Secrets and Lies

After enjoying Stephanie's last trilogy I wondered what to expect next.

Needless to say I wasn't disappointed.

I was so invested into the world of Conor and Ella who are complete opposites.

I loved this and really think Stephanie gets better with every book.

One author to watch out for.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed this book. Character development was good. The plot was very interesting. Not a lot of typos.

Thank you for this ARC. I only received it yesterday and read it last night. Love Stephanie's book and this one didn't disappointment. Bad boy Conor meets Ella the barmaid, roll on your next book

I was excited to read Secret and Lies by Stephanie Harte having not read one of her books before. I quickly became sucked in to the story of Ella and Conor and how he whisked her away into a lavish lifestyle of expensive dinners, holidays and designer treats. The relationship between them was well written from both sides and I couldn't help but warm to Conor initially despite his dodgy dealings with small-time drug dealers and his tainted past. I rooted for them to make it work but his coercive behaviour not to mention drawing Ella into his business negotiations with the Spanish cartel ruined their blossoming relationship. Ella was quickly drawn away from her family and friends and was left feeling isolated with nowhere to turn.

'This gritty thriller is a binge-worthy read, with characters you can't help but root for.'

Loved this book,once started was difficult to put down,good characters,exciting storyline and really well written,One of those books that makes you happy you read,
An easy 10/10
5 Stars

Ella is a 19 year old uni student working part time in a pub living a normal life until she meets Conor who comes along and sweeps her off her feet. He has money coming out of his ears and lavishes her. But how does he make his money? What will Ella make of it all? With enough money to last a lifetime, surely they'll just live happily ever after? Romance, crime and thrills, this book has it all. Loved it!

I was emerged in this mystery story! It.was honestly very interesting and intriguing getting Conor's side of everything. I actually liked him. And Ella she was awesome I just loved her character.
The story was my most favorite. Its well written with a great plot and ending!

This is the first book that I have read by Stephanie Hart but I really enjoyed it. The story highlighted how important issues such as how easily a person can get sucked into a relationship and lose themselves and also how the experiences from your childhood can impact your future.

If you like books written by Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole then this is definitely up your street and is worth a read.

Highly enjoyable, thrilling and gripping from the start.
Yet another brilliant book from Stephanie Harte.

Living in a fabulously large house in London with all mod cons Conor Baxter has it all, a flash car, designer suits, exotic holidays, and a great and charming personality. But how does he make his money? He's involved in gangland crime, being the middle man that dealers turn to when they need to sell or buy drugs, working for drug barons all over the world he works alone and is his own boss. Then he walks into The Riverside tavern and immediately is met with the girl of his dreams.

Ella Dawson is 19 years old and a language student working part-time at the tavern to pay her fees.
She is immediately attracted to Conor and they start an unlikely relationship her being 19 him 29. At first, he doesn't let her into his world claiming to be an IT rep.
He wines and dines Ella treating her like a princess. Much to her parent's horror she soon moves into his luxurious home. But life with Conor isn't all Ella expected, firstly he has OCD, nothing has to be out of place and he buffs his kitchen worktops until they shine. Secondly, he keeps disappearing for days on end, and she is lonely.

This book wasn't bad, but there was a lot of repetition to it which I felt the author used to bulk out the story.
It had its twists and turns but wasn't as good as the previous book by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. xx

Really enjoyed this book.So well written so involving kept me reading late into the night could not put down,Characters that come alive excellent storyline.Will be recommending the book&the wonderful author,#netgalley#aria

Secrets & Lies is a compelling London-based gangland thriller with psychological elements which begin appearing around mid-way through. 19-year-old Ella Dawson is a university student working part-time at the Riverside Tavern to financially support herself and pay her tuition fees when in swaggers Conor Baxter. Immediately they both feel the electricity in the air between them; if there really is a such thing as love at first sight then this is most definitely it. He tells her he is a supplier and seller of IT equipment but little does she know, he has ties to the local gangland underworld. He is a former enforcer for one of London’s most prominent gangs turned middleman after he got fed up with following orders and now enjoys being his own boss. He still has ambitious plans for himself that he soon will put into motion, but he knows it will mean partnering with some extremely dangerous individuals. Ella had been living a fairly normal life until she met Conor and a mere few weeks after their first encounter, and despite her being 10 years his junior, he moves her into his extravagant home much to her parent's dismay.

His job as a middleman entails sourcing and distributing cocaine for small-fry London drug lords and the money he earns goes towards lavishing Ella with meals - dining at Michelin star restaurants, opulent holidays and a wardrobe full of designer gear. He treats her like a Queen, but she is starting to question exactly what her beau does to make so much dough. Sadly, as soon the honeymoon period is over, Conor's behaviour turns from protector to a possessive, controlling and jealous boyfriend. To make matters worse, he has managed to get Ella caught up in his business negotiations with the Spanish cartel which has Ella terrified and feeling completely isolated. Can their relationship survive? This is gritty and enthralling gangland crime fiction with buckets of suspense, excitement, terror, thrills, twists and an underfire romance at its centre. The slow-burning story unfolds from the perspectives of Ella and Conor and is delivered in alternating chapters. The action never ceases and the short, snappy sections make it easy to fly through the pages.

Connor is branching out on his own from being an enforcer for the dregs of society, then he meets ella, but ella does not appear in the same social circles, can they make it work????? twists, turns, gritty gangland at its best, highley recommend

I loved this book. If you're looking for an action packed gangland thriller then this will not disappoint. I found this hard to put down and finished the book in 2 days.

Highly recommended. Thank you to Netgalley, Aria & Aries and the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of UK crime fiction however this is the first book by Stephanie Harte that I have read.

Generally I enjoyed the book however I feel unsure as to what genre it wanted to be. It started off as gangland crime, then morphed into more of a psychological thriller (which is fine as the genres appear to be merging more recently) but then I felt it went more into something else that I cannot think of a way of describing without spoiling things. Having said that, as a whole, it was a totally readable, interesting book which gave the author a chance to address many subjects that we hear about and live with such as OCD, mental abuse within relationships, how an image of what appears to be an ideal life can sometimes turn out to be something completely different and how items of monetary value can sometimes sway our judgments.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Aria & Aries and the author for providing me with an electronic advanced copy of the book in return for an honest, unbiased review

A very good book quite predictable but is defiantly worth a read . Will read other books by this author as was good .

I would like to thank Aria & Aries and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Secrets and Lies’ by Stephanie Harte in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Ella Dawson is working at the Riverside Tavern when she serves Conor Baxter. There’s an immediate attraction between them and within weeks Ella moves into his luxury house. Conor can’t risk losing her so tells her he’s in IT rather than admit he’s the middleman in acquiring and distributing cocaine for small-time London gangsters. At the beginning of their relationship Conor is the man of Ella’s dreams but when he starts to control her every move and becomes angry if she makes a mess she starts to doubt if their relationship can survive.

‘Secrets and Lies’ is an action-packed gangland drama with the story told in alternate chapters by Ella and Connor, part of it in hindsight. It’s an enjoyable story with excitement and intrigue and as most of the chapters are fairly short I found I was saying just one more chapter and turning the pages well into the night until I’d come to the end. I found the plot interesting but there was so much unnecessary repetition that I found annoying, such as the two characters continually describing the other as ‘her boyfriend’ or ‘his girlfriend’ rather than just say their name. But generally it was an easy read that I enjoyed and despite the quick and somewhat disappointing ending I’d recommend it.

It took me a while to settle into reading this book and at the start, I wasn’t sure of the genre and found both Ella and Conor tedious and predictable. That changed when Ella started to realise that a perfect life without any financial worries isn’t all it seems and while Conor had his issues, he was gaslighting Ella whether he realised it or not. The pace picked up for me towards the end which I enjoyed .

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Stephanie Harte for allowing me to read this Arc.
I have loved all of Stephanie Harte's previous books. I have to say that I really enjoyed Secrets and Lies too but it just didn't grip me like the others. I felt that it lacked a really gripping storyline. I felt that rather than hurriedly turning pages I was plodding through it.

Ella Dawson is a struggling Uni student, so she pays her way by working as a barmaid at a local bar. Her parents always told her to do what is right after her parents having her at a young age.
In comes Connor Baxter an enforcer for a London gang now turned middleman. Even though Connor is older by ten years to Ella there seems to be an attraction. But instead of telling Ella what he does for a living, he tells her that he supplies I.T. equipment.
The pair have a whirlwind relationship, and they care for each so much that they decide to move into together. But against Ella’s parents wishes. Her parents think that Connor is too old for her and will lead her astray.
I have read the authors previous books, so I was looking forward to reading Secrets and Lies. This was a great story about Ella and Connor and their lives for fancy clothes, fast cars and holidays and the secret life that Connor led. But just felt that the Ella was quite naive that she didn’t have any idea about Connor as she lived with him after all. Great story for fans of Gangland crime. 4 stars from me.

This book surprised me coz started off a bit slow but as I kept going on,it actually made me love the characters and even the storyline. Was a believable story about how opposites attract and are good for one another.

Thank you NetGalley, Aria & Aries and Harte for this advanced ebook copy!

Secrets and Lies was a suspense novel in my opinion.
Conor is over being an enforcer to London's most gang. He has some plans to become his own boss. But that will.mean coming across some.wild scary people.
People are lying to him and its making him suspicious!
Then he meets a gorgeous girl Ella who is good and honest.
Ella starts falling for Conor but what she doesn't know is it could turn bad for her falling for him!.
Soon she gets caught up in his wild deals and it could be deadly!.

I was emerged in this mystery story! It.was honestly very interesting and intriguing getting Conor's side of everything. I actually liked him. And Ella she was awesome I just loved her character.
The story was my most favorite. Its well written with a great plot and ending!
Overall enjoyed this book!