Review: The Lie by Belle Harper

The Lie by Belle Harper

Series: Rebels of Ridgecrest High #2

Publication date: September 20th, 2022

Pages: 272

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

The Pact is Over.

And the lies keep building.

Hunter:

The Pact is over.

I'm going to make Mila mine.

She will know how much I love her. Everyday.

Jace:

I predicted this when I was ten.

Mila Hart destroyed everything.

But I will get it all back... anyway I can.

Roman:

I couldn't protect her.

I almost lost her.

I will never be the man she needs.

Mila:

Everything's changed.

But I will do anything for them.

I will lie... to protect the ones I love.

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Review:

Mila has definitely shaken things up since her reappearance. Now, Jace is sequestered away from the group, Roman gets himself in hotter water trying to protect her, and Hunter must come to terms with the fact that Mila will never be a one-man girl. Between lies, betrayal, secrets, and Roman's dangerous lifestyle the group have a lot they have to deal with  on top of trying to find some common ground in their romances. Mila will do anything for the men in her life but when Jace pushes her too far she wonders if he may be a lost cause after all. Their pact is broken and now Mila has to find a way to keep her boys together despite it.

This book seemed very geared towards Roman and his troubles. I felt that was a wise choice because there was no way that the author would have been able to make the drama of Mila's return stretch through a multiple book series. There had to be more. Now she still had the Jace drama which I felt was a bit of a stretch as well but it was a way to keep Jace out of the mix while Mila focused more on Roman. She had already won over Hunter at this point without much effort at all. 

Roman got to be such a martyr. I know he was trying to push Mila away to spare her from the dangerous aspects of his life. However, when Mila refused to give up on him or be deterred by his cold-shoulder, that would have been the ideal time for him to get closer to her if for no other reason but to keep her safe. After her accident which he fully took the blame for I can understand him pulling away. The men who are bent on destroying him due to his dad's drug debt were willing to harm those he cared for to get what they wanted from him. I felt terrible for the life Roman was forced to live and wish that he could have been taken out of that environment so much sooner.

The book series holds promise and there is just enough details and plot twists that make me keep reading. The romance is slow burn and not your typical smutty book. There is heat but it is a simmer heat not a raging fire. So if you're looking for a reverse harem that pulls out all the taboo stops, this isn't for you. If you want a romance that grows over time? It's worth a read.