A sexy, romantic suspense standalone from to 100 Amazon Bestseller R.C. Stephens.Until death do us part. That was what I promised him and I meant every word. Mark wasn’t perfect but perfection doesn’t exist. They say an omission is not a lie but when my husband’s secrets spin out of control, I don’t know where to turn. Then he arrives . . . my best friend’s cousin, Hayes. He’s young and … He’s young and beautiful, and broken — just like me. As a former sailor with the British Navy, he is trained to see things I don’t notice and when my husband’s secrets threaten our family, I turn to Hayes for help.
Life is a journey. I thought my husband was my final destination but it now appears that there is another man waiting for me on the horizon.
Fraud is for a mature audience only. It is a full length standalone with a sexy alpha hero and a guaranteed HEA that will leave you swooning.
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R.C. is a new to me author, and for my first book, this one was an interesting read where it took me to places I don’t usually go. I do not usually like to read books that have a triangle/romance element to it. This book follows Natalia and her husband Mark over year’s while their marriage falls apart. While this is going on Natalia meets Hayes, a younger man that is very attractive.
Natalia and Hayes come in and out of each other’s lives throughout many years. All the while she is still married to Mark. Emotions, angst, love, finding one’s self, and never knowing what is coming next is what makes this book so good. I will be reading more of R.C.
Not a bad story, though the two main characters are very clearly kissing in some scenes when she’s still married. Then Hayes is all….oh let me not get carried away. Uhh, you’re already kissing her dude. I did like their friendship, but again there was too much flirting to be appropriate with a married woman. Also, the stuff with Mark at the end was kinda over the top to me. All in all, it’s really not a bad story. I just wouldn’t have mentioned “cheating is not in her DNA” when clearly they were, no matter the situation.
There were times that I felt this book was slow and a bit repetitive, but once the twist in the storyline occurred, things really took off. I tried to guess what some of the secrets were, and I was partially right, but wow, still really wrong! I like it when a book can surprise me!
Hang onto this ride that’s all I have to say. I love where R.C Stephens takes us with Fraud. Places that I never saw coming fully. Natalia is an amazing mom and overall strong. You see her strength build through the years of this read. I love Hayes. He has this way about him that really make him seem so much older then his time. He is loyal and centered. I love the slowly building chemistry between Natalia and Hayes through out this one. Even with Natalia being married you can’t hope but just have that little guilt with wanting Hayes with Natalia over her husband Mark. Know Mark ugh don’t get me started on him. You will just have to read Fraud to find out all about him. Fraud is an incredible read that I don’t want to get into too much about it and spoil it for you. Just read this one and enjoy the ride.
From onlookers perspective it would appear that Natalia Gomez has a happy life, one that comes with a husband and adorable young children. But that isn’t the case at all, her husband has been keeping secrets the last couple of years, doing things out of character, and becoming more distant with everyday that passes. Her friends have suggested considering leaving the marriage, but she is determined to make it work, and she tries… but after years of pouring her heart into and seeing no result it has left at her breaking point.
Then along the way she meets Hayes and he opens her eyes to the things her life has been missing, the attraction between them is undeniable, but Natalia is adamant that she will not cheat. Or let her heart lead her astray, no matter how good the attention he pays her feels. So they settle for friendship, and try their best to keep their feelings under wraps… but how long can they go on like this?
Fraud is the story of a woman stuck in an unlikely situation, she’s married to a man who acts like she is more of an inconvenience than a blessing in his life, and she has also captured the attention of a much younger man who would move heaven and earth to be with her. As the story unfolds you follow Natalia as she tries to make the best of her unraveling marriage to Mark, and also navigate this interesting friendship she has with Hayes. This heart-wrenching tale captured my attention right off the bat, the more I learned about these characters, the more invested I became in their lives, and the more my heart hurt for them. I enjoyed this one, it’s story line was riddled with emotion to tug on the heartstrings, and also came with a few unexpected suspenseful surprises that had me sitting up and taking notice. Highly recommend you check this one out, it’s a well blended and captivating tale that is sure to satisfy!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.
Fraud by RC Stephens is this romantic suspense/ psychological thriller that will have you literally on the edge of your seat as the twists and turns just keep coming. I don’t want to give any spoilers away but what you need to know about this story is it will shock and will have you asking could you stay or should you have left way before things imploded ? Hayes and Natalie are the couple to root for. They bring the heat, the angst and the feels. Gah I can’t say much more except that this had me literally up half the night reading and then staying awake re-reading because this was so intense and beautiful.
My Rating: 4.5 stars *****
Holy amazing story! I could not put this book down!
Meet Natalia, married, has her kids and learns that her marriage is based on nothing but lies. She is struggling on what is the right thing to do at this point, as her husbands lies continue to plague her, when she meets her best friend Immy’s husbands cousin Hayes..He’s there for her in ways she needs right now and that’s all that matters. While he tell’s her basically he likes her, he becomes her strength and go to guy.
I will not give anything other than the above away. This story help my attention so much I couldn’t put it down, I had to finish it and see what happened! Amazing story, you do not want to miss this one! 5+ stars for this! Kudo’s to the author for keeping me on the edge of my seat!!
Holy amazing story! I could not put this book down!
Meet Natalia, married, has her kids and learns that her marriage is based on nothing but lies. She is struggling on what is the right thing to do at this point, as her husbands lies continue to plague her, when she meets her best friend Immy’s husbands cousin Hayes..He’s there for her in ways she needs right now and that’s all that matters. While he tell’s her basically he likes her, he becomes her strength and go to guy.
I will not give anything other than the above away. This story help my attention so much I couldn’t put it down, I had to finish it and see what happened! Amazing story, you do not want to miss this one! 5+ stars for this! Kudo’s to the author for keeping me on the edge of my seat!!
Even though RC Stephens makes it quite apparent that this story is about a married woman with a marriage built upon lies and she finds a connection with another man… don’t assume that RC Stephens is going to go the typical route with this story. I appreciated the fact that this was different from other love triangle/romantic suspense tropes. RC Stephens doesn’t just throw these characters at you and have an insta-relationship ensue over the span of weeks.
Natalia Gomez didn’t want to be married and follow in her parents unhappy footsteps, but when she met Mark and they connected over similar family tragedies, she finds herself happily married… That is until she’s not. After her husband, Mark, returns from visiting family in regards to his mother having surgery for breast cancer, she feels him distancing himself from her and she doesn’t understand why. She doesn’t want to seems pushy or needy, but she wants her husband back. When she meets up with her BFF, Imogen, for a day at the beach, she meets Immy’s husband’s cousin, Hayes Taylor, and he makes her feel how her husband used to make her feel.
Hayes has just recently been discharged from the British Navy and is now studying in NYC. For a young man, he is a beautifully broken character that I couldn’t get enough of. Even though he is younger that Natalia, the two bond over their love of the water and their relationship is a slow burning one… But quite frankly, I preferred it that way because it’s more to the story than just them and their connection.
I was pleasantly surprised that I couldn’t predict where RC Stephens was going to take these characters and the plot twists were definitely a page turner.
** I voluntarily left a honest review after reading an advanced review copy of this book **
Slow at times.
5 Real Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
Talk about stepping up your game as an author!! R. C. Stephens has done just that with her newest book, Fraud. I have a bad habit of reading a book without reading the authors synopsis of it and I was not disappointed in this one. There is just so much to this book. From start to finish you are like: What is going on!!! That can’t be happening!!! WOW that did just happen!!!
So well written that I was pulled in from the start. This story runs so smooth and is so detailed that the feels just jump off the page. The twists that take place, I did not see coming. I thought one thing would happen and it went the opposite way.
A Marriage built on lies, feelings of being pulled under to keep what she always wanted, life is a real struggle. Meeting a man was not suppose to happen. Even though he is younger and maybe more broken then she is, the connection/chemistry is chart-topping. But she’s a married women that’s how it will stay. Doesn’t that sound like something you need to read!
My favorite words written by the author is this line “This is not only my fight song, this is my journey to discover love”.. Beautifully said to go with a beautiful story that will make you feel all the feels and fall in love with this story.
Eye Opening! Do you stay for the sake of kids like many do or do you fight to have a better life for your family? Very tough decision to make and can differ by family. There is no right or wrong decision since each person has a different story to tell. Fraud gives us a story of a marriage built on lies and so much more. Once you start reading you are going to want to continue reading without interruption to see what the ultimate decision will be. There are twists and some jaw droppers that you don’t see coming as details unfold. This is a story about fighting for what is best for your and your family and finding the love you deserve.
Natalie and Hayes are both broken and have a connection, but one thing she won’t do is cheat on her spouse even though her marriage is not a marriage. She’s married so the tension between these two is off the charts. The suspense of how this story unfolds and if Natalie will find the love, she deserves grips you to the pages till the end. There is more that I could say, but I would have to speak of events so I’m going to say just read this story and see how the deception and turns play out. This is my first read by this author and it certainly won’t be the last.
Amount of sex 2.5 / 5
How explicit is the sex scenes 2 / 5
Story 5 / 5
Overall: 5 / 5
RC Stephens has done it again!
Fraud is a suspenseful romance full of drama, desire, and deceptions. The sexual tension was off the charts at times, and it was filled with so many emotions. The storyline was unique, gripping, and I was unable to put this fabulous story down. I really want to fill you in on all the details, but I think you should experience them first hand. Just know that once you begin, you will not want to put it down!
My advice, find a quiet nook away from everyone. Get comfortable and buckle your seatbelts for an epic love story.
Unputdownable!!
Fraud by RC Stephens is one of those books you start hurting in the very beginning imagining what will happen next. I truly loved this intense and suspenseful story!
Natalia’s story is like so many more around the world. In a marriage where she doesn’t feel loved anymore, she tries to keep things going for the sake of her daughter. Mark is a strange man and husband, that makes you angry and wanting to slap him over and over again.
When Hayes, a sexy British, younger and broken man, appears in her life she feels attracted to him, to his attention towards her. Hayes wants Natalia but he knows he can’t have her because she’s married, so never forgetting her he lives his life not wanting to disturb her marriage.
When the story develops further, it gets even more intense and I wont be saying anything about that, because if you go in blind you will discover secrets that will make your head spin.
Excellent book!
Fraud
By RC Stephens
Main Characters: Natalia & Hayes
I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author.
5 out of 5 stars
I think the author should put a little caveat that there is a small amount of emotional cheating. This book takes you over a period of years instead of just months. Great character development even though some of the m/c are not very likeable. At times I wanted to knock some sense into Natalia and I loved everything about Hayes. This is a story of slightly older women to a younger man. There are some twist and turns towards the end of the book. One I saw coming and the rest I did not. This book had suspense, secrets, lies, action, surprises and great chemistry. I couldn’t put the book down until I knew the outcome. This is the first book by RC Stephens that I have read and I absolutely loved it. This is a dual POV. For awhile I had a hard time with Natalia not sticking up for herself but whenever she did she would acquiesce to her husband eventually to keep the peace. Highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more books by her.
Fraud is the second book by RC Stephens that I’ve read this year, the first being Big Stick, a hockey romance. With Fraud, I was treated to a psychological thriller which on its own is enough to show a wide range of storytelling by the author.
This is the story of Natalia Gomez, a young woman who seemingly has it all. She’s married and a mom, living near her family in Florida. Although times have been a bit rough financially, she’s always believed that her relationship with her husband, Mark, has been a solid one. Until one day, it isn’t. When Mark returns home after visiting his family in California, something dramatic has changed. He distances himself from both his wife and child. Natalia is in a state of understandable upset and confusion when she crosses paths with her best friend’s cousin, Hayes Taylor.
Hayes is eye candy distraction supreme. He’s from the UK, recently discharged from the British Navy, and now studying in New York City. He considerably younger than Natalia, unattached, and shares Natalia’s love of the water. While getting to know one another better at a beach outing, a forbidden attraction quickly develops between the two. This initially had me on edge, but it is also clear early on that both characters refrain from acting upon their primal impulses.
The rest of the book takes place not over a period of days, weeks, or months, but over a span of years. We watch as Hayes and Natalia float in and out of each other’s lives. Both are committed to pursuing their own dreams, even so the two often wonder about how the other is doing. As Natalia’s marriage continues to deteriorate, the reader is left to wonder how long she and Hayes can withhold their mutual affection. To reveal much more about the plot would reveal spoilers that are best left unshared.
For me, there were several surprises within the pages of Fraud. The second half of the book took many surprising twists and turns, and while some of my suspicions were confirmed there were several more that I didn’t see coming at all. Even though I was initially wary of Hayes and the toll his presence could take on Natalia, I stuck with the novel and was ultimately glad when I saw what fate had in store for everyone. An enjoyable 4 star read.
Natalie and Hayes are both broken souls, and the chemistry between them is intense. No spoilers; this is a must read, you will not be disappointed! This is a beautifully written flawless story, which is filled with secrets, suspense, lies, betrayal, danger, and is a steamy read. I was totally intrigued and hooked throughout, and look forward to reading more from this talented author, whose work I highly recommend for all.
Forbidden and addictive!!! Fraud by R.C. Stephens writes a story that gives you so many wow moments that make you shake your head time and time again. Truly enjoyed the characters and the storyline in this book, it was addictive from start to finish.
Natalie was married to a man she no longer knew!! His secrets and his past are more than she can handle and leaves her feeling hopeless. Even though she felt she should stay for her children she was not happy and would never be while in that marriage. When she meets Tyler she instantly likes him… he is a bit broken also but he is a good man and he cares about her. Tyler falls for Natalie yet never pushes her to be more than friends!!
This story is explosive in parts and makes me think about whether or not I would stay if I felt the same way. Intense, great plot, great twists and very well written. Definitely a must read!!!
I loved fraud! It was about having a second chance at life. It has twists and turns you wont see coming. It had me roped in from the beginning. I definitely recommend this book!
4.5 Intriguing Stars!
This was not what I was expecting, making it the perfect read! it was very well-written and flowed smoothly, even through the “ugly”parts. I was on the edge of my seat, flipping pages because I needed to know the secrets that Mark was hiding. I have to say that I to say there were times I was questioning Natalia’s need to stay for her kids because Mark was not the doting father and loving husband they deserved. I loved that this was a story about Natalia taking her life back and the long journey it was, because let’s face it ~ that’s more realistic. She had an amazing support system in her friends and the break through she had with her parents was endearing. Ahhhh, can I just say Hayes is AWESOME?!?!