FRAUD (Antihero Inferno #2) by LILY WHITE

***Spoiler-free Review*** 

‘The game continues…just like always.’
‘We like the war. Crave it. Need it in a way that will never make sense to most people. But only because it makes us better.’

Fraud by Lily White is the second book in the Antihero Inferno series, a book we jumped into as soon as it landed on our kindles because -as you know- the first book Treachery blew our minds. This series should not be read as standalones, despite each book being about a different couple, as the underlying storyline continues and the timelines cross over. Fraud is Gabriel Dane, the eight circle of the Inferno, a man who stole our hearts in Treachery. His sparring partner is the sassy, feisty, cheeky and big-hearted, Ivy.

‘It was a steady succession of mistakes that led me to the final one – the BIG one- the mistake that sent me crawling straight to Tanner for him to fix.’

In Fraud the deception and cunning game of cat and mouse is well-rehearsed from childhood and quite frankly it’s epic in its deception and mind games. Lily White writes enemies to lovers with perfection! It was relentless, it was funny, seriously hot and extremely thrilling at times. Once again the thin line between love and hate was explosive, and we were kept hanging on every word, every prank, every sacrifice and every single game-changer.

‘When it comes to Gabriel, there is one golden rule you must always follow: Never believe him. Not even once. To do so is to guarantee your world is about to be ruined.’
‘Did you believe me? Think I’ve changed? Even after you were warned? That’s very noble of you. It’s a shame I’ll have to break your heart.’

Gabriel is a cheeky handsome devil, his smile and green eyes magnetic, his whole being a sexy wrapped package of enigmatic and arrogant mystery. This is a man who is the epitome of a chameleon. Multiple personas and Ivy has them all down, knowing exactly who she’s dealing with at any one time. Gabriel the broken boy – the soulful boy, Gabriel the Fraud and Gabriel the charming joker…the list goes on. The masks he wears each serving a purpose. The only boy and man ever to hold Ivy’s attention.

‘He hurts my heart, even when he’s nowhere near me. He twists my soul when he draws close. It’s the reason I fight so hard against him. I’m not only trying to remove him from my life, I’m attempting to erase his name from the places he’d carved it into my bones.’

Gabriel and Ivy have so much history, one is bound to the other. They’ve clearly always wanted each other despite the intense hatred. Years of pranks and game playing has ensured that they’ve stayed in each other’s lives. Both challenge each other in ways that made us laugh; their banter infectious. The chemistry between them is off the charts hot, like magnets they circle each other unable to let go. If we thought the nookie was hot in Treachery…damn, Gabriel and Ivy just took it to a whole other level.

‘That’s what Gabriel and I are and have always been. A natural disaster. A destructive calamity. A storm so devastating that any person caught in its wake is left confused and stumbling.’

The Inferno men are devious and cocky arseholes, all sacrificial pawns and products of cruel and criminal fathers, brought up in a hate-fuelled environment, leaving parts of them broken. These men are tethered by brotherly love and fervent loyalty to each other in their passion to break the cycle of cruelty by their families. Violence begets violence. Games are a consequence of wicked behaviour, hurt and terror. Pranks have dire consequences. In Fraud we learn more of what sparked a series of events in the lives of the Inferno and secrets are revealed. However, we are still very much in the dark as to who holds what vital information, which will mean the Inferno can finally reap the vengeance they so desperately seek on their fathers.

‘After eighteen years, Ivy is finally giving up. A girl who always fight. A woman who never crumbles. She’s walking away. And that’s the last fucking thing I want.’

Fraud had intense chemistry, buckets full of drama, hilarious banter and thrilling suspense. Lily White is absolutely WOWING us with this series, we have those fluttering butterflies in our stomachs knowing we’ve hit the motherlode of anti-heroes and knowing we have so many yet to read, yet wanting them all like right now! No question, the Inferno guys with their arrogant, game-playing ways have stolen our hearts in this rollercoaster ride of a series with all its twists and turns. We are OBSESSED!

‘I’m claimed. His. I’m owned by the liar. By Fraud.’