Really loved this book. So many good themes and that twist I did not see coming. I just love Fin. Super romances in the summertime is everything!

I loved the dark-ish side of the first book in this series and I was excited to start this story. “When We Lied” is a thrilling, steamy and emotional morally grayish hockey romance that was a great listen.

Josslyn Santos has a full ride for basketball at Fairview University. Basketball has been her whole life since losing her father and it’s her connection to him. Out one night four years ago to an adult club with her then boyfriend and friends, she’s thrown into a whole different world. There she meets Finn Barlow, a professional hockey player and a man who doesn’t commit. The club they are at is to explore different things in life and the two spend time together but both know it’s a one time thing. Fast forward years later, the two are back in each other’s life with a connection neither was expecting. And both are looking for answers to figure out what happened that night that will forever link them.

I loved the backstory and how Finn and Josslyn first met. It was unexpected and oh so steamy. The two had an instant chemistry despite it only being one night. Josslyn was an instant like for me and I loved how she played basketball as a connection to her Dad. Finn was definitely a walking thirst trap for sure. He oozes confidence and knows exactly what and who he wants. He doesn’t apologize for things and knows he’s one of the best hockey players out there. And I loved how he was blindsided by Josslyn and couldn’t get her out of his mind. And the plot twist that brought them back together is something that I didn’t see coming at all. They were connected in such an interesting way and I couldn’t stop listening as all the pieces came together. The steamy scenes were sizzling hot and added another intense layer to the relationship they had. The last few chapters had me listening nonstop as everything came together. I loved the ending and I can’t wait for more from this world.

Stephen Dexter and Janine Granda narrated as Finn and Josslyn and I loved their narration. Stephen had the perfect growly and protective narration as Finn. Janine is a new to me narrator and she was so wonderful as Josslyn. Josslyn goes through so much emotionally throughout this whole story and she did an amazing job bringing all of it to life.

Narrated by Stephen Dexter Janine Granda
hockey player influencer/basket ball player
Billionaire
Grieving/loss
Age gap 4 years
Josslyn/ Finn
Finn Barlow is a hockey player who has trust issues and only does One Night Stands and never any repeats. Until he becomes obsessed with his walking fantasy Josslyn something about her that he wants her but she in a relationship but she also feels an attraction with. When his sister invite Jossly n her BF and her friends to a sèxx club. Her BF Tate propose a one night thing which Josslyn doesn't agree but when she see him with another woman she numb into Finn and they have one night together.
Finn come home after her sister dies, he believe some someone closed to Josslyn kill her and he start to investigate. Lies and secrets are exposed and when Josslyn life is put on the line. Finn will dropped everything to be with her. They start a secret relationship.
"Do you believe in divine timing now?" I ask, pulling away slightly so I can look up at him. He searches my eyes with such intensity. "Every second I'm with you," he says softly as he bends his head to kiss me again.

Loved. I listened to this one and I thought the narrators did a great job. First of all Finn is hot. He’s a possessive obsessive rich hockey player what’s not to like. And Jocelyn was an athlete herself and had such a good heart. When these two were in the same room the chemistry was THICKKK and I had major butterflies. There were so many spicy moments in this book I was like hold on! Let me catch my breath geez! But I loved it. The end had my jaw on the floor. Like actually had me freaking out. Such a fun, spicy, suspenseful read.

This is a hockey romance by a new-to-me author. And I found a new author that I liked! Finn is a hockey player that has given up on love and is a master at one night stands. Until he falls in live with an influencer.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Select for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

General consensus: It was a good twisty, turny, steamy, spicy romance/mystery/drama. Only frustration was how many characters are in this book! It got hard to keep up with who was who. But overall, genuinely enjoyed this read.

When We Lied by Claire Contreras 💫

Four years ago one night changed everything. Finn Barlow is known to attract the ladies. Tall, broody and a professional NHL player had one night with a woman who is now his obsession. A year ago tragedy struck and Finn Barlow is back in town and wants answers on what happened that fateful night but I don’t have them. He is making me question everything and I’m determined to prove him wrong.

What a book. First, it starts strong with mysterious events, then during the middle it slows down but that ending brings it back. I didn’t know what to expect. Both these characters have been through a lot. There are a lot of secrets, betrayals and lies. The plot twists I didn’t see coming and guessing who was behind it I was completely wrong. This man Finn is obsessed with the FMC Jocelyn. I felt it was a little much in the middle of the book but with his over protective obsessive behaviour. But I can’t lie Finn Barlow is delicious. I don’t want to say too much it’s best to go in blind but be mindful of content. Also the narrators for the audiobook Janine and Stephen are brilliant recommend.

If you love:

🔹Mysterious Dark Romance
🔹Sports Hockey and Basketball
🔹Mutual Pining
🔹Reformed Playboy
🔹Betrayal and Secrets
🔹Perfect Amount Of Spice

Genre/Type: A Mysterious Dark Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook
Audiobook Length: 13hrs 47mins
Narrators: Stephen Dexter and Janine Granda - Dual
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️.5
Series or Stand Alone: Book Two In The Fairview Hockey Series
Tropes or Themes: Sports (Hockey and Basketball), College, Reformed Playboy, Mutual Pining, Found Family, Jealousy, Possessive MMC, MMC Obsessed, Touch Her And Die Vibes, Secrets, Betrayal, Grief, Fainting, Sexual Content, Dirty Talk, Crawl, Dom and Sub, Sex Club.
Mentions: Suicide, Death Of Parent, Drugged Situation and Sexual Assault.
Check Triggers ⚠️ 💫

OMGoodness this book was so good. Such a great and well written story. Great twist that you don't see coming. I was not expecting this to be a mystery suspense love story but oh my was it! Getting glimpse of lyla and lauclan was amazing and so much fun.
The narration was fantastic.
Can't wait for the next book in this world.

Thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and The Wicked Pen for the audio ARC! The narrators were awesome and made the audiobook engaging, even though I usually prefer reading. The story was decent but leaned more towards a romance thriller than a sports romance, with the sports aspect barely mentioned. The male lead's stalker vibes were off-putting, but the couple was cute once together. The female lead was likable but bland, and the plot got messy towards the end with a predictable but well-executed twist. Finn and Josslyn had great chemistry, and the narrators nailed their roles, making it an enjoyable listen overall.

i was pretty excited about this book after being captivated by lachlan/lylas story a few months ago and while i did enjoy the narrators the story just didnt do it for me in the same way. i feel like it took entirely too long to get the plot line rolling and i ended up sticking it out simply because i loved how insane finn was and my curiosity to the “T” stuff. the twist at the end was good but a little predictable. over all felt like way too many pages for a whole lot of nothing going on… 3 stars for finn and joss i really did like the two of them and the supporting characters/lach&lyla cameos everything else was just kinda eh

I loved this book/audiobook. It was a book full of spice and suspense that was extremely enjoyable.

Finn and Josslyn were so perfect for each other. Their banter and chemistry were amazing. Finn went from grumpy and broody to a little more playful and completely obsessed about Josslyn. His dirty mouth had me blushing so hard. Finn Barlow. What. A. Man.

Narration:
Stephen Dexter and Janina Granda were new to me narrators but they were perfect for Josslyn and Finn. I feel like they captured my attention because they were able to encompass the characters so well. I could not stop listening because the suspense had me completely hooked and they just made the experience even better.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Select and The Wicked Pen for an audio ARC of this book!

The audiobook narrators bumped up my rating for this book. They kept me engaged and were really skillful in differentiating between the abundance of characters and skillfully setting the mood/scene. I normally don't typically enjoy audiobooks over reading but the narrators elevated this experience.

The story itself was decent - it was more of a romance thriller than a sports romance tbh. The hockey and basketball aspects weren't really focused on or mentioned much until the end. I forgot they were athletes the majority of the time. I don't really know how I feel about the whole stalker vibes the main male lead was emanating but I loved how the main leads were once they officially got together - it was surprisingly super cute and romantic. The main female lead didn't really have a personality but was likeable enough.

The plot towards the third quarter of the book became a tad messy for me and the plot twist was somewhat expected but I felt it was fleshed out adequately and not just breezed over in a paragraph. There were also quite a few unnecessary characters that I just tuned them out and didn't bother committing any of them to memory.

Would not read again, however would be keeping an eye out for the audiobook narrators' other works because they're one of the best I've listened to so far in my reading journey.

Overall rating: 3.75/5

Rated 3.5 Stars

When We Lied was good but there were elements of it that were confusing and not well executed. I liked that there was a mystery element to it. I liked the main characters well enough and think the narrators did a good job of bringing them to life. However, I wasn't fond of the way the male narrator's went low causing his speech to be not muffled exactly but a bit difficult to decipher. Other than that I found this book enjoyable. There was angst, steam, twists and turns.

there was a lot of angst and mystery in this dark themed romance! i really enjoyed it. i had read the first book in this series and liked the audio of this one even better!

It's me and I'm bluntly honest about everything. There were a lot of aspect of this book that a liked. I liked the romance elements. I liked how they reconnected and the relationship that they build outside of the actual drama of this book. There were a lot of smutty scenes, that maybe for me felt too much and I wanted the book to just move along and end.

The main issue I had was with pacing and thriller aspect of this. Like one moment they are being interment in a sex club and the chapter following it they aren't talking and he thinks the worst of her. Without context. I was like "What did I miss something?" I went back to the chapter and I didn't. I get why it was done, to like add to the mystery, thriller element... it just confused me. And this was like early on, like maybe less than 20% in.

Overall, it's not a bad book. I had a bit of fun. I liked it.

I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! This was my first Claire Contreras book and it won't be my last!

Finn and Josslyn are such an unlikely couple, but by the end you know that they totally make sense together. Finn has a one night only, no second helpings, no relationships type of mindset. That is until he meets Josslyn and he can't stop thinking about her.

Tragedy strikes and they brings they closer and further apart at the same time.

This book was filled with so many twists that I wasn't expecting (especially that one big one - IYKYK).

Also, this book was SPICY SPICY. And I loved that.

Stephen Dexter did a fantastic job narrating Finn. I loved his gruffness that really brought him to life.

Janine Granda voiced the FMC and I really struggled to connect with Josslyn's character because of this. I really hate to say it but she always sounded bored and emotionless - especially when she was narrating the male's voice in Josslyn's chapters. I would be opposed to listening to books narrated by her in the future, however, I am just hoping for more emotions to come through.

I'm so disappointed that this book wasn't for me. I've heard such good things about Until I Get You (which I haven't read) that I was so excited to receive this ALC.

This review is for the audio version of this book and I thought the narrators did a great job. Stephen Dexter is my favorite alien romance narrator and it was fun to hear him voice something completely different.

That said, this book fell really flat for me. It was about 200 pages too long, very slow pacing, and the romance didn't make sense at all. First Finn was suspicious of Joselyn, and the next he's just obsessed and then in love with her. Usually I EAT UP a possessive stalker types, but in this they just felt too young for any of that to stick in any kind of romantic way.

There is also a mystery in this and by the end when we get the plot twist I just didn't care.

The romance has no chemistry and the spicy scenes, though there are many, did not do anything for me. This guy is supposed to own a sex club, but he never makes use of it with the girl he loves! I guess I expected something kinkier and hotter, but it's all pretty boring.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ALC of this book!

Finn has strict policies when it comes to his love life- no relationships, in fact, he never sleeps with someone more than once, and no one from his hometown. One night, he sees Josslyn and everything is different. He wants her. And can't get enough of her. But when his sister dies, he suspects she is hiding something. He is torn between wanting her physically and wanting the truth.

This started out kind of a hot mess. There are a few jumps in the time line, which is fine, but there is too much innuendo about the events that happened in the past. Like, I get setting up some mystery- especially the night of the fire- but there is also confusing levels of mystery. Some of it was unnecessary. It took me a minute to realize that there are two clubs- the one Finn owns and the one where the fire was. (Note- I listened to the audiobook, so it very likely is that I didn't catch on to them having different names. The problem with audiobooks is it is very hard to flip back.) Anyway, once we got well into the present day and some of the backstory was filled in, it got better.

Josslyn is a very likeable character. Finn is also very likeable for an alpha. I loved that he quickly realized his feelings and was all in.

If the whole sports/hockey aspect is a turn off, don't worry. Hockey is barely a thing. Honestly, Josslyn playing basketball is mentioned more. Hockey more comes into play with away games and timeline stuff.

While this is not tagged as a series, it is mentioned that it is related to another book. I have not read it. While this is fine as a stand alone, there are a lot of characters and I think reading the first book may have been helpful.

Stephen Dexter and Janine Granda narrate the audiobook and do a good job.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was squealing with excitement to be approved for this audio! I was obsessed with Until I Get You so I was so excited when Claire Contreras came out with this book. Narrators Stephen Dexter and Janine Granda did a great job portraying Jocelyn and Finn. It is told in dual narration, although I would have loved to hear this in duet narration, but I enjoyed it none the less.

Jocelyn and Finn had chemistry and the spicy scenes were on point!
Jocelyn is a basketball player as well as a popular social media influencer. She is loved by her followers and all those she comes in contact with. Finn is the opposite of Jocelyn and is a broody, thirst trap pro hockey player. Jocelyn always saw the good and Finn gravitated toward her and wanted her to be his and only his.

The plot was great and took me down a twisty path that I fully enjoyed and kept me on my toes. This book had a bit of everything I enjoy such as banter, hockey, emotions, obsession, spice, secrets and suspense.

If you liked Until I Get You, I think you will like this book as well. It is a complete stand alone and you won't miss anything if you have not read Until I Get You. I loved that Lachlan and Lyla made an appearance in this book. It was fun to see where life had taken them.

If you enjoy sports romance, mutual pining, opposites attract, touch her and die vibes, then you will enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for allowing me to voluntarily listen and give an honest review.

SPICY SPICY SPICY...I just wish there were more parts about actual hockey playing. This was a decent listen if you need an easy read/listen thriller with a ton of smexy parts.