A Beautiful Lie - Tyler Robbins 3 1/2 - 4 Hearts

Review written for MM Good Book Reviews

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Jesse has had a lot thrown at him in his young life, losing both parents, his sisters’ fight with cancer, keeping the business going and helping to raise his nephew and staying hidden deep in the closet. When faced with the cancer attacking again, Jesse vows to his sister to look after his nephew while she fights it. Trip returns to town after discovering that the life he thought he wanted just makes him unhappy, discovering his new found attraction to Jesse the two embark on a secret relationship. But Jealousy and lies and secrecy threaten to tear them apart.

This is quite a good story with the secrets of the past being discovered and threatening to blow a family apart. Jesse has hidden his sexuality from everyone but his sister, Joslyn, living in a small town he can’t even tell his best friend Eric, but when Trip (Ethan), Eric’s brother, comes back to town Jesse has a temptation that he just can’t resist. Trip has always hidden his sexuality in the small town so returning home to his resentful brother he knows that he is going back into the closet again, but meeting Jesse as a grown-up shakes his resolve. Joslyn has a secret she dare not tell, she has kept it hidden for years, but now it is on the verge of eruption. Eric resents his brother coming home and slotting himself into Eric’s makeshift family, but Eric also knows something he shouldn’t.

I really have mixed feelings about this story because while I thought it was well written and a great storyline, I found it hard to connect to the characters or understand how they could dole out forgiveness so easily. Trip and Jesse dive into a secret relationship head first, they are hot together and eventually they settle everything between them. Joslyn was a great sister and a great mother but not a very nice person at all, the secret she had would have been taken to the grave if it hadn’t have been discovered by another, and I can’t like a character like that at all. Eric was wrong in his hate and jealousy but you could understand why he acted the way he did, he felt abandoned by his brother and hoarded the family he created. Trip never deserved anything that happened and was completely innocent and was so forgiving you can’t help but love him. Jesse pointed his anger in the wrong places, just because his sister was ill didn’t justify her actions in any way, shape or form or the fact that that Jesse should have been angry with her, I don’t like when someone gets automatic forgiveness just because they are family or dying.

I recommend this to those who love complicated family drama, finding love close to home, secrets, lies, forgiveness, hot sex and a happy ending.