It all started with the bereavement flowers with my name on them.Not the best way to wake up, right? I work in a flower shop. I know a funeral arrangement when I see one.I know a killer when I see one, too. And one is standing in my hospital room right now, straight behind the man who saved my life.I can’t tell anyone the truth, because that’s the fastest way to really die. So I do the next best … way to really die. So I do the next best thing. I “lose” my memory.
I fake my amnesia.
Pretending not to remember a brutal attempted murder has its perks. The killer is backing down, spending less time around me, loosening the noose.
The less I claim to recall, the more my rescuer, Duff, works to help me “remember.” I hate lying to him.
But he doesn’t understand that my memory is dangerous. To me. And to him.
Fooling everyone isn’t easy. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Except it’s starting to look like I’ve been fooling myself.
In more ways than one.
Read Book 1 in the newest series from USA Today bestselling author Meli Raine.
“…intrigue and dark humor on display in this thriller…”
While the immediate—and more compelling—tension in Raine’s (A Shameless Little Bet, 2018, etc.) heart-pumping series opener comes from Lily’s constant proximity to her would-be killer, the action takes place against a backdrop of secret government scandals.
Fortunately, Lily’s voice is captivating, wry, and tough enough to sell this thriller. The novel ends with a cliffhanger that startles, if only because readers will have become so attached to Lily.
— Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Meli Raine’s books:
“Fresh, riveting, and thrumming with emotion and romantic suspense, False Memory is absolutely unputdownable. You need this book!” – New York Times bestselling author Meghan March
“I accidentally lost a day to this trilogy! It is unputdownable. Apparently I’m on a dark-and-twisty binge, and this book is addictive.” – USA Today bestselling author Sarina Bowen (Harmless series)
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Can you imagine you wake up to seeing the person who tried to kill you face in your hospital room? Lily wakes up and realizes she been in a coma for 14 months and her killer has been keeping her close by making himself apart of families lives. She fears for them and herself. She can only bink. She is helpless. She must do the unthinkable. Fake Amnesia. She needs to lie to everyone because she doesn’t know who to trust and can’t put anyone in harms way.
Lily is a very strong woman to keep this secret and try with everything she has to be calm, cool and collected when the guy who tried to kill you is in the same room with you. We get her voice in this book and see how she goes about waking up. Its dragged out on purpose to keep you wanting and needing more information. It the hook that hooks you. As the reader, you only know what Lily knows which isn’t a lot. So we are just as in the dark as she is and some things don’t make sense but I don’t think they are suppose to make sense just yet.
Duff is her body guard and Lily is unsure if she can trust him or not. There interactions are not easy to follow because Lily doesn’t know if he a good guy or bad guy. But there a connection that she fights to figure out how he can be so nice when he could be part of this whole attempt to kill her.
There is a cliffhanger which I am so lucky that I have the end book in the series so I starting reading it right away. I really loved what I have read so far. Its not over and there so much more to figure out. I don’t know whats going to happen but I am hooked. I want more… One click this one today!!
Every time I finish one of Raine’s books, I am completely blown away. Each story so perfectly executed. Not only do all the intricate pieces build the suspense and excitement, but they all fit perfectly together in stunning ways. Danger around every corner, never knowing who to trust…it’s thrilling!!
Lily’s first book delivered all of that. I. Am. Hooked! Raine has an incredible ability of being able to transport you into her stories. I could feel Lily’s discomfort, her fear, it was palpable. I have no idea what’s going to happen next and I love it!
I can’t get enough of these trilogies. Raine’s writing is superb and the storytelling is brilliant. She has fast become a must read author for me. I’m dying to get my hands on the next installment!!
False Memory
By Meli Raine
Main Characters: Lily & Duff
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
5 out of 5 stars
Holy cow! Wow, I loved this 1st book in the new 3 book series. Lily had worked in a flower shop with her parents but as the book starts out she is in a coma. This is told from Lily’s POV. It starts out showing how Lily is coming out of a coma. It is so realistic. I speak from experience. Coming out of a coma and being on a vent is not pleasant and your brain seems like it is thinking clearly and when you go to write what you are thinking it looks correct to you if not a little wobbly but in reality your visitors can not make heads or tails of what you are thinking and trying to write so you can communicate. I absolutely loved this book and it does end on a cliffhanger but it is a contemporary romantic suspense and I cannot wait to read the other 2 books in this series. It is rare for me to find a romantic suspense novel that has a good balance of suspense and romance. Great job Ms. Raine!
I was so excited and couldn’t wait for this to come out; it did not disappoint! I loved Lily from her introduction, but I was unsure of Duff. I appreciated the ascent from coma patient to functionality. It certainly set the stage to understand and empathize with her evolution and growth into the person she is becoming. I love the dichotomy she puzzles out, as I’ve frequently been there in my own past. It also made me feel less crazy. I love the suspense, which was constant. This book was less action packed a little, but the focus on emotional flavor made up for it. I recommend this book, and can’t wait to get the answers to all my questions.
Knowing can put at risk much more than your life, that was constantly in Lily’s mind. After being mortally wounded, her reality had changed. Lie and do not trust anyone, but for how long could you keep the lie? Intense narrations with the protagonist insight all the time. Doubts, fear, hopeless and distrust presented in each page. Even me was distrusting half the characters. As the first book in the series, think that the suspense was good. Knowing the author’s writing style, I’m very intrigued because from the beginning, we know what Lily knew and the author use to surprise us with intense and exciting twists in her stories. Going for the next book immediately. Liked this story that left me thinking
well written great characters and story. love getting to know Lily and Duff. cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I love Meli’s writing, she never disappoints.
Waking up and seeing your attempted killer’s face is frightening enough. For Lily to realize she’s been in a coma for 14 months and that killer has integrated themselves into her family is worse. Learning they know she knows who they are could spell her death, for real this time. Only by lying can Lily have the hope of surviving and saving her family in the process. Trusting no one is second only to lying to ensure the safety of all those she loves.
Lily is a very strong woman. I admired her inner strength and commitment to her goal, that no one and nothing would keep her from remembering who she is and what she’s fighting for. She never gave up the fight and handled everything that came at her with a focus and clarity that I didn’t expect.
But I have to say this story dragged…a lot. While I appreciated all the little elements that made hour journey through the coma and afterward so real, so visceral, it went on for a long, long time. We do get to the point where she’s out of the hospital and going through the excruciating experience of PT, but by this point we’re deep into the danger from her would-be killer. Her emotional outbursts are quite understandable and I liked seeing her get to a point where something had to change for progression’s sake. When she and Duff were finally coming to some kind of understanding I had a really difficult time following their interactions. Their dialogue wasn’t easy to follow either because it was far more difficult to decipher joking, sarcasm, honesty veiled with lies, outright lies, and intent in their words than it should have been. I had to re-read sections wondering if I was missing something.
The end is quite abrupt and very leading in terms of Lily and Duff’s path together and the drama surrounding them is ramping up to be quite big. It’s definitely a cliffhanger, but that’s to be expected with this author and how she puts her stories together, and the stopping point quite effectively makes you feel almost a sense of panic to get to the next book…
Genre: Romance – Suspense, bodyguard
Standalone: No. Ends on a cliffhanger
Part of a Series: Yes Book 1 of 3 in the False series – follows after the Shameless Series which you don’t need to read but makes it even better if you do
POV: Lily
Steam Level: Minimal
5/5
False Memory sucks you in from the start – beginning with Lily in her coma, hearing the wold around her but unable to interact. While this could have be boring, it was actually very engrossing and engaging and serves to get new readers up to date on who and how Lily ended up in her coma. I liked Lily in Jane’s books (Shameless series) and I love her in this book. While recovering she’s feisty, strong and funny. False Memory had many laugh out loud moment, along with Meli Raine’s signature life outlooks/advice.
I cannot wait to read the rest of this series. While I generally hate cliffhangers I went in knowing it would be one. Knowing ahead of time that this is the first book of a trilogy made this a 5 star read.
I received an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest and voluntary review.
This is the first book in a trilogy. This one ends in a cliffhanger and should be read after the Shameless series so you can have a better understand of what is going on. Its the kind of book that draws you in and keeps you reading. Great characters and a story line that is intriguing. Can’t wait to read the rest.
I voluntarily wrote this review from reading an advanced copy of this book.
I have been on tenterhooks waiting for Lily and Duff’s story!
“False Memory” is book 1 in the False series and it was a great introduction to the series. It did take me a few chapters to really get into this book, but man… did it soon suck me into this world of intrigue Lily and Duff have to navigate.
I am looking forward to seeing what twist and turns lay ahead in books 2 and 3.
Great read!!!
This book grabs you from the first words. Blink..I love the way it is told from Lily’s point of view. Superb writing. This follows the Shameless series so some old friends and enemies make their appearances. Lily is recovering after being shot in the head. I am so glad Meli made the recovery of Lily hard work. Rehab can be a grueling process. But the success of that hard work is so rewarding. Duff, Lily’s bodyguard, is one tough guy. With a sensitive side that slowly peaks out through the book. Is the killer still after Lily? Did Lily see who actually shot her? Can she tell anyone? I cannot wait for the next book!
Amazing start to a series!
Always one to keep us on the edge of our seat, she’s done it again with this book. Lily’s fear and discomfort are palpable. Lily and Duff (her bodyguard) are attracted to each other, but neither is willing to do anything about it. After being shot in her family’s floral shop by a bodyguard assigned to her, she is pretending that she doesn’t know it was him.
Anxiously awaiting the next installment!!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.
Fantastic read by Meli Raine! Her writing will suck you into the story. We first met Lily in the Shameless series. (You do not need to read that series first, but I would recommend it. Not only because it’s good, but you get the back story. The Harmless series starts the whole storyline.)
Lily is alone in a dark place. She can’t move or see. Then snippets of sounds and smells start coming though. She hears her mom, but can’t move. As Lily fights her way back from coma, she remembers what happened to her and the only way to protect herself and her family is to lie about it.
Told in Lily’s POV. You’ll feel her emotions and her fight to keep her secret.
If you love this author this is a must read. I volunteered to read an advance copy for an honest review.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book just as I have all the other books Meli writes. This is the first book of another series so it ends with a cliffhanger but that is ok since now I am just anxiously waiting for the next book. I loved Lily in the last series and this series is about her after she was shot when they thought she was her friend Jane (who is an important senator’s daughter). This book begins where A Shameless Little Bet( the last book in another series) left off yet this can be read without reading that book. I love Lilly’s will to live after being shot by someone who was supposed to be her protector. I also love Duff and the way he protects Lilly. He keeps his emotions in check and you never know what he is thinking. There is a chemistry between Duff and Lilly yet you don’t know want exactly they are thinking. Lilly thinks she can trust Duff yet knows who tried to kill her and they work together so she struggles with how much Duff knows or doesn’t know. I am looking forward to the next book!
OMG! Amazing. Could not put it down. Can not wait for the next book.
I received this ARC for an honest review.
Meli always brings it to the table. This is a spinoff from the Harmless Series. Like that series, the suspense builds slowly, not in a boring slow way. In an intense, can’t put the book down, read half of it in one night and had a book hangover in the morning.
If you do not like cliffhangers this may not be the right series for you. Each book in the Harmless Series built into the next book with a cliffhanger. Meli definitely leaves you anticipating all the “what-ifs”. The suspense, trust, and love built slow and steady.
Thank you for a great new series, I look forward to the next book.
This is the first in the new Trilogy by Meli Raine. I am not a fan of books with a cliffhanger but as these books are all ready to be released at approximately one month intervals, the wait is minimal. Although this is a standalone trilogy (not book, trilogy has to be read in order), it does follow on and cross reference characters from the Harmless and Shameless trilogies and it does help the story to have read these first.
The first third of the book is from Lily’s POV. After being in a coma for months, Lily opens her eyes and the first things she sees are a spray of bereavement flowers with her name on them and the person who tried to kill her. It seems everyone is eager to find out what she remembers, but Lily knows for her safety and that of those close to her, she should fake amnesia.
Duff is assigned to protect Lily from whomever is trying to kill her, not realizing that it is someone very close to them. Lily feels definite sparks of attraction with Duff, but he is trying to keep things professional between them, he is there to protect her after all. Lily feels that by telling anyone who the killer is, she will be putting their lives at risk, but Duff is more perceptive than Lily realizes and he going to get to the truth.
This book is the first in a trilogy with a cliffhanger, but the books are released close together so the wait between installments is not long. The story is well-written with lots of action and intrigue. The characters will draw you in and you will love some and hate others. The heroine is equal measures of strong, stubborn and vulnerable in a way that makes you root for her success. I had a very hard time putting it down and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Meli Raine does it again. She does it over and over again. Just when you think the story is over…you find out..there is WAY more going on. This trilogy takes place after the Shameless trilogy. You could start with this book but to get all the ins and outs of this completely story line, I would personally recommend starting with the Harmless Trilogy, then Shameless, then this one. You won’t be sorry you did and you will catch all the nuances that this book throws in throughout the story. Lily lived a really happy life. She had a great spirit that just sucked you into her vortex and made you smile and learn to enjoy life yourself…if only just a little bit. Lily’s only fault is having a remarkable resemblance to who we know as the most hated person in the country. And she pays for it in spades. Now she must try not only to rebuild her body and her life but hide the fact that she knows who tried to change her life irrevocably. This one ends on a doozy of a cliffhanger that had me begging for the next book (in my head of course). If romantic suspense (and a slow easy burn) is your thing, you will absolutely love Meli Raine AND this book.