Published by Self-published Genres: Romance, Suspense
Liam Wade is sick of living in the shadow of his famous father. All he wants is to make a name for himself as a professional surfer, but it’s impossible when the media focuses on every other aspect of his life. All he wants is respect, a chance to prove himself, but when it never comes he finds himself running and hiding from the ones who love him the most.
When their paths collide Ari and Liam are forced to confront their demons, and in the process they just might find a reason to stop running.
**Carla’s Five Star Review of The Lies That Define Us by Micalea Smeltzer**
This is the second book in the Us series, and it is the story of Liam and Ari. Even though this is the second book in the series, it can be read as a stand alone.
I am a huge fan of Micalea Smeltzer, so I was beyond excited to read this book! Of course, I loved every word of it! Poor Ari has been through hell in her short life. At the age of 14, she was kidnapped and has been held against her will for five long years. After escaping, she flees to California where she is taken in temporarily by Ollie and Talia. They would love nothing more than to offer her a place to stay until she can can get back on her feet, but their place is just too small. They are determined to help her, so Ollie ends up convincing his friend, Liam, to let Ari stay at his place for a while. On the outside, Liam is gruff and comes across as a real jerk. The truth is that he has been hurt in the past, and as a result, he has built walls around his heart for protection. However, as he and Ari spend more and more time together, he realizes that she is slowly chipping away at those walls. Just as the two of them confess their feelings for one another and begin to open up, all hell breaks loose.
This is such a great book! In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I read the entire thing in one sitting! I just couldn’t tear myself away from it! I fell in love with Liam and Ari, and I just had to see if they found their happily ever after! If you are looking for a great romance with the perfect amount of angst and suspense, look no further! Another great job, Micalea!!
Excerpt
I wouldn’t miss the rain.I wouldn’t miss anything about Oregon.
That place wasn’t my home. Never had been, and never would be.
With a jolt, the bus roared to life, startling me, but I relaxed a moment later when we pulled out of the station.
Freedom was so close to being mine.
I watched the people on the street as the bus pulled away. I was searching for buzzed brown hair and eerie black eyes, but he wasn’t amongst them.
He didn’t know I’d left yet.
And hopefully, by the time he did, I’d be long gone.
I adjusted my hoodie so my face was hidden from the other people on the bus and wiggled around, settling myself in for the long ride to California.
Unlike the other people on the bus, I didn’t have a cellphone to keep me company. Cellphones were traceable so I’d ditched mine. I couldn’t risk him finding me, because if he had I was certain he’d kill me. He would’ve eventually killed me if I stayed, too. My only option had been to take the risk of running away. I would have rather died on my terms than his, but if everything went according to plan, I’d be free and he’d never find me.
He called me Scarlett, but Scarlett didn’t exist.
Scarlett was a lie.
My name was Ariella, and I was reclaiming my stolen life.
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Micalea
Smeltzer is a bestselling Young and New Adult author from Winchester, Virginia.
She’s always working on her next book, and when she has spare time she loves to
read and spend time with her family.
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