Say hello to my 100th read of 2024! And what a fun ride it was. Plus I’m definitely loving this cover.

Two extremely different women brought together by dark family secrets. A great selection of unlikeable characters. A great selection of endearing characters. Lies, cons, games. Engaging character development. Even a few tears (mine I mean!).

I think you can already tell by the number of times I used the word “character” that this is a character driven story. Yes, there is an interesting story, plot twists, secrets unearthed but for me Elle & Olivia and shifts in their relationship stole this reading experience. If you are looking for a different kind of thriller/suspense this fall and a refreshing female dynamic, I highly recommend this one!

And I’m not the only one who fell under the spell of this book - @thrillerbookloversthepulse crew is abuzz about this one!

A huge thank you to Rising Action Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The synopsis for this book drew me in. However, once I started reading the writing kept me reading. This was such a fun book! I had a great time with the mystery aspects of it and would recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my early arc copy of this!

This story, as the title implies, is replete with lies and revenge. Two unlikely friends, running a con together, weave a tale full of intrigue. Amidst the unfolding events, it’s crucial to stay attentive. I found this story particularly enjoyable due to the character development we witness and the touching exploration of infertility issues, a topic that resonates deeply with many individuals.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RisingActionPublishingCo for the book #BetweenLiesAndRevenge by #HannahSharpe. This is a very twisted and amazing book. Absolutely loved it. When Elle and Olivia meet, one is on major debt and the other is looking for her stolen jewelry inheritance. They join forces and create a jewel appraisal hustle to bring in lots of money. During this they find out hidden secrets and together plan the biggest con and revenge together.

Olivia and Elle come together when Elle notices that Olivia is wearing her stolen grandmother’s heirlooms. Jewels she’s been searching for
A very long time. Befriending Olivia to get back er jewelry, Elle hatches a plan to help Olivia make enough money for fertility treatments in exchange for her jewelry back.

Married to a controlling husband, Camden, Olivia hides her impulsive and compulsive spending and her plans for in-vitro treatments. Olivia knows her husband would be infuriated but she’s desperate for the child she’s not able to conceive on her own. Sneaking around, Camden’s uncle somehow discovers her betrayal and makes Olivia do him a favor in exchange for 30k to clear her debt and to keep his secret from Camden.

Elle and Olivia have secrets. Secrets they’re keeping from each other and from their husbands. Camden has a secret too, a secret that can devastate Olivia.

𝓜𝔂 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼:
☁️☁️☁️

Suspenseful and riveting, I was heavily invested in both Olivia and Elle! Such a good read that can be read in one reading! Definitely want to read more by this author and I LOVED the ending. Everyone got their just reward!

"Between Lies and Revenge" by Hannah D. Sharpe was an absolute page-turner for me. Once the story got going, I found myself completely invested in the intricate web of deceit and the ever-evolving relationship between Elle and Olivia. The novel does a fantastic job of peeling back layers of secrets and lies, each twist drawing me deeper into the characters' lives.

The pacing was spot-on, and I appreciated how the story managed to maintain a constant sense of tension, almost like an anxiety-inducing rollercoaster ride. The way Sharpe developed the characters—flawed, yet compelling—made it easy for me to root for them despite their morally gray decisions. I was particularly intrigued by the dynamic between the two women; their alliance, built on shaky ground, added a lot of depth to the plot.

The ending left me fully satisfied, tying up the loose ends in a way that felt both surprising and inevitable. For a debut novel, "Between Lies and Revenge" was incredibly well-crafted and had me losing sleep just to see how it would all unfold. If you’re a fan of domestic suspense with complex characters and plenty of twists, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Between Lies and Revenge is a thoroughly fun con thriller with well fleshed out leads whose emotional journeys provide satisfying and empowering character arcs.

Years after losing her brother and her heirloom jewelry, ex-con Elle is on the run until she spots someone wearing one of her stolen pieces. Using her gemology skills, she befriends the woman, Olivia, and begins swapping real gems with replicas. Olivia, struggling with financial pressure and personal secrets, teams up with Elle to con wealthy housewives by replacing their jewels with fakes.

As their partnership deepens, hidden truths threaten to unravel their scheme, forcing them to confront their pasts and trust each other for one final, life-altering con.

I loved Elle's snarky voice and scheming mind, and Olivia's more timid nature created a duo that was fun to follow. There are some great thrills and twists throughout, while also focusing on Elle and Olivia's inner worlds as their lives transform through their relationship. I really appreciated how Sharpe explores infertility and endometriosis as a mechanism for bringing a woman to extreme desperation, and her sharp insights on the pyramid schemes of MLMs.

Fans of The Lies I Tell and First Lie Wins (all the lies) will love this one!

4.5 stars The story had my attention from the beginning. It's fast paced and I just couldn't put it down.

What a great debut by Hannah D. Sharpe! This story has a unique premise, relatable characters, and a captivating plot. I was hooked from the beginning and wanted to keep reading to find out what Elle and Olivia would do next!

First off, this cover! Stunning!

Dual timelines and dual points of view grabbed my attention immediately. Both Elle and Olivia were intriguing women with secrets galore. And this one had some twists I didn’t see coming! Highly recommend!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Rising Action Pub and The Pulse for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5🌟
I’m all about trying debut authors. Sometimes it’s a homerun…other times it’s a strikeout. This book was right down the middle.

Told from 2 perspectives:
Elle ~ who always seems to be running from her past. Specifically, the vast number of secrets she keeps. Including the ones she hides from her husband. And as typically happens, it all catches up to her when she least expects it.

Olivia ~ whose biggest dream is to be a mother. However, her husband has other priorities. Including building an online gaming empire while staying off the grid.
Olivia is starting to see red flags…but will she do anything about it?

When the two women come in contact the lies and scheming reach a whole new level. And their lives will never be the same.

This book moves quickly with short chapters that add to the suspense. There were a few great twists along the way that genuinely surprised me.

My only issue: I having trouble keeping track of who was telling their story every time I started a new chapter. The characters were not distinct or developed enough that I could easily tell who was narrating the chapter. Frustratingly, forcing me to backtrack on my kindle to see exactly whose chapter I was in.

But I will definitely be reaching for the next book by this author. The premise was great and I feel she has the talent for that elusive home run! (That and the fact that she is an RN! Of course I’m going to support her efforts!)

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co.

I really enjoyed this one! It involves Elle who is a con artist and on the run, and Olivia who is a woman desperately trying to have a baby. They lives intersect and they become “friends.” I loved the writing style, and the shocking twist for how these women’s lives are connected! It is a little slow going at the beginning, but once it picks up, it gets exciting and is hard to put down! The character development whas top notch!

I cannot believe this is a debut novel! I was immediately drawn to this book! This was such a fun, fast read! Multiple POV’s, quick chapters, unreliable narrator, it comes full circle in the end!

This book gives me The Last Mrs. Parrish mixed with The Lies I tell vibes, in the very best way. I enjoyed the ride of this book and the relationships built within as well. I love that we get closure and everything connects really well. Also props to the author for bringing to light how annoying MLM’s are! 🤣

I look forward to her next book (hopefully soon!) because this was great! Definitely add this to your TBR list if you like psychological thrillers. This would be great for those who want to dip their toe into this genre as well!

Thank you Rising Action Publishing, Hannah D Sharpe, and NetGalley for allowing me early access to this one in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers The Pulse, Rising Action, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Between Lies and Revenge in exchange for my honest review.

I have to say, while I was drawn to this one because of the cover, the story itself will keep you. I love a good revenge story but never could I have guessed all the twists & turns this one would end up taking! ⁣
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I immediately became invested in both Elle & Olivia’s stories. And I loved that while I liked both of them, there were times I wasn’t quite sure if I could totally trust them. ⁣
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Told from alternating perspectives, I loved that we really get to know both Elle & Olivia. They are such complex characters & we soon come to find out that nothing is as it seems with both of them…but their new friendship turned partnership turns into something more than either of them bargained for. ⁣
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This book grabbed me from the beginning & I was caught up in all the lies & everything else going on. It had such a hold over me that I didn’t want to put it down & I ended up reading this one in one go! It was that good! ⁣

⁣I’m still in awe that this was a debut! You can be sure I’ll be keeping an eye out for what this talented author writes next!!! In the meantime, I’ll definitely be recommending this to all I know who love thrillers!

This should totally have been for me, I normally love suburban thriller type books/books about women committing crimes but I didn’t find either of the main characters enjoyable at all, especially Elle. When she literally says early on: “Usually, I'm equal parts Sherlock and Hannibal, but right now, l'm straight-up, badass Amy Schumer, in any role she's ever played” I was like ???? Are we supposed to take her seriously or not? Like she does seem like the kind of corny ass who THINKS she’s such a bad bitch but it made me cringe so hard and I couldn’t tell if the author was being self-aware about it or not. And Olivia…I’m sorry, I know infertility is a serious thing, but the whole possibly cheating husband, woman who’s desperate for a baby and going deep into debt/lying about it to him storyline is just so cliche and I don’t care. If this was gonna turn gay, I’d probably push through, but both of them seem entirely heterosexual and at 44% I’m just tired of being in these women’s POVs. Maybe I’ll finish it eventually, but for now I’m gonna put it down. 3 stars because I didn’t hate it, but didn’t like it enough to read the whole thing.

Thanks to Rising Action and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elle is a professional con woman who lost her brother, along with the jewelry that she inherited from her family, when he was killed years ago. Then one day, she spots a stranger named Olivia wearing the necklace that she thought was lost forever. When she decides to follow Olivia in hopes of getting the necklace back and finding out what happened to her inheritance, she ends up getting much more than she bargained for and nothing is really as it seems. Both women need money and both women have secrets. Elle is a con artist and is skilled at replicating jewelry. This seems like the perfect opportunity to team up and scam rich women by doing home jewelry appraisal parties. However, told through dual points of view, it’s not long before their lies and secrets unravel and shocking truths are revealed!

It’s hard to believe that this book is a debut! An addictive page turner….Full of secrets, lies, deceit, theft, cons, revenge and many twists and turns, it’s definitely one you want to read!

can’t believe this is a debut!! This was such a twisted web 🕷 of cleverly crafted lies… As they started to unravel…
Olivia and Elle have nothing in common Or so I thought.. Elle is no stranger from living on the run and pulling cons. In fact.. she’s a pro.

This was such a delicious mystery!
I went in completely blind, and I highly recommend everyone else do the same. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This entire storyline was so creative and well written. I really enjoyed this book!

Whaaat? This was a debut? No way!
NO WAY!
This was a fast-paced twistopia of a story. Lies, lies, so many lies. And yes, it has it all in the title already – it’s a story of lies and revenge. And it’s a wicked one. A wicked good one also.
Dual POVs of two women – I think that might be my favorite part of the way the story was told – in fact, I have a thing for women authors and for well-told, well-written female characters.
Throw in all the wild twists of a story and you got yourself the recipe for a perfect book!

p.s.
the book is almost 400 pages – so, be warned, you might miss some sleep just because you feel like you have to keep reading.

I cannot believe this is a debut! This novel just flows. I love all the twists and turns. I want to listen to this one on audiobook so I can recommend it to my vision impaired friends.