While the narrators did a lovely job, this felt unnecessarily long. Additionally, things kinda jump all over the place to start, making it a little hard to follow/figure out what’s going on. I do like this author’s writing though, so I will still be reading more by her.

I haven’t read a hockey romance in a while and this one was intense, so buckle up and prepare for a wild and dark ride.
Gripping, with a bit of mystery, angsty and lots of spice.

My second read from Claire Contreras and she didn't disappoint.

Fin and Josslyn are a grumpy/sunshine and a slow burn. Sport romance with two badass Lots of secrets uncovered as you read along. It is a MUST READ!!

I couldn’t get enough of this! I love a morally ambiguous character who struggles to resist temptation. Hockey and sports romance are definitely my favorites!

In classic Claire Contreras style, she took a sports romance and made it her own by adding a page turning suspense plot. Then she gave us two strong characters who couldn’t help falling for each other, even when they didn’t plan to fall for anyone. I couldn’t put this story down. Their chemistry was hot from their first moment on page with an enemies to lovers twist that contributed to the romance and the suspense. In audio, I loved Stephen Dexter and Janine Granda for these characters. Their performances embodied the characters well, were passionate, and emphasized the suspense of the story perfectly. This professional sports, enemies to lovers, romantic suspense was an amazing read with a fantastic twist at the end and a found family group you’ll love.

Finn and Josslyn were drawn to each other from the moment they met and shared a hook up. Only one and no contact afterwards is Finn’s rule. But when his sister dies under mysterious circumstances, he wants to find out the truth and she wants to keep her secrets. Gone is their flirtation replaced by suspicion and animosity, but the chemistry between them burns hotter than ever. Nothing is what it seems except the pull between them.

This story was a little bit of a slow burn, both in respect to the romance and the story, but it’s worth it! Josslyn was a strong FMC which I always love and Finn is a delightful mix of a light alpha and protector. Their chemistry was instant, but what drove them together was their need to know what really happened when Finn’s sister died. As the pieces start to fall together, the story picks up and takes off to the explosive end that I really didn’t see coming. Now I find myself needing to read Until I get You.

Devoured this listen. Love the morally grey man who can’t stay away even when he tries hard. Hockey romance, sports romance are top picks for me

This was my second book from Claire Contreras and it’s the book that turned her into an auto buy author for me. This book was nothing that I expected. It had sports, but it also had a bit of murder mystery and thrill, oh and spice. So much spice, and some kink too. 😏😮‍💨

Finn was the perfect grumpy, possessive anti-hero and I loved that Josslyn wasn’t just an influencer or just a basketball player but instead was the perfect combination of both.

The minute I finished this book I started the next one. I knew I liked Claire’s writing after I read Until I Get You, but after reading this one too- she is everything that I like.

✨ When We Lied ✨

This book was a WILD ride!! It was suspenseful, sexy, angsty, and romantic. I found myself trying to figure out what had happened to Finn's sister from the very beginning and was guessing the entire time. The ending COMPLETELY blew my mind- I didn't see it coming at all. I loved Finn and Josslyn's together- they were scorching hot while also being so freaking perfect for each other.

This is book 2 in the series and even though it is technically an interconnected standalone, I really wish I had read Book 1 first! It took me a while to get all the characters straight and I think that would have helped. I definitely want to go back and read it now along with all of Claire Contreras' other books!

✨ Romantic Suspense
✨ Morally Grey
✨ He's a Hockey Player
✨ She's a Basketball Player and Influencer
✨ Mutual Loss
✨ Justice Hunt
✨ K!nk Club
✨ He Has a One Night Rule
✨ Forced Proximity (Neighbors)
✨ Mutual Pining
✨ Possessive/Obsessed Hero

📚 Book: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🎧 Audio: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🔥Spice Rating: ❤️‍🔥

🎧 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼...
This audio was TOP TIER!! Stephen Dexter and Janina Granda narrated this in the most perfect way. From the emotion to the spice, the audiobook brought this story to life. If you enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend this one!

Thank you so much to Claire Contreras, Dreamscape, and Netgalley for this gifted ALC.

Spice Rating
🤍 clean romance
💗 closed door/ fade to black
❤️ sexual content (a few detailed scenes)
❤️‍🔥 explicit, play-by-play (major part of the plot)
🖤 graphic, more than vanilla

I could not read the book fast enough. i could barely pause it to sleep There were feels, mystery and enemies to lovers going on, it doesn't get better than that.

Touch her and you die normally isn’t my jam but this what me enthralled. There are many themes, plots, and layers in this but they all blended into a wonderful story. While the ending wasn’t a huge surprise, I really loved the mashup of a thriller and a sexy romance. I hadn’t read the first in this series but didn’t feel lost at all. I went between reading and listening this one - the narrators were great and played each character so well so I highly recommend the audiobook.

Josslyn is a star both on and off the basketball court however one night is all it would take to change her view on everything. Not only did she share a steamy encounter with Finn, but the night took a turn she wasn’t expecting and since then what she has really been looking for is answers.

Finn is destined to play hockey professionally and thought he had his future all planned out until a devastating loss left him reeling. Even though it’s been a few years since he has seen Josslyn, he is now back in her life looking for answers. The heat between them is stronger than ever however he believes that she knows the truth about that fateful evening, and he wants to know it as well.

Finn believed that one night with Josslyn would be all he would need but her feisty personality makes her irresistible. Hot chemistry and a little suspense as a man who is accustomed to pushing woman away finds that when it comes to Josslyn he can’t pull her close enough. I enjoyed the portrayal by the narrators as they brought out all of the elements of the story and made it even more enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape and Claire Contreras for the ARC of When We Lied!! I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this book! It was everything I could ask for from the main character to the plot! I equally enjoyed the narration as well, I’m usually a hard person to please with vocals but I loved them!

When We Lied is a fantastic story. I loved these characters. Finn is alpha all the way and Josslyn is sweet sunshine. The story development is amazing. The depth of the story exceeded my expectations. I suggest you go into this story blind and let it surprise you.

The narration is excellent.

This review is strongly coming from the vibes category and not the critical category lol but I enjoyed this one. Could I find a bunch of "issues"? sure. But I had a good time while reading it and enjoyed it, as unrealistic as a lot of it was. It also took a bit of a turn at the end there. But a win is a win. Narration was also fantastic for this one!
3.5 rounded to 4/5

Welcome back to Fairview. There is a new hockey plater in town.

Finn Barlow is a one and done. No relationships. No repeats. But there is a pull to Josslyn he can't ignore even though he tries.

Josslyn knows that he isn't the relationship type but when she gets close to him she can't pull herself away.

When tragedy strikes, Finn is convinced that Joss has the answers he needs and he pushes and pushes to get them. But that just keeps her in his orbit and inevitably they collide.

Claire Contreras brings another stalker(ish) hockey romance that sucks you in. The story itself took awhile to grab me as I found the details a little confusing for the first half of the book but the push and pull of Finn and Joss kept me engaged.

Getting to see the future of Lachlan and Layla was a fun element as well. There was some hot and heavy spice that we come to expect from Claire and thriller/mystery vibe in the plot.

Audio notes - Stephen Dexter has become a new favorite of mine and Janine Granda is brilliant every time I listen to her.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a great book!! I loved the story and the writing style. Claire Contreras NEVER FAILS!!! 10 out of 10 for this one!!

I love Claire Contreras. There's just something about her writing style that scratches an itch in my brain and I'm so happy to see her finally getting the love she deserves. When We Lied has so many layers to the story and I enjoyed seeing them all come together. This isn't taking the top spot as my favorite Claire Contreras book, but I still really enjoyed it. It's a standalone set in the same world as her hit book Until I Get You (as well as a few other Claire books) and you can pick it up whether you've read none or all of her books.

Narration: These narrators are not ones I normally listen to, but they are so perfectly cast here that I highly recommend listening to the audiobook.

First I would like to thank Dreamscape Select for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is the story of Finn, hockey star, who came back to his hometown for a quick trip and runs into Josslyn, social media and basketball star. From their first meeting Finn knows he wants Josslyn but she is in a relationship and is unimpressed by Finn's "games". When they run into each other again at Finn's sex club they end up in a private room together and Finn introduces Josslyn to things she's never experienced. A while after that interaction Finn is back in town again after the death of his sister, as Josslyn was there the night of her death he is focused on her and wants to know what she is hiding. As he continues to investigate he brings Josslyn into the fold and they spend more time together and he realizes she is special. As they figure out their feelings for each other they also continue to investigate Finn's sister's death and it could change everything.

What I loved:
- Dual POV narration, the audiobook narrators did an amazing job with this book and I just loved the gravely toughness of Finn and the lighter side of Josslyn just a straight 10 out of 10
- Touch her and die, Finn is extremely protective of Josslyn even so much as telling a child that she is Finn's girlfriend not the kids
- Special, I'm a suck when the grumpy guy is such a pushover for the special girl and this story is the epitome of that trope
- Sports, I LOVE that Josslyn is a basketball star and the Caitlin Clark references throughout and it was fun to have both main characters being athletes in such different sports
- Spicy, these two do not shy away from being intimate and it is hot!
- Twist, when they eventually figure out what happened to Finn's sister I was NOT expecting the twist whatsoever

Overall this is a book that I would recommend to anyone who loves sports romances, grumpy/sunshine, best friend's brother, romantic suspense and/or spicy romances. If you haven't read the first in the series you can read this as a standalone but I will be checking out the other book in the series and looking forward to the next.

Loved it! It was a great second book in the series. Loved that the characters in book 1 were still part of the story and how all of them showed so much character growth

I loved this!! I was lucky enough to ARC read this before release and was so excited for the audiobook release. This did not disappoint!! Stephen and Janine did a wonderful job!! I loved this audiobook! Great casting for the narration of Joss and Finn!