Good Guys Don't Lie

The Boys, Book 4

By: Micalea Smeltzer

Narrated by: Meg Sylvan, Jeremy York

Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

I’ve been nothing but a failure to my parents my entire life. I know I’ll never live up to their level of perfection, but it doesn’t matter.

Especially when I’m about to fail the same class twice. It seems like I’m doomed until my professor tells me he knows the perfect guy to tutor me—if he’ll agree.

Cree Madison is the star player on the hockey team, bound for NHL superstardom, and my last hope. I’m willing to do almost anything for his help. When I meet up with him, his eyes light up and he says, “I’ve been looking for you.”

Only I don’t know him, and I’ve never met him before now. I’m willing to pretend to be whoever he wants me to be if it means I pass this class.

But lies have a way of getting out of hand, and neither one of us is prepared for the fallout when everything comes to light.

©2022 Micalea Smeltzer (P)2022 Podium Audio

Sweet, second chance meeting setup!

3.5 stars! Good Guys Don’t Lie is the fourth boy in The Boys series by Micalea Smeltzer. This is a contemporary, new adult (college), sports romance series (although the sports is super light in the whole series). And in this one we have a hockey hero and a bit of a second chance after a previous hookup!

The story starts off with hockey player Cree sharing a night with a mystery girl at a bonfire party. He has never stopped looking for or thinking about her, and then a year later he runs into her again! Ophelia is in need of a tutor when Cree shows up and offers to help, knowing she’s the girl he’s been searching for. I loved how both are bookish and a bit nerdy, he is into Spider-Man and legos and books! Their shared love of books was so sweet and fun. Ophelia has autism and she struggles to feel like she belongs and fits in with friends. I liked seeing how sweet Cree is with her. I did think this one went on a bit too long, but I did enjoy it more than the previous book in the series! And again, like this whole series, I would have loved if we got more sports time.

A 2.5 star listen at best

So I'm not going to give a standard review I'm going to post my thoughts as they came to me while listening to this book.

She took off her socks and shoes to go ice skating with the borrowed H's sister skates. So gross. Again, she took off her SOCKS and shoes. 🤢
1. They aren't your skates
2. They aren't your skates
3. How do you think the sisters going to feel about your nasty feet if she finds out

H takes off h pants and SURPRISE no underwear. When he comments she says she doesnt wear them, they're too tight but when he first meets her and they're night swimming shes wearing a bra AND underwear.
(Is she a twin that was separated at birth? Since she doesn't remember having sex with him? This is my feeling at the time when they have sex for the "¿second time?")

And also what's up with Cree and his tying her up, safe word, spanking and "threatening" to spank her if she "doesnt listen" nowhere in the whole book leading up to this does this personality trait ever manifest itself. And they didn't even have sex again until after the 50% mark. He wasn't all dominating in the prologue so we had half a book of mild mannered easy going Cree.

I really feel like this book Micalea tried too hard. It's ok for a guy to be a nice guy, a good guy, to not be all into the kink. Every time Micalea has him flying his kinkflag it felt fake and forced. It didnt come natural to the personality that she had established for Cree. Hes wanting to handcuff her, GAG her, like WTF and all the while hes reading Percy Jackson books in his off time. Not that one cant do both but not once in his personality do we even get a hint that he has dom tendencies. He isnt a manly man, he isnt an alpha. I mean Jude punches him once, ONCE and its lights out. So yeah. Hes no alpha.

Micalea uses almost exact scenes I've read in other books. ie. Read out loud this erotica book while I go down town on you, stop reading and I stop.... except it was done by a much more dominant man and totally fit the personality type the other author had created. With Cree I just chuckle and roll my eyes. Just SO unbelievable. Oh then there was when hes slaps the inside of her thigh and says, what did I tell you. Puuuulease 🙄

Micalea is now wrapping up the book. But it is sooooo obvious that she is tying up all the loose ends that it just becomes ridiculous. It just seems like a make believe ending all fantastical. Everything all prettily tied up in a bow.

I also think the female narrator kinda ruined the character for me. I havent liked her in other books shes narrated so its not just this book that's making me feel this way.

Now, I was so excited knowing Judes book was coming but now that I know hes getting stuck with Cree's sister I'm waaaaay less excited. Actually I feel sad about that pairing. Again maybe it was this narrator but I actively hated the sister. She takes over a bathroom that isn't hers, leaves razors all over so that the person's whose bathroom IT IS cuts his foot and she does baby voice mocking him. She leaves her hair in the tub and SHE gets mad because someone, again the one who the bathroom belongs to doesnt like it. Are you kidding me B🐕itch. She flings sauce on Jude he does it back and SHE gets pissed? She's a freaking little peon. I could go on and on. But she is an entitled, self righteous, whiny, screechy, nosy shrew and so many other things. Yeah I dont like her.

I think Micalea should have stopped at Teddy. I enjoyed the little glimpse of Teddy but it didnt feeeeel like Teddy. I would have liked getting the Intel that his mom actually divorced his dad.

Anyway. This wasnt the worst book. I actually finished it. There have been books I havent. I'd say this was a 2.5 ⭐ book. Would I ever just pull this book and listen to it on it's own, absolutely not. Would I just Coles or just Teddy's, absofreakinlutely and I have! Would I listen to this as part of the whole series? 🤷🏻‍♀️ so there it is. Its not the worst. That's the best I can say.