Fans of Veronica Mars or Ally Carter will love the snarky, whip-smart former con artist Eleanor, in this sequel to Chasing Truth.
At Holden Prep, dirty little secrets always have a way of coming to the surface.
Eleanor
Ames has never been what she seems. Average high school student on the
outside, but reformed con artist trying to break free of her past on the
inside. When Eleanor receives startling news about someone from her
previous criminal life, plans for a new operation coinciding with her
school’s upcoming field trip quickly consume her.
But operations
rarely go according to plan. And this is one her irresistible teen FBI
agent boyfriend, Miles, would never approve of.
Now, more than just Ellie’s reputation is at stake. If she fails, it could be her life.
Buylinks:
https://entangledpublishing.com/chasing-truth.html
Amazon: Paperback £7.18 or £4.74, 300 pages
Expected publication:
April 17th 2018
by Entangled: Teen
Excerpt from Hiding Lies:
My
feet have been dangling. I start to lift them up, attempting to conceal myself.
But I’m not fast enough. Warm fingers wrap around my ankle.
“Got
you,” the guy says. “How long have you been up there spying on me?”
“Spying?
On you?” I shake my head. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m waiting
for someone. He’ll be here any second.”
The
hot guy takes the binoculars and looks them over, analyzing the zoom-in and
recording switches hidden on the underside. “Fancy. Not exactly for
recreational use.”
That’s
because they’re Aidan’s. My sister’s boyfriend. Up until two weeks ago, when he
was forced to resign, Aidan was a Secret Service agent. He used all kinds of
spy gear in his former job—like these high-tech night-vision binoculars.
I hop
down from the tree, assessing the intruder, searching for body language that
says friend or enemy, even though I already know the answer. No harm in having
a little extra practice. Role-play is definitely a skill of mine, but it’s also
a muscle that must be worked regularly. “Just so you know, I am trained in self-defense. Wouldn’t try
anything if I were you.”
“Yeah?”
He lifts an eyebrow. “That’s good because this place is sketchy as hell.”
We
both glance around the deserted warehouse building beside us, the vandalized
lumberyard nearby, and the questionable items strewn across the walkway leading
to the giant warehouse door—condom wrappers, broken beer bottles, cigarette
butts.
“You’re
right, it’s sketchy,” I say. “I better take off before something bad happens.”
“Wait…”
Hot Guy reaches for me, his fingers curling around my waist. He tugs me until
my back rests against the tree and we’re hidden from anyone on the street.
“Tell me about this other guy you’re waiting on.”
I
stare up at him, taking in the cocky smirk, perfectly messy dark hair, and blue
eyes that hold dozens of secrets. “What other guy?”
He
grins, showing off two perfect dimples to go with the rest of his perfects.
“Good answer.”
Then,
before I can refocus on the role I’ve been playing, he leans down and kisses
me. It’s only been a week but feels like a month. Maybe longer. His cheeks are
cold, but his lips are warm and tender. I bring him closer and closer until his
slinged arm is lodged between us.
“Miles,”
I mumble against his lips.
“Uh-huh.”
“Miles,”
I repeat, too caught up in this kiss to celebrate the slip he just made.
“That’s his name. The guy I’m waiting
on.”
“Miles.
Sounds like an asshole. Forget him.” He pulls away just enough to see my face.
His good hand rests against my cheek. He looks like he’s about to dive into
kissing me again but hesitates. “It’s really cold out here.”
“And
sketchy,” I add. “Why would you pick a place like this? You can’t coast forever
on the whole mysterious-hot-guy persona. So if that’s your plan, I’d rather
meet at the Y or Planet Fitness like a normal person.”
He
rolls his eyes. “Yes, that’s my goal in life. Devote all my time to training to
be a spy so I can impress girls.”
Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Refreshing and vibrant. 5*
I'm
totally in love with Julie Cross's books. This is my fourth and I just
can't wait for more! If she's writing I'm reading! Her stories are
always colourful and her characters are complex.
Hiding lies is
the follow-up book to Chasing Truth. It can be read as a standalone (It
has all the catch up you need) but I would recommend reading book one
first.
Eleanor Ames has been compared to Veronica Mars and in
many ways, she's the closest famous character to relate to her, but
Ellie is so much more. Who is Eleanor Ames? Well, that's just it. Not
even Ellie knows who she really is. Her mother is in jail and her father
is a notorious con man. She now lives with her sister and they have a
fake name but Ellie doesn't know her real name anyway. Ellie feels bad
about how things turned out for her mother. She feels her dad should be
the one doing the time.
Ellie is now settled into a normal high
school teen life. She studies and is actually considering college. Two
things Ellie never thought she could have. Her boyfriend Miles aka
secret agent in training is visiting her for Christmas before he
vacations in Turkey. His parents have accepted her and he is keeping her
self-defence skills in top form.
Ellie's family are all con
artists. Her cousins are probably not related to her and all family
members have special talents. Her father is the mastermind behind the
cons and her mother was the conscience that kept them safe. Now she's
gone her father has taken his tricks to a whole new level. Ellie's
cousin, Oscar has managed to hunt her down and wants her help. The
family are in trouble and Oscar thinks Ellie is the only one who can
turn it around.
Dominic was close to Simon and Miles. Now he
will become Ellie's new best friend. We get to see a whole new side to
Dominic and I'm loving his character. He's smart and brilliant when he
puts his mind to it.
Miles and Ellie's relationship is taken to
the next level. I love these two and their relationship is just so
complex. The criminal and the federal agent. It works so well. They both
have a trick or two up their sleeves. Their relationship is intense and
passionate.
The great thing about this book is that we get to
see all the characters again and the story follows perfectly. We get to
know more about Ellie's past. There is no black and white everything is
grey.
We are going on a schools trip with Holden Prep to New
York City. The trip will be educational in more ways than one. There
will be an opportunity to meet with college representatives, write a
school report and enjoy the delights the city has to offer. The problem
is Ellie is taking more than her school friends. She has to juggle
school work, meet with her father and did I mention the FBI? They have
decided to join the party too! Ellie has a new mission. She's hoping to
help her mum get out of jail but this ride is going to be bumpy.
I absolutely love this story. It's exciting and full of twists. The characters are dynamic and interesting.
I
really like Julie Cross's writing style and she keeps me hooked on
every word. There is so much more I could tell you about this book but I
don't want to spoil anything. In my opinion, this is a must-read.
Highly recommended. It has romance, dangerous missions and loveable
characters.
5 stars out of 5. I enjoyed this one even more than the first. *I received ARC in exchange for a review.
About Julie Cross: Julie Cross is a NYT and USA Today bestselling
author of New Adult and Young Adult fiction, including the Tempest
series, a young adult science fiction trilogy which includes Tempest,
Vortex, Timestorm (St. Martin's Press). She's also the author of Letters
to Nowhere series, Whatever Life Throws at You, Third Degree, Halfway
Perfect, Chasing Truth, Off the Ice and many more to come! Julie Cross
was a longtime resident of central Illinois but has recently moved her
entire family across the country to continue her academic studies at
Stanford University.
Author Links: Author Website:
http://juliecrossbooks.com/
Author
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/juliecross1980
Author Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FansOfJulieCross/
Author Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3429117.Julie_Cross
At Holden Prep, the
rich and powerful rule the school—and they’ll do just about anything to
keep their dirty little secrets hidden.
When former con
artist Eleanor Ames’s homecoming date commits suicide, she’s positive
there’s something more going on. The more questions she asks, though,
the more she crosses paths with Miles Beckett. He’s sexy, mysterious,
arrogant…and he’s asking all the same questions.
Eleanor might not trust him—she doesn’t even like
him—but they can’t keep their hands off of each other. Fighting the
infuriating attraction is almost as hard as ignoring the fact that Miles
isn’t telling her the truth…and that there’s a good chance he thinks
she’s the killer.
400 pages
Published
September 27th 2016
by Entangled: Teen
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