ARC Review: FILTHY LIES by Raine Miller

On the day I turned fifteen years old I knew I loved James Blakney. There was a look in his eye that told me he’d finally noticed I existed in a realm beyond best-friend’s-much-younger-off-limits-don’t-even-think-about-it-little-sister. Call it womanly intuition, despite the fact I was barely qualified for being an actual woman at just fifteen—and only in the biological sense—but still, I knew I loved him.

What I never expected from him was a proposal of marriage nearly eight years later. I know it's not supposed to be a real marriage, but James is certainly making it feel that way.

He's also hiding something from me.

But I've hidden the truth from him as well.

Lies.

So many filthy lies.

~Winter Blackstone

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MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

James Blakney and Winter Blackstone have known each other their whole lives, but at a distance. Not only did their ages always set them apart, but the fact that James was Caleb’s best friend didn’t help matters. That didn’t stop Winter from longing for the one man she couldn’t have, or stop James from the same. Unrequited love stories are sometimes the hardest yet juiciest to read and Raine Miller captured it beautifully in Filthy Lies.

Winter was a real sweetheart. Growing up in a life of privilege, she always wanted to find ways to give back. She was the kind of person to give away her Christmas presents to those less fortunate. She was a hard character to resist falling for. And so when I realized that she wanted to be with James, I not so patiently waited for him to wise up and see the perfection right before his eyes.

James was a dirty-talking sweetie too. He was an amazing friend, a good son, and he was secretly in love with Winter. Hooray! He was stuck on the precipice, wanting to take the leap from friendship to forever, but unsure if revealing his true feelings to Winter would ruin everything. But when an accident leaves her vulnerable and she reveals her innermost thoughts and emotions, James realizes that his wait is over.

Set amidst the drama of a shady side character and the machinations of an evil, conniving parent, James and Winter explored their love that was unlike any other. They were finally able to let go and be free, especially in the bedroom. James found his kinky and submissive better half in Winter and he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure her happiness. The story did get a tad bit repetitive, especially when it came to the inner monologues of the characters, but aside from that, I found it to be quite enjoyable. Then again I had no doubt I’d love this story as the Blackstone’s haven’t steered me wrong yet!

Release: July 30, 2018 | Genre: Contemporary Romance | Trope: brother's best friend | Dual POV - 1st person | Heat: 4 | Standalone - Blackstone Dynasty #2

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