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Unspoken Lies

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Cherise McKenzie, an Atlanta crime scene investigator, and her husband, Detective Mason McKenzie, have experienced some turbulent ups and downs in their marriage over the years. With demanding careers and two children, the McKenzies find themselves spending more time apart than together, which allows infidelity with a trusted loved one to darken their doorstep.

It is only through a series of near tragic events and a lot of prayer that the young couple is able to rebuild their lives and rekindle the love they once shared. Everything is going great for the McKenzies, and their careers now complement their lives instead of complicating them. Mason and Cherise are determined to keep family first in their lives; however, their devotion will be tested once again when tragedy strikes, leaving Cherise to make a decision that could not only cost her marriage, but the one person she loves more than life itself.

223 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

7 people are currently reading
108 people want to read

About the author

Darrien Lee

21 books118 followers
Darrien Lee, a graduate of Tennessee State University, is a two-time Essence bestselling author with four published works with Strebor Books. She has been featured in several periodicals, including Romantic Times magazine and the Nashville Tennessean. She lives in LaVergne, Tennessee, with her husband and two daughters.

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5 stars
45 (35%)
4 stars
51 (39%)
3 stars
22 (17%)
2 stars
9 (7%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Kathy.
3,306 reviews60 followers
November 30, 2024
Well, I just could not put this book down. Oh, the drama, the sex, the craziness, but I loved every minute of it. The ending seemed to wrap up way too fast but it was a quick, fun, easy read.
Profile Image for Jordan.
448 reviews29 followers
August 15, 2022
This book really could have gotten a 5 from me. I'm a little disappointed with how everything played out. It was just anticlimactic. I was debating between a 3 and a 4 because I was so let down, but overall the book was good and I wanted to be fair.

So CJ and Mason are married. He's a cop who was undercover for a few months or years or however. I guess he got too into character or whatever. He cheated on his wife with multiple women, two in particular; the first being a woman who was part of the group he was targeting while undercover who really fell in love who he almost got killed behind, and a DA who he was falling for who I think was working on the case with him after his cover was blown. And while he's being a piece of shit, his wife was fucking his brother...which I LOVED for her!!! Nobody is off limits when you violate me. The affair between Mason's brother, Vincent, and his wife wasn't just sex. They were in love and remained in love. Mason found out about the affair and forgave his brother because he was the one who saved his life during the situation with the undercover girlfriend. No they operate like this big happy family, as if his brother and wife weren't fucking raw on the regular and weren't actually in love. That I found a little weird. But it seemed to work for them.

CJ found out that their daughter, Janelle, was really Vincent's. The DA bitch and her nutty ass came back like a stalker and revealed that she had a 9 year old that belonged to Mason
from their time together. She was sending crazy text messages, slashing the wife's tires, just being ridiculous. And I'm like are you booking flights to spy on him and his family? Because this bitch lives in DC. Mason flew to New York under the guise of a work situation, then rented a car and drove to DC to see the DA bitch and get a dna test for her daughter. Of course he ended up fucking her. Then Vincent, still pining after CJ, even though she is being very intentional about making her marriage work, and they end up having sex. And he's like you need to tell my brother that we're in love and we're going to be together. Mason comes back and he and CJ talk about getting a divorce. She told him about Vincent, but she made him admit he wasn't in love with her. And she refused to tell either of them about Janelles paternity. Then DA bitch comes in the house intending to kill CJ, but Mason ends up getting shot trying to protect CJ (she got shot too). Mason dies, but before he dies he tells his brother to take care of his family. DA bitch kills her stupid self in their home. Then her mother brings the daughter, who is in fact Mason's child, to his funeral and asks CJ to take care of her because she's dying of cancer. CJ tells Vincent that Janelle is his. He proposes. Happily Ever After.

So my issue with the book isn't how it ended. It's the fact that the drama and the mess was so high I wasn't expecting everything to get wrapped up so easily and peacefully. Yeah, crazy DA bitch came in and shot them, but that whole thing was like in and out. She came in, said her whatever, shot CJ and shot Mason by mistake, and killed herself. Over. CJ and Mason just peacefully concluded that they would divorce, knowing GOTDAMN well that whether he was cheating or in love with her or not, his ego would have made him lost it if he found out his brother was fucking his wife AGAIN, after forgiving him for doing it the first time.

It was pretty good, I just expected more from the ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Monique.
369 reviews22 followers
September 12, 2019
Unspoken Lies was a good read. I enjoyed it. Sometimes you don't think family is as close as they really are. Sometimes relationships are not really how they seem when you are on the outside looking in. Then again sometimes we think no one notices those small details when bystanders see everything.

Sometimes Lies can ruin a life or save a life. In this book you will encounter a little of both situations. You will also see how a web of deceit, betrayal, love and lost can affect the lives of the characters in the book.

This book is a real life situation that could happen to anyone. It happens more that we like to see.

Unspoken Lies is about a family. Mainly a husband, wife and brother. Take a ride and find out what happens.

Profile Image for Nekia Brown.
11 reviews
October 28, 2014
I HAD A WOW REACTION WHEN I FINISHED THIS BOOK. LIES CAN DESTROY LIVES.
Profile Image for Andrial Durant.
104 reviews
March 12, 2019
It’s definitely an attention keeper. Didn’t expect that ending though, actually wanted it to end differently but still it was a decent ending.
Profile Image for Alisa .
246 reviews
October 1, 2022
Decent book, a quick read. Like most romance novels, I felt like it was a bit rushed and unrealistic. I didn't realize that this was a sequel to another book, so reading about Cherise and Vincent's initial affair with each other caught me off guard. I also felt frustrated at both Cherise and Mason for cheating on each other, more so with Cherise for cheating on her husband with his own brother. I felt like the ending, with Cherise taking in Mason's daughter McKenzie, was unrealistic. How many women would really do that? And for Vincent and Cherise to get engaged at the end of the book? Also unrealistic and rushed. Wasn't a huge fan of this book, but it kept me engaged, so I gave it 3 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Page Turner.
1,439 reviews
May 11, 2022
This was a good book and not as predictable as I may have originally thought. The author did a good job giving you insight into each character so that you could have an understanding of their actions and feelings. I enjoyed it.
1,107 reviews1 follower
January 6, 2024
I liked this book but it was also problematic. Married people who shouldn't be married. Lots of infidelity, OW drama and outside babies. The epilouge was not satisfying. The author tied everything up in a nice bow but it felt wrong and unrealistic.
Profile Image for Kia.
67 reviews
May 9, 2018
A fast yet intense read... WOW!
Profile Image for Ericka.
801 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2023
This was a good listen. The level of drama in this book was like wow! Sleeping with the brother, and the brothers still able to maintain a loving relationship. OMG!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Chrystal.
22 reviews
June 6, 2011
I picked up this book not knowing it was the sequel to brotherly love (which I have not read) which I'll probably regret reading them out of order later. I thought this book was another good write by darrien ands I'm a huge fan of her books. It did make me ask myself at the end : what would you do?
Profile Image for Angelia.
489 reviews64 followers
March 30, 2011
This book was just okay....NOT as good as Brotherly Love....all I can say is was Vincent his Brother's Keeper...I am sure he loved his brother in his own way but he WANTED and LOVED his brother's wife more....
Profile Image for ConSonia .
335 reviews7 followers
February 24, 2012
This book was a really good read I enjoyed it from beginning to end.. Keep up the good work Darrien Lee.
Profile Image for Jea.
30 reviews8 followers
March 12, 2012
Crazy, dramatic, extremely quick read.
Profile Image for Wyldchild.
73 reviews4 followers
May 26, 2014
Very unexpected ending enjoyed every minute of it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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