3.5 rounded up

TL;DR: Jewel thieves, con artists, unhappy marriage, infertility, happy marriage, dead brother, MLMs, lies and more lies, and some sweet revenge.

Elle is a lifelong con artist, scrappy survivor, and jewel expert. Olivia is in an unhappy marriage to a controlling asshat, struggling with infertility, and racking up debts to keep up appearances with her wealthy, MLM-crazy social circle. The two women strike up an unlikely alliance and form a plan to swap Olivia’s frenemies’ real jewels with fakes to pay off Olivia’s debts and help Elle regain her inheritance and get revenge on the people who stole it.

THIS WAS WILD! Such a fun audiobook with excellent narration. The middle was a little slow for me, but I loved where the story went and how everything turned out. Highly recommended for fans of First Lie Wins and Stone Cold Fox and anyone who loves a dual POV story with loads of twists and turns and surprises along the way.

Jewel heists in a domestic suspense novel? Yes, please! Between Lies and Revenge did not disappoint! It was a thrilling listen.

I couldn't resist the buzz surrounding "Between Lies and Revenge" after it became a hit with the crew at #thrillerbookloversthepulse. So, I dove right in to see what all the excitement was about, and let me tell you, it's definitely living up to the hype! Even more impressive is that it's the author's debut novel - talk about setting the bar high from the get-go.

I opted for the audiobook version and was immediately captivated. The narrators nailed it, and Elle's character, in particular, was brought to life with the perfect amount of snarky sarcasm. I was completely drawn into her world.

The story revolves around two women from completely different backgrounds who unexpectedly form a bond. Elle, a former con artist now married to a cop, crosses paths with Olivia, who is struggling to conceive and resorting to desperate measures to pursue fertility treatments without her husband's knowledge. And I mean desperate measures!

As their lives intertwine, a complex web of deceit and manipulation unravels, leading to a gripping tale of revenge.

Thanks to the author and Dreamscape Media for providing this gifted audiobook through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and left voluntarily.

Thank you @risingactionpublishingco @hannahdsharpe & @thrillerbookloversthepulse for giving me the opportunity to read this book. My thoughts are my own.

This is a twisted tale of women’s friendship and trust. Ex-con ELLE lives a quiet life with her husband, until the day she spots her stolen necklace around the neck of another woman. Elle stalks the other woman and eventually befriends her in an effort to get closer to the rest of the jewels she knows this woman must have.

OLIVIA loves wearing the jewels she found in a box in her basement. But she is struggling financially as she is being blackmailed. Desperate to have a baby, she has maxed out her credit cards for infertility treatments. She needs a quick way to earn money.

Together, Elle and Olivia become involved in a jewelry scam. Then, Elle makes a startling discovery that she puzzles over but keeps from Olivia. Soon, however, the lies and secrets become too much and the women must plot revenge in order to survive!

This is a slow-burn suspense novel, which starts out more as a women’s friendship story. I enjoyed watching the early rivalry, then the friendship, and finally trust build between Elle and Olivia. As the story builds, it turns to suspense as the women work to make money, and Elle wants the rest of her jewels. But someone is watching them and has another, more dangerous plan in mind!

I listened to the audio version which I really enjoyed.

This book is well-paced. Tension builds quickly and there are a few unexpected twists. I was definitely entertained throughout.

I quickly came to like the two main characters. Olivia, the seemingly innocent one, was easy to fall for. But I found myself liking and relating to Elle, the not so innocent one, just as quickly. Loved the dual narration, which really helped bring both characters to life.

NOTES:

At times the story felt complicated just for the sake of it. I found myself jumping back and re-reading parts to make sure I hadn't missed something...only to find there was no additional context. I'm OK with a complex plot so long as I'm given what I need to follow along and really immerse myself in the story. Generally speaking, I'm the type of reader that likes a lot of description so I can really lock in and visualize what l'm reading about. I think this book could've used a little more color in that sense as well.

I loved the premise of this book (sign me up for any type of jewel heist!) but I was hoping the story might unfolded in a more glamorous way. I guess this is a matter of personal preference - but worth noting.

OVERALL: A cleverly crafted, fast-paced story with great character development. I'm so impressed this is Sharpe's debut novel!

I recommend this book for fans of mysteries, women's stories and psychological thrillers.

3.8 rounded up to 4.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were great. The storyline was interesting but for some reason I was never captivated. The ending was excellent though!

Between Lies and Revenge by Hannah Sharpe was an okay listen. I was drawn to the title because I enjoy the narration of Imani Jade Powers. Both Imani Jade Powers and Meg Price do an excellent job with the narration, however the actual story was a miss for me.

I did not care for the characters. The premise was fine, but I just did not like the characters or the execution of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’m going to be honest here - when I started this audiobook I thought it was going to be a very fast DNF for me. The narrators were not telling the story the way I felt that they should, especially for Elle, but I did slowly get used to that and enjoy the story otherwise.
Once I got into the storyline I couldn’t stop wanting to know what would come next. I even tried to google spoilers but as the book hadn’t been released yet I couldn’t find any. I’m glad I didn’t because the further I got into it the more intrigued I was and the better the twists became.
Overall I would absolutely recommend this book. It was well written, mostly easy to follow and with great character development and an intriguing storyline.

How was this book a debut? Sharpe weaved such a tangled web, and this captivating thriller kept me on edge from start to finish. The plot is intricately woven, with secrets, deception, and unexpected twists that made it difficult to put down. The characters are well-developed, each with their own complexities and hidden agendas, which added depth to the story.

What I particularly enjoyed was how Sharpe gradually revealed the layers of the plot. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, another twist would emerge, keeping me guessing until the very end. The pacing was just right, maintaining suspense without feeling rushed. While the story was gripping, there were moments where the multiple storylines felt slightly convoluted, and I had to backtrack to follow certain details. However, this didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the book.

The dual perspectives of Elle and Olivia were brought to life in the audiobook narrated by Meg Price and Imani Jade Powers. They captured the suspense and tension that Sharpe builds throughout the plot. The narrators’ distinct voices helped to know whose chapter I was listening to, and their voices suited the character they were portraying and played really well off each other.
Overall, *Between Secrets and Lies* is a fantastic listen for fans of psychological thrillers. The combination of Sharpe's sharp writing and the engaging performance by the narrator makes this audiobook a suspenseful, satisfying experience.

Thank you to the author, Rising Action Publishing, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for advanced copies in exchange for my honest review.

What a thrilling read! I couldn't put it down. I loved the audiobook and the narrator's were fantastic. I thought the story had a great plot that keep me engaged and guessing until the end. The characters were also very interesting.

The title perfectly describes this gripping suspense novel! There’s a lot going on within the lives of each character so I had to pay close attention so avoid getting lost in how they were connected to one another. I thought the premise of the jewel scam was very clever, and I could relate to the peer pressure of the MLM home parties. As the story unfolded, my predictions were ever-changing, not knowing who could be trusted. The characters weren’t particularly likable, but I couldn’t help rooting for their success. Overall, I enjoyed this debut and look forward to reading more from this author.

What an amazing debut! If the description hadn’t told me this book was a debut I never would have guessed, the plot, pacing, character depth and growth, background story, supporting characters, everything was so thoroughly planned out and portrayed perfectly.

The plot alternates between our two main characters, Elle and Olivia. Elle is happily married, has a secret past and a sketchy skill set regarding theft and jewelry replication. Olivia is in an unhappy marriage whose husband is keeping secrets and involved in a shady business. She is desperate to have a baby and has gotten herself into huge debts with her many attempts of IVF.

The two women’s paths collide and as they work together towards different goals, their lives connect in unexpected ways they are soon to uncover.

I loved how both of the women are extremely flawed but refuse to lose hope in fighting for a better future. I loved watching their individual character development as they face some harsh truths and come to support each other and build a friendship despite opposing forces.

The audiobook is narrated by Meg Price and Imani Jade Powers and they both did a fantastic job of portraying each character. They were both enjoyable to listen to with soothing voices and great inflection and character perception.

Thank you to Hannah Sharpe and Dreamscape Media for the ALC!

Publish date; September 3rd 2024

I really have a thing for strong women. And if two very very strong women form a friendship and start to clean up their lives- it ends up in a story that is just right for me!
At first I really didn't care about the two too much. One being an ex-con and the other one a housewife! But all of a sudden I could not stop listening to this fantastic audiobook narrated by Meg Price and Imani Jade Powers.
Hannah Sharpe is an author to watch out for!!!!
Thank you so much #NetGalley #DreamScape Media for this audiobook

I received the audio, and the narrators were fantastic, which can truly make or break an audiobook. Meet Elle and Olivia – connected in a rather eerie manner. One is an ex-con seeking to reclaim a family heirloom, while the other is a desperate housewife overwhelmed by debt. Together, they plot to deceive wealthy housewives and exact their revenge. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that nothing is as it appears.

Holy buckets of twisty awesomeness! This book was unputdownable (the audiobook was unstop-listenable!). Right from the start I was drawn in with the mention of MLMs, and although they weren't the forefront topic of this book - they were the hook the initially got me. Two scheming women, working a con together, each with different reasons for deceit discover that they're tied together in a way neither of them or I saw coming.

This book is full of suspense and excitement. A home run hit and excellent debut by this author. I absolutely can't wait to see what she's got coming next! The audio narration was great too, making this an all around enthralling listen. Put this book on your TBR list STAT!

I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed it. The narrator did a good job keeping my attention. The beginning was a little slow but once it ramped up, I couldn’t wait to see what happened! This is a debut book for this author and I think it was a solid story! It is told from two perspectives and alternates between the past and present.

Elle is the ultimate con artist with a troubled past. She is married to a man who knows some of her past. She is on a mission to find her missing brother. Olivia is happily married and wants nothing more than to become a mother. Her hidden debt is out of control and she is holding her marriage together at threads. Both have so many hidden secrets and their paths aline at the perfect moment. They hit it off and hatch a plan to fix their financial troubles, but soon the plan starts to go astray and their secrets are catching up on them!

I enjoyed watching the friendship between Elle and Olivia grow. I think the characters themselves needed a little more depth but their relationship and growth was so cool. The other characters in the book are very unlikable. Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers the Pulse, Rising Action and the author for the opportunity to read this book. My opinions are honest and my own!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers and Hannah D. Sharpe for an ARC of Between Lies and Revenge! The audio of this was incredible - both narrators were amazing to listen to. Their emotion and tone in the book really gripped you to keep listening. The book to me was slow at start - trying to keep track of names/figure out what is going on, but completely picked up around halfway and was so difficult to pause it. I enjoyed how it broached difficult subjects and how everything ended up playing out. I honestly can’t believe this is Hannah’s debut and can’t wait to read what else she writes!

Elle’s brother died years ago and her heirloom jewelry is gone, she is on the run constantly. Elle spots the jewelry on a stranger and it’s her mission to befriend this stranger to get back what is hers. She is an ex-con and has gemology skills so shouldn’t be too hard. She offers to appraise and clean it just to do a quick switch with a knock off. Olivia is drowning in life. She has credit card debt and has maxed out her cards, has a blackmailing father, is desperate for fertility treatments to keep her financially strict husband happy with the family she’s promised him, keeping up appearances with her wealthy friends. When Olivia meets Elle she feels seen. They start a side hustle with Elle’s experience and Olivia’s connections to do jewelry appraisal parties. It grows to an even worse con. Everything starts getting out of hand - hidden truths, secrets - they must tell the truth and trust each other to get the final bit of revenge they have worked so hard on to secure their future lives.

This book just didn't draw me in. I liked the premise but I had trouble sticking with it. Thank you to NetGalley in Dreamscape Media for audio ARC.

This was a well conceived and super intriguing plot. Several good twists. A very enjoyable mystery driven by revenge. The characters are well developed. I couldn’t put this book down. It was fantastic.

Wasn't sure where I thought the book was going to take me, but it wasn't what I expected. Elle and her husband continually move to make sure she is safe and they don't stay in one place for very long. Elle runs into Olivia and realizes that she is wearing a piece that is a family heirloom that was taken from her. Elle then tries everything to befriend Olivia. Not only does Elle have tons of secrets, but so does Olivia.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy!