How Could That Be a Lie? - Fool Me Once, #5

Clara Presley has finally ascended to the rank of Captain within the County Mayo Clan, but her throne is made of thorns. Her marriage to the brilliant, obsessive John Carrington has been exposed as a beautiful deception, leaving her to question her independence—and the future of a union she thought was eternal.

Then, the visions begin. A mystifying entity—a mirror image of Carrington—manifests in the theater of Clara's mind, blurring the line between an apparition and a psychological descent. Before Clara can decipher the truth, Carrington is abducted, forcing her to step into leadership and mobilize a desperate army of allies.

Clara's brush with the supernatural triggers a chain of events that defies logic. Are she and Carrington merely flesh and blood, or are they the ancient echoes of Hades and Persephone, cursed to relive their tragic myth across a thousand lifetimes?

The answer remains elusive, and then the ghosts of Clara's past converge. When Mark Kennedy—her former lover and most loyal confidant—is taken by the shadowy forces who kidnapped Carrington, Clara is forced to confront a doomsday of repressed devotion. In a future where time is a labyrinth and every choice is a trap, Clara must decide if she is destined to choose Carrington as her soulmate or if she is simply condemned to him.

Author's note to readers:

HOW COULD THAT BE A LIE? is the fifth installment of a seven-book saga—a modern-day gothic psychological reimagining of the Hades and Persephone myth. This book features a clinically obsessive British tycoon, an unreliable narrator diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and a forced marriage that spirals into a high-stakes psychological thriller. The series explores the thin line between love and control. For fans of high-intelligence romantic suspense and a Victorian/Gothic antihero in a contemporary dark romance setting. Reader discretion is advised.