Top 3 Romance Finalist for the 2026 CANREADS Book Awards In the city of Madison, the truth is the most expensive thing you can own. With a ring, he promised her forever. But the promise was a lie. The ring was a trap. Amy Beckett was the perfect accessory for her fiancé James Devlin’s high-society life. Until she wasn’t. James didn’t just break her heart; he leveraged it. Leaving her homeless, drowning in debt, and silenced by his ultimatum. And when the ruthless billionaire Harold Bancroft threatens to evict her beloved café, Maddy’s Place, Amy realizes she is one step away from losing everything. Matthew Warren is the Senior Counsel hired to make sure she does. Matthew is the most ruthless lawyer in the state. He wins in the courtrooms and bleeds in the shadows, haunted by a past he can’t litigate away. He doesn’t do love, and he certainly doesn't do feelings. His world of cold logic meets a fire he can’t extinguish. Matthew’s cool professionalism slips when he witnesses Amy’s pain, and the way he looks at her suggests he knows exactly what it means to be broken. What begins as a forbidden alliance deepens into an all-consuming passion. Amy must trust the man who plays by no rules. Matthew must prove he’s nothing like the men who came before him. But as Amy fights to protect her future, the ghosts of the past refuse to stay buried, forcing her to decide: Is she brave enough to survive? Or is love just another lie? Romance tropes you’ll find inside Love Lies: • Alpha Protector • Legal Romance • Hurt / Comfort • Touch Her And Die • He Falls Harder • Forbidden Alliance • High-Stakes Secrets • Slow Burn Tension • Found Family • Resilient Heroine ***** About the Author: Joelle Habbaki is an award-finalist author of high-stakes contemporary romance, including the Page Turner Award-nominated St. Austell Duet and Love Lies . Drawn to life's fracture points, she delivers stories that are emotional wrecking balls but always lead to a hard-won happily-ever-after. An independent visionary, Joelle extends her storytelling beyond the page by designing her own cinematic trailers, cover art, and producing globally streamed bilingual songs.