Review of A Lie for A Lie by Helena Hunting ~with audiobook review

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series comes a romantic comedy about instant attraction, second chances, and not-so-little white lies.

Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.

Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.

A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.

Available on Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited with the audio.

Audiobook: Narrators Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke absolutely kill it! Stella’s ability to manoeuvre her voice into the different personalities is most enjoyable. Her differentiation between female characters and ages is spot on and her male voices are also very well-done. She’s able to provide very different voices for Rook compared to his teammates and to Lainey’s father. Her tone when reading the prose sections was different still. Jason Clarke has one sexy voice that was definitely worth listening to! His female voices from Lainey compared to Rook’s sister are differentiated well-enough. His differentiation within male voices was quite impressive. During one scene where several teammates are having a discussion, he manages to make each voice unique. I more than enjoyed listening to the two narrators. The production quality is also excellent and I had no issues at all with it.

The story: Oh so sweet! This month’s theme in the Romance Book Reading Challenge was Sports Romance. I selected the Hockey prompt as I’d seen this Helena Hunting series available on Kindle Unlimited, earlier this year. I think it was a good choice.

Lainey is such a cute, awkward but endearing protagonist. She’s shy, just a touch naive and comes with a backbone of steel. Her family dynamics are interesting and her parents would probably make for a great psychological study! Yet, one thing that’s clear is Lainey comes from a loving family to whom she is committed, even if she needs her space from them at times too. That foundation is what helps her to understand her self-worth and to demand the love and respect she requires from a partner.

Rook is pretty easy on the eyes… at least from the description provided by the author! He’s also not dealt well with the celebrity status granted him by his hockey playing. His is a chequered past that he wants to distance himself from. When he meets Lainey who has no idea who he is and can really get to know the real person behind the star sportsman veneer, he’s instantly smitten. While he’s generally a nice guy, it’s still lovely to see how he learns to care for and put the needs of Lainey and Kody before all else.

The chemistry between these two leading characters is intense, and I’m not just referring to the steamy scenes. The banter that develops between them is fun and caring and natural. They’re thrown together unexpectedly and an instant attraction is there but events create opportunities for them to really connect on a deeper level. That falling in love part of the story is well-written and pulls the reader in and makes you really root for them.

The major obstacle these two have to overcome is themselves. They have to learn to trust each other and believe in their relationship. The journey to that destination is a very sweet read.

Oh, and the this story was a bit educational as well. There’s some hockey terminology thrown in and readers get a peak into the lives of pro athletes and how the draft system works for this sport. Not info I’d probably ever need…. but I still enjoyed picking it up!

Overall, I give A Lie for A Lie 4/5 espresso shots and probably would check out the next in the series.