Blog Tour Stop!! Review & Excerpt: Loving Your Lies by Piper Shelly

Loving Your Lies by Piper Shelly

Genre: Paranormal Romance (YA)

Julian is drop-dead gorgeous, annoyingly provocative, and he's fast becoming her best friend. But he also has a secret that makes the little hairs on her arms stand on end... My name is Jona Montiniere, and that’s pretty much the only good thing to say about me. 

I’m seventeen, I’m snarky, and I’m a crap-load of trouble. Or so they say. But what did they expect from me really, when they dumped me in an orphanage at age five? That I’d grow up to become the new first lady? Nah, I think it’s much more fun to raid Camden Market in London with my friend, Debby. She’s cool. She lives on the street. I learned so much from her. 

The only thing she missed to teach me was how to tend to a vineyard. And yeah, that’s what I’m going to do for the next 6 weeks, courtesy to this darn judge, who sent me off to France after I was caught stealing again. Fair enough, the vineyards are okay, and so are my aunt and uncle, who I haven’t met up ‘til now. What isn’t okay, and I mean it, is that I have to live in the same house with my mother, that god-awful dragon, who spurned when I was only a child. And now she wants me back? Demands my forgiveness? Why, because she’s about to die of cancer? Uh-uh. Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen. I want no contact with that woman, thanks. 

But what’s Julian got to do with all of this? About my age, he’s too young to be my mother’s lover. So why doesn’t he leave her side? Ever. He’s different, as in the paranormal kind of different, but he’s sa-woon-worthy gorgeous. He obviously has secrets, but he’s also get-under-my-skin charming. In short, he’s a riddle to me. But he likes me, and that’s scaring the shit out of me. I sure won’t let anyone come too close. 

So now I'm wondering only two things: How did he manage to hold me in his arms after only three days? And how the hell do you keep an angel earth bound?

My Rating: 4 Coffee Cups!!

Although this book is listed as Paranormal, that is a minor sub-plot. This book in my opinion is centered around love, family and forgiveness.

Like the blurb says Jona Montiniere is a 17 year old orphan. She has been in a children's home for the last 12 years after her mother's having left her there and has been doing her best to survive it. Be tough, don't show any weakness, when life comes at you throw it an attitude and do whatever you have to do to survive. Even if it means to steal. To the point where you make friends with a police sergeant. Jona isn't by any means a bad person, but she feels abandoned, friendless (with the exception of the police officer Quinn) and believes that no one truly cares for her. When she is caught for the bazillionth time stealing in a matter of a year she gets more than her typical slap on the wrists. She gets her mother, who she has only seen once since her abandonment. Her mother is terminally ill and she wants to try and right some of the wrongs she created in her life, first and foremost being her daughter. Jona's mother has been staying with her aunt (who Jona never knew existed) in France and the judge's punishment is for Jona to accompany her and work in the vineyard her family owns. She has 6 weeks until her 18th birthday which she will be a legal adult and no longer in need of a guardian. She wants no part of this forced family reunion (and who can really blame her), but has no other option than to attempt to stick out the 6 weeks. Especially when she realizes that her mother's mysterious caretaker Julian will be there too.

Julian is different. He believes in Jona, immediately trusts her and sees right through the snarky, angsty vibe she puts out. She finds herself enjoying the time she spends with him, albeit infuriating at times. And she finds the walls she had so forcefully built around her slowly crumbling down. The thing with that is though is that not only is Julian finding his way in but so is her aunt Marie and her uncle Albert. And FAR, FAR more reluctantly (and with a few much needed question and answer sessions) her mother is sneaking her way in there as well. 

But as she mends fences and opens her heart there is still the question of what exactly IS Julian that is plaguing her. He's not ordinary. He has "abilities" that are not what a normal 20 something caretaker should have. Now, I'm not going to lie, it's not all that hard to work this out on your own. It's not a big shocker. But I still won't spoil it for ya. And predictable or not it's not the main theme of this book, so the predictability of this for me didn't put me off. It's just an all around great read.

Excerpt:

  

“Then you are going to live with your family.” The bang of his little wooden hammer slamming onto the small round plate sealed the matter. “Now get out of my courtroom and don’t come back.”

I was so screwed.

When they started making plans over my head, and voices mixed to a painful blur, Quinn let me wait outside the room. I had to promise not to run off or pick up a fight with an officer again before he opened the door for me. I restrained from giving him the finger and slipped out.

Elbows propped on my bent knees, I sat on the floor in the hallway with my back resting against the windowed wall. The chain of the cuffs rattled mockingly. With them on, I wouldn’t get far on an escape for fresh air. I might as well surrender to my horrendous fate.

Utterly miserable and confused about my new future, and no less annoyed by the glances of passing officials, my head dipped back, my gaze focusing on the blank ceiling. Out of habit when I was by myself—and stuck knee-deep in shit—I started humming a song I didn’t know the name of. It always had a strangely soothing effect on me. Odds were I had made up the melody myself over the years. But I’d hummed, whistled or tapped the rhythm with my fingers so often that the tune wouldn’t get out of my head ever.

The door to Abe’s room opening opposite me didn’t disrupt my low singing. But when my mother’s blond friend came out and leaned one shoulder casually against the column in the middle of the hallway, the hum died in my throat.

“Hi,” he said with a compassionate look that made me wish the traitor, Quinn, had taken off those damn handcuffs so I wouldn’t look like a complete idiot.

Lips pressed together, my fingers waggled in a feeble greeting. The mere sight of this man sent a quiver of excitement to my stomach.

“That was quite an interesting…situation in there.”

With an evil grin, I hoped to send the message Mind your own crap, buddy to him. Out loud, I said sweetly, “Glad you enjoyed the show.”

“I didn’t really.” He wrinkled his nose. “Getting involved with Laurel and Hardy in there wasn’t your best idea. Even a smart girl like you might get hurt in a fight with those two.”

Yeah, sure. My eyes narrowed to slits. But his words warmed my heart in an unfamiliar way.

The young man nodded his chin at my tied hands. “They look a little uncomfortable.”

And they bloody well were, but I shrugged it off like it was nothing unusual. “The latest fashion. You heard the judge, I wear them quite often.”

A teasing smile played around his lips that spiked my blood pressure. “Shall we take them off?” he said.

He must be kidding. “Unless you’ve got teeth like a hacksaw, I don’t see how that would work.”

He crossed the hall to me, pulling out a key-ring from his pocket. He squatted, leveled his eyes with mine, and shook the ring in front of my face. The friendly jingle of metal filled the high hallway.

My mouth fell open. “Where did you get these from?”

“Chief Madison.”

“You stole them from Quinn?” I pulled my hands out of his reach.

“Of course not.” The blond god gave me a pointed look. “I asked for them.”

Why would this guy ask my officer friend to release me? Frowning, I concentrated on the safety pin in my jeans. “Quinn wouldn’t free me when I asked him to.”

His intense blue eyes locked with mine. “I had to solemnly swear to keep an eye on you. Now hold still.” Cool fingers curled around my wrist to fix my hand while he unlocked the first cuff. Sparks tingled on my skin, my hand trembled slightly.

Why would he give his word to an officer, to free me? Why even care? He’d do well to stay behind that door, holding my horrible mother’s hand instead of setting mine free. With a click, the other cuff came off. I flexed my hands and rubbed my burning wrists. The shackles had left bright red lines on my skin.

“Better?” He tilted his head and arched one beautiful brow.

My head bobbed, but I found no breath to answer.

“Okay then.” He used my knees to push himself up and stretched to his full height.

He probably expected my gratitude following his selflessness. My gaze focused on the ripped hems of his jeans, my lips remained sealed.

When he turned on his heel and marched off to the left, I glanced up. “And now you’re going where?” The words shot out before I could stop myself.

“Bathroom break.” His arched brows dared me to object.

My lower lip threatened to pop from between my teeth as I chewed on it. Don’t speak! “But you’re supposed to keep an eye on me.”

After studying me for a couple of seconds, his expression softened even more. “You’re not going to get me into trouble.”

I let him take another stride away from me. Two. Three. Four. “How can you be so sure?” Shut the hell up, Jona. “After everything you know about me, I’ll probably be gone when you get back.”

A shrug of one shoulder and his beguiling smile struck me silent. “I trust you.” A moment later he disappeared around the corner.

Buy it now on AMAZON

Tidbits on the Author:

Hi, I’m Piper. I’m an Austrian lass—totally uncomplicated and up to anything fun. 

I grew up in Vienna, not by free will but because my parents decided to move there when I was only 4 years old. Ugh, that was hard. I hated the city. Everything about it. So I moved back to Upper Austria right after graduation. There are trees now in front of my window instead of just another ugly gray building, and I love to be woken by the singing of birds every morning. One of my favorite movies? Snow White. The dwarves’ house would be one epic place to live. 

At seventeen, I met the love of my life, but he was a playboy, and though he was also the inspiration for many of my teen romances, I didn’t make it easy for him to get me. It took him another four years of fighting for me until I finally decided to give that “couple-thing” with him a shot. I’m now married to this man ;-) It’s cool if you can say: I tamed Casanova. What I’m currently reading? The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy. 

We have a ten-year-old son, and together we travel a lot…although I sometimes wish the trips were shorter because I can’t wait to get back to my laptop and my many stories. Unless we’re in Disneyland. No stress to go home then. ;-) 

So, you see, I’m leading a pretty normal life. Of course, it’ll all change the day my books follow the act of Harry Potter, and I’ll become richer than the Queen. I swear I’ll never again clean my windows myself then. Yeah, one day… LOL

Ways to Stalk Her: 

Website: www.pipershelly.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorpiper