It’s release day for Compulsive by Lia Fairchild! We are so excited to be sharing this new contemporary romance with you. To celebrate the release, Lia is giving away a gift card, and sharing an exclusive excerpt with us!
Compulsive (Liar, Book 1): From Bestselling author, Lia Fairchild
Lies hurt.
Lies destroy.
But some lies protect…and heal. At least that’s what Gray Donovan had hoped for. She’s a compulsive liar using it as a defense mechanism to survive life and her shattered past
When she starts seeing therapist Daniel Harrison, she can no longer deny the truths that have haunted her for so many years. She must now stand and face them.
Opening up to Daniel leaves her exposed and vulnerable. When her soul is bared to him, she can’t contain the attraction or the feelings he elicits.
Daniel feels drawn to his new patient, but knows he will have to fight it in order to resurrect Gray from her demons. His will and his judgment are tested when he must overcome his own doubts and face his own secrets.
Well this was a completely different read for me. I'm very much a romance reader but was
completely intrigued with the synopsis of this story. Once I got into the story I found it very
difficult to put down.
Gray Donovan is a really interesting girl, she likes to
embellish the truth a bit and it just comes naturally to her. Being honest does not.
"I'm talking about
bold-faced lies that spilled from my lips as easy as the breath from my
lungs. Lies that ruined people, lies
that protected people, lies for the hell of it.
I ate, slept, and drank lies.
I bathed in deceit." - Gray
Then she meets her new therapist, Daniel Harrison. Apart
from the fact that he is strikingly good looking, there is just something about
him that has her opening up and being more honest than she ever has in her
life. Outside of their sessions they
also form another connection of sorts via two teenage girls. This reveals another side of Daniel that
shows the more vulnerable part of him. Gray really looks forward to her
sessions with Daniel and there is an growing attraction between them.
Doctors are just human like the rest of us and Daniel seems
to have his own burdens to bear. He is
doing a wonderful job helping Gray but it seems there is a lot he needs to work
on to get to a place where he is available to explore what he is feeling for
Gray. You know how sometimes you can
find the right person buy the timing is just not right. Sometimes you have to walk away and take a
step back if you want to move forward.
I really liked Gray, she was so interesting to read about
and I loved how she developed from when we first met her until the end of her
therapy sessions. Daniel helped her face her past and she seems to have finally
found the strength to stand up and have a future. The only question is, will Daniel be in it?
I give this 4 stars
The ridges on the stark white ceiling blurred from my intense stare as I listened to the steady even breaths coming from the body next to me. He wasn’t a bad guy. Just an idiot. Maybe even married for all I knew. The clock read four twenty-three. That wouldn’t work for me. I waited for a nice round even number. Something that felt right. I held my phone with the message typed out: I need you. I keyed in the address, and when the clock hit four thirty, I hit Send.
At ten before five AM, I eased my body out of the bed the way a mother slips from her sleeping child, hoping not to rouse her angel. He stirred a moment and turned on his side, his arm involuntarily reaching for me.
“Sky,” he murmured with his eyes closed. His dark buzz cut hair was sprinkled with gray flecks, and a small rectangular scar bordered the hairline on the right side of his face. I hadn’t noticed that the night before, or I would have asked him. Now my curiosity had me pausing, conjuring up various scenarios for its origin. Whatever the cause would forever remain a mystery. With a gentle hold around his wrist, I lifted his hand and rested it on the comforter. His eyes flitted open and closed. Frozen, I waited to see if he’d wake. I didn’t worry about coming up with a story. It always came.
Still sitting on the edge of the bed, I reached over to an adjacent chair to snag my black silk shirt. When I pulled it over my head and then glanced down, two light blue eyes met mine.
“Hey, you,” he whispered. His soft, sweet smile almost made a dent, but I pulled my hand away.
“I’ve got to run.”
Surprise and confusion colored his face. “What time is it?”
“Around five. I’ve got early rounds.”
He seemed satisfied with my excuse and looked thoughtful. “Ah, yes, Dr. Phillips. Time to save lives.”
I gave him a nod and a tight smile just before a knock at the door sounded. I rose from the bed to pull on my skirt and slip my feet into my heels.
He sat up watching me closely like a cat that’d dart out of an open door. “Who could that be at this time?” he said.
“My ride,” I threw over my shoulder. I scooped up my purse from the dresser on the way out, catching his face in the mirror. They always had that same look the next day. Or perhaps I was the one who saw things differently.
I heard him jump out of bed and scramble for his pants as I made my way to the living room, picking up my pace. “Sky, wait.”
When I reached the door, he came in and leaned against the couch, folding his arms. “I could have driven you home.”
“It’s okay,” I said, pulling the door open.
Nathan stood in the doorway, hands stretched out to the jams on each side, his brown hair ragged from being dragged from the comfort of his bed. He shot me that look that said, you owe me and then let one hand fall and sweep to the side as if making a path for royalty.
“Wait,” a voice came from behind me. “Who’s this guy?”
Nathan took a step into the doorway. “Oh, hey, man.”
“John, this is my cousin, Nathan,” I said.
Unfortunately, Nathan had spoken at the same time I did and said, “I’m her neighbor.”
John walked over to the two of us, eyes darting between me and my partner in crime. “Well, which is it?”
Nathan and I exchanged looks, and I opened my mouth to speak.
John held up his hand. “No. Let me guess,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “He’s your cousin who lives next door.”
I half-shrugged while looking him dead in the eye. “I really should get going.” A split second later, I plastered on a smile. “I’ll call you.”
“You haven’t given me much choice,” he said to my back as I sidled past Nathan. “I don’t even have your number.”
I’d be willing to bet John wouldn’t be holding his breath.
Advance Praise for Compulsive:
“Fairchild spins an emotional story that is saturated in sex appeal.”
“What a beautiful, beautiful story!”
“OMG! I honestly loved this just like every book I've read by this talented Indie author!”
“I was flipping pages like a maniac trying to figure out what in the heck was going on and what Gray was hiding.”
“This is my third book by this author and it won't be my last!”
Bestselling author, Lia Fairchild, is both a traditionally published and independent author who writes women's fiction, romance, and chick lit. Fans of her books praise her endearing, real characters who come to life in stories that will touch your heart.
Fairchild is addicted to the warmth of Southern California and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a multiple-subject teaching credential. She is a wife and mother of two teenagers.
