Crown of Lies

Wow! Just... Wow! I'll be honest, I don't know whether I"m appalled, shocked, or awed - maybe a little of all three? I do know that Pepper Winters pulled me into this story and there was no getting away. The writing is reminiscent of something from the classics, something from a different time. I know it isn't, but the pacing and atmosphere feel that way. It also borders right on the edge of purple prose, of being just a little too much, a little too flowery, but for me, it suited the story and its characters. Elle is the type of character who would've irritated me had she not been so innocent and sheltered. And Penn? Holy smokes, Penn is something else. Should I like Penn? Absolutely not, and in real life, I wouldn't have anything to do with the likes of Penn Everett. But in the world the author has created for him, I can swoon over his way too arrogant self while I make guesses about his secrets. And this is where I tell you that I thought I knew where this story was going, I thought I had it all figured out, and maybe I do, but that cliffy was so not what I expected. Okay, maybe part of it, like the very last bit, but not the other part - talk about a shocker! And when I listened to that last bit and got the little thank you bit from audible, I nearly lost it. I immediately bought the next part of the duet, and I'm trying to hold off until the weekend because I know I'm not gonna want to stop listening for anything so mundane as household chores and dinner. The narration for Crown of LIes introduced me to a couple of new to me narrators, and it's done a little differently than I've heard. I've listened to duet narration several times, but we usually get something from both characters' heads. This book is written in first-person point of view from Elle's perspective. Kylie Stewart does everything except the male dialogue, and Eric Rolon does all of that, while Stewart does all the dialogue tags and body movement lines, as in Rolon narrates something Penn has said, and Stewart finishes with "he said." It was a little disconcerting at first, but once I settled in and got used to it, it worked. The only issue I had with the narration is that Eric Rolon is a little over the top with Penn in the beginning. I realize that Penn is arrogant, but he comes across sounding almost childish as he verbally one-ups others. I don't know if the narrator was uncomfortable with the character at first or what, but he did seem to settle into the role as the story progressed. The story may be out there, and many things stretched my suspension of disbelief, but all things considered, this was one doozy of a listen, and I'll be impatiently waiting for the weekend to finish the duet.

Crown of Lies is a very intriguing book. It's a story of a young woman, Elle, who is groomed from a very early age to take over her family's business. She's lived a very sheltered life, but one night she decides to throw caution to the wind and go exploring the streets of New York. She meets a mysterious young man who rescues her from a bit of danger, and together they begin a little adventure. Elle never knows this stranger's name and she never forgets him or the time they shared that one fateful night. Fast forward three years and Elle is a high profile CEO and still very much living in her gilded cage of responsibility. She meets another mysterious man, Penn Everett, and they begin a whirlwind relationship full of lies, deceit and scorching hot passion. Elle is confused by Penn, she doesn't trust him completely and doesn't understand his motivations. She's torn between her feelings for the man she met years ago that rescued her, and this man with a curious past who lies and manipulates everyone around him, but still the draw to him is undeniable. Who is Penn Everett? That's the million dollar question. He's definitely a beguiling character and I can't wait to find out more about him. Crown of Lies ends in a cliffhanger, so be warned. There are a lot of unanswered questions that will leave you aching for more, but the sequel is due out very soon. I really enjoyed this book. I love the writing style of Pepper Winters, she knows how to weave a tale that leaves you breathless and anxious for more. I can't wait to see how this story ends! ARC kindly provided to me by author, but my review is voluntary and my opinion honest

***5 ‘All the things left unsaid’ Stars*** This book...I... just don’t know where to even start. I can’t say too much because of needing to keep things non-spoilery, but the NEED to vent is so strong that the words that want to come out are so jumbled up in my head that I’m not sure that they won’t come out as verbal vomit, but I think if I continue to try and get them to behave I’ll just make it worse, so here it goes nothing… This book frustrated the hell out of me. I spent a good portion of the time growling at the characters and their actions and yet I couldn’t put it down. I was utterly fascinated by their actions, reactions and inactions. I was seriously the proverbial kid in the candy store (though my adult self would say bookstore nowadays). But as tends to happen, I became INVESTED in them. I needed to know what they would do next and just how they’d complicated things further, and lemme tell you they ever! And then THAT ending came and even though I knew this was a duet and that a cliffhanger was coming...THAT one wasn’t not what I was expecting. Elle is a workaholic of epic proportions, but it’s not as if she had a choice. Groomed from a young age to be heiress to the throne, she has known no other life and stayed the course (for the most part) while secretly yearning for more. Despite my frustration at times with Elle, I ended up really liking her. She’s an interesting mix of submissive and dominate and both sides of her nature have a way of coming out to play at the same time. And though she may appear untouchable and distant, the heart that lays underneath that facade is huge and genuine and guides her every move. Penn is an enigma. He’s an uber sexy alpha male who steamrolls over almost everyone in his path and has arrogance and stubborn determination in spades and just when you want to gut him with a spoon he gives you a brief glimpse of a compassionate heart and sends you into a tailspin wondering just who the hell is the real Penn Everett. I had a love/hate/panty melting need my B.O.B relationship with Penn throughout the entire book. He was infuriating in his arrogance, and smexy as hell (sue me, I love me a dominate male) and yet that knowing, that gut feeling that there was so much more going on kept me from truly hating him as did the very few glimpses of a heart he keeps well hidden. Their “romance” is all kinds of crazy and yet sexy as hell. They are so antagonistic towards each other, yet neither can stay away for long and you can see them getting under each other’s skins as the lies about who they are and what they want fly around them. While this book had the logical side of my brain growling out “Why can’t you just be honest?!?! Why?!” “Dear lord how f*cking blind can you be?” “Really? You really did that to….” I couldn’t put it down. Not many, if any, of the questions that fill this story were answered and so I have my own theories floating around in my head. So with need to know out if my theories are indeed correct combined with that very unexpected cliffhanger ending, I need to have Throne of Truth in my greedy little hands as soon as possible! ~ Copy provided by the author & voluntarily reviewed ~