🔖 BLOG TOUR 🔖 The Lie by Stella Gray {REVIEW}

The Lie by Stella Gray

Release Date: February 23rd 2021

Series: Charade #1

Pages: 232

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

The world knows Ford Malone as the heir to a real estate fortune.

But to me he’ll always be my best friend.
The guy who saved me from my bullies back in school.
The man I’ve secretly loved for years.

When he needs me to be his plus one at a family event, I agree without hesitation.

Imagine my surprise when he announces our engagement.
As usual, I’ll play along.
Nothing has to change except the way we behave–the way we touch–in public.
But his private touches change everything.

Soon the crush I’ve hidden for so long is threatening to swallow me whole.
If I tell him how I feel, it could ruin our friendship forever.
But if I don’t, the lie will ruin me instead.

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My Review:

Not having read any other books by the Stella Gray before, I didn’t know what to expect. Needless to say, what starts out as a lie turns into so much more for this friends-to-lovers romance. A promising start to the Charade Trilogy.

At the beginning of the story we are introduced to Emzee Zoric, a professional photographer and part owner of Danica Rose Management, a modeling agency that has recently changed the lives of her and her brothers forever. After finding out that her father and former CEO of the then KZ Modeling agency became an international criminal who damaged a lot of lives in the process. The news of what her father did tarnished the reputation of the company and ever since then her and her brothers have done everything in their power to make the company successful again.

Things quickly change when they get news that her father’s criminal past is after them now and the mafia is now involved. What brings her solace is being with her friend, Ford Malone. He has been her rock ever since he saved her from bullies back in high school and they have then formed a strong bond between them. She has always been there for him, so when he asks her to be his fake girlfriend she does it, that’s until he asks her to be his wife for a year that everything changes in their friendship. She has always been in love with him and no matter how much she tries to move on, he always seems to bring her back to him somehow. Soon she is planning a wedding and she finds herself being vulnerable with him. He is who she wants and she plans to tell him, then her life changes once again threatening their change at a future together.

As VP of Malone Real Estate Holdings, Ford Malone has it all, the wealth and woman around him all the time. His last relationship didn’t end well, as he is the only one that has been trying to move on while his ex keeps coming after him. It doesn’t help the fact that his mom in particular likes his ex and wants to see them get married. So does the first thing that comes to mind, asks his best friend to be his wife for a while until his mom gets used to the idea that he will never marry his ex. There is a part of him that knows that Emzee has always liked him more than a friend and although he doesn’t want to give her the wrong idea, the more time they spend together the more he begins to wonder if she might just be it for him.

Although there were times when I wasn’t a big fan of Ford at the beginning, he seemed to be using Emzee’s feelings for him as a way to get her to agree to their arrangement. He grew on me later in the story, as he realizes how his feelings are changing towards her. There are definitely two big things happening in the book, one of them being their arrange marriage and the other about the mafia involvement. The first book gives us a lot of background information on how the rest of the story is going to play out. I loved the main characters’ chemistry, they already know each other so they always lean on each other when they need one another the most. It’s when they decide to take things further that their chemistry is sizzling! The end does end on a cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read what happens next. This is a great story for those that love a friends-to-lovers arrange-marriage romance! :)

**I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.**

My Rating:3.5/5

About The Author:

Stella Gray is an emerging author of contemporary romance. When she is not writing, Stella loves to read, hike, knit and cuddle with her greyhound. 

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