Review: Forgiving Lies by Molly McAdams

Forgiving Lies by Molly McAdams 
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Format: eARC, 371 pages
Publisher: William Morrow
Series: Forgiving Lies #1
Source: Edelweiss

Description from Goodreads:
A matter of secrets...
Undercover cop Logan "Kash" Ryan can't afford a distraction like his new neighbor Rachel Masters, even if she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. To catch a serial killer, he needs to stay focused, yet all he can think about is the feisty, long-legged coed whose guarded nature intrigues him

A matter of lies...
Deceived and hurt before, Rachel would rather be a single, crazy cat lady than trust another guy, especially a gorgeous, tattooed bad boy with a Harley, like Kash. But when his liquid-steel eyes meet hers, it takes all of Rachel's will-power to stop herself from exploring his hot body with her own.

A matter of love...
As much as they try to keep it platonic, the friction between them sparks an irresistible heat that soon consumes them. Can Kash keep Rachel's heart and her life safe even as he risks his own? Will she be able to forgive his lies ... or will she run when she discovers the dangerous truth? 

I spent a majority of February in a reading slump. Not so much because I didn't have anything good to read--actually it was because of the opposite. I had so much awesome stuff to read and I couldn't stick to any one thing. Then I picked up Forgiving Lies and I was hooked. 

Now, the hooking was actually more of a process than a thing that happened the moment I started reading the book. The very beginning is a lot of background information, which isn't outright boring or anything, but it didn't exactly enthrall me either. So I started the book in January, where I got through the nitty gritty of the beginning, and then picked it back up around the end of February, which was when this book saved me from the deep hole of my slump.

Aside from the very beginning, Forgiving Lies had me thoroughly engaged in the life and happenings of these characters. The mystery aspect wasn't very mysterious, but the sweet romance and amusing banter made up for that. It takes some well-worked characters to make up completely for a slacking facet of the plot, and Molly McAdams really did a wonderful job writing characters that I certainly wanted to spend time with. 

Rachel was a great heroine. She was a victim, but she didn't play it up. She was strong and resolute, and even though she has her issues, they aren't over the top and annoying. They're just how she is, and I was okay with that. Kash was also a great character. I loved being in his head, and his struggles were something I remained interested in throughout the whole story. And just his thoughts in general. He is such a genuinely good person, and I respect him so much for that. He is also attractive. I respect that as well.

Throughout the novel, I slowly but surely fell in love with Molly McAdams' writing. The book may have started out flimsy, but it definitely worked its way up by the time the end was upon us. I also think Molly did a marvelous job of portraying Rachel's situation with Blake. I could see how Rachel's logic went, and that whole ordeal was very realistic, which is something that I'm not usually convinced of when events such as this are added into stories.

The ending to Forgiving Lies is a total cliffhanger. I'm not even going to pretend anything else. It's a refreshing cliffhanger, though. I was certainly clamoring for the next book, but I also appreciated the great build-up to where the story left off. 

Overall, Forgiving Lies is a great story, and I'm glad I chose this one as my first to wade into Molly McAdams' wonderful writing. She creates believable characters that I grew fond of, sweet romance that made me giggle, and a story as a whole that drew me in more and more as it went on. I am way more than excited to dive into my next book by Molly McAdams! 

*Actual Rating: 3.5 hearts, but I'm rounding up*