From New York Times Bestseller, Pepper Winters, comes a delicious sinful hero.“I met the man I wanted. But then he vanished, and a new man claimed me instead. My father approved, my colleagues congratulated, and behind closed doors, I was bedded by a stranger.”Noelle Charlston lives a fairy-tale life: a doting father, a powerful job, and a future blessed with financial security.However, two … security.
However, two meetings with two men changes her happy existence forever. First, she meets the man who makes her heart sing. Three years later, she meets the man who makes her blood quiver.
Broken-hearted from a teenage romance, Noelle’s freedom is no longer hers. It belongs to the stranger her father believes is her perfect match. The stranger who pulls his lies over everyone he touches.
Including her.
Seduced and manipulated, Noelle gives into the mysterious Penn Everett. The lies he spins, the truth he hides, the mystery he weaves—it’s all enough to slowly erode the woman she is and turn her into something else.
Until her past collides with her present.
And it’s her turn to lie.
To everyone…including herself.
Advance Reviews:
“Crown of Lies takes sensual and gripping to the next level in a masterfully written tangled web that will keep you furiously turning pages. Pepper Winters has outdone herself. Penn Everett will be your new obsession.” –USA Today bestselling author Meghan March
“Thrilling and mysterious, this book has left me with a major hangover!!!!”–Lina’s Reviews
“Crown of Lies is my first top 2017 read so far and it’s a MUST read, one-click worthy book.” — Punch Drunk Library
“Pepper does a great job of delivering, yet again, one of the hottest alphas cloaked in mystery out there.” –Dee, Goodreads
“The chemistry between them is scorchingly hot and the banter is perfect.”–Vickie Goodreads
“WOW Pepper has done it again. I really wish I could give this book so much more than 5 stars it is brilliant” –We’ve Licked That Book Blog
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Wow!!! I love every Pepper’s book. She is the Queen. She just showed us with the Crown of Lies that she is not just our Dark Queen, but also our Queen of every genre! I absolutely adored the book. Who is Nameless? Who is Penn and what dark secrets is he hiding? Well, these are questions of the day… I loved Noelle’s character, how she became from unexperienced, protected, gentle flower to a grown up, strong and confident woman! I loved Penn’s attractive, cocky, even ignorant attitude and how he treats her. Well, their romance is just on the process, and I hope that they will find their way up to the end and their relationship will blossom into something strong, and beautiful..
I went into “Crown of Lies” as a Pepper Winters virgin. This book stole my virginity by the incredibly, gorgeous cover alone. As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I knew it had to be read. I knew I had to be introduced to Pepper Winters.
And gosh I am glad that this book was my first experience with her.
Right from the beginning of the book I felt connected to Elle. She was written so well and it was easy to relate to her, because of this. Poor Elle has had her entire future mapped out, by her father. She is to run the family business. Whether she really wants to or not. Her childhood falls to the wayside, so that she can learn the tricks of the trade for when she takes over the business. At 18 years old, she has now become the CEO for one of the world’s biggest retail companies. She doesn’t have any friends – because she is working all of the time. She doesn’t have a love life – because she is working all of the time. All she does have is her Cat, Sage; and the stability of running a company she’s not sure she even wants.
On her 19th Birthday, Elle decides it’s time to step out! She takes herself out for a night of fun and exploration. What she didn’t count on was the world outside her sheltered existence. Being attacked in an alley-way, a man comes to save her. A man she doesn’t know. A man that wears a black hooded jacket. A man that is complex. A man that when he touches her to make sure she is ok, sparks fly. A man who ends up giving her, her first kiss. A man who is her saviour.
Three years later and her saviour is still forever on her mind. What happened to him. Why was there so much chemistry with a man she didn’t know, who just did a kind selfless act by saving her from two thugs.
Still the CEO in her safe little box, life is predictable. And Elle is ok with that. But now her Dad is trying to marry her off to Penn Everett. He is a massive jerk. A massive jerk that is incredibly attractive. A massive jerk that elicits feelings and chemistry in her, that she hasn’t felt since that night with her saviour. Is it her head making up that they are one in the same?
I didn’t realise that this book was going to end on a cliff-hanger! So annoyed! But so very excited to read the next instalment. I am desperately hoping that the scenarios that are playing out in my head, are the same as Pepper Winter’s…….
* Reading Tigress voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book *
Crown of Lies shreds your thoughts from the first page to the last.
Maybe lies are better than the truth…or could it be that for Elle the lies are what protects her? Protects her from a truth that is far worse to acknowledge.
One night… that changes her life forever. One night that continually haunts her thoughts….some she would rather push away and some she quietly welcomed.
Then she met Penn Everett….
Who was he? Or had she already made his acquaintance sometime before?
Was he the man she longed for or was he someone far more sinister?
Trust me……you’ll want to know the truth and you’ll want to read this book from Pepper Winters.
Mesmerizing!
4.5 what a ride Stars… This book has intrigue, suspense, dominance with some darkness entwined. You’ll be on the edge of your seat, as the lies unfold and what a cliffy! I can’t wait for Thorn of Truth to read the conclusion of Penn and Elle.
This is not your typical dark read by Pepper Winters. It still has the edgy and angst of a Winters book.
It had a lot of high and low moments for me. Some parts were a little slow and then other parts had the great momentum I’m used to from Winters. There are twists and turns. Things I didn’t see coming. And I’m looking forward to book two. FYI there is a cliffhanger.
The narrators did a great job capturing the characters for me. I’m fairly new to the whole audio book world. And I’m very picky when it comes to narrators and they did a great job.
Why didn’t I read this sooner?!?! This was soooo good! I’m loving the suspense and its very steamy. I highly recommend the audiobooks, now onto book 2!
This is the first book I had read by this author and I have heard so many good things about her books that this book intrigued me from the get go. As a first read by this author I absolutely loved it! The style of writing is easy to follow, the words just flow effortlessly.
I thought it was a little slow to get going but as you get further in to the book you see it’s an absolute necessity to the story line. The author goes into great depth to set the scene which at first does seem like overkill.
Noelle (Elle) Charlston is the CEO of a department store; Belle Elle. Whilst her character is strong, determined and can hold her own in a boardroom she is also a naive 22 year old that knows nothing about men and is still a virgin desperate to have a relationship, someone who loves her and can stand by her side.
Enter the enigmatic Penn Everett, from that point the story becomes addictive and I really need to know Penns secret. So many times I became frustrate with Elle shouting just ask the damn questions already. Just when you think you have it all worked out, there are twists, turns a plenty and I just know nothing is going to finish as it seems. I think this author is very clever and has crafted a very skilled novel of intrigued, mysteries leaving more questions asked than answered! With every revelation comes another hundred questions and I’m so damn upset that I have to wait another month to get the answers.
Just to capivate the reader further… Penn Everett is hot, everybody needs a Penn Everett in their life. This book has my head spinning. Bravo Pepper Winters I’m in awe and can’t wait for the second part.
Wow, wow, wow! This one was soooo good! It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Pepper book. I have a bunch on my tbr that I have to get to. Damn this woman can write one heck of a story! I read this all in one day, I couldn’t put it down. I’m jumping into the next one right now, I need to find out how it ends!
A Princess living in the Tallest Tower of the strongest Castle , imprisoned by the Dragon, and the Prince of True Love shall save her.
Elle is an Heiress of Multi Billion Dollar company -Belle Elle. At 19 she’s trapped and imprisoned by her stature, her wealth and her fate. Her life has been scheduled by her Father, who loves her a lot , he just wants her secure and entitled. But she’s just 19, and yet she has never explored the city on her own. Because she’s running a billion-dollar company and never been to a party or gossiped with girls or kissed a boy. She just wants to be normal… just for a few hours. So she does the unthinkable, acting on impulse, she just wanders out of security net and into the unknown.
One night. One encounter. One man
How had my night gone from alley robbery to bush-filled kisses? How had I transcended from lonely workaholic to falling for a man I’d only just met ? A man who lived on the opposite scale of me in every little thing. Wealth and poverty. Safety and danger.He looked mid-twenties with hardness only born from fighting every day of his life. I was soft where he was sharp. I knew how to fight but in boardrooms and on conference calls, not on the streets.
One night is what it takes to launch her life into a different trajectory altogether. That night has consequences reverberating through the rest of the life. So loud that the noise becomes her nightmares depriving her off her sleep and filling them with guilt!!
I hadn’t lived up to my oath. A life for a life. He’d saved me. And I haven’t saved him.
Yet she can’t let go of him, her virginal body and soul is imprinted with Nameless’s kiss and scent .
“You don’t even know me.”
“I don’t have to know you. I feel you.”
I hindered him while he tried to do the right thing by keeping me safe. For the second time. He doesn’t even know me, yet he’s claimed responsibility for me.
She becomes all woman and lets Nameless claim her heart.
Alas , Cruel turn of events snatched him away and she ……..just endures the painful mishap .
I had to accept that I had no time for romance, no patience for dating, and no prospects at partnership other than business expansion. I was so lucky compared to most. Love is a small price to pay.
Elle is lonely and broken hearted. Her dad is sad to see her drifting through a loveless dry life. So he tries meddling by setting her up with few prospective suitors. But her heart is barren………
Till she meets Penn Everett . He’s overpowering, all male, driven and mysterious. Everything Elle doesn’t need……but wants . With every fibre of her being. !
And herein lies her conundrum
Give in and be inhaled , or give up and exhale Penn
Well, Penn is anything , if not persistent. He relentlessly pursues her , almost gate crashing her parties, bulldozing the walls of her prisoned heart, till she reluctantly grants him access.
But Betrayal and Love are two sides of the same coin
My heart had a box with three different puzzles mixed up inside.
The pieces were tangled, their edges able to fit together to form an incorrect Frankenstein of three scenes, but unless the three puzzles were separated, none of them were true.
As is so expertly painted by Pepper in this story. She creates masterpiece story, her characters emanate power . Penn is very Masculine, very secretive and very enveloping in his Charm
Elle is dainty yet driven, beautiful and intelligent, protected yet adventurous.
Pepper is one of those rare breed of Natural Born Writers . She doesn’t follow norms , yet creates norms – I don’t think outside the box. I never got in it !!
And this book is no exception. The story made me stop at multiple places , where I thought I had figured out the truth, but I hadn’t!! There are twists that will make you gasp, the blind corners are never ending and the buildup to the other half is very intriguing ( though made me impatient )
It’s an absolute delight to read her written words and I Truly, Madly , Deeply fell in love with Penn Everett
I cannot wait for Throne of Truths now
More good stuff
Couldn’t put this down
I’m a bit of a dark romance freak and Pepper Winters is my number one go to author when it comes to getting my grabby hands on something dark. So needless to say I was super exited when this baby showed up on my kindle. And as always, I was not disappointed.
Noelle “Elle” Charleston has lived a very sheltered life. Her father has kept her limited to his very successful business, teaching her the ropes from a very young age. She was raised to take over the business and help make it even more successful than it already is. Being the doting daughter that Elle is, she’s never had any social situations outside of her father and his business partner and his son.
When her father’s health pushes her into taking over the company at the young age of nineteen, Elle starts to realize just how sheltered she is. With a bit of rebellion, Elle sneaks off for one night in the city and under very drastic situations, finds the first man to ever hold her heart only to be separated from him.
Three years later, she meets Penn Everett. Her father believes that he’s the perfect match for her but she isn’t having it. He’s arrogant and conceited and she can’t stand anything about him. Yet he continues to show up in her life, telling her how great they would be together. Telling her that he wants full control of her. The ultimate power over her submission. The two embark in a seductive game of chase. Neither of them could of imagined just how powerful their attraction and pull was for each other. Just as they start to get close, secrets, deceits and doubt tangle a web around them. Will they be able to break through or will the past haunt them forever?
I will tell you this, there are certainly some twists and turns in this book. There were times where I thought I knew where it was going and then something happened and had my head spinning all over again. The games, lies, deceit, questions, all of it were perfectly timed to constantly keep me on the edge of my seat and dying to know what the outcome is.
I was immediately drawn to Penn. The way he was so sure of himself and the way he demanded Elle to give into him had me tingling all over.
“Say yes and you’re mine and whatever comes next is my choice, not yours. You’ll answer to me. I’ll do whatever the hell I want. Sometimes, you’ll hate me. Other times you’ll be grateful for my interference. Most of the time, you’ll probably want to kill me.”
Yep. I fucking melted right there. I was screaming yes but for some reason Penn didn’t hear me. There’s just something about him that drawls you to him. He is magnetic and forceful and just downright smoking hot. Add all of that to a vulnerable side that we get to see and I was gone. Just gone.
I also really enjoyed Elle. For someone who was so sheltered during her childhood, she still has a very strong backbone and doesn’t take crap from anyone. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and she has no problem telling anyone off. Including her own father. She’s fierce and loyal and just overall a very likable heroine. Together the two of them are fire and I was melting their desire and delicious games.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it hit the exact spot I needed at the right time. If you are looking for a semi dark book with an insanely hot alpha and a lot of twists, then this is absolutely the book for you. Don’t miss out!
Crown of Lies is another dynamite, intoxicating and fantastic, jaw-dropper of a hit! Which just slayed the competition in its place!
This mind completing story will keep your mind wrapped up in the fantasy of it all. The deception, the loss, secrets and a mirage of mystery. Which will riddle your mind? Making you lose all sense of time and place. Then second guessing these characters at every moment. Leaving your heart thrumming to it own beat! Just be marveled by this ride you’ve been on or that you’ve seduced by. GASP!! Jaw Wide open!!!
Mrs. Winters is a master at bringing her characters to life. In a sensual lyrical fashion that is all on her own. Almost as if it was a sweet serenade.
I will say Crown of Lies is not Mrs. Winters typical dark spin either. Which I found refreshing. But I have a feeling she has something up her sleeve! Oh, how I hunger for the second book! FYI WTF was that cliffhanger???????
I think the term mindf@ck was created to explain Pepper Winters style of writing. Doubt, fear, and unease are all symptoms of the disease. If you have read Crown of Lies, you have been infected. I have no doubt that you spent the entire book wondering…
Wondering about that night. About Nameless. About so many different clues.
But in the end the lies and truths won’t save you. Doubt, fear, and shame won’t keep you. You will be trapped. Trapped in a web of half truths, lies, and disbelief. Trust…
Trust has to be given. It can be earned but never forced. So who will you trust? The lies, the truth, or your gut.
Brilliant! What can I say… Pepper Winters continues to impress me with her originality and way with words.
Pepper Winters always delivers
The h is a sheltered, ambitious, strong young lady. The H or maybe villain is a sexy mysterious stranger. The chemistry and passion between the two is explosive. But the lies are more than she can take.
Loved this Book Part one of a duet.
Trust is something hard to give to any person who is a part of your life. You can trust your family, your friends and your boyfriend / girlfriend etc. but what happens if they betray you? Betrayal kills everything inside you and it makes hard to forgive things that they have done to you. This is what happened to little Noelle (Button Elle). Since childhood she was forced to mature by the circumstances. When she turns nineteen years her hormones made her to escape from her crystal tower to experience what real life is but all turns really bad. However every dark tunnel has a light at the end. Nameless came to her rescue. He saved her life but circumstances separated them. Elle experienced what is called attraction at first sight and she forced herself to forget Nameless and leave him in the past.
“Love is a small price to pay”
Sometime later she became a successful business woman who rules her family company. Her father tried to match her with any man he approved and his best friend’s son seemed to be perfect for her until she met Penn Everett who will twist her world. This cocky man is going to remind her of someone from her past.
“He was pure, one-hundred percent male, and he watched me as if I was a woman who’d already sacrificed herself on his ego temple, and he was about to dine an her soul”
She will be hunted and seduced by Mr. Everett who seems to understand her feelings and desires. Not everything will be hearts and flowers. Elle will play with fire and she will be burnt. She will discover of what she is capable to do. To the world Noelle seems to be the typical spoiled girl in front of her family business but they are wrong. She is a strong and beautiful woman who has dreams and she works hard to fulfil them and of course she has desires (like all women) which will be filled by Penn Everett.
“If I was playing something, are you intrigued enough to learn the rules?”
At some point she feels that Penn is hypnotizing her. Chasing her. Calling her. He will corrupt her world. At the end she will learn that she is surrounded by manipulators including someone she trusts. Betrayal will poison herself.
“People with lies could never make friends. But people with trust could never make enemies”
Opinion
This is the third time I read Pepper Winters books and she never disappointed me. Crown of lies is a mind-blowing book. The main characters are really complex and well developed. From the first pages I felt like I was an outside spectator of Elle’s life. Someone could say that people with a solved life are always spoiled but they really know nothing about.
I had a mixture of feelings while reading this book. I went from calmness to rage, from happiness to sadness. I absolutely loved the story and I can’t wait to read more about Elle and Penn. The attraction and sexual tension between them is explosive. Pepper did it again. She really knows how to capture your attention from the first pages of every book she has written. I highly recommend you this book. It’s a must read that you won’t want to miss it. It’s about trust, betrayal and attraction and not everything is as it seems.
I have two theories about what will happen in the second book of the Truth & Lies duet but I will keep them until the release of it. I’m craving for more.