All The Lies (Lies & Truths Duet Book 1)

I am so confused. This is not the Rina Kent I was looking for.

Many years ago, I was playing pretentious and read tons of Albert Camus. Somewhere amongst his books, there was a quote, and I’m paraphrasing here, but it was that a writer only has one story, and they tell it over and over again. Keep in mind Camus was an anarchistic existentialist philosopher who was deeply obsessed with absurdism.

But he has a point. Fiction writers are subconsciously motivated to resolve their psychological issues cathartically. They often do it through repeating themes or recreating situations that leave their characters to face similar deep-rooted trials.

So, what I like about All The Lies is what I enjoyed about Royal Elite School because it is a reused thematic derivative of the earlier series.

Asher and Reina have a past that has Asher’s panties in a twist. But Reina is just waking from a coma; she has amnesia, she doesn’t want to be the person who does the crap the old Reina did. And Asher keeps trapping her to get her dirty-worked-up so he can leaver her hot-and-bothered.

Asher (who reminds me of Xander) is introduced at the end of Twisted Kingdom as a fellow a-hole at Oxford with Aiden. He’s an arrogant American douchecanoe who rivals King in a debate. The taste we get in Twisted Kingdom of him suggests Asher’s a magnificent monster to fill our hearts with darkness, which is a cause for confusion because ATL-Asher is far from it. This book’s MC has returned home to punish someone who he calls his monstrous fiancee, who is an actual horrible human being, bulling everyone and somehow, at one point, pushed Asher’s delicate-hearted sister to kill herself.

But this is not the Asher I was looking for.

A lot of this book is nonsense. It does not compute because it reads as a younger culture. Blackwood College’s social hierarchy feels like high school, not advanced education. The cheerleaders are varsity level mean girls, not university athletes, or sorority be-otches. The fully kitted spirit-leaders stalking about as a feral pack isn’t university behavior. I say that having gone to a Big Ten school. The culture is all off. But then I love Reina with Lucy and Naomi because that is what you fight a mean girl with, a posse.

Reina (who reminds me of Kim) was a horrible monster in her pre-accident life. There are two different Reina’s, one who is literally ‘woke.’ But we’ve seen this before. Twice in Ella and Ethan. Sometimes people are someone different before an accident than they are after the coma.

No more comas.

More complicating than the similarities between Aiden and Asher and Reina and Ella are that Asher and Reina remind me of Xander and Kimberly. This resemblance brings me to the aching fear that Black Knight will share some terrible echo of this story. I will be looking at Xan and Kim’s story, and the crux will be that the betrayal is one more incident where the guy is psychotically angry about something the chick can’t even remember doing.

The conflict between AshIna is as convoluted as XanBerly.

Rina doesn’t usually have this many flaws in one of her books. The research and portrayal of events are not indicative of a real understanding of the topic at an experience level nor as effective at advancing the plot as they did in the Royal Elite School Series.

Yet three stars? I know, but I much enjoy the push/pull relationships Rina writes. I love the steam in her sexy scenes. And I overall enjoy her characters. Lucy is so damn cute. I want to eat her right up: nom, nom. nom.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advance copy of this book.

I am not BSing you when I tell you that this book slayed me! I’m left reeling with all the twists and mind-fcukery Kent has pulled on this book! And we’re only just on the first book! What’s more to come with the next one?!

I’d keep this review spoiler free even though I want to share all the deets so someone can help me cause I’m losing my mind here forming all theories what with all the unfolded turn of events from the first page up to the last! I never felt the desire to throw my Kindle away when I reach the last page. I’ve been willing the words to extend! Like, oh cmon! That’s just cruel! I need the next words so bad!

So, regarding the story.

Basically, this isn’t a high school bully romance just so to be cleared but college-age main characters. Full of steam and undeniable, sizzling chemistry. Love-to-hate relationship. Intense eye-fcuking galores and you can include tension-filled hate-fcuking as well. You can feel the characters’ tension straight away and it’s rapturous. I am trapped with the haze of sexual tension from them! There’s meat to the story and there’s a climactic build up all around the story. The pacing was just right. The book was segregated into interesting events that adds more intensity to the story, you’d be surprised you’re on the last part.

Overall, this is honest one of the best dark NA I’ve ever had the pleasure to read! The mystery that surrounds the whole plot, the revenge, redemption, angst and mistaken identity and so much more! From reading the blurb, you’ll know the heroine is suffering an amnesia and everything that happens next surrounds that mystery – the lies and the truths about what amd who she has been in both past and present. This author took mind-fuckery to a whole new level you wouldn’t have a time to catch your breath! I don’t honestly remember the last time I was left unbelievably shaken and WTF-ing just from reading a book. All I can advice you people is when you read this book, soak up all the information. Do not and I meant it, do not ever miss a single detail cause you will need it to piece the puzzle as the story progresses. I’m going to have a book hangover after this for sure!