The Lies We Steal (The Hollow Boys, 1)

🌶️ Spice Level: 6.5/10

Description:

Briar Lowell arrives at Hollow Heights University determined to uncover the truth behind the secrets surrounding her family, but she quickly finds herself caught in the dangerous orbit of the Hollow Boys. At the centre of it all is Alistair Caldwell, wealthy, powerful, cruel and impossible to ignore. Their relationship is built on distrust, hostility and an attraction neither of them wants to admit, while the dark secrets surrounding Ponderosa Springs become increasingly difficult to escape. As Briar becomes more entangled with Alistair and the other Hollow Boys, she discovers that the people around her are hiding far more than she ever imagined. With dark academia, morally grey characters, enemies to lovers tension, obsession, mystery, revenge, criminal secrets, possessive energy and a dangerous college setting, The Lies We Steal is a dark and suspenseful beginning to the Hollow Boys series.

Reviews:

Readers are drawn to the dark atmosphere, mysterious storyline and morally grey characters, with Alistair's dangerous personality and the tension between him and Briar creating plenty of intrigue. The book contains explicit open door scenes, including exhibitionism and primal chase play, but the sexual content is not especially frequent compared with the hotter books in the series. Romance.io rates it 4/5 for spice, while some readers felt the actual scenes were limited or lacked the level of detail they expected. The mystery, character introductions, violence and darker themes take up a substantial amount of the story, making this more of a dark suspense romance with spice rather than a spice centred read. It is a good choice for readers who enjoy dangerous morally grey heroes, dark academia, obsession and mystery with a definite level of heat.