives that come to mind are intense, powerful, and bittersweet.  Themes of love, loss, abandonment, betrayal, and redemption are all intricately woven into this emotionally-gripping plot that will tugged on my heart-strings and left me breathless by the end.

 Harlow Chase’s character is “real” the type of young woman you would like to get to know, if she would even let you after all the heartache and loss she’s experienced. Trust doesn’t come easy for her since her one and only love, Marcus Roma walked away from her five years ago, leaving her devastated and emotionally broken. However, Harlow is stronger than she thinks; she’s a fighter, determined to give her young brother a loving, stable home since the death of her parents. She’s worked very hard to get in control of her life, to create a sense of normalcy until Marcus returns, bringing to the surface all of her unresolved feelings of abandonment, anger, pain, and desire for the one man who has the power to bring her to knees all over again.

 Marcus is no longer the naïve nineteen-year-old who left Harlow behind thinking he could have it all, given a little time. Working for his ruthless godfather, Alex Wolfe, has hardened him, made him become a man he no longer likes nor recognizes, a man full of pain and regret, haunted by the decisions he’s made that took him away from, Harlow, the only woman he has ever loved. She’s held his heart in her hands since she was fifteen, when she boldly walked into a men’s gym, asking to learn how to fight.  The mystery behind Marcus’ sudden disappearance is slowly revealed over the course of the book, and although my suspicions were correct, when the entire truth is finally revealed, it’s still hard to imagine the guilt and loneliness that Marcus has had to endure. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.  

 The story is told from both Harlow’s and Marcus’s POVs, and as they reflect upon their history together, a vivid, touching picture is painted that shows just how inextricably bound these two still are despite the aching gulf that now separates them.  Cox does an exceptional job of pulling you into their lives, making you feel and understand the depths of the hurt, pain, and longing they have both experienced along with the intense passion that still exists between them. I had to take frequent breaks while reading this book, and by the end I was emotionally drained but so glad I made the journey with them.

 I received an ARC of this book from the author for an honest review. 

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