ARC Review: Lies and Lullabies by Courtney Lane

Book Title: Lies and Lullabies
Author: Courtney Lane
Series: Standalone
Release Date: July 28th, 2016
Genres: Dark Romance, Mystery/Thriller

On the weekends, she’s Sugar, a woman free of the pretty prison constructed by her domineering father, who combs the dangerous streets in search of something she never quite finds.

During the week, she’s Simone, the good girl and the illegitimate daughter of the most powerful and hated man in Los Angeles.

Catch—aptly named for his “career” choice—is a man shrouded in mystery with one dangerous purpose. After a whirlwind encounter, Catch draws Simone into his dark and tangled web.

A dangerous game ensues, lives are lost, truths are exposed, and one man may shatter the foundation of a powerful organization on the brink of extinction.

The game of truth or dare won't end until Catch and Simone strip each other of their façades and uncover the reality of who they were, and who they are fated to become.

Everyone knows I'm a dark romance lover and no one delivers it better than Courtney Lane. However, this is a quite different than her usual work and much less darker than usual. Even with saying that, this is nothing short of some unexpected twists that you won't see coming.

Simone is a rich man's daughter whose life is tightly controlled and caged in by her father. On weekdays, she's forced to be prim and proper and being daddy's good girl But on weekends, she lives her life as Sugar, an underground fighter who seeks the freedom she wishes. 

There's Catch, the mysterious enigma of a male who seemingly shows up at all the right timings in Simone's life, saving her more than once. He makes an offer to her, in hopes she will go with him but Simone is no naive girl and remains skeptical with his motives. Things start to intensify when Catch seems to know a lot more of Simone than he lets on and forced her to be part of his dark antics. 

Compared to Courtney's other books, I think this would qualify as a much milder version of her usual writings and probably this left me a little underwhelmed that I'd like to be. While the storyline and suspense kept me going on, I just felt like there was something missing that had me a little dissatisfied. Perhaps I was waiting for a huge shocker revelation or something more on the rougher edge during this read, but it was like it never really came for me.  

Overall still an enjoyable read with a twist I didn't see coming in the end. However, this definitely isn't my favorite from this author but no doubt, I'm still a fan of her work and her ability to spin her stories into a tangled web of mystery. 

Advanced review copy received by the author in exchange for an honest review.

COURTNEY LANE has been creating her own little world since she was very young. When she was eight years old, she began to bring her worlds to life with a pen and paper.

Although she's had a few short hiatuses, writing has been her passion for a number of years. Until 2013, she'd always viewed her writing as a personal hobby and a purgative process: She never thought about sharing her very personal works with anyone outside of her friends and family. On October 8, 2013, she took the plunge into self-publishing and began making her works available to the public. 

While many of her works touch several different genres, she has an archetype when it comes to the female protagonists in her stories — they have to have certain brand of strength, be deeply flawed, and harbor layered personalities. In her books you will find themes that reflect the darker side of life with a tremendous amount of depth and complexity. She also has an affinity for characters that aren't necessarily the girl or boy next door, or the people you'd encounter in everyday life. In other words, she prefers to explore characters who aren't easy to fall in love with.