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A Beautiful Lie
(Playing with Fire #1)
by
He saw her first, but his friend made the move.
She settled for the safer choice, but her heart knew the truth.
They love, they crave, they lie.
Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts were as close as friends could get. They shared in each other's joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss.
When one ...more
She settled for the safer choice, but her heart knew the truth.
They love, they crave, they lie.
Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts were as close as friends could get. They shared in each other's joy during graduations, promotions, and engagements. They consoled one another through heartache and loss.
When one ...more
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Paperback, 388 pages
Published
January 3rd 2013
by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
(first published January 2nd 2013)
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Start your review of A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire, #1)
Your first MUST read of 2013...
Call me a cynic, but my expectations of this book were...I tried not to have any. How can you go from one literary extreme to another? How? Why?
So before reading A Beautiful Lie I hailed Mary, lit a candle, threw some salt, kissed a baby, and gave myself the "you will love this" pep talk. Fail! I did not love A Beautiful Lie. Nope...I more than loved it! I fell so hard I hit something I didn't see coming. I hit something great. T.E. Sivec is able to exist on both ...more
Call me a cynic, but my expectations of this book were...I tried not to have any. How can you go from one literary extreme to another? How? Why?
So before reading A Beautiful Lie I hailed Mary, lit a candle, threw some salt, kissed a baby, and gave myself the "you will love this" pep talk. Fail! I did not love A Beautiful Lie. Nope...I more than loved it! I fell so hard I hit something I didn't see coming. I hit something great. T.E. Sivec is able to exist on both ...more
This book blew me away, totally. I loved it. It has been lying
on my kindle for a couple of months - not sure why I had not read it before this.
It is a story about friendship, love, betrayal, loyalty,
life, death - it has it all. Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker,
Milo Roberts - three best friends. But is their friendship based on truth or lies?
… if you were given the chance to go back, to tell the truth
instead of lie to save someone's life and their feelings... would you?
Two best friends ...more
I am so impressed! As much as I love Tara Sivec’s Chocolate Lovers series(some of the funniest books I have ever read!) This book is in a whole different league! It is AMAZING! This book had a little comedy, romance and tons of action, suspense and steam! I loved it!!!
But if you were given the chance to go back, to tell the truth instead of lie to save someones life and their feelings... would you?
Parker and Garrett have been best friends for eight years. They have always had feelings for each ...more
But if you were given the chance to go back, to tell the truth instead of lie to save someones life and their feelings... would you?
Parker and Garrett have been best friends for eight years. They have always had feelings for each ...more
This is a really hard review for me because I didn't really want to feel the way I did about this book, but I'm going to just be 100% honest here. I adored the Chocolate Lovers series. And I wanted to love this book. I really, truly did. With all my heart. But… this book was not really for me in the end. I ended up sort of liking it, but really not connecting to it in any emotional way – which, to me, is a huge part of what I seek when I read a book.
I should start off by saying that one of the ...more
I should start off by saying that one of the ...more
Dec 31, 2012
SueBee★bring me an alpha!★
marked it as to-read
FREE today on Amazon US (3/18/2014).
http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Lie-P...
http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Lie-P...
4.5 Action packed and Sexified Stars
OKay.. Seriously They are Perfect!!!!!!
My Cast:
Garrett is played by Henry Cavill
Parker is played by Olivia Wilde
Milo played by Adam Rodriguez
This book should be made into a movie.. Immediately.
Seriously.
Someone needs to get on that like right down- Mark my words. The movie would be a freakin hit!
A Beautiful Lie was not what I expected. I admit I didnt do much research about it, I didnt even read other reviews... I honestly just jumped head first into this ...more
OKay.. Seriously They are Perfect!!!!!!
My Cast:
Garrett is played by Henry Cavill
Parker is played by Olivia Wilde
Milo played by Adam Rodriguez
This book should be made into a movie.. Immediately.
Seriously.
Someone needs to get on that like right down- Mark my words. The movie would be a freakin hit!
A Beautiful Lie was not what I expected. I admit I didnt do much research about it, I didnt even read other reviews... I honestly just jumped head first into this ...more
I’m not going to do my normal review style where I tell you the story and then I give my opinion.
I just want to rant and rave about this book!
WITHOUT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY HOPEFULLY!
You all know what that means yeah?! A GIF REVIEW!
I LOVED IT! I LOVED IT! I SHOUTY CAPITALS LOVED IT!
Tara Sivec is a genius! I loved her other books. PLEASE leave your love for The Chocolate Lovers at the door as this is NOTHING like them.
I LOVED THIS. She can do NO WRONG in my eyes.
Honestly at the start of ...more
This book just started off all wrong for me. I really need to start reading the samples before relying on the average review rating to buy a book:
1. One of my absolute biggest pet peeves of writing – third person omniscient. When done well, I don’t mind it – but in this book, the head jumps are just too frequent. From one paragraph to another, it’s disorienting to jump between that many points of view. (I think I could have been okay with switching POV between sections or chapters, but not ...more
1. One of my absolute biggest pet peeves of writing – third person omniscient. When done well, I don’t mind it – but in this book, the head jumps are just too frequent. From one paragraph to another, it’s disorienting to jump between that many points of view. (I think I could have been okay with switching POV between sections or chapters, but not ...more
-- A Romantic Book Affairs Review
It’s a beautiful lie. It’s the perfect denial. Such a beautiful lie to believe in.
I really adore Tara Sivec’s Chocolate series but A Beautiful Lie shows just how eclectic and talented of a writer she truly is. I am honored and excited to be able to review this story for her. A Beautiful Lie starts off with a slow build, as the reader gets to know the characters and their past history. And, just when I was growing slightly bored of the character’s back story, I ...more
"When something you’ve wanted for as long as you can remember is finally yours, you have a hard time believing it’s real,” Garrett said softly as he moved closer to Parker and her body angled towards him. “You find yourself wondering if it’s just a dream and in one careless moment it will all be taken away from you.”
Woohoo ! Tara Sivec really twists a 360 with this one !! From her hugely acclaimed , laugh-your-ass-out comedy 'The Chocolate Lovers - Seduction and Snacks Futures and ...more
2 sad sad stars!!!
This book let me down big time! Words possibly cannot explain!
I think I'm just too irritated that I wasted 2 days reading this!!
The writing was beyond bad! The whole 'writing in the third person' is so terrible!
This already took the book down to 3 stars!
So many shockers!! I was like huh???!!!!!???!!!
The only reason why I carried on reading is because I wanted to see Garett and Parker together... :)
Best friends....
Ok let me sum it up....
Milo is a dick who betrayed everything ...more
This book let me down big time! Words possibly cannot explain!
I think I'm just too irritated that I wasted 2 days reading this!!
The writing was beyond bad! The whole 'writing in the third person' is so terrible!
This already took the book down to 3 stars!
So many shockers!! I was like huh???!!!!!???!!!
The only reason why I carried on reading is because I wanted to see Garett and Parker together... :)
Best friends....
Ok let me sum it up....
Milo is a dick who betrayed everything ...more
This and other reviews can be found at http://totallybookedblog.com/
4.5 Stars
I have to honest and say when I initially picked this book up I went into it with reservations. Not about T E Sivec’s (Tara Sivec) talent because I had loved her Chocolate Series and know she can write wonderful characters and engaging stories, but this book about Navy Seals, which has suspense, romance and drama was such a departure from her previous work I did wonder how she was going to pull it off.
Well how misplaced ...more
4.5 Stars
I have to honest and say when I initially picked this book up I went into it with reservations. Not about T E Sivec’s (Tara Sivec) talent because I had loved her Chocolate Series and know she can write wonderful characters and engaging stories, but this book about Navy Seals, which has suspense, romance and drama was such a departure from her previous work I did wonder how she was going to pull it off.
Well how misplaced ...more
Ok ,I think I'm finally ready....
So I'll admit, At the beginning, I found this book utterly bored me out. The plot-line dragged on with the whole cliche 'I-love-my best-friend's-girl.Damn ! I wish I could have her !' theme which kinda had Garrett (our tortured male lead ) wallowing in self pity for over 1/2 the book.There was honestly a point when I wondered if I'm ever going to find this book bearable enough to finish it. But I Forced myself to sit down and follow through.Not me babe I'm not a ...more
So I'll admit, At the beginning, I found this book utterly bored me out. The plot-line dragged on with the whole cliche 'I-love-my best-friend's-girl.Damn ! I wish I could have her !' theme which kinda had Garrett (our tortured male lead ) wallowing in self pity for over 1/2 the book.There was honestly a point when I wondered if I'm ever going to find this book bearable enough to finish it. But I Forced myself to sit down and follow through.Not me babe I'm not a ...more
So, I wish I had never read this book. In e format, that is. I seriously had to keep going back to triple check that the author of this book was the same one that had me laughing myself to tears with her Chocolate Lover's series. It's unfathomable how the same author wrote these books! This is a sign of pure freaking genius, to crossover with this level of success.
With that out of the way, let me tell you that I lost myself in this book. Milo, Annabelle and Garrett are very solid characters with ...more
With that out of the way, let me tell you that I lost myself in this book. Milo, Annabelle and Garrett are very solid characters with ...more
Dec 03, 2012
Natasha is a Book Junkie
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arc
“If you were mine, I would never be able to walk away from you. If you were mine, I'd worship every inch of your body with my hands, lips, and tongue. If you were mine, I wouldn’t be able to stand in the same room as you without running my hands over your skin and tasting your lips. If you were mine…”
Oh My… Never in a million years did I expect the woman who only recently left me in stitches and caused me to snort from laughter to now make my heart race and my skin tingle. This book was such ...more
First time author for me – I have not read Tara Sivec’s “Chocolate Lovers Series” raved about by so many readers. I’m considering myself lucky that I don’t have to compare or fear the change in writing genres. Nope, this “beautiful” reading experience was only between the author T.E. Sivec and me.
Before my applaud and cheers, I mention the only flaw that gave me pause. The division line between past and present in the third person writing style was a bit murky at times. I found myself ...more
Before my applaud and cheers, I mention the only flaw that gave me pause. The division line between past and present in the third person writing style was a bit murky at times. I found myself ...more
Tara Sivec’s Chocolate Lovers series is one of the most entertaining series that I have read to date. So as soon as the first book of her new series was available I clicked purchased and jumped right in.
A Beautiful Lie is about as far from the Chocolate Lovers series as you can get. It definitely worked but was it for me? I think so I enjoyed it.
The story is told in the third person, which gives the reader the thoughts of all characters involved in this in depth story of navy seals, FBI agents, ...more
A Beautiful Lie is about as far from the Chocolate Lovers series as you can get. It definitely worked but was it for me? I think so I enjoyed it.
The story is told in the third person, which gives the reader the thoughts of all characters involved in this in depth story of navy seals, FBI agents, ...more
This novel was very long & very tedious, & I'm thankful that it's over.... When an author writes a romantic storyline involving the Navy Seals & government corruption, set against an international backdrop, he/she walks a fine line between excitement & cheesiness. And although I really enjoyed the first 40-50% of this novel, I'm sad to say that (for me) the novel quickly spiraled into cheesy trite territory. I commend the author for trying to write a romance novel with a complex
...more
3.5 Stars
There are lots of good reviews so here is my quick and dirty
What I didn't like
1) the constant changed in POV. I swear we jumped in and out of every characters head, sometimes getting multiple POV's in one paragraph. I got past it, but it almost made me give up on the book
2) near the end the action didn't keep my attention like it should have. I didn't feel a sense of urgency, even though I should have been worried silly.
3) Garrett being a stupid dumbass, more than once and not having ...more
There are lots of good reviews so here is my quick and dirty
What I didn't like
1) the constant changed in POV. I swear we jumped in and out of every characters head, sometimes getting multiple POV's in one paragraph. I got past it, but it almost made me give up on the book
2) near the end the action didn't keep my attention like it should have. I didn't feel a sense of urgency, even though I should have been worried silly.
3) Garrett being a stupid dumbass, more than once and not having ...more
They both knew everything about this moment would change them forever. They both understood there was no
going back.
What an insanely complicated and full-of-twists book. The whole first half of the book was just one mystery after another, and I just wanted to know what Milo's goddamn secrets were! The betrayals, the heartache, the wrong-doings, the love, the happiness and the devastation - well this book just drew me in and spat me right back out.
"I didn't lie to you. I protected you. There's ...more
going back.
What an insanely complicated and full-of-twists book. The whole first half of the book was just one mystery after another, and I just wanted to know what Milo's goddamn secrets were! The betrayals, the heartache, the wrong-doings, the love, the happiness and the devastation - well this book just drew me in and spat me right back out.
"I didn't lie to you. I protected you. There's ...more
Can Tara Sivec write outside her comfort zone????? Oh yes she can, amazing story, amazing characters, suspense, thrilling, romantic, intriguing and totally addictive. I could not put this book down...the chemistry between Garrett and Parker was palpable, the pages literally burned...they were totally engaging, loveable and I was rooting for them from the start. This book is about hot navy seals, kickass CIA agents and a plot to thwart illegal activities in the Dominican whilst the romance
...more
Boy oh boy it pains me to do this.
Let me preface this review by saying I love Tara Sivec's writing. Her Chocolate Lovers Series is forever in my favorites shelf.
This is a huge reason why I was so eagerly anticipating the release of this book. I love me some Romantic Suspense...and judging by Ms. Sivec's previous work, I just knew I would love this book.
That's a huge reason, I suppose, of why I'm so disappointed with this book. :(
Let me start off with what I liked:
1. The story itself was great! ...more
Let me preface this review by saying I love Tara Sivec's writing. Her Chocolate Lovers Series is forever in my favorites shelf.
This is a huge reason why I was so eagerly anticipating the release of this book. I love me some Romantic Suspense...and judging by Ms. Sivec's previous work, I just knew I would love this book.
That's a huge reason, I suppose, of why I'm so disappointed with this book. :(
Let me start off with what I liked:
1. The story itself was great! ...more
wow. I am completely and utterly blown away.
I think that Tara Sivec is an another that can write in every single genre and still blow me the fuck away.
You want to laugh your ass off? Go read the Chocolate Lovers series.
You want to be hit with so many emotions that you can wipe the tears away fast enough? Go buy Watch Over Me (only in audio cause it's a thing)
You want to read about steamy fucking sex, mixed with suspense and a ton of WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? Devour A beautiful lie.
I ...more
I think that Tara Sivec is an another that can write in every single genre and still blow me the fuck away.
You want to laugh your ass off? Go read the Chocolate Lovers series.
You want to be hit with so many emotions that you can wipe the tears away fast enough? Go buy Watch Over Me (only in audio cause it's a thing)
You want to read about steamy fucking sex, mixed with suspense and a ton of WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING? Devour A beautiful lie.
I ...more
Warning: If your pet peeve is poor editing, do not read this book.
I really wanted to like this book, but it just had too much stacked against it.
It really and truly read like a self-pub.
* An overly dramatic beginning
* Overly descriptive eg."midnight black hair"
* Constantly changing POV
* A Navy SEAL going on a recon mission as a journalist?
* Is the girl Parker or Annabelle? Pick one.
When it was stated that Parker took a 6-month "hacking" course from Mark Zuckerberg I finally had enough. Could ...more
I really wanted to like this book, but it just had too much stacked against it.
It really and truly read like a self-pub.
* An overly dramatic beginning
* Overly descriptive eg."midnight black hair"
* Constantly changing POV
* A Navy SEAL going on a recon mission as a journalist?
* Is the girl Parker or Annabelle? Pick one.
When it was stated that Parker took a 6-month "hacking" course from Mark Zuckerberg I finally had enough. Could ...more
3.5 stars
Some of the story worked for me and some of it didn't.
What worked...
Good story line. Very suspenseful at times. Great characters. Fantastic chemistry between good characters. Wonderful epilogue.
What didn't work...
Too much repetitiveness in 56% of the book. Too much I should have said this, I should have said that. I know. I got it. Got tired of reading it. Also the going back and forth on different POV's and flashbacks bugged me.
Just minor stuff like this put me off. But I'll ...more
Some of the story worked for me and some of it didn't.
What worked...
Good story line. Very suspenseful at times. Great characters. Fantastic chemistry between good characters. Wonderful epilogue.
What didn't work...
Too much repetitiveness in 56% of the book. Too much I should have said this, I should have said that. I know. I got it. Got tired of reading it. Also the going back and forth on different POV's and flashbacks bugged me.
Just minor stuff like this put me off. But I'll ...more
This was good just so good and I cannot believe I have another three to read after this one :)
You may know Ms Sivec as the author of the Chocolate Lovers Series. I bet you remember how you laughed so hard you pissed a lil in your pants or was unfortunate enough to spray some kind of drink outta your nose. Well put all that aside and prepare yourself. This story takes you on a journey of lies secrets and betrayal your head will spin from all the twists and turns.
Three friends who became family are torn to pieces when they get news of one of their own.
When you think you know the truth ...more
Three friends who became family are torn to pieces when they get news of one of their own.
When you think you know the truth ...more
May 03, 2013
Kim Bailey
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves action/adventure mixed with their romance
5 Stars +
This book ... WOW!
To say that is was good, or great, or even amazing would really not be doing it justice. I was absolutely absorbed ... couldn't put it down ... had to know what was going to happen next! And holy hell!!! A lot happened!
The plot twists were ... crazy! Kept me guessing through the entire story.
The romance was ... beautiful! Made me all warm and tingly.
The action was ... intense! Had me biting my nails!
The ending was ... perfect! Sigh of satisfaction!
This is why ...more
This book ... WOW!
To say that is was good, or great, or even amazing would really not be doing it justice. I was absolutely absorbed ... couldn't put it down ... had to know what was going to happen next! And holy hell!!! A lot happened!
The plot twists were ... crazy! Kept me guessing through the entire story.
The romance was ... beautiful! Made me all warm and tingly.
The action was ... intense! Had me biting my nails!
The ending was ... perfect! Sigh of satisfaction!
This is why ...more
What a fantastic story!!
It had angst, action, suspense, and plenty of hot steamy sex.
The chemistry between Garrett & Parker was great.
What an original story!
I have to say I did find myself wanting to shake the shit out of the both of them whenever they let their doubts take control. Other than that I really did love this story and it ended on such a perfect note!!
It had angst, action, suspense, and plenty of hot steamy sex.
The chemistry between Garrett & Parker was great.
What an original story!
I have to say I did find myself wanting to shake the shit out of the both of them whenever they let their doubts take control. Other than that I really did love this story and it ended on such a perfect note!!
Could not warm to these characters (some of the narration felt over-the-top, so many description of clothes!)or get into the story, especially the whole secret conspiracy. Not a good match for my reading tastes. 0 stars.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YA Buddy Readers'...: A Beautiful Lie (Playing with Fire #1) by T.E. Sivec, Tara Sivec - GBR - Starting April 8th 2016 | 15 | 65 | Apr 08, 2016 11:19AM | |
| Favorite Book of 2013 | 9 | 199 | Sep 10, 2014 05:05AM | |
| Beauty and a Book: A Beautiful Lie | 2 | 45 | Jan 06, 2013 07:57PM |
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“If you were mine, I would never be able to walk away from you. If you were mine, I'd worship every inch of your body with my hands, lips, and tongue. If you were mine, I wouldn’t be able to stand in the same room as you without running my hands over your skin and tasting your lips. If you were mine…”
—
29 likes
“I’m scared because I love you so much sometimes it’s hard to breathe.”
—
24 likes
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