Review: Tangled Web of Lies and Half Truths
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 12, 2014
Lie to protect.Lie not to destroy.Lie to keep Avery happy.This is Xander’s reasoning when he starts on his slippery slope of falsity. In Underneath It All, volume 2 of Bethany Bazile’s Sexual Misconduct serial, Xander’s secrets are slowly being revealed: some to Avery and all to readers, and we are also starting to see the man underneath the Hollywood star and tortured soul. He’s in deep with Avery, and all of his illogical tendencies are manifesting. The Xander of 12 years ago is controlling and manipulative, and when he feels like things are slipping from his grasp…things he wants, he takes desperate measures to hold on. But what happens when Avery learns all of his secrets? She may be just as desperate as he is to be together as a couple, but she’s a black and white person who knows the difference between right and wrong. She’s trained to help others, but how can she help herself if she doesn’t try to see underneath the man she knows she loves? Secrets and lies always surface regardless of how much people try to bury them, so it’s only a matter of time before Xander’s life, once again, spirals out of control, and when that happens, Xander and Avery will never be the same.In volume 2, readers are given more insights into what happened to cause Xander’s insomnia. He wants to show Avery that he trusts her to know who he really is, so he provides her with the details from twelve years ago, but there’s more to tell. Xander’s not ready or willing to unload all of his truths, which is causing him to go off kilter a bit in terms of his obsessive tendencies. The hot sex between Xander and Avery continues, but Xander is using it as a way to avoid his deeper issues, and Avery is allowing him to do so.There is a definite conflict of interest in Avery’s decision to remain Xander’s therapist as well as his lover, and when she takes on another client who can share insights into Xander’s situation, Xander’s paranoia increases. And then there’s the bomb that’s dropped at the end of the text and Xander’s decision of what to do with the information. All of this sets the stage for the resolution in Lie to Me.It will be interesting to see how everything plays out in the final installment. Avery’s reaction will either be Xander’s undoing or his redemption, and at this point, knowing the type of person Avery is, I don’t see it ending well for him at all.A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.4 poison apples (The Fairest of All Book Reviews)