A review by bribreez
Lies like Love by Eva Simmons

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

5⭐️/ 4🌶️

*Thank you to WordSmith Publicity and Eva Simmons for providing me an ARC Copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

*Check Trigger Warnings before reading!

Eva Simmons has quickly become an author whose stories have not only caught my attention, but introduced me to some morally gray characters, ahem, such as, Jude Carlisle. This romance wasn’t your traditional, “boy meets girl”, nor was it innocent or sweet, it was all kinds of tension, bad boy, super sexy, hot, and did I mention taking a walk on the wild side? Because, I SURE FELT THAT WAY READING THIS BOOK! This was a taboo romance that had me thinking, “OH MY GOD!” repeatedly over the course while reading. Fel and Jude’s story wasn’t just in the present, but also in their past from when they were briefly step siblings! Also, fair warning, this is a taboo (stepbrother) romance so, if that isn’t your jam, then don’t read it, but like…Come on, you gotta admit you’d be curious to read how Jude and Fel’s story is like!!!

Once upon a time, Jude and Fel met as teenagers, although their story seemed like it was heading in a happy direction, their story ultimately changed when they found out they were going to become step siblings. Getting to see both the past and present showed how much had changed between Fel and Jude. In the present, Jude and Fel didn’t get along, didn’t like each other, and based off the hints that Fel and Jude mentioned, something horrible happened in their past. I got the sense that, before Jude and Fel’s parents married each other, there was a bit of a budding romance started to build between Fel and Jude, but obviously with them becoming step siblings, that put the breaks on anything romantic from ever happening. 

Jude and Fel weren’t on the best of terms to put it lightly, but with being back in each other’s lives, they were some things bound to happen between them. Even early on, between moments of tension, and a bit of animosity, there was something underlying in the way Fel and Jude were with each other. For all the ways that Jude was a bit of an a-hole and morally gray behavior, at his core he truly wanted to protect Fel, even back when they were teenagers! For all the wrongs reasons and bad things he’s done, in Jude’s perspective, it was all worth it, in order to protect Fel. Similarly, as much as Fel hated Jude and for what he did in their past, she couldn’t help but feel safe around him and tell him things she shouldn’t necessarily tell him, but did. 

The way that Fel and Jude were together was downright sexy, hot, passionate, and layers upon layers of intimacy that spanned years from their past to the present in which we see them. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this story, but OH MY GOD IT WAS BOMB! Whenever it was in Jude’s perspective and he would talk about the way he felt about Fel had me excited, mentally jumping and screaming for joy, and going feral with the way that man was a filthy dirty talker, I LOVED IT! Fel and Jude felt a strong connection even back when they first met, and the chemistry was still strong throughout the entire story! Also, I love a man being obsessed with his love interest, but add onto that the way JUDE WAS OBSESSED (AND A MORALLY GRAY MAN) FOR FEL AND I ATE IT ALL UP!
"Just like I'd sell my soul for her, she can't deny I'm the drug in her veins. I'm the high she's chased until she couldn't help but feed her addiction.
Inevitable— just like I told her. There's no escape.”
Obsessed much, YES! I absolutely loved the way Jude was lowkey unhinged and honestly devoted to Fel, that man fell first for Fel SINCE FOREVER AGO! (Sigh) it was all amazing *Me realizing i’m fantasizing about a morally gray man (Jude) who stabbed another guys hand for touching his love interest (Fel). 

This book was a first for me, in that it was my first time reading a stepbrother romance, and… OH MY GOSH! THE STUFF THAT WENT DOWN BETWEEN FEL AND JUDE WAS HOT! Eva Simmons clearly knows how to write Spice, and boy did she bring it with this story! I kid you not between my bouts of, “oh *bleep* I’m going to hell” and “THIS IS HOT AF!” I was caught up in the whirlwind of sexual tension, man obsessed Jude, and again the spice delivered! Jude was a morally gray man, and he was just full of surprises that caught me off guard in the best ways possible! Ahem for example, CERTAIN PIERCINGS ON SPECIFIC BODY PARTS BELONGING TO JUDE! LORD HAVE MERCY! WOO! Jude gave BDE and had the evidence to back it up! Fel may have looked “innocent”, but my girl was anything but that. Fel secretly had a little bit of darkness to her, and with Jude she let that part of herself out and free! The way that Eva Simmons writes her male lead characters always has me rethinking my type of fictional male characters! 

Oh my goodness! The plot twists that were revealed in this story took me by surprise! When the truth came out in the open to Fel, I was just as devastated for her as she was. Jude truly did what he could in order to protect Fel even all those years ago when they were teenagers, and even when that made Fel believe Jude was a villain, Jude wouldn’t change a thing of what he did. Towards the ending, things got drastically darker and dramatic! I was fully on edge and wanting to know what was going on?! Without spoilers, I’ll just say that it was crazy and shocking once I got to the climax/ ending, I’m still kind of shook at what I read, but whoa, it was wild! 

YOU GUYS! I’M UTTERLY OBSESSED WITH JUDE AND FEL! Going into this story, I genuinely wasn’t sure if I was going to love it or hate it, but thankfully I LOVED IT! This was my first time reading a stepbrother romance, and honestly it was amazing! This book could have easily been written in a way that made it horribly wrong, but Eva Simmons wrote this story in a way that was exciting, sexy, fun, and emotionally heart wrenching. Also, with exploring all of the darkness surrounding Fel and Jude’s life illustrated all the hardships and obstacles they endured in order to finally reach their happily ever after. I loved the dark fairy tale vibe of the story, it wasn’t too much, but subtle throughout the story. Jude was so morally gray, possessive, obsessed, and devoted to Fel that I ignored some red flags in favor of cheering him on! WOO! YASS JUDE! Also, the way that Jude was utterly unapologetic, mixing pain and pleasure, and THE DIRTY TALK! AHHHH THAT MAN HAD ME FERAL THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH! Fel and Jude’s romance was dark, beautiful, raw, and passionate that I simply could not get enough of! I have to say, this is by far hands down my favorite story that Eva Simmons has written! With twisted family secrets, “touch her and die” vibes (literally! Jude doesn’t play around!), SPICE GALORE! And Fel and Jude simply being perfect together, this is a must read and in my opinion a great book to dip your toes into a taboo romance! Also, do yourself a favor and read the epilogues! Even more great scenes of my faves Fel and Jude! 
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