A Lie for a Lie is a fun, cute, and sexy romance. A Lie for a Lie may be one of my favourite Hunting novels. I’ve read most of her work and enjoyed her novels, but never loved them. A Lie for a Lie is definitely the exception.

RJ and Lainey’s personalities match, making it easy to picture them falling in love easily. The best way to describe Lainey is adorable. She is intelligent and confident. RJ is not an over the top alpha male, instead he is solid, confident in himself, and soft.

The beginning of A Lie for a Lie has strong The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker vibes. They both take place in Alaska and all the hardships that go along. The first half of the novel is easily the best part. I loved how Hunting took the time to develop their relationship in the beginning. Stories like these usually garner a more negative review from me because the past is never explored fully and the chemistry is always implied instead of earned.

There are three reasons I rated the novel four stars instead of five. First, the chemistry is not as explosive and all consuming as I wished it would be. Instead, it is a slow reliable burn. Second, there were a few moments that faded to black that I wish had been explored further. And, finally, I’m not usually a fan of the plot turn this book took, but Hunting made it work for me. At the risk of spoiling the novel, I will not elaborate further.

Overall, A Lie for a Lie is a solid romance that does not rely on stereotypical characters.

I can't stop smiling. Why you may ask? Well, I just feel so happy after reading A Lie for a Lie. It was such a cute and romantic story. Pro NHL superstar meets beautiful, shy nerd type. It was GREAT all around.

Helena Hunting always comes up with the best meet-cute moments and was definitely creative with Lainey and RJ's (Rook). I thought that their chemistry was felt from the very beginning. RJ was tired of meeting 'puck bunnies' and wanted a real connection with someone. Just when he thinks it's impossible, a woman named Lainey falls right into his path. She is unlike any other woman he has been attracted to. She is smart, anxious, and unique.

They are both headed to Alaska for their own self-care vacation and end up spending more time together. Although they are from different worlds, they realize they have so much in common. Lainey and RJ start falling and falling fast. 

An unexpected event leaves RJ booking a flight home. 

They didn't see each other after that, until 1 year later. Everything is so different in their lives, but when they see each other their 'connection' is constant. 

I don't want to give anything away but I swooned so hard. I had so many favorite moments in this book, but I absolutely loved how they brought out the best in each other.

I give A Lie for a Lie 5 stars! Helena Hunting wrote another amazing sports romance that was filled with so much heart. She has the unique ability to make you feel apart of every story she writes. This just might be my favorite Helena Hunting book so far!!

When I first read the Pucked series by Helena Hunting, I immediately became a fan of the series. This spin-off of that series is just as fantastic!

This story focuses on RJ/Rook, a hockey player who is hiding out in the cabin he shared with his dad and brother in Alaska. While enroute, he meets Lainey, the nerdy girl trying to finish her dissertation atl a cabin in the middle of nowhere. When RJ offers her a ride to her cabin, he's not sure about leaving her in the run down shack. When he invites her for dinner at his sprawling A-frame, she never really leaves. The two start a hot and heavy romance that ends too quickly when RJ is called out of town by his brother. A series of events causes them to leave touch with each other for over a year.

When Rook, now back in Chicago, attends the birthday party of one of his team members kids, he's surprised to see that Lainey is there working!

Their reunion is not easy, as she discovers who he really is, and he has to win her back and find out exactly what she's hiding from him.

I am really looking forward to the this series!

I really loved the premise of this one, but the book I just finished didn’t feel like it came from that synopsis. 

I liked Lainey and Rook well enough. She’s very smart and maybe a bit sheltered and naive. He’s charming and fairly down to earth. Together they’re thrown together in a meet cute and then it all went a bit weird. There are a lot of side characters due to his teammates and their wives and I didn’t even try to keep them straight. 

Plot wise, it was okay. I liked that we actually got the flashback of how they met and the relationship before it came back to the present. For me the sex scenes were a little cringe-y, there were far too many uses of the word “beaver”, and I never once actually saw the chemistry between Lainey and Rook. I did like how he tried so hard to get her back and that they had open conversations once they met again. 

SPOILER: 

 I will say that the entire plot thread about the pregnancy should have been included in the synopsis. I was looking for a second chance romance and while it was there, the main focus was the baby. I don’t often care for the surprise pregnancy trope and likely wouldn’t have requested this if it had been stated.

Overall, it was a quick read that I felt compelled to finish. I highly doubt I’ll be reading any other books in the series. 

**Huge thanks to Montlake Publishing for providing the arc free of charge**

A Lie for a Lie will pull on your heart strings. You will wonder what is happening while you are living in the moment. I fell for Lainey and RJ. Lainey had a lot of strength with her independence and a lot would under estimate her. Not RJ aka Rook. He knew what he had was something special. Make that a year later times two!!

The moment you read this book, you are hooked! You feel like you are coming home when the side characters come back to life in a world I love to visit over and over again. You get your Helena Hunting trademark with HOT AND STEAMY in the mix. But the under line of the story is pure heart. A Lie for a Lie is not your typical second chance romance. Nope, not even a little. You get a full second chance to make it right and stronger than ever. I whole heartily recommend this book to all those book lovers that fall in love time and time again!

I forgot how much I loved Helena Hunting's writing and the glory that is Violet lol. This story, while it has cameo's of other characters from the Pucked series, can be read without reading Pucked...but then again, why wouldn't you read all about Violet (can you tell I just love her?). In any case, Kodiak, Alaska is the backdrop of some truly fun, funny, dramatic and wonderfully sexy times in the story that is Rook and Lainey. Fate is sometimes some one of the most mysterious animals I know and when she decides that something is meant to be, who are we to fight it. BUT, Lainey soon learns that not all is as it should be and that her past haunts may make it difficult to forgive. "My skin burns. My heart stutters. I should tell him my own truth. But for now we're tied: a lie for a lie." Getting past the lies is a journey in itself, and the truth should set you free, but can these two see past them in order to have what they both desperately want?

I can just die a happy woman! Once I finish reading the new spinoff series by Helena Hunting. A Life for a Lie is book #1 of her All In hockey romance series which takes place in the same universe as her Pucked series. Yes! We get to read a bit more of her Chicago NHL stars like Alex Waters.

Rook (RJ) Bowman wanted a break from the pressure of being captain of his NHL team and going to Kodiak Island in Alaska to get away from it all is just what the doctor ordered. He never expected a sweet, nerdy and gorgeous woman to literally fall on his lap on the way there. The fact that Lainey doesn’t know who he is only makes him feel more at ease and spending the following weeks with her are filled with delicious sexy times, laughs and happiness.

Unforeseen circumstances force him to cut their time together short and leave without a way to contact her, though. But a year serendipity puts them on the same path once again, only this time Rook is forced to come clean regarding his job while Lainey has a big secret of her own. Can they look past the lies and see person they fell in love with during their bliss filled vacation together?

Helena Hunting has skillfully written a story with a wonderful blend of sexiness, delicious sweetness and a whole lot of fun. Even though his past when it comes to women cast a philanderer shadow on RJ, we get to meet his true, caring, sweet and thoughtful self during his time with Lainey in Alaska. And once he gets over the shock of seeing her again and the very unexpected news she needs to share with him, he continues to display all his best qualities that made me fall for him along with Lainey.

Although their relationship was based on a lie, it developed in a truly deep and heartfelt way which had me rooting for them from start to finish. Together they made a supremely cute couple. And speaking of couple, we get to see a bunch of the fun and crazy couples from the Pucked series who added a layer of laughs and smiles that made this story absolutely enjoyable.

A Lie for A Lie is a standalone hockey romance in the All In series by Helena Hunting. Told from both points of view, with a happy ending.

I really enjoyed this book. We all know I am a sucker for second chance romances, especially when they are genuine. This one is most certainly a genuine, feel good second chance.

What I liked most about this book is we get a lot of their quick relationship. We get a connection to both of them and their attraction before they are brought back together. That aspect along helped build the new romance for these characters.

You can tell by the title, there are obstacles these two must overcome for their reunion to work. I enjoyed the train ride these characters took me on. I pretty much devoured this story from start to finish.

This was a fun story to read.  Not a lot to do with hockey but the power f the team spirit and pulling it in to become a family.  How the wives or at least some become the core to help the new girlfriends or wives’ transition.
     We start off with lovesick RJ (Rook/Rookie) a hockey player for Chicago who just returned from Alaska his summer trip during time off.  He’s bummed out because he was hoping that when he went, he would find a note from Lainey.  Saying why she never answered his call last year before his emergency departure.
     You see fourteen months before he met the woman of his dreams, Lainey.  Unfortunately, that’s all he knew.  You see on the flight to Alaska he saved her from choking herself with her own scarf while boarding.  She to him was the most beautiful bumbling naïve natural woman he ever met.  He was over years, the many puck bunnies that throw themselves at players and as a crazy rookie he did his part to do his part.
     Now he wanted more but he just hadn’t found it until she fell in his lap.  Lainey is a woman with a brain for knowledge.  She has three Ph.D.’s, a whole lot of anxiety, and panic attacks.  Which surprised RJ yet made him feel needed.  On the Cessna she was scared to death he was right there for her as she said he is her own personal life-size Teddy bear.
     The conditions she found herself living in while she conducted her study on dolphins and whales were deplorable.  But she made it three days when RJ offers up one of his spare rooms.  On with a bathroom, hot water, and use of a kitchen not hotplate with a sort of roof with major leaks she jumped on his offer.
     Six weeks of bliss until the end and his brother’s wife hit complications during her pregnancy.  He feels obligated to leave for California.  When they were going to go to Seattle together now their plans would change or at least for him.  The thing was he never told her he is a hockey player.  Not a farmer from upstate NY where his family farm is.
     Not knowing his mom had sold the family farm while he was in Alaska and moved to California where his two siblings are now living.  He told Lainey he would call his house phone there in Alaska when he got to California.  He figured then he would tell his truth. 
     This is the thing though in Alaska the summers have horrible thunder and lightning storms.  This one was a terrible one and it knocked out the phone line and then the generator he had set up for was knocked out next.  She had no other choice but to leave for Seattle early.  She left a note which she never found this summer he was heartbroken and so has she been.
     Both think the other wanted each other but only as a summer fling.  Imagine their surprise when the two reunite in Chicago and what secrets they have to tell each other.
     I give this: 5++++ stars.  Provided by netgalley.com.  Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com.

A spin off series to one of my favorite hockey romances you say? Puck yeah count me in. I was estatic when I heard Helena was doing a spin off of the Pucked series. I mean come on it’s the Pucked series. Helena writes sexy hockey players like no other. Add in her witty humor and I see a spectacular sports romance no doubt and this was no exception to that.

Part sports romance, part second chance romance and a whole lot of swoony romance in between. From the beginning I knew this book was going to warm my heart and make me all kinds of giddy. RJ and Lainey had amazing chemistry. From their first meeting I knew these two were meant to be. Rook or RJ for short was swoony and had my ovaries exploding on many occasion. Lainey was a sweet independent girl and I loved her sass and spitfire attitude.

This was a lighthearted romance that will have you peeing your pants in laughter one minute and fanning yourself the next. You’ll swoon, you’ll melt and your heart will be full. It was sweet and sexy and something you won’t want to put down.

I can’t wait for me in this new series!

I can always count on Helena to give me a feel-good story, and A Lie For a Lie was no different. I loved how sweet this story was, and while there was some heat to this story, it was tame compared to her other works. I also love love-tropes that involve coming together because of a child. It's almost like enemies-to-lovers- love tropes which is why I love it so much. 

A Lie for a Lie is released October 15th. If your a fan of romance, sweet stories, or contemporary Helena's books are for you.

This book was another hat-trick by Helena, her books have become my go to when I want to read something fun, sexy and swoon worthy! R is my favorite hero out of the hockey series so far! I can't wait to see what this series becomes!

A Lie for a Lie is the first book in the new All In series by Helena Hunting. A remote cabin setting in Kodiak Island, Alaska. A sexy, alpha male hockey player on a solo fishing trip. An anxious, beautiful young woman working on her thesis. The two collide with fiery passion, but one of them is keeping a secret. It's only a matter of time before the truth comes out. Readers will love the steamy romance and angst in this fast-paced sports romance with second chances and forgiveness. I can't wait for the next book in the series! Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Categorising a novel must be one of the hardest things to do for an author. There are so many different genres and then you also have a readers opinion. For me, this book falls into contemporary, with a sports theme and a trope of a second chance romance. It is a spin off from The Pucked Series and has that same witty feel to it. The first half is their meet cute and the second half is their reunion. They fall for each other instantly and spend six or so weeks together in a secluded cabin in Alaska. The bubble bursts suddenly when Rook needs to fly off to be with his family in an emergency. Things were left unsaid and the communication is severed.

Rook is a confident man who starts out only needing his family and his sport to keep him company. He has learnt from his old player days to stay on the straight and narrow from now on. Once he spent some time with Lainey, he then knew what was missing and what his team mates had been telling him all along - what it is like to find that special someone.

Not all characters can be as self-assured or extremely sassy as others. Books would get boring fast if they were all tarred with the same brush. This is why I liked Lainey, and more so because she had qualities I see in myself. She was a little naive in some areas but very knowledgable in others. She was sweet and at times inexperienced and she also wore her heart on her sleeve. She gave of a believable vibe for me with her warmth and temperament. Even though I thought her parents were annoying and over the top, I can see that this can and does happen to some people. I was ecstatic when Lainey stood up for herself and RJ and made it clear what her intensions where.

RJ's character delivered big time for me. His little white lie was not one I could hold against him due to his past experiences with the "puck bunnies". It wasn't a great start to their relationship and only made it more difficult for Lainey to connect with him after Alaska. But once he saw her again, I felt he put his "all" into rectifying all his misgivings. It was now up to Lainey to explain her lie and hope that RJ is as understanding as she was. Lainey's lie is not hard to guess and with book doesn't have any over the top angst or drama. It is a charming love story that is told well. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and hoping there is a little more of the sport involved.

Being a hockey player means your life is always in the public eye, and it's not very often that you can get away from the prying eyes of the media, but Rook has found a way to do it. In the off season he heads to Alaska to hide-out with his family for some downtime, they fish and just relax. But this year there has been a slight change in the plan, his brother can't make it to their yearly getaway, so he is on his own... that is until he bumps into a beautiful woman headed in his direction.

Meeting Lainey was completely unexpected, she has no idea who he is so he doesn't have to worry about her using him for a story or money, he can just be himself with her... and that is quite refreshing for a guy like him. They start off as just neighbors, but after Lainey's living arrangements turn out to be a disaster waiting to happen, he offers up a room for her to stay in... and that's when things take a steamy turn!!

A Lie for a Lie is a second chance romance that'll tug on your heartstrings and bring you many moments that will leave you smiling. This unlikely pairing brought heart squeezing emotion, steam, and laughter to the pages, I loved my time with them. I was immediately pulled into their story, the chemistry between them was very evident from their first meeting and continued to sizzle with each page that followed. Their relationship may have had an unconventional start, but it also had a natural progression to it, that gave time for the romance to build, as well as the anticipation... and they did not disappoint, the fireworks were a plenty! Highly recommend you get your hands on this one and meet Rook, the moment he wanders onto the page you'll be saying goodbye to your heart... the man has perfect book boyfriend material written all over him!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley request, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.

“I should tell him my own truth. But for now we’re tied: a lie for a lie.”

A Lie for a Lie is what I call a great start to a promising spin-off series. If you’ve read Hunting’s Pucked series, then you will be familiar with some of the characters in this one. That being said I don’t think it’s necessary to read them to enjoy this one, because I’ve only read a couple and easily followed along here. Rook and Lainey spend a sweet and steamy few weeks together in the Alaskan wilderness. But circumstances and little white lies come into play that leave them separated without a way to contact one another. When they find their way back to each other it is by fate and circumstance alone. There’s just more at play than there was the summer before when they were together.

Anyway. I don’t want to spoil anything so am I’m going to say is that this story is a second chance romance with two people who got to know each other’s heart and learned each other... well biblically... in a blissful bubble. When they meet again they learn some truths they hadn’t before, and have to figure out how they work (or don’t) in their real lives. I think Helena did a fantastic job making this one sweet, heartfelt, and steamy, while still having a bit of the funny that the series it’s spun off of had. I think the characters are great, and I’m excited to see even more of some of the new ones in the rest of the series.

If you like sports romance, second chances, or Hunting’s writing, then you definitely need to check this one out when jut releases!!

4.5 stars

This is the start of a spin-off to the Pucked series and it had so many more Pucked nuggets than I was expecting. I loved it so much!! 

Rook and Lainey have such a sweet relationship from the very beginning. Their time in Alaska is adorable and super promising until it’s unexpectedly cut short.

I loved getting the flashbacks to their time together in the beginning and I loved watching them find each other again. They’re so freaking cute. They have a bit of an adjustment period settling into each other’s real life but I loved how everything worked out in the end for them. 

Also, any little bits you give me of Violet and the other WAGs will always be a win in my book. 😝😝

A chance encounter on a plane leads to two people sharing much more than just a place to sleep.

❝To chance meetings.❞
❝To new adventures and great company to share them with.❞

Rooke is headed to Alaska and looking forward to escaping the notoriety and fanfare his high profile job provides. His father, brother, and he have been going to their secluded cabin for years. This year would have been the first time the brothers went to the cabin since their father passed away. Unfortunately, Rooke's brother cancels at the last minute due to a complication his wife is having with her pregnancy.

Lainey has been sheltered her whole life. The youngest of seven, her parents extremely overprotective. They question all of her decisions and choices making her feel as though they don't think she's capable of taking care of herself or of knowing what's best for her life … like her taking a trip to Alaska to study the mating behaviors of dolphins. She's assured them she's going to be just fine in the cabin she's rented in this secluded part of the country.

After a comical meeting on a plane, Rooke and Lainey discover they will be spending the next 4 weeks only miles apart. Once they land, Rooke offers to drive Lainey to her cabin. The cabin turns out to be a broken-down shack and after a few mishaps, Rooke proposes Lainey share his huge Alaskan vacation home.

When his brother calls asking for him to be by his side, Rooke abruptly leaves but promises to call her when he gets to California. He doesn't count on a storm taking out the cabin's phones and he didn't think to get her cell phone number.

Fast forward to a year later, when at a party for a teammate's son, Rooke recognizes the voice of the aquarium tour guide belonging to Lainey. He's afraid of what will happen next when she discovers he's a hockey superstar and not the Alpaca Farmer he told her he was. But Lainey has a lie of her own, one that just may turn both their world's upside down.

❝I've missed the way my heart feels when you're close to me --❞

I appreciated how the author developed the romance and the relationship between these two. She slowly and methodically allowed them to get to know each other. Not only did we get to see these two enjoy spending time with each other, but we got to see them turn into a family.

A 'Lie for a Lie is' a charming and heartwarming second-chance romance.

Let me just start by saying that I loved this book, and have become such a fan of Helena Hunting and her sports romances. Her books grab the reader and her characters keep you glued to the pages.
A Lie For A Lie is a story about second chances and a romance that comes from where you least expect it.
Lainey is the nerdy, awkward girl into science and nature. Rook is a NHL player known for his puck bunnies and bad ways. Lainey loves to study and sets out for Alaska to do just that study its nature and habitat.  Rook is looking for some time away to decompress.  He has worked hard to change his bad boy image, and is happy when he meets Lainey and she doesn't know who he is. Rook becomes her savior from some bad mishaps and a friendship starts and turns into so much more. When a lie is told, will it ruin everything between them.
This story was fun to read, had romance, heartbreak and happiness. After a mishap, they are separated but life throws them a curve and gives them a second chance. Can all be forgiven and will they find their happily ever after?
Another fun part of this book was all the appearances of characters from other stories.
I loved the puck series and now this spin off one. I cannot wait for more in this series.

Sometimes you need a sweet romance to lift your spirits and A Lie for a Lie accomplishes that goal. The story is a heart warming second-chance romance with a little something extra. As expected there are a few good laughs but it's far from a traditional romcom. 

Lainey is out on her own, she needs space from her overprotective parents. What she didn't expect was her cabin in the woods is far from a cute cottage but rather a shack from a horror movie. Luckily, the man she tangled up with on her plane ride was able to save her from the death shack. 

Rook 'RJ' Bower is stepping away from the spot light to get a a little R&R. He has fishing plans with his brother until his brother has a family emergency, leaving Rook up to his own devices. After meeting Lainey and discovering she has no idea of his true identity, he decides to let her believe he works on an alpaca farm. 

As their time comes to a abrupt ending, Rook regrets not telling Lainey the truth and getting her information. Luckily, a year later Rook finds Lainey again but this time she has her own secret. 

I enjoyed this heartwarming romance. It's less hockey and more about second chances. Lainey character initially struggled with anxiety due to an experience from her past. As the story progresses, Lainey becomes stronger and self-reliant. I would of loved more of Lainey's story in the year post meeting Rook and before reuniting. 4 Stars