Title: ⟫ The Good Liar (The Infidelity Series #1)
Author: ⟫ C P Harris
Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5
Blurb: ⟫ Six years ago, Jasper Des Moines traded in the only life he knew. In order to keep a promise and a secret, he walked from the only man he’d ever loved.
Now, he has a career in need of constant defending, a best friend who knows nothing about his past, and a husband he should love. He has the life he believes he deserves.
Until one day, the unfinished business he’d left behind catches up with him, and he’s faced with the one man he’d never been able to resist or forget.
Cole Kincaid arrives in New York City with ulterior motives, but good intentions. He simply wants a place in Jasper’s world again. And if Jasper is happy, then so is he. But as the truth of Jasper’s new life unfolds, the role Cole wants to play in it begins to shift.
He soon reminds himself that Jasper belongs to him, and no promises made before God to a man who isn’t him will ever change that.
Cole’s presence threatens the carefully constructed life of penance Jasper has created. And while Jasper is focused on maintaining the existence he’d rightfully earned, Cole tempts him with the existence he actually wants.
Tragedy might have torn them apart, but lies will bring them together again.
**The Good Liar is Book 1 in the Infidelity series. Each book features a new couple, can be read as a stand-alone, and ends with a HEA. Themes include possessiveness, jealousy, and second chances. Both MCs are consenting adults. Please use the “Look Inside” feature for a full list of tropes and trigger warnings.
Review: ⟫ C P Harris has a way of writing possessive, obsessive love in a way that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go for the whole story, and this was yet another stellar example.
Jasper is a happily(ish) married man, living in a rut of ‘okay’. He’s had consuming passion and it cost him too much and he doesn’t want to risk anything like that ever again.
Cole wants whatever he can have of Jasper – even though he knows it might kill him to accept that he can’t have everything.
And Daniel wants to be the best.
I did not expect this story to take me where it did. I expected the impassioned writing; the steamy scenes; the gut-wrenching reasoning behind decisions even, but I really did not expect the rest of what I got.
I have been struck down with some kind of mutated flu, but not even the coughing, sneezing, wheezing and revolting medicines could prevent me from devouring this story whole. And then I went and read all of the bonus scenes that were made available. And then I wanted to reread the story again with the benefit of those bonus scenes.
This was hot, possessive and intense and the codependency between Cole and Jasper was palpable – you could practically feel their skin yearning to touch whenever they were in the same room together. All of the pieces on the board had their role to play – and perhaps a future role for at least two of them maybe? – but this just didn’t play out the way I thought it would. There were times when I was practically raging at Jasper for the hurt he was causing – to himself and to Cole – and other times when I just wanted to scroll to the end of the book to see that they did get their HEA and their suffering would come to an end because I couldn’t stand the pain any longer.
The back-story involving the artificial heart, prosthetic limbs and child amputees was handled sensitively and with grace, and I loved the glimpses we had into the lives of the people Jasper let himself be with – the relationship Cole and a certain young lady constantly made me smile.
I adored Surviving the Merge – I’ve reread that more than a few times since the first time – but this one might just be a close second. I freaking loved this story so utterly and cannot wait for more. This may be only the second time an author has made me see past the infidelity tag and I am so incredibly pleased I decided I loved Harris’ work enough to give it a try.
I received an ARC from the author.
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