Burning Lies by JP McLean

332 Pages, Fantasy, Thriller,

Karen’s Magic Review

Having enjoyed Secret Skies and Hidden Enemy, I didn’t know what to expect from this story because it couldn’t possibly be as good as the previous two. I was wrong, Burning Lies is superb.

I bought the book, just as I said I would in my review of Hidden Enemy, and couldn’t wait to start reading it, but, had another couple of books in front. However, having started one, my mind was still with Emelynn, the main character. I needed to know what happened next, and how she recovered.

I should mention here that all the books are standalone reads . If you didn’t want to go any further than book one, you get a full story with no cliff hangers. Should you read book two, anything mentioned that comes from the first book, is explained. It is also helpful if you don’t read them one after the other, as a recap does the job.

The big question was how could Burning Lies equal the enjoyable all-absorbing storyline of the first two? Well, I will tell you, it takes it to another next level, Burning Lies is in a class of its own.

Emelynn lives in her beautiful cottage on the edge of the ocean, the home of her parents before her father died. Her mother moves her to Toronto as a child, and when she is old enough Emelynn returns to her old home. It becomes her sanctuary, a place she truly loves.

Having been given a special gift when she was a child, Emelynn only learns how to use it when she has grown up.

The first two books explain her flying capabilities, and at the end of Hidden Enemy, Emelynn discovers she has another skill, one that she doesn’t know how to use. It’s called Ghosting, and it is the ability to make herself invisible.

Emelynn belongs to a ‘covey’, of people who are also fliers. Each area has its own group, and they are all governed by the highly skilled fliers called the Tribunal Novem, who also possess other special skills.

This is a group who are exceptional, and are greatly feared by the coveys. Burning Lies is about a common enemy to both the fliers and the Tribunal. The latter want to bring Emelynn into their fold. Something that she doesn’t want because their methods are violent, as she experienced first hand. Plus their secrets and methods make them untrustworthy.

This fantasy story turns into a sharp-tailed thriller. The tension ramps up and doesn’t stop. Just when you think Emelynn, can breathe again, something else happens and there’s never a good time to put it down.

An aside to this, is the intriguing romance with a character who endears himself before we realise he is on the horizon for a romantic liaison. I love all my stories to have a bit of romance in them, and this doesn’t disappoint – and I have to add, they have some really great sex! This is a topic I picked upon in Secret Skies.

After all, you can enjoy a meal without all the sloppy mouth slapping bits. You don’t want to hear about them shoving food into their mouths, and talking with their mouthful spraying bits out as they speak. You want to be seduced with the pure beauty of each ingredient. It’s the same with sex. The hot scenes were full of love, caresses, and moments you could enjoy with more than a few raised eyebrows!

The plot builds and builds like a volcano getting ready to erupt, and that eruption is the climax of this book. I was mesmerised by the events that unfolded at the home of a key player in the Tribunal Novem.

JP McLean is a master story teller, the likes of which I haven’t come across in a long time.

If you love thrillers, you will love The Gift Legacy, especially if you like your protagonists to have something different to a normal person. Fantasy lovers will enjoy that aspect of it, too. Who doesn’t want to fly?

I’ve added the website at the bottom, and it’s worth joining. I’ve already started book 4, Lethal Waters and now realise they are not just pretty book covers with titles, either, they all have special meanings.

Description

A dishonourable legacy. A powerful enemy. A future threatened.

While recovering from a psychopath’s savage attack, Emelynn Taylor learns the ugly truth: deceit spawned her gift of flight, and ruthless brutality safeguards it.

But knowing the truth doesn’t prepare Emelynn for the terrorist who rips her world apart. And when the escalating violence spreads to the inner circle of her covert community, Emelynn uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to expose the gift and all those who share it.

Emelynn joins forces with a man she doesn’t trust and a family she doesn’t know to fight a menace that cloaks itself in lies. And when she lands at the feet of a dangerous enemy, Emelynn must face her worst fears to save the people she loves—and she must do it alone.

The third book in The Gift Legacy series, Burning Lies is a thriller that skirts the edges of reality in a world within our own. Step inside and escape the ordinary: take flight with Emelynn Taylor.

JP McLean’s Website