{"product_id":"half-truths-by-claire-contreras","title":"Half Truths: Secret Society Hockey Romance by Claire Contreras","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eYou’ve heard of these groups – the secretive ones that only the crème de la crème are invited into, the ones outsiders speculate about for centuries – I’m the second in my family invited to attend, but to them, I’m fresh meat.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew blood.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew money, too.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey think they’ll elbow past me, that I’m here for their amusement, for them to walk all over, they’ll find out soon enough that I’m not.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI may look like one of them, with my designer bags and clothes straight from the Parisian runways, but I’m not.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI’m here for answers, to take revenge for blood spilled on their centuries-old Persian rugs.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI transferred to Ellis University in search for answers about what happened to my older brother, who hightailed out of here, and my friend who seemingly disappeared into thin air.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI certainly wasn’t here for the attention of the star hockey player, regardless of how much he willed my eyes his way.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI wasn’t here for his scrutiny or his judgment or to read into his mysterious aura. I was here for the society, because only they held the answers I needed.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThat was, until I found out that in order to get those answers, I needed to go through him.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHe’s saying if I want in, I have to play by their rules, follow their lead.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt’s a game I’m willing to play.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(15, 17, 17)\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eI may be the second person I know of to be invited into their society, but I’ll be the first to make it out intact.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ingram","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44580053057705,"sku":"9780998345574","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0645\/3470\/8393\/files\/Screenshot_2023-12-15_at_9.47.06_E2_80_AFAM.png?v=1724796423","url":"https:\/\/steamylitbookstore.com\/products\/half-truths-by-claire-contreras","provider":"Steamy Lit Romance Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}