Her Dark Lies

2.5 stars or so. The writing style was okay and I liked the scene setting/ atmosphere. Unfortunately, the book never really grabbed and I kept putting it down. The mystery was blah and I dislike the plot hinging on someone being super crazy for unknown reasons. An okay read, but I wouldn't put it on top of your TBR.

It's been a hot minute since I've read a J. T. Ellison book and this book reminded me as to why I loved her in the first place. If you're looking for a mystery/thriller you can't go wrong with her.

Claire Hunter is ready to marry the love of her life, Jack Compton. He comes from a powerful and wealthy family so she knows life won't be the same. For instance, their wedding is taking place in a beautiful family owned villa off the Italian coast. But Claire doesn't want him for his money and has zero problems signing the prenup that comes with marrying someone like Jack. And Jack loves her.

With all that love between them doesn't mean that Claire doesn't have a past or secrets in that past and the same goes for Jack. And it seems that someone or something on the island wants all the secrets out in the open and to show that not all things buried stay that way.

3.25 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall it was a good book. I really like the atmosphere of it being in Italy during a storm. I loved the different areas of the island like the grottos, labyrinth, and artist colonies. The setting itself was my favorite character.
The actual characters were a little pretentious (the Comptons). They read more as though they were British royalty rather than a couple from Nashville. But I did quickly overlook that to try and enjoy the book.
It was very slow paced. A little annoying that chaos and murder was ensuing and the characters seemed quite nonchalant about it. The major twist was pretty much known from the beginning. There was a smaller twist at the end I wish it went into depth a bit more with that rather than the main focus.
This definitely could've been cut down about 100 pages. By the end I felt like it dragged. There were a lot unnecessary stories or explaining that I felt didn't really add any value.
Over all I did enjoy the book, it just wasn't one of my favorites.