When He Lies (Protector & Defender 7) by Cynthia Eden-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 26, 2026

Their paths collide on a mission. He’s working undercover. So is she. But they are on two very different sides of the law.

A top operative at the CIA, Ryan Quinn is used to hunting down the worst of the worst. Manipulation is the game. And he is exceptionally good at the game. His latest case involves him playing the role of a wealthy and bored businessman as he sneaks into the inner circle of some very dangerous individuals. The tool he uses to get into that circle? The lovely and innocent Simone Sailor.

Fun fact…She’s using him. Men always underestimate her…Too bad. That’s their mistake.

Simone has a job to do, and nothing will stop her from achieving her goal. She has some trinkets to retrieve for a very upset family. Retrieval specialist–yep, that’s her. She thinks that title sounds so much better than say…thief. So she lies, she pretends, and she gets the job done. One hundred percent success rate. Playing innocent and fooling her marks? Please. That’s something that she can do in her sleep. Except this time, she finds herself getting a little too close to one of her targets…the gorgeous and seemingly clueless Ryan. A bored but way too sexy billionaire. A man who has a touch that sends wildfire racing through her veins.

She’s distracted during her heist. He distracts her, and she gets caught in the act of retrieving property. And death is the punishment. For her…and for Ryan.

Uh, oh. Simone may have underestimated the danger in her latest job. When she and Ryan are suddenly kidnapped, she realizes that, for the first time in her life, she could seriously use a hero…and turns out, Ryan is not the useless rich boy that she assumed. He’s smart, he’s incredibly dangerous…and Ryan just killed someone without blinking in order to save her life. Oh, and also…he’s saying that she’s under arrest. That he has to keep her close, twenty-four, seven, and that there is now an exceedingly large bounty on her head.

She’s his prisoner. His leverage. And…his absolute obsession.

Simone is not innocent. She is not sweet. She is going to drive Ryan absolutely and utterly insane. He crossed lines with her–so many complicated lines. He’s killed for her, and he will do whatever it takes to keep her alive. She’s now a very important witness, and the CIA intends to leverage her knowledge of the international crime world. But…Ryan just wants her. And the longer they are together, the hotter the desire between them blazes.

But liars aren’t supposed to fall in love.

Too bad because Ryan is pretty sure that he’s falling hard for gorgeous Simone. Now, if he can just keep her alive, if he can capture all the bad guys who want her dead, and if he can prove to her that, for the first time in her life, she’s finally found someone that she can truly trust…then maybe this spy will have a chance at a happy ending with the pretty thief who may have stolen his heart.

••••••

REVIEW: WHEN HE LIES is the seventh instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary, adult PROTECTOR AND DEFENDER romantic suspense series. This is CIA Agent Ryan Quinn, and professional thief/ retriever Simone Sailor’s story line. WHEN HE LIES can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary. Ryan Quinn is the brother of FBI Agent Agnes Quinn (WHEN HE GUARDS 5), and CIA Agent Nash Quinn (When He Loves 6)

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers .

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Ryan and Simone WHEN HE LIES follows several pathways including CIA Agent Ryan Quinn’s seduction of our story line heroine but from the outset nothing goes according to plan, as Simone is often one-step ahead of our story line hero, an agent who is falling for the woman who is not whom she claims to be.

The world building is detailed, complex and not without a large number of questionable secondary and supporting characters. Ryan is determined to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love but said woman is determined to complete the job.

The relationship between Simone and Ryan is contentious-Simone is a thief who is desperate to escape Ryan’s custody, while Ryan struggles to remain distant from the woman that calls to his heart. The $ex scenes are passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, interesting and often controversial characters. We are reintroduced to Agents Jezebel, Ryan’s siblings Agnes and Nash, as well as Simone’s ‘brother’ Logan, and MI6 Agent Harry Wilson.The requisite evil has many faces.

WHEN HE LIES is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance,power and control, family and relationships, forgiveness and love. The character driven premise is intriguing , captivating and dramatic: the romance is seductive and intense; the characters are determined and charismatic .

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy