Splintered Lies by Diane Adams and RJ Scott

Title: Splintered Lies

Series: In the Shadow of the Wolf 03

Author: Diane Adams & R.J. Scott

Genre: Shifters, Alternative World

Length: Novella (164pgs)

Publisher: Silver Publishing (29th September 2012)

Heat: Moderate

Heart: ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Joe is consumed with grief about his wife and baby and wants nothing more than to lash out. Nick is Joe’s best friend, but he will do anything to help Joe fight the people who want to kill them both.

Joe Christie is consumed with grief, and when new information about his wife and baby comes to light, his first instinct is to kill.

Nick Alexander is first and foremost Joe’s best friend. When Joe met Mara, Nick stood to one side and respected Joe’s decision to settle down, despite being in love with the man who was his lover. Now, in the middle of a case that is murder and betrayal, he has to fight his love for Joe and the people who are trying to kill them both.

Purchase Link: https://spsilverpublishing.com/product_book_info/products_id/772

Review: This story is part of a series and I recommend they be read in order. Joe is still grieving the loss of his wife and unborn baby when he is told new information about them.  Rage strikes and he needs the help of his friends to get to the truth. Nick is Joe’s best friend and ex-lover and has stood on the side lines for years and is there for Joe no matter what.  But, getting Joe to keep calm is next to impossible when they discover the depths that some humans have gone to.

Splintered Lies is the third book In the Shadow of the Wolf series and is an excellent addition to the series. Joe suffers from grief over the loss of his wife and baby, but he also harbors guilt over his attraction to Nick.  He forces himself to ignore the attraction, as he tries to discover the truth about the new information.  But, as he struggles with his emotions, his need of Nick won’t be denied. Nick stood aside when Joe chose Mara, but he never stopped loving him. After the shocking revelations concerning a senator, Nick knows that Joe needs him more than ever, but will Joe ever accept what Nick has to offer?

I must admit to being torn with some of the storyline. I wasn’t quite sure how to take Joe’s adamant vows of love for Mara, who was he trying to convince, himself or me? It was also the way that he phased his relationship with Mara as ‘He had made a choice’ and ‘The decision had been a good one’ it seemed cynical. Anyway, the rest of the book was spanking good, his guilt over feeling attraction to Nick made sense and his rage when the new information came out was not unexpected. Nick was a darling, pure and simple; he was there for Joe through everything and loved him that much, that he let him go with no recriminations.

The new discoveries that the men made were haunting and there is a bit of danger as a result. there are some passionate sex scenes with one or two tinged with guilt. Joe and Nick are great characters and we also get to see characters from previous books as they are still integral to the continued storyline.  There’s angst, guilt, anger, rage, grief and some happiness. Joe has been through a lot and it leads others to make choices about how shifters should really be treated.  Nick also goes through a lot and it shows just what a strong character he is, that he can let things go when some of us might have been screaming blue murder.

So, I will recommend this to those who love shifters, danger, a complex continued storyline, a range of emotional distress, some hot lovin’ and a new beginning for Nick and Joe.