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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Book Review-Inked In Lies by Giana Darling

by | Oct 14, 2021 | Book Reviews | 6 comments

Book Review-Inked In Lies by Giana Darling

Book Review-Inked In Lies by Giana DarlingInked in Lies by Giana Darling
Also in this series: Lessons in Corruption, Welcome to the Dark Side, Good Gone Bad , After the Fall, Dead Man Walking
Series: The Fallen Men #5
Published by Self Published By Author on July 30, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance
Pages: 492
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Goodreads
AmazonLibrary ThingLibrary Thing
five-stars

He moved in next door.Handsome as sin, older in a way that meant forbidden.He had tattoos on his hands and wickedness tucked in his grin.I was a goner as girl to a man they called Casanova for a reason. He would never love me, at least not the way I needed him to.I tried to move on. But I couldn’t turn my back on him or The Fallen MC.So when they needed me most, I offered the only thing of value I could use to help them.My body.And when helping them meant putting my life on the line, Nova had to decide just how much he was willing to do to get me out alive.
A standalone romance in The Fallen Men series.

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Inked In Lies is the fifth installment in the “Fallen Men” series and its a fantastic installment, this was a easy five star read for me. I adored everything about this story. I wasn’t sure what I was quite expecting, I just knew after reading this author that she would tear me apart and sideways before putting everything back together again and I can tell you that this one just might be my favorite of the series overall. I mean each installment is special in their own right, and I am not sure how this holds up to King’s story but somehow this one won my heart instantly and there isn’t really any taboo topics that deal with this couple so that is something I think that was special….unlike the other books in the series, while there is a sense of the “unreachable” in this book, this is a story that I think many will find is touchable in an easier way than some of the other books in the series. This is a couple that we have seen in previous books and so happy to see the full breadth of their story and seeing what this couple is made of.

Inked In Lies is a stunning portrayal that will captivate hearts and a story that features:

  • Nova-An artist, the bad boy, likes to test limits, infamous tattooist, and a brother of the Fallen MC. Protective, doesn’t find himself worthy of Lila or the family he was born into.
  • Lila -daughter of a drug lord, lover of beauty, art and flowers most of all. Been in love with Nova since she was five and while sweet she has a fiery fighting spirit and was adopted by the Fallen MC and Nova’s birth family.

“My dark horse,” she whispered. “So unique and brave and wild. I didn’t doubt for one second that you would. I don’t know how, but we’ll find a way to make it work, honey. We always do.”

Inked In Lies begin when our heroine was just five years old, and she made friends with her next-door neighbors, a good hardworking but poor family who loved her with every breath. Their son, Jonathon (Nova) protected her when she witnessed the death of her mother and then she and her brother were torn apart in foster care, but then through a miracle, they were brought back together and raised with love by Nova’s parents. Nova and Lila formed a bond, a bond most could never begin to comprehend, but as they grew older, feelings started to emerge. But while Lila stayed true to Nova and would have no other, Nova became restless and had to fight his own battles. But when Lila couldn’t continue to put her heart on the table and be rejected by Nova, she turned down another path. But all roads eventually lead us to our fate, and Lila’s road led her back to Nova when Nova realized he couldn’t let his flower lady go to another man but now he will have to prove his worth to Lila. But there are secrets and dangers and only by trusting in each other’s love will they be able to embrace a future together….

You are the fiercest, bravest, and kindest girl in the whole world. If someone chooses not to love you, they aren’t worthy of you. It’s really as simple as that

Inked In Lies is a story that I was so captivated by, when I first started reading I told myself just a few chapters and before I knew it I had breezed through this story. I found so many captivating moments in this book, and I was so drawn in by Nova and Lila’s story. It’s a friends-to-lovers trope also with a mix of unrequited love and I love these types of tellings and Giana Darling did such a tremendous job in capturing their story in such a way that stole my heart completely. It’s not a story that you will expect from this author, but it is one that will motivate you to find a beautiful love just like this one here. There are plenty of secrets and thrills that are emboldened into this story and it will only keep you wanting more for this pairing. They don’t have an easy go of it. They both have their own challenges that they need to face. But seeing their friendship form was so unique and I loved seeing what was behind Nova’s motivations. Through much of the story you wonder why he has spurned Lila. I mean, they are best friends and have a deep almost spiritual connection to each other. And when you find out what happened to him when he was younger, a secret no one knew about, I truly was stunned. My heart ached for Nova and how he never felt worthy of Lila but seeing Lila come into her own womanhood and femininity and find her own strength and be willing to fight for them even when Nova wouldn’t, was a stunning portrayal of feminine strength of will and courage. I absolutely adore seeing an heroine fight for her MAN, we just don’t see it enough in romance.

You’re more than my family, you’re more than my best friend. You’re the choice I want to make every single day, to live to the fullest and love the hardest.

Now there are other plot twists that are involved that just build the overall plot of the series. We still have the trafficking and the married couple in charge of it that pose a great risk to the MC. But seeing Lila be willing to go undercover and risk it all for the club was wonderful. She has a heart of gold and courage of that like Esther (bible), because those in the MC are her family and she wants an end to the threats against them. But there are some characters that come into play in this story that we won’t expect, I certainly didn’t. I wanted an appearance of Dane (and honestly I hope he gets a book because his story needs to be told), then we have the long-lost sister who has been stuck in prostitution and addicted to drugs, and hopes she finds the peace and HEA that she deserves herself. There are many leads in this story that could end in future books, but I truly adored seeing how this book evolved and it won’t be a story easily forgotten.

Not sayin’ it’s always gonna be a breeze, you bein’ with me, me tryin’ to be the kinda man worthy of the woman you are, the best kinda woman I’ll ever fuckin’ know, but you got patience, and me? I got time. That is, you wanna spend the rest of our life with me too.

Overall I found Inked In Lies to be a story that will pierce you in all the right places, its story-heavy in emotion and will sting and stab you in places, but its a romance of deep abiding love, of healing, of renewal, and hope and finding the beauty amidst the storms of life.

About Giana Darling

Giana Darling is a USA Today and Top 40 Amazon best selling Canadian romance writer who specializes in the taboo and angsty side of love and romance. She currently lives in beautiful British Columbia where she spends time riding on the back of her man’s bike, baking pies, and reading snuggled up with her cat, Persephone, and Golden Retriever puppy, Romeo. She’s a lifetime athlete, playing and coaching basketball, soccer, field hockey, and softball, so she comes by her competitive spirit naturally. A born reader and self-proclaimed geek, she is enamored with mythology, history and all kinds of literature. Before becoming a romance novelist, she was a food journalist, a food blogger, a coach, a French tutor and the owner of a pie company. For the last few years she has been living all over Europe, mostly in her second home France, but she’s finally settled with the Love of Her Life in her hometown on an island off of Vancouver.

She loves to hear from readers so please contact her at gianadarling@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.

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6 Comments

  1. Natalie

    I’ve read Lessons in Corruption (liked it although I’m not a huge fan of the younger man/older woman dynamic, but… student/teacher) and Welcome to the Dark Side (which I also enjoyed), but for some reason I stopped reading this series. Your review makes me want to dive right back in!!

    Reply
    • Lover of Romance

      Yeah I am not a fan of the tropes in some of those as well, but somehow Giana made them work for me. I would say read this one, it doesn’t deal with any taboos, I would definitely recommend trying this one out.

      Reply
  2. Nadene

    Glad to see you are still enjoying the series. I love it when romance stories gives all the feels. Great review Renee.

    Reply
  3. Rachel

    I occasionally read MC romances. Usually the less grittier ones, though. Nice to hear you’ve been loving the series, Renee. I’ll keep it in mind next time the mood strikes me. 🙂

    Reply

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