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A Lie for a Lie

Written by: Helena Hunting
Narrated by: Stella Bloom,Jason Clarke
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Publisher's Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series comes a romantic comedy about instant attraction, second chances, and not-so-little white lies.

Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.

Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.

A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.

©2019 Helena Hunting/Ink & Cupcakes Inc. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What the critics say

"Helena Hunting takes readers on an emotional journey in A Lie for a Lie. A sexy, heartwarming read!" --New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy

"This beautiful romance is true perfection. RJ is the ultimate book boyfriend. I loved this story beginning to end." --New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan 

"A heartfelt second chance romance with Helena’s signature humor and plenty of sizzling heat. Nothing hits me in the feels like a Helena Hunting romance!" --USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow 

What listeners say about A Lie for a Lie

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The hockey trade details were wrong

There were no surprises to the story, but it was still a nice romance. The details about the expansion draft were not realistic.





**Spoiler**





A player of Rooks caliber would not be left unprotected even if he asked to go to the expansion team. Chicago would want something for Rook such as other players, or draft picks. The team wouldn't just let him leave without any compensation which is what an expansion draft is.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Bought this because I enjoyed other books by Helena Hunting. This was a disappointment in comparison to others. There was zero conflict. Next to nothing exciting happened.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not My Cup of Tea

Too slow and totally predictable Couldn’t finish it
The narration was ok but couldn’t save the story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Has some characters from Pucked series

The male narrator was good but the female doing the male part was reallyyyy bad!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story of love story of true love

Enjoyed the story well written. Interesting characters nice listen how true love can learn to accept each other with few problems unresolved

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  • Book Bruin
  • 2019-10-15

Second Chances and Surprises

Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5+ stars
Story 4 stars

Helena Hunting is one of my favorite authors and I couldn't wait to dive into this Pucked series spin-off. A Lie for a Lie is a combination of several different tropes, but at its heart, it's a very sweet second chance sports romance. It's a little less romcom than some of her other books, but there are still plenty of laughs as well as feels. While it's not necessary to read the Pucked series first, fans of that series will be delighted by all the cameos and appearances by some of Helena Hunting's most beloved characters.

Rook and Lainey were so cute together. They had a silly and awkward meet cute, but I loved that things developed pretty gradually between them. Yes, there is a bit of instalust and some forced proximity, but they also took the time to get to know the other. Together, they find a true connection as well as a sense of peace, comfort, and safety. They just get to be, without any judgments or expectations. I did have a little issue with their eventual separation (it is a second chance romance after all!) and the repercussions of their actions, but it's understandable given their abrupt ending and omission of a few key facts. I really appreciated that once Lainey and Rook reconnect however, he is all in and there wasn't a lot of unnecessary angst or drama. It's a true second chance for them. The ending and epilogue were the perfect way to bring everything between Lainey and Rook full circle and to also open the door to more in this world.

The audiobook casting could not have been more perfect. Jason Clarke and Stella Bloom were amazing as Rook and Lainey! Jason Clarke's versatility and range were showcased so well and he voiced each character incredibly, regardless of age or gender. I had no problem distinguishing between characters and enjoyed his female voices just as much as the male. What really killed me though was when he voiced a certain little Scottish boy. *swoon* I could not contain the smile that took over my face. Stella Bloom was equally fantastic as anxious and awkward Lainey. Her comedic timing was wonderful, but she also delivered during the more emotional scenes as well.

Spin-off series can be a tricky balancing act. The author needs to establish a new world that can stand on its own, while also incorporating elements of a favorite world to bridge the stories together. A Lie for a Lie is a perfect example of a spin-off done right. I can't wait to see what's next in the series!

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Thelma
  • 2019-10-18

LOVE THIS BOOK

In love with this book and the characters, I laugh and cry and live each moment the characters went through like I was part of the story.

Lainey has been living under the shadow of her parents for a long time, they not only overprotect her but in a way make her feel like she is not capable of doing things without anyone's help. wanting to change her life and work more into her future she decided to head to Alaska and study marine animals, not knowing her life was about to take a turn into the most positive direction..

Rook a professional Hockey player well known from his past escapades with tons of different girls has changed for the better, he is different and wants other things in life rather than a puck bonnie or a one night stand. he will get his wishes granted as soon as he crosses the path of a beautiful nerdy lady..

Rook and Lainey's story started with secrets that can cost them so much hurt and trouble, separated for a year without not knowing about each other Laney moves and makes her life even if her heart still broken and hurt. Rook has moved on thinking Lainey didn't want anything to do with him, focusing all his energy in his career, without knowing that his life was about to take a 360-degree turn bringing him closer again to the only woman he ever fell​ in love with.. now it's time to reveal all these secrets and finally speak the truth.

The secondary characters were great, we also get to see some of the previous characters from the Pucked series making the story more enjoyable and impregnated with a lot of laughs. They're a very important part of Lainey and Rooks's life.

A Lie for a Lie is a story of trust and second chances, a story where the characters learn to trust and be vulnerable with the people they love and care.

The Narration by Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke where amazing, I really love how Jason and Stella brought Laney and Rook to life, they really made this story even deeper and enjoyable. I love how they also integrated so well the secondary characters, making you feel the unity and the great friendship they all ha. great work I really enjoy it

great book, great story and still I don't have words to describe how much I like it.


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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • Readaholic Book Reviews
  • 2019-10-17

Great first book in a new series!

I was fortunate enough to receive an e-ARC and the audio version of A Lie for a Lie. Thank you to Montlake Romance and Brilliance Publishing for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Helena Hunting never ceases to amaze me and I have become such a fan of her work in the past couple of months. It's safe to say that I love the Pucked Series and was super excited to see that there was a spinoff of the series. I didn't know that this story would be about Rook or Rookie as we know him from the Pucked Series. I started this book and read half of it in pretty much one sitting.

I'm a sucker for stories where characters have a past connection. Rook met Lainey a year ago when they were both in Alaska at the same time. Rook there for fishing and hunting during his off season and Lainey was there working on her master's thesis. They end up getting to know each other and spend the whole summer together. Fate pulls them apart and neither of them have any contact until Rook sees Lainey a year later.

Here are two characters who were so intimate with one another, and not just sexually. They genuinely cared about each other and when they reconnect there's a huge void between them because of some choice decisions that were made. I couldn't stop reading this book. I enjoyed the fact that Lainey and Rook were so mature and discussed each step of their relationship like responsible adults. They didn't let miscommunications hinder the growth of their relationship and truly wanted what was best for one another.

I enjoyed seeing familiar faces from the series :). It's always fun to revisit characters that you loved reading about. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Audiobook:
Story: 4.5
Narration: 5
Overall: 4.5

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of A Lie for a Lie. The audiobook was narrated by Jason Clarke (maybe my new favorite male narrator!) and Stella Bloom and they encompassed Rook and Lainey perfectly. Jason Clarke has such a wide range of character voices that he portrays. While listening to his voice I could immediately tell the difference between the various characters he was portraying in a scene. Stella Bloom also has such a depth to her voice. I felt all of Lainey's vulnerabilities when Stella was voicing her. I would not hesitate to pick up another audiobook with both Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke.

A solid 4.5 star read for me.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • LAS
  • 2019-10-15

Great start to a new series

I'm a big fan of Helena Hunting. She can write just about anything, and I will read it and enjoy it. A Life For A Lie is a great romance novel, and it does not disappoint.

Rook/RJ meets Lainey when he winds up taking his family's annual fishing trip as a solo trip. Lainey is a quirky, fun, smart woman, and RJ is instantly smitten with her. They kindle a friendship that quickly blossoms into more over the 6 weeks that they spend in the Alaskan wilderness, but then RJ needs to leave suddenly for a family emergency, and they are separated. They don't have any way to contact each other, so they are separated for a year before they meet again by chance.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. RJ and Lainey were both well-crafted individuals. I enjoy characters that have depth and that have flaws that they embrace and acknowledge. RJ owned his mistakes and was fully committed to making up his absence to Lainey the second he saw her again. He was all-in, but realized that he needed to take things slow and make sure that Lainey knew he was not just committed "for now" but committed forever. Plus I got to catch up with some of my Pucked series favorites, and it's always fun to see familiar characters and see the next steps for them.

The narration of this book is incredible. I can honestly listen to Jason Clarke read just about anything - he's a favorite narrator of mine. And Stella Bloom is fantastic at capturing Lainey's quirky personality.

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Mayzone
  • 2019-10-16

Hunting’s back with some more Awesome Hockey Love❤️❤️

After falling in love with the Pucked series, I was sooo excited to listen to Hunting’s new series! RJ and Lainey’s story was just so perfect, and the little visits from characters from the first series was a such a treat. Clarke and Bloom were amazing, I seriously couldn’t put this books down. I really gotta make these books last.

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7 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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  • 🔥 Phx17 🔥
  • 2020-07-30

Sweet romance w 3 As: Alaska, Anxiousness, Alpacas

I started this series with book 2; that book was fun, sexy, and packed with fiery chemistry in more of an enemies to lovers raunchy good time. As much as I loved that book, this one was a bore. It started all “reformed playboy hockey player” fun, but quickly turned sweet and Hallmark shy, then at the halfway point turned angsty and dragged with mama drama, or maybe Llama drama? No, Llama drama would have been fun.

This was a sweet romance involving a patient man coddling an anxious, poor, bookworm. The title, Lie for a Lie, was accurate, but especially for Lainey was completely contrary to her character, who supposedly babbles non-stop when anxious or stressed, yet manages to keep a whopper secret and has zero nervous babbling incidents in the second half of the book. The secrets needlessly kept the HEA away for far too long- especially given they each should have seen the plot twists a mile away.

I didn’t notice it as much with book 2, but in this book I’m beginning to think the author favors baby romances- each couple in this series and the companion series (whose characters appear in this book at a couple points) seems to go immediately from HEA in one book to popping out babies in the next, Seriously, there are babies everywhere- every paired up hockey teammate who appears in this book has not only his lady love, but babies. I love my kids, but I read romance to escape from reality and embrace the nooky.

The nail in the coffin was Stella Bloom’s narration, which made Lainey sound like a ditzy teenager; even Jason Clarke’s stellar narration couldn’t balance things out. Books 1 & 3 have the same narrators, and book 3’s man Kingston is described as a straight arrow. Ultimately this means that, as much as I liked book 2, I’m going to pass on book 3, seeing as it sounds to be too much like this maudlin one.

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6 people found this helpful

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 2020-03-06

Boring

i just cannot get into this one, it is so boring, i think Stella Bloom was not the best pic for this reading as the writing is not the best so together it makes for a very boring listen.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Sharii
  • 2019-10-16

Sexy and sweet

I loved this journey.Its just sooo sweet and sexy. I am going to have to read more from this author.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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  • gingersnap
  • 2019-11-02

Unbelievable pairing

Jason Clarke was great as usual. I probably would have liked Stella Bloom better reading another character. In my mind, I just couldn’t see RJ and Lainey having a lasting connection in the real world.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Katie Busch
  • 2019-10-16

Absolutely love the narrators.

Love this second chance romance. It's so absolutely amazingly good. Loved every second. Hockey romances are the best. Helena Hunting story and characters are so intriguing and amazing. Love the narrators want to listen to it again.

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4 people found this helpful