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The Last Stand #5
The Perfect Liar
Obsession leads to lies...
When air force captain Luke Trussell opens his door one Sunday morning, he's shocked to find the police -- and even more shocked when they charge him with rape. He knows he made a mistake in judgment the night before, but he certainly didn't force his attentions on the woman who's been stalking him for months.
Problem is, Kalyna Harter has the bruises -- and the DNA evidence -- to make her claim convincing.
And lies can lead to murder.
Determined to isolate Luke, Kalyna goes to victims' rights advocate Ava Bixby of The Last Stand, hoping Ava will help put Luke behind bars. But Ava soon realizes she's defending the wrong victim.
Problem is, switching her support to Luke could be dangerous -- especially when she falls for him. Because Karina won't tolerate losing the man she wants to anyone.
423 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 25, 2009
270 people are currently reading
1414 people want to read
About the author
Brenda Novak
238 books6,961 followersIt was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.
“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”
However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.
Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.
“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”
Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she continues to publish two or three novels a year, in a variety of genres.
Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. Now that they are empty-nesters, she spends her free time babysitting her two grandchildren.
When she’s not with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. To date, she's raised almost $2.6 million. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking--she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-...
“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided that I needed to do something from home.”
However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.
Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of 20 in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.
“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”
Brenda sold her first book, and the rest is history. Now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, she continues to publish two or three novels a year, in a variety of genres.
Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. Now that they are empty-nesters, she spends her free time babysitting her two grandchildren.
When she’s not with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. To date, she's raised almost $2.6 million. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, watching sporting events and biking--she rides an amazing 20 miles every day!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
January 18, 2018
Y las 4 son por el suspense.
Siendo clara el romance no me ha gustado especialmente y estaba bastante contenta, pese al instalove, al pensar que la autora lo iba a dejar como un «vamos a conocernos y empecemos un romance», pero no... con el epílogo lo ha estropeado todo.
Esta autora repite modelos de personajes en sus novelas, Normalmente son ellas las que por a o por b no quieren tener ataduras o tienen complejos que les hace sentirse poco queridas y ellos están muy abiertos a una relación seria y no tienen ningún problema en admitir de primeras sus sentimientos. Eso, unido a que suelen ser todos fornidos militares o policías, me choca y me resulta atrayente, aquí las duras son ellas
Si buscáis un bonito e intenso romance esta entrega no es de las mejores... pero la trama me ha gustado mucho.
Admito que iba de puntillas, el tema de la violación es un tema delicado, y en estos momentos está muy candente en España y por eso estoy especialmente sensible con él.
Pero la autora ha conseguido, gracias al personaje secundario (que para mí ha resultado ser el eje de toda la novela) y se ha convertido en la protagonista barriendo con su personalidad compleja y bien construida a todos los demás.
Creo que es el personaje más diabólico que he encontrado nunca en una novela catalogada como romántica, aunque quizás originalmente no lo fuera... romántica me refiero
Como en las anteriores, deja muy latente desde el principio quien es el verdadero culpable, eso me encanta y más en una novela de suspense, siempre que la autora consiga mantenerme totalmente intrigada con el qué pasará. Y esta autora lo consigue. Y cuando ya creía que no podía sorprenderme, lo ha vuelto a hacer. Así que bravo.
No queda nada al azar, ni el pasado de los personajes, ni el presente. Todo queda plasmado para que los conozcamos, quizás por eso no hay espacio para desarrollar más el romance, que es mi principal queja.
Tengo que advertir a que soy muy novata en cuanto a leer suspense, por lo tanto es muy posible que una novela me atrape y sorprenda más que a otra lectora que ya esté muy saturada del género.
Siendo clara el romance no me ha gustado especialmente y estaba bastante contenta, pese al instalove, al pensar que la autora lo iba a dejar como un «vamos a conocernos y empecemos un romance», pero no... con el epílogo lo ha estropeado todo.
Esta autora repite modelos de personajes en sus novelas, Normalmente son ellas las que por a o por b no quieren tener ataduras o tienen complejos que les hace sentirse poco queridas y ellos están muy abiertos a una relación seria y no tienen ningún problema en admitir de primeras sus sentimientos. Eso, unido a que suelen ser todos fornidos militares o policías, me choca y me resulta atrayente, aquí las duras son ellas
Si buscáis un bonito e intenso romance esta entrega no es de las mejores... pero la trama me ha gustado mucho.
Admito que iba de puntillas, el tema de la violación es un tema delicado, y en estos momentos está muy candente en España y por eso estoy especialmente sensible con él.
Pero la autora ha conseguido, gracias al personaje secundario (que para mí ha resultado ser el eje de toda la novela) y se ha convertido en la protagonista barriendo con su personalidad compleja y bien construida a todos los demás.
Creo que es el personaje más diabólico que he encontrado nunca en una novela catalogada como romántica, aunque quizás originalmente no lo fuera... romántica me refiero
Como en las anteriores, deja muy latente desde el principio quien es el verdadero culpable, eso me encanta y más en una novela de suspense, siempre que la autora consiga mantenerme totalmente intrigada con el qué pasará. Y esta autora lo consigue. Y cuando ya creía que no podía sorprenderme, lo ha vuelto a hacer. Así que bravo.
No queda nada al azar, ni el pasado de los personajes, ni el presente. Todo queda plasmado para que los conozcamos, quizás por eso no hay espacio para desarrollar más el romance, que es mi principal queja.
Tengo que advertir a que soy muy novata en cuanto a leer suspense, por lo tanto es muy posible que una novela me atrape y sorprenda más que a otra lectora que ya esté muy saturada del género.
October 8, 2010
Novak writes a good creepy story, but I keep feeling like she doesn't think things through enough. This was almost a wallbanger for me, because I was so infuriated by the hero: the dude is falsely accused of rape, yet persists in acting in an utterly sleezy, potentially threatening manner to the heroine Ava, who is representing the supposed rape victim. Ava, being Too Stupid To Live, doesn't seem to notice how scary he is and even tells him where she lives before she can be entirely sure he's innocent. This from a woman who supposedly deals with victims of crime for a living. I managed to get past that and enjoy the rest of the story, but it was close.
June 28, 2016
REREAD :)
If you're looking for a good thrill don't miss this one. It has a crazy stalker chick and she is absolutely cray cray. I really enjoyed this one. :)
If you're looking for a good thrill don't miss this one. It has a crazy stalker chick and she is absolutely cray cray. I really enjoyed this one. :)
June 21, 2019
Lots of books about crazy female stalkers lately.
I wish I could have liked this book more. I think I am getting burned out on psychological thrillers involving Mega insane women. At any rate, there were parts that were involving but I just couldn't really love the story overall.
Part of the issue for me, is the main villain here is really screwed up and it isn't difficult to tell that almost from the start. I also felt the male in question..Luke..was a bit annoying. The only character I really liked was Ava.
One plus to the book is the lovely descriptive writing of the moody ocean and Ava's boat which she actually makes into a home. The moodiness was there and I liked that. And I liked Ava. Even though it was obvious, from the beginning what would happen.
Also, because the villain is known to the reader, there is not alot of tension other then hoping she gets caught as soon as possible. When the romance happens it isn't surprising. I am not putting the book down because it is highly readable and there were parts I liked.
I think the less of these types of mysteries one has read, the more one might like the book because it's not bad. My issues were not the writing but the story which was predictable and besides that, the villain was so awful, I just wanted her called out. All in all though it is a quick read, if that is what you are seeking and the writing was good. I would actually read something by this writer again but maybe a different type of story line.
I wish I could have liked this book more. I think I am getting burned out on psychological thrillers involving Mega insane women. At any rate, there were parts that were involving but I just couldn't really love the story overall.
Part of the issue for me, is the main villain here is really screwed up and it isn't difficult to tell that almost from the start. I also felt the male in question..Luke..was a bit annoying. The only character I really liked was Ava.
One plus to the book is the lovely descriptive writing of the moody ocean and Ava's boat which she actually makes into a home. The moodiness was there and I liked that. And I liked Ava. Even though it was obvious, from the beginning what would happen.
Also, because the villain is known to the reader, there is not alot of tension other then hoping she gets caught as soon as possible. When the romance happens it isn't surprising. I am not putting the book down because it is highly readable and there were parts I liked.
I think the less of these types of mysteries one has read, the more one might like the book because it's not bad. My issues were not the writing but the story which was predictable and besides that, the villain was so awful, I just wanted her called out. All in all though it is a quick read, if that is what you are seeking and the writing was good. I would actually read something by this writer again but maybe a different type of story line.
August 7, 2018
Wow, that was good! It grabbed me from the first page and kept me reading long at night. I liked the other books in this series but still was surprised with how good this one is.
I like Luke and Ava as a couple. The fact that he is more beautiful and younger than her gives an additional vibe. They both have interesting personalities. I only wish Luke is more present at the beginning of the story, his feelings and thoughts about the case should be more exposed.
I also really enjoy the suspense part. It is grabbing and refreshing. I find Luke, with all his strength and military attitude, being a victim of false accusation somehow innovative and definitely interesting. This is not what you usually get in books, mostly it is the heroine who is a victim, but not in this case.
Of course, there are also some stupid things, But they are not really disturbing.
This is a pretty good story I would recommend everyone who is looking for a good romantic suspense.
I like Luke and Ava as a couple. The fact that he is more beautiful and younger than her gives an additional vibe. They both have interesting personalities. I only wish Luke is more present at the beginning of the story, his feelings and thoughts about the case should be more exposed.
I also really enjoy the suspense part. It is grabbing and refreshing. I find Luke, with all his strength and military attitude, being a victim of false accusation somehow innovative and definitely interesting. This is not what you usually get in books, mostly it is the heroine who is a victim, but not in this case.
Of course, there are also some stupid things, But they are not really disturbing.
This is a pretty good story I would recommend everyone who is looking for a good romantic suspense.
January 5, 2018
DNF (85% in).
This story was doing very well, although it is hard to swallow one major running thread of the story, hard to swallow that a man who is a very handsome devil, charming, sociable, amiable and likeable would be 'in love' with the memory of a girl he met in his teens (and one who married his best friend for that matter) and stay that way until the heroine's arrival on the scene.
The less than overused premise of the hero being the one who's stalked should have made this an intriguing read but it did not. The capital gained by the relative novelty of the theme was quickly squandered when the hero turned at the drop of a hat TSTL, like most of his female counterparts in the genre. This is a man, a captain of the USA Air Force, who is unlawfully accused of rape and GBH by a woman (the whacko of the book), about whom he later learns a ton of bad and disturbing things (e.g., that she very possibly murdered her mother, that when a teenager she murdered/ was an accessory to the murder of a hitchhiker, another teen ), yet he allows this psycho who's tried to ruin his life into his home to pick up his laundry! I wouldn't allow her to be in the same hemisphere as me. To make matters worse, and the plot more stupid than the dodo, the hero conceals from the police who come to his door (because the heroine, who worries about him, alerted them) that the psycho is in his shower. He is sheltering a woman whom he knows has only one purpose in life, to ruin him! Moreover, he is told by the police that this woman is wanted for questioning by the authorities in Arizona, and yet this captain of the USA Airforce, fails to tell them she is right here in his flat!!! As if the psycho dropping the charges against him was all he cared about! This woman has openly tried to blackmail him into a relationship with her; he has known her to be a consummate and nasty liar; she is someone who broke into his flat, searched through his things, read his private correspondence, called his mother and spun unbelievable tales about herself and the hero, and all this the hero knows, but not even the most basic logic can prevent this writer from manipulating her plot in the most ridiculous way. The result is her hero reads like the most stupid mammal on earth. The question as to what would compel someone to allow a psychopath to re-enter one's life and one's home never enters the equation. Is he in love with her? No. He is, supposedly,in love with the heroine. What compelled captain pea-brain to act as he did? To allow the psycho to do his laundry instead of making a citizen's arrest? He doesn't even change his locks (and he knows this disturbed individual was stalking him and made a habit of getting into his flat). So how does Brenda Novak justify her hero's titanic stupidity? Hold on to your hats, the answer to this question is that the poor man just wants to be left in peace! Yes, this is the reason he does not protect himself against a psycho! After all, it is well known that psychos simply stop when they run out of steam and leave you alone!
And as if all that stupidity was not enough to floor you, the writer adds one more layer. When Kalyna (the psycho) starts feeding captain pea-brain the 'I'm pregnant' line, he simply buys it. He doesn't ask for an independent pregnancy test, nor for DNA tests, the single document the psycho showed him was enough for him to start looking at Kalyna as 'the mother of his child'! I want to know what the poor heroine was doing with an idiot like him.
The whole thing is so ridiculous that had it been a bit campier it would have been very comical. But Novak aims for 'serious' and 'angsty', which means no hero should be allowed not to want to be a daddy, should not be allowed not to want to have a child with a terminally disturbed person. You'll never see in romances a hero (or a heroine) who does not want to have a child (or, perish the thought, have a termination. Even if she is 16, she simply longs to be a mother!). Only if you are a psycho and a villain you have abortions (true to the reactionary formula, Kalyna has had two but now she wants to have a baby so that the hero will stay with her). One may ask, even if the hero is convinced this baby is his why should he stay with the psycho? Have Romanceland writers not heard of single mothers, or of fathers paying child support without living with their child? The worst thing about this crap is and remains the fact that it is always the evil woman who does not want children and we are invited to compare that to the 'saintly' heroine who, each time, wants them desperately, radiant angel that she is.
When characters that appeared sort of interesting for half the book suddenly turn stupid I blame the writer. It is obvious that Brenda Novak run out of steam and in total panic ratcheted up the nonsense quotient. As for the supposed love story, it suffers from a totally unconvincing couple. There's nothing about them that spells even the slightest of attachments, let alone romantic love. Most of the time, the hero reminisces about another woman, the girl he and his best friend loved as teenagers (he valiantly backed down, we are told) and who is now a widow. When the hero does not reminisce about a woman other than the heroine his life is dominated by Kalyna, the stalking psycho. So we have two female figures who are far more prominent than the heroine!
What can one say about the heroine (given that the ill conceived and executed character of the hero dominates the bad taste this book generates) other than she spends most of her time avoiding the hero and denying her feelings for him. Why acknowledge feelings of love when you can snap at him instead? She also has a 'boyfriend' (kind of) whom she does not love and does not often see. This is how the book crawls to the 75% mark, when out of this spirit of discord, denial, mistrust, dishonesty, constant bickering, bad plotting and ridiculous characterisation a glorious love is born! Hero and heroine spend a night together (very fade-to-black, as is Novak's style) and immediately afterwards the hero is in love with the heroine (or rather, he doesn't know if he is, then he is certain he is, then he is not, then he thinks maybe he is, and so on). Similarly, the heroine is very suddenly in love with him too and what does she do about it? As you'd expect from such a cartoon character she wants to run away from him and never see him again. If you don't run away from those you fall in love with whom are you going to run away from? The reason this heroine and her writer give is that he must not know of her feelings! If you think they're 13 year olds you'll be wrong, they are in their early thirties. In any case, their whole affair rings more hollow than the hero's one night stand with Kalyna,the psycho.
As the story was getting more nonsensical by the paragraph and hero and heroine more irritatingly stupid and immature by the sentence, I decided enough is enough and gave up only 20 or so pages from the end. I have absolutely no curiosity about these two and the course of their 'love', I care not to know how the villainess was dispatched. I did skip to the last page though where under the heading 'Epilogue' this writer has her characters speed through the whole gamut of Romancia's hilariously painful picture of happiness: engagement, loving in-laws, wedding party and planning to have at least 3 children. Novak forgot the puppies.
PS The hero is so stupid, so incapable of reasoning, so excruciatingly free of brain cells that one wonders how the USA Air Force entrust him with flying a bomber plane. Heaven protect us!
This story was doing very well, although it is hard to swallow one major running thread of the story, hard to swallow that a man who is a very handsome devil, charming, sociable, amiable and likeable would be 'in love' with the memory of a girl he met in his teens (and one who married his best friend for that matter) and stay that way until the heroine's arrival on the scene.
The less than overused premise of the hero being the one who's stalked should have made this an intriguing read but it did not. The capital gained by the relative novelty of the theme was quickly squandered when the hero turned at the drop of a hat TSTL, like most of his female counterparts in the genre. This is a man, a captain of the USA Air Force, who is unlawfully accused of rape and GBH by a woman (the whacko of the book), about whom he later learns a ton of bad and disturbing things (e.g., that she very possibly murdered her mother, that when a teenager she murdered/ was an accessory to the murder of a hitchhiker, another teen ), yet he allows this psycho who's tried to ruin his life into his home to pick up his laundry! I wouldn't allow her to be in the same hemisphere as me. To make matters worse, and the plot more stupid than the dodo, the hero conceals from the police who come to his door (because the heroine, who worries about him, alerted them) that the psycho is in his shower. He is sheltering a woman whom he knows has only one purpose in life, to ruin him! Moreover, he is told by the police that this woman is wanted for questioning by the authorities in Arizona, and yet this captain of the USA Airforce, fails to tell them she is right here in his flat!!! As if the psycho dropping the charges against him was all he cared about! This woman has openly tried to blackmail him into a relationship with her; he has known her to be a consummate and nasty liar; she is someone who broke into his flat, searched through his things, read his private correspondence, called his mother and spun unbelievable tales about herself and the hero, and all this the hero knows, but not even the most basic logic can prevent this writer from manipulating her plot in the most ridiculous way. The result is her hero reads like the most stupid mammal on earth. The question as to what would compel someone to allow a psychopath to re-enter one's life and one's home never enters the equation. Is he in love with her? No. He is, supposedly,in love with the heroine. What compelled captain pea-brain to act as he did? To allow the psycho to do his laundry instead of making a citizen's arrest? He doesn't even change his locks (and he knows this disturbed individual was stalking him and made a habit of getting into his flat). So how does Brenda Novak justify her hero's titanic stupidity? Hold on to your hats, the answer to this question is that the poor man just wants to be left in peace! Yes, this is the reason he does not protect himself against a psycho! After all, it is well known that psychos simply stop when they run out of steam and leave you alone!
And as if all that stupidity was not enough to floor you, the writer adds one more layer. When Kalyna (the psycho) starts feeding captain pea-brain the 'I'm pregnant' line, he simply buys it. He doesn't ask for an independent pregnancy test, nor for DNA tests, the single document the psycho showed him was enough for him to start looking at Kalyna as 'the mother of his child'! I want to know what the poor heroine was doing with an idiot like him.
The whole thing is so ridiculous that had it been a bit campier it would have been very comical. But Novak aims for 'serious' and 'angsty', which means no hero should be allowed not to want to be a daddy, should not be allowed not to want to have a child with a terminally disturbed person. You'll never see in romances a hero (or a heroine) who does not want to have a child (or, perish the thought, have a termination. Even if she is 16, she simply longs to be a mother!). Only if you are a psycho and a villain you have abortions (true to the reactionary formula, Kalyna has had two but now she wants to have a baby so that the hero will stay with her). One may ask, even if the hero is convinced this baby is his why should he stay with the psycho? Have Romanceland writers not heard of single mothers, or of fathers paying child support without living with their child? The worst thing about this crap is and remains the fact that it is always the evil woman who does not want children and we are invited to compare that to the 'saintly' heroine who, each time, wants them desperately, radiant angel that she is.
When characters that appeared sort of interesting for half the book suddenly turn stupid I blame the writer. It is obvious that Brenda Novak run out of steam and in total panic ratcheted up the nonsense quotient. As for the supposed love story, it suffers from a totally unconvincing couple. There's nothing about them that spells even the slightest of attachments, let alone romantic love. Most of the time, the hero reminisces about another woman, the girl he and his best friend loved as teenagers (he valiantly backed down, we are told) and who is now a widow. When the hero does not reminisce about a woman other than the heroine his life is dominated by Kalyna, the stalking psycho. So we have two female figures who are far more prominent than the heroine!
What can one say about the heroine (given that the ill conceived and executed character of the hero dominates the bad taste this book generates) other than she spends most of her time avoiding the hero and denying her feelings for him. Why acknowledge feelings of love when you can snap at him instead? She also has a 'boyfriend' (kind of) whom she does not love and does not often see. This is how the book crawls to the 75% mark, when out of this spirit of discord, denial, mistrust, dishonesty, constant bickering, bad plotting and ridiculous characterisation a glorious love is born! Hero and heroine spend a night together (very fade-to-black, as is Novak's style) and immediately afterwards the hero is in love with the heroine (or rather, he doesn't know if he is, then he is certain he is, then he is not, then he thinks maybe he is, and so on). Similarly, the heroine is very suddenly in love with him too and what does she do about it? As you'd expect from such a cartoon character she wants to run away from him and never see him again. If you don't run away from those you fall in love with whom are you going to run away from? The reason this heroine and her writer give is that he must not know of her feelings! If you think they're 13 year olds you'll be wrong, they are in their early thirties. In any case, their whole affair rings more hollow than the hero's one night stand with Kalyna,the psycho.
As the story was getting more nonsensical by the paragraph and hero and heroine more irritatingly stupid and immature by the sentence, I decided enough is enough and gave up only 20 or so pages from the end. I have absolutely no curiosity about these two and the course of their 'love', I care not to know how the villainess was dispatched. I did skip to the last page though where under the heading 'Epilogue' this writer has her characters speed through the whole gamut of Romancia's hilariously painful picture of happiness: engagement, loving in-laws, wedding party and planning to have at least 3 children. Novak forgot the puppies.
PS The hero is so stupid, so incapable of reasoning, so excruciatingly free of brain cells that one wonders how the USA Air Force entrust him with flying a bomber plane. Heaven protect us!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2015
WARNING
Serious.....CRAZY BITCH in this story.....But, daaaaamn enjoyable to read!
Take Demi Moore from Disclosure and Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction and wham, you got the crazy bitch Kalyna from The Perfect Liar
The poor guy got some bad news then went to bar and ended up hooking up with the wrong girl ......the very wrong girl. She is obsessed with him, she stalks him. She thinks this will make him love her. She says he raped her. He WILL fall in love with me, he just needs time.
OMG.....I was so hooked into this book .....AMAZING as I couldnt wait to hear how the author was going to satisfy the reader with the ending....:)
Couldnt turn the pages fast enough....yah know!
Serious.....CRAZY BITCH in this story.....But, daaaaamn enjoyable to read!
Take Demi Moore from Disclosure and Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction and wham, you got the crazy bitch Kalyna from The Perfect Liar
The poor guy got some bad news then went to bar and ended up hooking up with the wrong girl ......the very wrong girl. She is obsessed with him, she stalks him. She thinks this will make him love her. She says he raped her. He WILL fall in love with me, he just needs time.
OMG.....I was so hooked into this book .....AMAZING as I couldnt wait to hear how the author was going to satisfy the reader with the ending....:)
Couldnt turn the pages fast enough....yah know!
January 28, 2019
Well another very disturbing tale and I’m beginning to think Lisa Jackson and Brenda Novak are of one mind. Twisted family situations along with disturbing killers to the nth degree. Only Novak doesn’t write formulaic stories that repeat themselves.
It was a hard listen. I believe in justice and it’s hard for me to watch (listen or read) about those accused of crimes they didn’t commit.
The other problem with this one was I didn’t like Ava very much. The author tried to explain her actions and thoughts, but it wasn’t enough. And there were times I didn’t much like Luke but those were few. Especially when he kept going on about her not being his type. Again, I got it. It was supposed to explain Ava’s insecurities based on her relationship with her dad and getting over that. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me.
Overall, I only cared about them as a couple because I disliked the crazy woman.
Good thing I don’t have to like the main characters in order to enjoy a book.
The narrators was good. I’ll move on again because it’s apart of the romance package.
It was a hard listen. I believe in justice and it’s hard for me to watch (listen or read) about those accused of crimes they didn’t commit.
The other problem with this one was I didn’t like Ava very much. The author tried to explain her actions and thoughts, but it wasn’t enough. And there were times I didn’t much like Luke but those were few. Especially when he kept going on about her not being his type. Again, I got it. It was supposed to explain Ava’s insecurities based on her relationship with her dad and getting over that. Unfortunately it didn’t work for me.
Overall, I only cared about them as a couple because I disliked the crazy woman.
Good thing I don’t have to like the main characters in order to enjoy a book.
The narrators was good. I’ll move on again because it’s apart of the romance package.
September 3, 2009
She did it again. I am so loving Brenda Novak!!! I didn't think it possible she could create a more despicable villain then Collin who appeared in THe Perfect Neigbor (see my review), but she did. BIG TIME! And she did an amazing job with Luke and Ava, the two poor smucks at the mercy of the deranged Kalyna aka The Perfect liar.
My God she - Kalyna - is so twisted, so sick, so...unnatural. She is scary on so many levels! If you like a book with tunnel vision i.e. so damn good you can't turn away then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read The Perfct Liar. Kalyna is a sick twisted perverted human being made from the same mode as Glenn Close's character in Fatal Attraction. This book is based on that very premise -- obsessive WANT (not love but want), and Kalyna carries her Fatal Attraction like a name badge.
Like The Perfect Neighbor, the book moves at a fast "my-fingers-can't-turn-the-pages-fast-enough pace". From beginning to end! Again I am shocked, yes shocked, that this book was written by Brenda Novak! She has grown up people. There are absolutely no traces of the sweet little harlequin baby drama here. It's as if she decided she was going to write a grown up tale, push the limits like authors who are published by small pubs (not a critisim for I am one of those authors). She suceeded.
I'm so impressed with her last two offerings that she has moved up on my totem pole and sits with the Divas: Linda Howard, Sandra Browne, Sharon Sala. Dare I say it - Lora Leigh's in your face writing has nothing on the ast two installments of Brenda Novak's Last Stand Series, and yall know I love me some Lora Leigh books.
My one regret is that the book ended. But there is a 3rd scheduled for Oct 2009 so I'm happy!
My God she - Kalyna - is so twisted, so sick, so...unnatural. She is scary on so many levels! If you like a book with tunnel vision i.e. so damn good you can't turn away then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read The Perfct Liar. Kalyna is a sick twisted perverted human being made from the same mode as Glenn Close's character in Fatal Attraction. This book is based on that very premise -- obsessive WANT (not love but want), and Kalyna carries her Fatal Attraction like a name badge.
Like The Perfect Neighbor, the book moves at a fast "my-fingers-can't-turn-the-pages-fast-enough pace". From beginning to end! Again I am shocked, yes shocked, that this book was written by Brenda Novak! She has grown up people. There are absolutely no traces of the sweet little harlequin baby drama here. It's as if she decided she was going to write a grown up tale, push the limits like authors who are published by small pubs (not a critisim for I am one of those authors). She suceeded.
I'm so impressed with her last two offerings that she has moved up on my totem pole and sits with the Divas: Linda Howard, Sandra Browne, Sharon Sala. Dare I say it - Lora Leigh's in your face writing has nothing on the ast two installments of Brenda Novak's Last Stand Series, and yall know I love me some Lora Leigh books.
My one regret is that the book ended. But there is a 3rd scheduled for Oct 2009 so I'm happy!
March 10, 2016
Lo lamento pero aunque el argumento prometía bastante no ha llegado a calarme ni el desarrollo de la historia ni los personajes, aún así ha resultado una lectura entretenida, pero no a la altura de lo que me tiene acostumbrada esta autora.
Mi puntuación 6,5.
Mi puntuación 6,5.
August 21, 2018
This is a perplexing installment of this series because of how I felt about the bad guys in this story.
Luke was written well enough as a serious do-gooder. He was so upstanding he was ridiculously un-smart at protecting his people. He was so mucho he couldn’t think of the right thing to do.
The mystery was more psychological than murder mystery.
My wish: I want Brenda Novak to spend more time integrating the past protagonists into present books.
Ava was complex, not gorgeous and interesting to a point. I was annoyed by the fact that if she knew how nuts criminal minds could be her sense of survival should have been sharper. There were certain times Ava should have known what not to do. She has been the first female character in this series who truly did stupid things.
I also thought the ending a bit rush or out of left field.
The bad guy...okay that was unexpected.
Luke was written well enough as a serious do-gooder. He was so upstanding he was ridiculously un-smart at protecting his people. He was so mucho he couldn’t think of the right thing to do.
The mystery was more psychological than murder mystery.
My wish: I want Brenda Novak to spend more time integrating the past protagonists into present books.
Ava was complex, not gorgeous and interesting to a point. I was annoyed by the fact that if she knew how nuts criminal minds could be her sense of survival should have been sharper. There were certain times Ava should have known what not to do. She has been the first female character in this series who truly did stupid things.
I also thought the ending a bit rush or out of left field.
The bad guy...okay that was unexpected.
November 20, 2017
This book was so good. I can’t believe how some people get. Brenda Novak makes her characters come to life on the pages of her books. This book had me up until 4:00 am this morning. I felt I had to finish it to make sure this crazy lady got what she deserved and she did. It was about this Air Force pilot , Luke Trussell, who made the mistake of going home with a lady airman who was obsessed and infatuated with him. She cried rape when he wouldn’t stay the night with her putting her on a path to ruin his life and his career. She tried to use the Last Stand agency to do it, but Ava Bixby one of the new owners figured out Karina to be lying. With Ava’s help, Captain Trussell was able to figure out what was going on. Another great suspenseful novel from Brenda Novak.
February 8, 2015
I have no idea how to rate this, since I have major issues with the subject matter - false rape allegations are already pretty legendary in the popular imagination, so it's problematic to make entertainment out of one. Nevertheless, once I got over the squick factor, I found this a danged compelling read for the most part, despite myself.
It works much better as a thriller than a romance, because yuck - even if you have reason to believe the guy is innocent, why would you jump him while the allegations are still out there? Sure, give him your address! Why not meet him alone in isolated places? For a rape councilor, this heroine was pretty naive. I mean, sure, I read the back of the novel, but she didn't. Was she that unaware that a hell of a lot of rapists come off as nice, handsome guys until stuff goes south? In fact, that's exactly what he was being accused of. This part was entirely unbelievable and uncomfortable for me, because it was completely outside my own perspective, and because of that I had trouble connecting with the heroine.
Also, how was any of this professional behaviour, at all? (What would it do to their organization if potential clients found out you run the risk of having your file (including notes with your councilor!) turned over to the defense if they decide to switch sides because the councilor gets lusty for the accused? Seems like a killing blow to a few reputations, and damaging to their desire to help victims, because who would ever risk speaking to them again?) Generally speaking, this is not a line of work I would view as a way to pick up guys, personally.
The hero was okay, but 2D. We're told over and over how handsome he is, and, while I never really got to know him much, he seemed like a nice, square (not an insult coming from me) guy. He had a solid family, and only a little baggage, and it's nice to have an un-tortured hero for a change. Still, he seemed awfully passive, with poor decision making skills, and we never really know him beyond him looking good (and not being extremely bright), from what I can tell.
It says a lot that the killer was more interesting than the hero, really.
The villain was creepy, but sometimes a caricature. I'm not a huge fan of the "bitches be crazy" trope, but this one did manage to be interesting and at least a new take on it. (Playing on a lot of fear people have about adoption and "bad seeds" and so forth merged with the "crazy ex" trope for a sordid, freaky plot.) Still, not an Einstein, since there was no way her big "plan" would result in achieving the goals she set for herself - not even mental illness explains her leaps in logic, I think, since she seemed pretty crafty in other areas of thought and life.
So, yeah, no idea how to rate it - I like Novak's writing, but I have reservations about the subject matter, and problems connecting with the protagonists, yet I still found this highly readable when I could ignore the stupidity behind some decisions the characters make. I'm going to give it a 2/5, simply because it did fulfill its purpose as an R&R read. Those readers wishing to avoid the subject matter may not find it enjoyable, but if that doesn't turn you off, and you don't mind silly characters, you may really like it. I have no idea. YMMV.
It works much better as a thriller than a romance, because yuck - even if you have reason to believe the guy is innocent, why would you jump him while the allegations are still out there? Sure, give him your address! Why not meet him alone in isolated places? For a rape councilor, this heroine was pretty naive. I mean, sure, I read the back of the novel, but she didn't. Was she that unaware that a hell of a lot of rapists come off as nice, handsome guys until stuff goes south? In fact, that's exactly what he was being accused of. This part was entirely unbelievable and uncomfortable for me, because it was completely outside my own perspective, and because of that I had trouble connecting with the heroine.
Also, how was any of this professional behaviour, at all? (What would it do to their organization if potential clients found out you run the risk of having your file (including notes with your councilor!) turned over to the defense if they decide to switch sides because the councilor gets lusty for the accused? Seems like a killing blow to a few reputations, and damaging to their desire to help victims, because who would ever risk speaking to them again?) Generally speaking, this is not a line of work I would view as a way to pick up guys, personally.
The hero was okay, but 2D. We're told over and over how handsome he is, and, while I never really got to know him much, he seemed like a nice, square (not an insult coming from me) guy. He had a solid family, and only a little baggage, and it's nice to have an un-tortured hero for a change. Still, he seemed awfully passive, with poor decision making skills, and we never really know him beyond him looking good (and not being extremely bright), from what I can tell.
It says a lot that the killer was more interesting than the hero, really.
The villain was creepy, but sometimes a caricature. I'm not a huge fan of the "bitches be crazy" trope, but this one did manage to be interesting and at least a new take on it. (Playing on a lot of fear people have about adoption and "bad seeds" and so forth merged with the "crazy ex" trope for a sordid, freaky plot.) Still, not an Einstein, since there was no way her big "plan" would result in achieving the goals she set for herself - not even mental illness explains her leaps in logic, I think, since she seemed pretty crafty in other areas of thought and life.
So, yeah, no idea how to rate it - I like Novak's writing, but I have reservations about the subject matter, and problems connecting with the protagonists, yet I still found this highly readable when I could ignore the stupidity behind some decisions the characters make. I'm going to give it a 2/5, simply because it did fulfill its purpose as an R&R read. Those readers wishing to avoid the subject matter may not find it enjoyable, but if that doesn't turn you off, and you don't mind silly characters, you may really like it. I have no idea. YMMV.
October 5, 2017
Ava Bixby is an advocate for victims of abuse when she gets involved in a rape case. But it turns out the woman she's helping was never actually raped.
I only gave this book three stars because it wasn't very suspenseful. Throughout the whole book the reader knows every move the villain is going to take. There was also a lot of side stories that seemed irrelevant to me and many phone calls that added clutter. It's a slightly interesting story with a mediocre level of writing. I would not recommend it.
I only gave this book three stars because it wasn't very suspenseful. Throughout the whole book the reader knows every move the villain is going to take. There was also a lot of side stories that seemed irrelevant to me and many phone calls that added clutter. It's a slightly interesting story with a mediocre level of writing. I would not recommend it.
October 27, 2009
There hasn't been much romance in books 4 and 5 of this series, but the suspense and the mystery are outstanding and her villains are as creepy as they come, because they are everyday people with a few screws loose.
The romance portion, like I said, has been lacking and they aren't as believable as they have been in previous stories. They seem a bit rushed.
Even with the romance lacking, it's still a page turner and hard to set down.
The romance portion, like I said, has been lacking and they aren't as believable as they have been in previous stories. They seem a bit rushed.
Even with the romance lacking, it's still a page turner and hard to set down.
June 6, 2012
I haven't read the others in this series, but it stood alone quite well. I almost always like reversals in the usual woman is stalked or in danger some how, so I suspected I would like this one, and I did, but I was a little disappointed that it wound up being a woman in danger at the end. Nevertheless, it was a good story. Had a few surprises for me, which was a plus. The hero was rather passive which lost a few points, but all in all a good read
June 8, 2012
Fast paced, but the romance felt forced (I hate books where the male protagonist starts out by thinking the woman is unattractive), and the craziness of the evil protagonist was a little too much at times. Fun twist ending, but I'm not going to read the rest of the Last Stand books.
March 9, 2014
I liked the book but what innocent person being stalked by a crazy lady who accuses him of raping her, has her do his laundry? That was too much for me and made no sense.
May 14, 2014
Good and a little disturbing
September 24, 2024
3.5
This Summary/Review was copied from other sources and is used only as a reminder of what the book was about for my personal interest. Any Personal Notations are for my recollection only.
**
If you like crazy, psycho villains, this book fits the bill! The main male character, Luke Trussell, makes a huge mistake when he sleeps with a woman in his Air Force unit. She accuses him of rape, and escalates from there. He could never have imagined the nightmares he will endure due to her!
Ava Bixby is a victim advocate that the woman goes to in order to try to convict Luke. As Ava learns more, she begins to distrust the woman and to feel that Luke is innocent. As Luke and Ava become involved, they face danger from the woman who wants Luke at any cost.
Ava and Luke are both great main characters. They are both loyal and trustworthy. Doing the right thing means everything to both of them. Kalyna, the villain of the story, is lost in a world of her own making, far from reality. She somehow believes that by accusing Luke of rape, he will be hers and they will have a happy life together. Aside from being in her own alternate reality, she is cruel and evil. This one had a good balance of the suspense and romance storylines.
**
After a one night stand Air Force Captain Luke Trussell opens his door to the police charging him with rape. Shocked and knowing he made poor judgment, he knows he would never force himself on any woman. The issue is Kalyna Harter has bruises and DNA evidence to support her claim. Kalyna is determined to put Luke behind bars, and goes to The Last Stand to enlist the the help of Ava Bixby. Ava soon realizes she is defending the wrong person. She knows Kalyna is crazy and switching to Luke's side proves to be dangerous. Not only is Ava falling for Luke, but Kalyna has vowed to kill any woman Luke is with. Kalyna already feels that Ava has betrayed her by dropping her case. Now Ava has a big target on her back.
**
This book was so good. I can’t believe how some people get. Brenda Novak makes her characters come to life on the pages of her books. This book had me up until 4:00 am this morning. I felt I had to finish it to make sure this crazy lady got what she deserved and she did. It was about this Air Force pilot , Luke Trussell, who made the mistake of going home with a lady airman who was obsessed and infatuated with him. She cried rape when he wouldn’t stay the night with her putting her on a path to ruin his life and his career. She tried to use the Last Stand agency to do it, but Ava Bixby one of the new owners figured out Karina to be lying. With Ava’s help, Captain Trussell was able to figure out what was going on. Another great suspenseful novel from Brenda Novak.
**
If you like crazy, psycho villains, this book fits the bill! The main male character, Luke Trussell, makes a huge mistake when he sleeps with a woman in his Air Force unit. She accuses him of rape, and escalates from there. He could never have imagined the nightmares he will endure due to her!
Ava Bixby is a victim advocate that the woman goes to in order to try to convict Luke. As Ava learns more, she begins to distrust the woman and to feel that Luke is innocent. As Luke and Ava become involved, they face danger from the woman who wants Luke at any cost.
Ava and Luke are both great main characters. They are both loyal and trustworthy. Doing the right thing means everything to both of them. Kalyna, the villain of the story, is lost in a world of her own making, far from reality. She somehow believes that by accusing Luke of rape, he will be hers and they will have a happy life together. Aside from being in her own alternate reality, she is cruel and evil. This one had a good balance of the suspense and romance storylines.
**
After a one night stand Air Force Captain Luke Trussell opens his door to the police charging him with rape. Shocked and knowing he made poor judgment, he knows he would never force himself on any woman. The issue is Kalyna Harter has bruises and DNA evidence to support her claim. Kalyna is determined to put Luke behind bars, and goes to The Last Stand to enlist the the help of Ava Bixby. Ava soon realizes she is defending the wrong person. She knows Kalyna is crazy and switching to Luke's side proves to be dangerous. Not only is Ava falling for Luke, but Kalyna has vowed to kill any woman Luke is with. Kalyna already feels that Ava has betrayed her by dropping her case. Now Ava has a big target on her back.
**
This book was so good. I can’t believe how some people get. Brenda Novak makes her characters come to life on the pages of her books. This book had me up until 4:00 am this morning. I felt I had to finish it to make sure this crazy lady got what she deserved and she did. It was about this Air Force pilot , Luke Trussell, who made the mistake of going home with a lady airman who was obsessed and infatuated with him. She cried rape when he wouldn’t stay the night with her putting her on a path to ruin his life and his career. She tried to use the Last Stand agency to do it, but Ava Bixby one of the new owners figured out Karina to be lying. With Ava’s help, Captain Trussell was able to figure out what was going on. Another great suspenseful novel from Brenda Novak.
January 9, 2025
I find the books that pass the 325-350 pages become drawn out and lose interest. I like this author however her books are always long and I look forward to the end. The longer the book the more people the author kills off and the dumber the other characters become.
So Kalyna is the villain and a psycho. She accuses Luke of rape which of course did not happen. As the story unfolds the characters realize how dangerous this woman is yet none of them use their brain to protect themselves.
Ava is a victim crimes advocate so she of all people should know how to protect herself. She lives in a houseboat in a remote area in the delta that even the police wouldn't know how to get to her. She continues to live there alone knowing that Kalyna is out to get her with no protection. She leaves her cell phone in the kitchen at night which totally baffles me.
Then there's Luke. He's driving home and gets a call from his home phone. Guess who's calling him. Yep, Kalyna. He doesn't know how she got in his house but instead of calling the police to meet him at his place he deals with it himself. The woman is a psycho pal.
While waiting for Luke to arrive home, Kalyna calls Ava and she realizes that Kalyna is at Luke's house so she calls him immediately. He tells her he'll handle it. Ava calls the police, they show up and Luke told them he can handle it and they leave. What an idiot!!
Kalyna and Mark were a couple years before and they were both psychos and committed several murders between them. It was bad enough with everything that Kalyna had done but for me the murders were over the top and unnecessary.
Like I said earlier, the longer the story went on the stupider the characters became.
So Kalyna is the villain and a psycho. She accuses Luke of rape which of course did not happen. As the story unfolds the characters realize how dangerous this woman is yet none of them use their brain to protect themselves.
Ava is a victim crimes advocate so she of all people should know how to protect herself. She lives in a houseboat in a remote area in the delta that even the police wouldn't know how to get to her. She continues to live there alone knowing that Kalyna is out to get her with no protection. She leaves her cell phone in the kitchen at night which totally baffles me.
Then there's Luke. He's driving home and gets a call from his home phone. Guess who's calling him. Yep, Kalyna. He doesn't know how she got in his house but instead of calling the police to meet him at his place he deals with it himself. The woman is a psycho pal.
While waiting for Luke to arrive home, Kalyna calls Ava and she realizes that Kalyna is at Luke's house so she calls him immediately. He tells her he'll handle it. Ava calls the police, they show up and Luke told them he can handle it and they leave. What an idiot!!
Kalyna and Mark were a couple years before and they were both psychos and committed several murders between them. It was bad enough with everything that Kalyna had done but for me the murders were over the top and unnecessary.
Like I said earlier, the longer the story went on the stupider the characters became.
January 20, 2020
If you like crazy, psycho villains, this book fits the bill! The main male character, Luke Trussell, makes a huge mistake when he sleeps with a woman in his Air Force unit. She accuses him of rape, and escalates from there. He could never have imagined the nightmares he will endure due to her!
Ava Bixby is a victim advocate that the woman goes to in order to try to convict Luke. As Ava learns more, she begins to distrust the woman and to feel that Luke is innocent. As Luke and Ava become involved, they face danger from the woman who wants Luke at any cost.
Ava and Luke are both great main characters. They are both loyal and trustworthy. Doing the right thing means everything to both of them. Kalyna, the villain of the story, is lost in a world of her own making, far from reality. She somehow believes that by accusing Luke of rape, he will be hers and they will have a happy life together. Aside from being in her own alternate reality, she is cruel and evil. This one had a good balance of the suspense and romance storylines.
Ava Bixby is a victim advocate that the woman goes to in order to try to convict Luke. As Ava learns more, she begins to distrust the woman and to feel that Luke is innocent. As Luke and Ava become involved, they face danger from the woman who wants Luke at any cost.
Ava and Luke are both great main characters. They are both loyal and trustworthy. Doing the right thing means everything to both of them. Kalyna, the villain of the story, is lost in a world of her own making, far from reality. She somehow believes that by accusing Luke of rape, he will be hers and they will have a happy life together. Aside from being in her own alternate reality, she is cruel and evil. This one had a good balance of the suspense and romance storylines.
April 25, 2020
After a one night stand Air Force Captain Luke Trussell opens his door to the police charging him with rape. Shocked and knowing he made poor judgment, he knows he would never force himself on any woman. The issue is Kalyna Harter has bruises and DNA evidence to support her claim. Kalyna is determined to put Luke behind bars, and goes to The Last Stand to enlist the the help of Ava Bixby. Ava soon realizes she is defending the wrong person. She knows Kalyna is crazy and switching to Luke's side proves to be dangerous. Not only is Ava falling for Luke, but Kalyna has vowed to kill any woman Luke is with. Kalyna already feels that Ava has betrayed her by dropping her case. Now Ava has a big target on her back.
September 12, 2020
This book had a real Fatal Attraction vibe to it. Luke Trussell had some moments where he was just acting too naive though. I mean, the whole rest of the book he's this hard core air force captain and seems so cool headed and logical, but then Kalyna Harter starts with her obsessive psychopath actions, he just was seeming none too smart in some parts.
I did enjoy Ava Bixby, the Last Stand advocate in this book. I really think there could be a whole separate book of her family dynamic though because there was a lot going on there and you could really see where her understanding for her clients would come from.
I did enjoy Ava Bixby, the Last Stand advocate in this book. I really think there could be a whole separate book of her family dynamic though because there was a lot going on there and you could really see where her understanding for her clients would come from.
September 7, 2017
KA-LIE-NA SHOULD HAVE BEEN HER NAME WHAT A LYING BITCH, SHE’S SO HATEABLE & CRAZY PSYCHO NUTS! WHY DO SOME BAD PEOPLE SEEM NOT TO KNOW WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS BAD? I HAD TO PERIODICALLY STOP READING THAT’S HOW ANGRY I GOT. DON’T GET ME WRONG THIS IS NOT A BAD BOOK BUT IT’S ABOUT A VERY BAD PERSON. CRAZY LIKE GLENN CLOSE CRAZY. I FOUND THE MAIN CHARACTERS BEHAVIORS VERY CREEPY THEY HAD TO KNOW THE DANGER OF THEM GETTING TOGETHER. I WAS ON OVERLOAD WITH THE EVIL THAT KEPT ON HAPPENING. I GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I WAS WONDERING WOULD THIS SH*T EVER END. OMG!;O
November 30, 2019
I've been a big fan of The Last Stand series. The first 3 books I eagerly devoured. They were fantastic, gripping, and hard to put down.
This book was a huge departure. I noticed there were a lot of lines and phrases repeated over and over.
The leading man didn't have many redeeming qualities other than his looks. I felt like this book was forced.
I finished it because I have to finish all my book even the bad ones. I'm going to continue with the series hoping the other 2 books are better.
This book was a huge departure. I noticed there were a lot of lines and phrases repeated over and over.
The leading man didn't have many redeeming qualities other than his looks. I felt like this book was forced.
I finished it because I have to finish all my book even the bad ones. I'm going to continue with the series hoping the other 2 books are better.
March 14, 2020
The Perfect Liar (The Last Stand, #5) was a great read by Brenda Novak. Luke was shocked when the police show up at his doorstep to charge him with rape. He made a lapse in judgement when he slept with Kalyna but he knows he never raped her. Unfortunately everything looks like he did because of her bruises and the DNA evidence. Kalyna enlists the help of Ava with The Last Stand to put Luke behind bars. Unfortunately Ava doesn’t realize that she’s helping the wrong victim. I really enjoyed reading Luke and Ava’s story. I can’t wait to read more by Brenda Novak.
October 24, 2017
Holy Christmas was that crazy!!!!!! That was the worse thing Luke could have done. coming in contact with the likes of Kalyna?.....smh.... that chick is nuts!!! This book was very interesting..... a sort of what not to do at a bar....#1. Don’t get overly drunk and go home with a CRAZY PERSON!!!!!! And poor jaded Ava, I’m glad she never settled for the life she was living and pushed forth for something better. Very interesting. Exceptional read.
March 29, 2020
OMG! OMG!! OMG!!! Brenda Novak’s books are all becoming OMG books! This story is about one of the newest employees at The Last Stand - Ava Bixby. When a new client, Kalyan Harter comes to her with allegations of rape, substantiated with photos against a fellow Air Force Captain, Luke Trussell. As she begins her investigation things don’t add up and the story begins to get very complicated. Please read on and discover why I love this author so much!
February 4, 2018
The Perfect Liar
Like made a mistake that may cost him everything but while trying to prove his innocence, he meets Ava who has her own issues to deal with. Together they work to prove Luke's innocence and they both find discover more about themselves. Will they both find love in each other while running from a killer?
Like made a mistake that may cost him everything but while trying to prove his innocence, he meets Ava who has her own issues to deal with. Together they work to prove Luke's innocence and they both find discover more about themselves. Will they both find love in each other while running from a killer?
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