Review | JUST ONE LIE by Kyra Davis

Just One Lie by Kyra Davis
Adult Romance published July 28, 2015
Pocket Books
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the instant international sensation Just One Night, sensible Kasie Fitzgerald unleashed her passions and found herself through an explosive affair. In Just One Lie, we meet Kasie's wild and tortured sister, whose impulsivity and lack of self-control has set off a chain of events that changes her family forever.

Melody Fitzgerald is the opposite of the "perfect" daughter. The lead singer of an indie rock band, she is impulsive and creative, with a rebellious streak that both defines her and becomes her greatest enemy. Her lover, the enticing and unpredictable Ash, shares her free spirit and penchant for trouble. On the face of it, he seems to be her perfect match.

So why is she so drawn to her soft spoken, reliable drummer, Brad Witmer? How can a man who wears polo shirts and reads the financial section of the paper be of any interest to her at all? And why on earth does someone like that appear to be so captivated by her?

Before she knows it, Melody finds herself on a path of self-discovery, passion, and affairs of the heart. But will a dark secret from her past derail it all? Or will its exposure be the very thing that unburdens her heart and allows her to seek a future with the one man who loves her completely?

My Thoughts...

This is touted as a standalone novel and technically it can be, but I did read the first book in the series Just One Night first and although I didn't review it, I did enjoy it.  This one, however, I didn't really connect with.  This book is about the sister that Kasie (from the first book) thought was dead.  Her parents told her that Melody died of a drug overdose, but obviously that's not the case.  Melody was, I believe, close to 10 years older than Kasie so she was easy to fool.

Melody is now Mercy and the book starts on New Years Eve 1999.  Mercy is in a band playing small clubs in LA.  I just never connected with her character.  She's all over the place and much of what she does and says makes no sense to me.  She has a rough childhood and to me it really sounds like she was probably ADD or ADHD as a child and her parents never got proper help for her.  As an adult she appears to be non-diagnosed bipolar, but it's never really addressed at all.

Mercy and Ash have a past, we don't find out the details until much later in the novel.  At first I thought I was going to like Ash, but when he told his first lie, I was out. He is a dog, plain and simple and that Mercy allows him to treat her badly repeatedly annoys me to no end.  Brad on the other hand was what saved this book for me.  I have always had a thing for drummers and the fact that he's hot and incredibly fit doesn't hurt one single bit!  He's clearly the good guy and worth rooting for. 

This story had SO much potential that, for me, was lost in a convoluted timeline and issues with continuity.  Just one Night takes place in present day (or close to it), but since Kasie is a child when Melody "dies", to tell her story we have to go back to close to when it all happens.  Then toward the end it goes forward 6 years, then another 5 to where it's supposed to be in present day again.  There were some pop culture references and product references that didn't seem to fit in to the time she was writing about.  These took me out of the story since I was constantly wanting to Google to see if that product, TV show, etc...was actually around in that year.  I think it's best to be more vague about some things when your story happens in the past. 

I think there will probably be more books in this series, but honestly, I don't think I will pick them up. So far, this book has gotten great reviews on Goodreads so I think it's just something that I didn't personally connect with.

XOXO, Shelly

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*