A seductive tale that lingers long after the last page.
LIPS: Kiss The Lips That Lie by Peter Gooch unfolds as an intimate study of passion and duplicity, where family influence collides with individual desire. At its center is Selene Ormond, an alluring English au pair whose polished exterior conceals a past in Britain she cannot quite escape. Her chance meeting with Davis Beckwith—a cautious CPA bound by the weight of his family’s name—ignites a relationship built on both attraction and the unspoken recognition that each harbors secrets. But their fragile intimacy is quickly tested. Davis’s imperious mother, Miss Addy, wields her authority with subtle precision, entangling their romance in the larger web of family politics. At the same time, shadows from Selene’s earlier life threaten to resurface, complicating her future. Set amid a cast of eccentric relatives, expatriate companions, and risky entanglements, the novel traces how love can become both a refuge and a battleground. Gooch layers his narrative with sharp social observation and psychological tension, examining the delicate balance between ambition, deception, and devotion. The result is a taut exploration of how far one will go to preserve intimacy when truth itself is perilous.
Peter Gooch has a flair for the dramatic that lends itself beautifully to this sensoric literary dive into intimate secrets and ultimate seductions. His novel, LIPS, is one that romance fans will not be able to put down. The first thing that leaps off the page is the dedication to detail and energy in the character building. Selene Ormond is a magnetic, enigmatic heroine who it’s impossible not to fall for and want to see more of. Readers will find themselves rooting for her through every mysterious encounter, while Davis Beckwith’s quiet intensity creates a compelling chemistry between the two. Miss Addy is highly entertaining, a formidable matriarch worthy of any classic drama in the family saga canon. Peter Gooch’s slick, witty approach strikes a fantastic balance between the traditions of the genre and modern storytelling. The novel successfully offsets the grit and scandal of romance, ambition, and betrayal with atmospheric elegance and psychological suspense. The prose is sharp, layered, and socially aware, masterfully exploring the fine line between truth and fiction. This happens naturally through the characters and their interactions so that the plot never feels forced. A story as treacherous as it is irresistible, LIPS: Kiss The Lips That Lie is a seductive tale that lingers long after the last page.
