Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Lips: Kiss the Lips that Lie by Peter Gooch is an exploration of relationships and the secrets from our past that can define our lives moving forward. Selene is a beautiful young Englishwoman who works as an au pair for a wealthy Chicago family. When she met Davis Beckwith (DB), the attraction and chemistry between the pair were instantaneous and passionate. Davis is a successful CPA (Chartered Public Accountant) and heir to his family’s successful and prestigious firm. As Selene nears the end of her planned year in the United States, decisions about her and DB’s future need to be made, but first, Selene must meet and impress DB’s charismatic and powerful mother, Miss Addy, as well as other members of his eccentric family and friends. Can their love survive the betrayals, ambitions, and their secret pasts, or will this all just end up being Selene’s big “gap year” fling?

Lips is a story that captures the imagination right from the dramatic prologue, which gives readers an insight into the life that DB was born into, which then takes you on an adventurous and sensual journey with these two young people. Author Peter Gooch has created two polar opposite social stratum characters in Selene and Beckwith, allowing for an exploration of the different cultural and class mores between a middle-class English girl and a privileged, “nouveau riche” American man. I particularly appreciated the at times outlandish behavior of Selene’s ex-pat British friends and how the conservative DB attempted to come to terms with the stark cultural differences. I enjoyed the author’s descriptive style, which painted a vivid mental picture of locations, actions, and emotions. Miss Addy, DB’s mother, plays a small but crucial role in the overall development of the relationship, and it is her forceful personality that has had such an impact on DB’s development. This is an intricate story of class structure, love, relationships, and secrets that I enjoyed. I highly recommend this read.