A Lie for a Lie

Written by Helena Hunting

Narrated by Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Pucked series comes a romantic comedy about instant attraction, second chances, and not-so-little white lies.

Sometimes I need an escape from the demands, the puck bunnies, and the notoriety that come with being an NHL team captain. I just want to be a normal guy for a few weeks. So when I leave Chicago for some peace and quiet, the last thing I expect is for a gorgeous woman to literally fall into my lap on a flight to Alaska. Even better, she has absolutely no idea who I am.

Lainey is the perfect escape from my life. My plan for seclusion becomes a monthlong sex fest punctuated with domestic bliss. But it ends just as abruptly as it began. When I’m called away on a family emergency, I realize too late that I have no way to contact Lainey.

A year later, a chance encounter throws Lainey and me together again. But I still have a lie hanging over my head, and Lainey’s keeping secrets of her own. With more than lust at stake, the truth may be our game changer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Oct 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781799748748

Helena Hunting

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author HELENA HUNTING lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. She writes all things romance -- contemporary, romantic comedy, sports and angsty new adult. Some of her books include Meet Cute, Pucked, and Shacking Up. Helena loves to bake cupcakes and has been known to listen to a song on repeat 1512 times while writing a book, and if she has to be away from her family, she prefers to be in warm weather with her friends.

Reviews for A Lie for a Lie

[Linnea Erlingsson · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If you like sappy romance with little to no plot you’ll like this one. After the first 1/3 of the book the rest felt like an epilogue. Nothing much happen after that. This book is sweet and romantic and that is just not my cup of tea. I though it would be more drama and spice

[AJ · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was okay. I lost a lot of interest in the last 1/3. Really missed opportunities for more interesting turns in the story. We never get any reaction scenes from anyone to the big "surprise". He's semi famous, that could have been some fun. Or either of their families. Nope, just after the fact. So there's basically zero drama for the last half of the book. Just people living Iives.

[ftbooklover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When RJ Bowman needs time away from the crowds and lifestyle of an NHL hockey player, he visits his cabin in Alaska for some quiet fishing. On the way there, he meet Lainey who is on her third masters' degree, this time in marine biology. She is headed to Alaska to study local wildlife. They end up spending a few magical weeks together, but when the real world calls, they separate and lose track of each other until fate brings the two of them back together at an aquarium birthday party.

A Lie for a Lie is a cute, fun romance filled with humor and sweet moments. The dialogue, while being quirky at times, is realistic and believable. Although the children in the story are typical toddlers, they are also adorable and add to the enjoyment of the book. Even though, the conflict in this story is minimal, the adult characters are extremely likable and deal with real life issues such as anxiety and trauma. Overall, A Lie for A Lie fits the mold of a light and entertaining romance.

[akbouterse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 stars

Unfortunately, I just really didn't like this one. It had a surprise pregnancy, which is a trope I really don't like. I didn't like how naive our main character Lainey seemed to be. She just seemed like the very stereotypical character that has a lot of book smarts but no social skills which is so overdone. Rook felt like the very stereotypical bro-y hockey guy and I thought he had a very flat personality. I felt no chemistry between them whatsoever. Their time spent in Alaska wasn't a strong enough buildup for me to believe that they fell in love there and never got over each other. I thought the sex scenes in this book were really poorly written. I listened to this one partially with the audiobook and those scenes were genuinely hard to listen to. The way characters talked about sex and the bodies of the other characters just felt so immature. There was one scene in the aquarium early in the book that had me just shaking my head.
A lot of other reviews I read said they were disappointed with this book because it ended up being nothing like the synopsis. I actually knew absolutely nothing going into this book. I wanted to read some of the most anticipated romances of 2020 and this one was really high on the goodreads list for January releases. However, I did go back and read the synopsis and it does make it seem like a lot more of this book would be set in Alaska when really, most of it takes place in Chicago.
I will not be continuing on with this series and I will probably not pick up anything else by this author. Her writing style was a part of the reason I didn't like this book so I think her books and I probably just don't match.

[nelispelusa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was happy to get another Helena book and another hockey series I mean I loved the Pucked series so imagine how happy I was to get reunited with them. So we meet Rook or RJ as he tells Lainey he is and he is trying to get away from the chaos and Bunnies, I mean he sure did pay for sleeping around. So we can understand why he lied to Lainey or omitted the truth of who he really is, so we can understand his reasoning but you also got her reasoning. So Lainey bumps into RJ again a year later after the time they spent together in Alaska, and she is also keeping a secret from RJ, but you knew what it was after the back and forth these two get together and we were rooting for them all along..Can't wait til the next one Helena!!! Enjoy!!!Rcvd an ARC at no cost to author..Voluntarily reviewed with my own thoughts and opinions.

[dlynch-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Helena Hunting has a game-winner with A Lie for a Lie (All In #1). The All In series takes place in the same world as Helena Hunting’s Pucked series. This is Rook (Rookie/RJ) Bowman’s and Lainey Carver’s story. Rook is now the captain of Chicago’s NHL team. He meets the girl of his dreams while he is in Alaska. Best part, she has no idea he’s an NHL star. Unfortunately, he neglects to tell her his profession and his real name, going by his family nickname, RJ. After a family emergency, they are separated without getting each other’s contact information. A year later, they unexpectedly meet again, and they both have secrets. This contemporary sports romance is suitable for adult readers. It takes place in Alaska, Chicago, and Seattle. I loved this book. Helena Hunting did an amazing job with this story. The plot was thought-provoking and skillfully written. The characters are genuine and likeable. Rook understandably enjoys being treated normal and not like a celebrity. He knows Lainey likes him for who he really is and not his celebrity persona. Lainey is smart, three master’s degrees intelligent. She has a tragedy in her past that haunts her. The two make an amazing couple that make each other stronger individuals. They have some trust issues to overcome and some other challenges. I appreciated that the Pucked crew made appearances in this story. You can always count on them for a good laugh. I’m looking forward to book two, A Favor for a Favor. This is Rook’s sister Stevie’s story. I recommend this book to people who enjoy second chance sports romances. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.