Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 Lies and Consequences

Kaje Harper
Free novel – 171 pages, contemporary, thriller
Publication date – April 5, 2011 – debut book

Short Description: Chris has a problem with the truth. He has more than one name, a lesbian fiancee and a past he doesn’t want to explain. So when he hooks up with a hot guy in a bar, he weaves a web of lies. But Ian is a man Chris could fall for, if his lies didn’t stand between them. When the truth emerges and Chris is in danger, Ian must decide if he’s still willing to risk his life and his heart for this man

Blurb: Chris Fletcher and Ian McCallum started out as a hook-up: no names, no strings, and no future. But fate seemed determined to throw them together and each time was better than the last. Ian couldn’t help starting to think about forever.

Chris knew he shouldn’t take the chance. His life was a web of lies, from providing his Navy fiancée Jenny with a beard to the details of his fictional childhood. Ian would hate being deceived and a crash was inevitable. But Chris had never felt so deeply about a man before.

When the lies came out, Ian did walk away. But fate wasn’t done with them. Because Chris’s life was in danger, and only Ian was close enough to help. Now Ian had to decide where the deeper truths lay, and whether what he felt for Chris was still strong enough to risk his safety and his heart.

Download links: Smashwords or on any of the retailers Smashwords links to, including Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, etc.

Word Count & Sui’s Peanut Gallery Review

Lies and Consequences is a wild ride. It’s the kind of book that even when you put it down, the story sticks with you until you return to it. There is that feeling of wanting to know what happens in the next chapter right away.

The most intriguing aspect about this book is that the main character, Chris Fletcher, is a perpetual liar. He constantly tells lies about his life to please others, protect himself from heartbreak, or just plain push people away. As a result, he’s set his life into literal categories, one side never mixing with the other, like having two personalities. Until he meets Ian, who makes him deviate from these two set personalities, merging the two to find the real deal, the real Chris Fletcher.

Chris is constantly struggling with the lies he’s telling about his past, and his present. Ian is constantly truthful and open about his past and his present. The resulting push and pull between the two characters serves up a satisfying mix of passion, conflict, and down right anger soon turned to love.  When Ian finally gets to find out the truth, the explosion that follows was heartfelt.

I couldn’t help thinking about Chris’s two personae; how he differentiates the different aspects of his life. It’s something that happens in real life. You find that the person you are around your work mates and acquaintances is not the same as the one you are with your family and close friends. There are certain things you keep to yourself even with family and this story brings out these questions. Just how much truth do we know about those close to us? How much truth are you telling your husband, partner, family or best friend? What would their reaction be if they knew that you’ve told them a lie?

Kaje Harper presents a stellar supportive cast that includes Chris’s best friend, a young woman named Jenny who is working in the Navy. Jenny is gay and is unable to come out due to the restrictions in her chosen career path. Her girlfriend gives her an ultimatum, unable to hide their relationship any longer, telling Jenny she has six months to come out or else they break-up. Jenny adds color to the plot, while at the same time contributes to Chris’s way of living.  The cast also includes Ian’s best friend, Trent, who supports and listens to Ian. There is also Ian’s large close family who are the biggest support he has. Unlike Chris, Ian is blessed with a family that is accepting of who he is.

As a whole the story was hard to put down, I read it pretty fast. Kaje writes witty dialogue and carefully thought out scenes. She keeps up a steady sense of action and mystery with the plot. At first I was eagerly expecting the mystery of creepy, stalker messages to unfold and it kept me glued to my kindle. This eager expectation was quickly replaced by an unexpected twist in the ending chapters. While some parts of the action did feel abrupt, they were enjoyable to read and didn’t take away from the main plot of the story.

Lies and Consequences is aptly named. Chris and Ian have to go through a series of trials and errors before they can figure out the way to deal with Chris’s lies and the consequences that come with them. I wouldn’t mind a look into their future, in case there was a sequel brewing somewhere, Kaje.

Title: Lies and Consequences

Author: Kaje Harper

Word Count: 97, 986

Genre: M/M, Gay fic,

Cost: Free Novel

Link: Download here

Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages

From Scot, hope you have a wonderful weekend and we’ll see you on Monday, with a Blog Showcase!