My crush on Karina Halle has just gotten out of hand! 
 I loved this book! 
 I love Vera and Mateo as a couple (they are current rivals for my favorite couple; edging out Kiera and Kellan and approaching Claire and Jamie - I know, right?!) 
 This book made me laugh, cry (to the point where my little sob awoke my husband who was trying to sleep while I stayed up to finish reading), laugh, squeal, swoon, all of it! 
 "What is love? In English." 
 "Love, in English, is love" 
 "What is it in Spanish?" 
 "Amore?" 
 He shook his head ever so slightly. "No. Love in Spanish is you." 
 Vera and Mateo meet in Spain at a conversational English program that Vera - a Canadian has joined, to teach Spaniards to speak English, and that Mateo - a Spaniard has joined in order to improve his English speaking skills. 
 He's thirty-eight. I'm twenty-three. 
 He speaks Spanish. I speak English. 
 He lives in Spain. I live in Canada. 
 He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. I'm covered in tattoos. 
 He's married and has a five-year old daughter. 
 I'm single and can't commit to anyone or anything. 
 Until now. Because when they say you can't choose who you fall in love with, boy ain't that the damn truth. 
 I underlined and highlighted more passages in my kindle than probably any other book I've read, just so that I can go back and relive those favorite moments. Karina Halle has such a unique way of storytelling that I dig so much. And although I think this story was somewhat of a departure for Halle from her other works (which I adore), she still had that ever present "realness" with LIE. The reality of what Vera and Mateo were going through was messy. Vera often considered herself the villain. I mean, she was sleeping with a married man, but I NEVER thought of her that way (and neither did Mateo). 
 My name is Vera Miles. 
 And in the story of my life, I am the villain. 
 But, I'm starting to think that most villains aren't evil-they are just misunderstood. 
 I have honestly never had a huge issue with cheating in books, unless it is blatant, unexplainable, and not consistent with the story telling. Like Vera, I was the product of divorced parents at a young age, due to my father cheating on my mother - but Vera seemed to understand the love between her father and her step-mother was real, and could not be ignored. Vera and Mateo clearly fell madly, deeply in love with each other - there was simply no way of getting around it. 
 When thinking about how I was going to write a proper review for this book, I realized that I could not fully do this book justice, without revealing too much to the next reader. Let me just say that Halle writes a brilliant book of falling in and out of love, loss, family issues, guilt, grief, and acceptance. As with Halle's other works (particularly The Artists Trilogy), her writing is raw, yet beautiful at the same time. I particularly enjoyed the passionate words in this book, with so many of my favorite lines coming from the sexy, passionate Spaniard, Mateo: 
 "You, you, Vera, you found those boxes and you opened them up. You ripped them apart. You let the chaos loose. filling my life with energy and stars again. You burn so brightly. I would like to burn with you." 
 ...Sigh... 
 "I love you because you are you. You're a little bit crazy, and I find that more interesting than being normal. You're passionate and I find that more fascinating than being calm. You're curious and adventurous and sexual, and you're full of life and you make me want to be a better man, to live louder, to bend and break all the damn rules." 
 So, what can I say except - Go Read This Book!