Lies in the Dark

A Heart of Inferno Novel

By: Nicole Fanning

Narrated by: Joe Arden, Angelina Rocca

Length: 16 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

My name is Rachel Valentine.

My brother is the leader of the Two-Headed Dragon, a vicious new mafia clan in the city of Chicago. He is out for vengeance against the leader of our crime syndicate: Jaxon Pace. The man who also happens to be the father of my child.

I used to want vengeance too. Why? Well, because I got sick of Jaxon’s whoring and did what any resourceful and royally pissed off woman would do: faked my own death. For the last seven years, I have been in hiding. And wouldn’t you know, Jaxon Pace met someone. Some golden-haired princess, who stole his heart and was finally able to bring the big bad Don Supreme to heel.

F--king nauseating, right?

But before you start weeping for me, you should know I’ve met someone too. FBI Agent Adam Westwood. Tall, handsome, brave… and deliciously fractured. Just like me. Only problem is, he didn’t exactly tell me he was an undercover FBI agent, and I didn’t exactly tell him who I really am… or who my brother is.

However, two nights ago, all our secrets came out, and now Adam and I must sort through all the lies we’ve told each other… to determine if any of it was real.

A lot of people think they know me. Most of them are wrong. I’m complicated, and so is my story. But all you really need to know, is that I was never going to be anyone’s princess.

So, I became the VILLIAN.

Author Note: This is a companion novel to the Heart of the Inferno Series. While you do not have to have read HOTI to enjoy Lies in the Dark, it will increase the listener experience as LITD is set in the middle of Flash Point (Book III).

©2023 Nicole Fanning (P)2023 Blue Nose Publishing

So emotional! Full of Recounted Trauma

STOP! Have you read/listened to Catalyst, Ignite, and Flash Point yet? If not, go read/listen to those BEFORE consuming this novel. It is not a standalone but a companion novel.

• Mafia Princess • FBI Agent • Trauma • Survivors • BDSM • SW • Misunderstood Heroine •

I really wish I would have heeded the author’s note to read through the first three books in this series first, HOWEVER, I’m excited to go back and listen to them now knowing Rachel’s story first. I think it’ll give me a very different perspective reading through the other books and the motives behind her actions in them.

This book is told through the lens of Rachel and Adam coming clean to each other about their darkest secrets and traumas. They met and had a situationship under aliases but were both falling in love with the real versions of each other that were slowly exposed over their time together prior to both learning each other’s true identities.

After all the trauma Rachel endured and living so much of her life on her own or in transactional relationships, Adam and his desire to show Rachel she is deserving of other forms of intimacy is exactly what she needs.

I loved the way the story was told, a little at a time through “memories” but as if they were in realtime, but there are some very traumatic things that happen to both Rachel and Adam that are detailed. Be sure to check trigger warnings.

Angelina and Joe were incredible in this audiobook. The acting was perfect. They played off each other so well and the tension/desire sounded so real. The addition of heavy breathing and breathlessness during the spicy scenes was on point! And the emotional scenes nearly brought me to tears because of the acting. One of Joe’s and Angelina’s best performances.

Blemished. Not Broken.

Honestly, I don't write many reviews but at this point in this series, I feel I must. The whole series has been amazing and emotional, but THIS ONE? Good grief. It had me laughing, crying, angry, and even in the need of a cold shower many times!
To o start, finding out that there is a reason for someone's ugly side, and that the ugly is actually a suit of armor...
Rachel became a very relatable "monster", who maybe wasn't such a monster after all.
And Adam? OK, so maybe I don't hate him quite as much as I thought I did. His story broke me. I can't find sufficient words to describe all the feels that are still clanking around in my brain and heart.

And I haven't even gotten to the narrators yet. IMHO, this was one if Joe's best. He handled the range of emotions like the amazing actor he is. That brings me to Angelina. She was a new female narrator to me, and with this performance, she just quickly shot up the ladder of my favorites list.

Well done Nicole, Joe, Angelina, and Bluenose. This audio was perfect, and enhanced an already amazingly well written book, into an all out emotional experience!

Nicole…ma’am!

This book was amazing!!!!!! This was such a NEEDED addition to the Heart of the Inferno Series…to get Rachel’s side of the story as to why she is the way she is. I loved Rachel and Adam…and the fact that Angelina and Joe narrated this makes it hands down one of the best books I’ve listened to this year! They both own and embody the characters they are performing…this isn’t just reading words on a page folks, this is ACTING and they crushed it!! Bravo you two!!! Nicole…your writing…is just amazing, I truly do not have enough words to express how good it is and how I need all your writing in my life!! Keep writing girl and we will keep gobbling it up!! Blue Nose Production did a phenomenal job putting this all together!!! All the way around everyone deserves a 10/10!!

Wow just WOW!

This book is the first I’ve done of Nicole Fannings and all i have to say is wow just wow! This is an incredible book one of my top reads(listens) of the year, I’m not even sure how i mean that because this book is dark and not for the faint of heart. There were moments i had to take a break from listening because of the depth but when i say it pulls you back in in such a way, it is captivating. You feel so much for these characters. The way it is written with their POVs and past story telling is just perfection!…and onto the narration.. there is no one who can hold a candle to Joe when it comes to telling a story like this, he makes me feel like i am actually watching it live, i felt every single bit of pain these characters go through and Angelina killed this just killed it. There were so many points i forgot there were only two narrators and not 10 because that’s how good they were, truly brought this to life.
Check content warnings, i never do because what can i say, im a content warning enthusiast the more the merrier, butttttt this one like i said it is not for the faint of heart.. i would reccommend 100/10! I found a new favorite author <3

What is real?

Oh man! This story was a tangled web of truths and lies, and righting the wrongs. It was compelling and concise. The narrators did a fantastic job delivering every emotion, and the production was perfect!

I want more!!!

I loved everything about this book! The narrators, Angelina Rocca and Joe Arden were AMAZING! The story was so beautifully written, the way they both spoke about past drama and healing! Ugh. Loved it all!

Fu€king Brilliant

Life is complicated especially when you are born into a world of fear, abuse and betrayal. The mechanisms that Rachel used as shields were iron clad. The things she did to survive turned my blood to ice.

I truly hated her through Books 1,2 and 3. Every time I thought, well maybe she isn’t so bad…. BAM, she proved me wrong, until I got to hear her story. She takes poor little lost girl to new heights. My heart broke for her over and over again. Did she make some really, let me repeat that word, REALLY poor decisions? She sure to fu€k did. Did she pay a dear price for some of those decisions? Yes, more than she should have had to pay. Like I said before life is complicated and no one in this world is truly all good or bad.

Rachel and Adam did not fit into the neat little puzzle of life. They were broken, multi-layered, hurt beyond repair and battled a duality that I will never understand, but they worked. I hate to use cliches when describing something, however perfectly imperfect does keep repeating in my mind.

I had never listened to Angelina Rocca before this book, but she played Rachel to such perfection, I can never get enough of her voice.

It is official, Joe Arden is a narrator God, enough said.

Nicole Fanning, do I hate you or love you? Eenie, Meenie, Miny, Moe…… Fu€king brilliant!

I loved this book

BUT I love Catalyst, Ignite, and Flash Point more. I love having all the sides to this story now and the narration was flawless! And the TIMING! THE EPILOGUE 😱😳 brilliantly done, Nicole!

Exceptional Story & Listen~Mesmerizing & Emotional

Nicole Fanning blows me away with another brilliant novel, a companion novel to her amazing “Heart of the Inferno” series, a not to be missed series, which is Jaxon Pace and Natalie’s story. “Lies in the Dark” is Rachel and Adam’s story, who were key players in the other books, and to get the most of the story and the world building it is beneficial to read and/or listen to those books first, you will be happy that you did. I know I was, mainly because I knew where they stood, plus I found them to be intriguing and wanted to know more about them. Rachel is the mother of Jaxon’s daughter, and the firstborn to the Don Supreme. She had been born into a mafia family, but she fled when she was younger and while it was not always easy, she could live her own life. Agent Adam Westwood is an FBI profiler who is on suspension, but that has not stopped him from investigating crimes in the underworld and those connected, including Jaxon Pace and Michael Valentine. Somewhere along the way Rachel and Adam made their own connection and not everything was on the up and up, and now it is time for them to come clean, including how they really feel about other, but before they can do that, they must share truths about themselves and let their skeletons out of the closet. I absolutely loved everything about this book, from the presentation and telling of the story to the writing, world building, as well as the character growth and development. The chemistry between these two is through the roof and smoking hot! This is a such a mesmerizing story, I could tear myself away from it and nothing around me mattered except what was going to happen next. And that ending, oh my! I am looking forward to find out what happens next in this amazing series. Nicole Fanning, thank you for another brilliant story and emotional rollercoaster ride.  

🎧 📚🎧 Joe Arden’s and Angelina Rocca’s exceptional narration enhances this already brilliant book to another level. Their portrayal and take on the characters is amazing, their character voices are fitting and they bring out their every emotion in such a way you can not help but feel every single one. Arden’s Adam is perfection, nailing every aspect of his personality, his raw torment, hardened disposition yet able to show his caring side. Rocca did the same as Rachel, rocking her strength, determination, as well as her vulnerable side, which was well hidden behind her facade. These two made a great team, complimenting each other’s performance and their talent knows no bounds. They are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another amazing listen. 

This book was INSANE!

5/5⭐️ 3/5🌶️ 5/5🎧
Yoooo, this book was WILD! It starts out a bit slow, but it’s intriguing nonetheless. I don’t think I’ve heard read a book quite like this one. It reminded me of that movie Memoirs of a Geisha in the way the recounting of the stories went down.

Two lovers are telling their darkest truths to one another in order to move forward past the lies that have been told. But when they tell each other their stories, it’s as if we’re living it in real time. This book is very VERY dark. So many triggers. So please, I encourage you to check the content warning before reading because this one can definitely mess with mental health. So let’s get into it.

A neglected daughter of a mafia don finds herself in a situationship with an ex fbi agent. So this is like criminal minds meets mafia wars. It’s INSANE! The shit BOTH MCs went through is tragic, things I couldn’t fathom. And when you think it couldn’t get worse, it does.

Joe Arden and Angelina Rocca absolutely killed this duet performance. I haven’t listened to Joe narrate in a while, and I was very quickly reminded why he is the GOAT of the voice acting world. His voice is so versatile that he portrayed every single male character to perfection. From depraved and ruthless characters to sweet and sexy scenes …BRAVO. And Angelina, my god. Her spicy scenes had me 🥵🥵🥵 she and Joe together were explosive. And the raw emotion she brings to the mic…I don’t think this book could have had two better narrators playing those characters.

And that ending. You devil, you. 😈

Read this book. Listen to this book. I’m going back to read the series now because while this was a standalone, it’s better enhanced with the Heart of the Inferno series. I can’t say enough about it. This was my first Nicole Fanning book…consider me a fan girl.