Annabelle Astley is a rising star at her news station and thriving in New York. Her career is her priority, and relationships are not. When she meets the handsome Ryan Wyatt, she can’t fight the alure he has. Despite the uncertainty of how long he’ll be around and warnings from mutual friends, she continues to see him. But it turns out, unfortunately, that everything she knows about Ryan is a lie. In fact, his profession relies on his ability to manipulate people and keep secrets. When Annabelle learns the truth – that Ryan is actually an undercover, special CIA operative – their relationship becomes more tumultuous. And when his next deployment involves hunting down a dangerous terrorist overseas, her anxiety and paranoia get the best of her. Cover Stories by Lauren Claudare is a psychological thriller novel in which Annabelle must figure out if her latest relationship is worth the risk to her life and wellbeing.
Book
Annabelle’s college friend, Alex, introduced her to Ryan and sparks flew immediately. However, Alex has known Ryan since childhood and is the only person in Ryan’s life who knows what he does and why a relationship with him might not be a good idea. Her other friend, Charlie, is vocal about her suspicions and only has her friend’s best interest in mind. Annabelle insists that she is fine with a fling, since Ryan has made it clear that he doesn’t know how long he’ll be around.
Nevertheless, the relationship becomes serious quite quickly. And while Annabelle doesn’t quite see the warning signals just yet, they begin to surface. Ryan raises doubt about her friends’ motivations and how they feel about their relationship. He disrupts her dedication to her career. He gaslights her about arguments they have. Even so, they remain in touch while he is overseas. And moving on without Ryan is harder than she thought it would be. Annabelle has some tough choices to make that will determine her career and relationships in the future.
Review
Claudare shows off her talent for writing a problematic love story with psychological suspense in Cover Stories. I wanted to know how Annabelle, if at all, would take back her power and come out on top. It didn’t take long for me to judge Ryan’s character for the worst. He displayed very romantic gestures that understandably made Annabelle swoon. But during his POV chapters, we see more of his troublesome attitude and behavior.
However, the pacing was slow, in general. Some of the story seemed to drag on with not much going on other than Annabelle being confused about her boyfriend’s actions. Ryan is emotionally abusive, which may trigger some readers. Also, at the risk of spoiling, the ending felt rushed and lacked depth. Even so, as far as suspense novels go, readers will find it entertaining.
Lauren Claudare visits the Cantina Book Club Podcast talk about her career and how she came up with her story. Keep an ear out for the episode and pick up a copy of Cover Stories, available now.
