The Brutal Truth

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well written, well edited, well paced and engaging. The characters are enjoyable and fun to read about and the storyline is absorbing. It also made me laugh out loud in places and this is a book that I will read again. All in all, a really good read that has me following the author (on Amazon that is; I'm not a creepy stalker).

Absolutely loved this book and read it over 2 days as I just couldn't put it down. Loved every character and felt the author put a lot of thought into them to allow your imagination to visualise. It did remind me of The Devil Wears Prada at times for sapphics but that just made me want to read more especially from a slow burn perspective which the author built up well for the latter part of the book. Favourite so far for 2024

Super story, but it does take its time to unfold – 4 Stars Madeleine (Maddie) Grey finds that pursuing her dream career as a journalist in New York isn’t what she expected. Life in The Big Apple leaves her feeling strangely alienated. Maddie can never resist a good story though, and when she meets boss, Elena Bartell, Maddie becomes determined to uncover what lies beneath her icy façade… With themes of age-gap, workplace, and ice queen all interwoven into a story that takes the reader from New York to Australia, this is a romance with plenty to grab the attention. Both the lead characters are interesting, although it’s that of Elena that really takes centre stage. Introduced as a ruthless but extraordinarily successful business woman, the key to the story is how Maddie gradually chips-away at the hard-hearted image Elena projects to reveal the woman beneath. This is a slow-burn romance that really does take its time and, even though I generally enjoy this type of novel, I did find myself wanting to shake Maddie into action on more than one occasion. There is however much to recommend: The story is a good one, Elena Bartell’s character is a delight and, as always with a book by Lee Winter, the quality of writing and presentation is excellent. Overall: Entertaining, and Elena Bartell’s character is fabulous as the ice queen of the piece.

One word for this book…CLASSIC! This wonderful, exciting, fashionable, story is the ultimate, and contains everything I love. Drama, conflict, passion, ice queen, age gaps, humour, style, seriously, there are so many ways to describe this book, but perfect sums it up. From the very first page, I was hooked, and I made sure to savour every bit of it and make the reading experience last as long as I could. (And seriously I purchased it over a year ago, so why I waited so long to read it…I don’t know!) The main characters, Maddie, and Elena couldn’t be more different, and yet the same if they tried and they are a match made in heaven. Everything about Elena is just amazing, and Maddie was a cool and refreshing contrast to her power and authority that really intensified the relationship between them. The best thing, and I mean the best thing was Lee Winter’s ability to really bring this story to life with vivid imagery, an exciting, intense plot, and brilliant characters that felt so real you just had to close your eyes and you were right there with them in the story. There really was no reason not to love this book, at all. It really is everything. Then we come to the talent in making the Duchamp characters, Natalii and Veronique so amazing you could really hear their dialogue in a French accent as you were reading it. Pure genius. I highly recommend this book, and if you haven’t read it yet…seriously why not? If you have been putting off reading this book, and already have a copy, or it is sitting in your wish list, then seriously – treat yourself. You won’t regret it. What are you waiting for? We’re done.

There's definitely a reason this book often tops best-of lists when it comes to WLW romance. There are few who can write such compelling characters as Lee Winter does. She always gives you just enough to root for the character, always gives you enough to feel that necessary empathy to make you want to keep turning the page, and gives you just enough ice to make the characters compelling. And it is the characters that really make Lee Winter's books come to life.

Bought and read in one day....I just could not put it down, even at 3am! 5 stars because: *Great writing style and a meaty, substantial read. *Excellent characterisation *Tantalising slow burn between the two main characters * Interesting plot with many false starts * The fashion industry backdrop is convincing. The only downside is that I felt bereft when I reached the last page as I didn't want to leave the world that Lee Winter had so skillfully immersed me in!

This was a recommendation in a review group and the reviewer was really passionate about it so I gave it a go. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. Mardy is such a character and she had me chuckling many times. The unravelling of the depths of the tiger shark was numerous and insightful. I couldn't put it down. How an ordinary girl goes from a dead end job to award winning journalist by caring about people and ends up with her romantic interest. The tidbits about the shy (Not reclusive) French fashion designer made me gurgle with laughter. Buy it.. read it. You won't regret it. I missed meals because I was so enthralled by the story it's that good!

I am a fan of Lee Winter’s books every one is so well written and thought out. Totally loved Maddie and Elena such depth to their characters. The relationship and interaction between these two were at times fascinating, funny and sad. Perfect. Captivating Story one to be re-read many times.