Is Little Ugly Truths by Cassidy Cole Worth It?
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Dark romance thrives on tension.
On secrets. Operating control. On the slow unraveling of truth.
Little Ugly Truths by Cassidy Cole promises all of that. A dark Irish mafia romance set beneath the glittering lights of an amusement park, hiding something far more dangerous.
And from the very first pages, I could feel the story building.
Kate is running. Hiding. Looking over her shoulder at every turn. Working at Lachlan Park on the coast of Maine, trying to disappear into the illusion of normalcy. There’s a mystery around her past that lingers in every decision she makes.
And I wanted in.
I wanted to understand what she was running from. I wanted to feel that fear with her instead of watching it from a distance. As if I am lurking in the story instead of being a part of the experience.
But for the first half of the book, that is exactly how I felt, like a bystander.
Not disconnected enough to DNF. Not bored because nothing was happening. But hovering just outside the emotional core of the story.
And as someone who needs an emotional tether to truly enjoy a romance, that distance is what almost lost me.
And yet…I could feel that it was going to click.
It wasn’t a matter of if.
But when.
Title: Little Ugly Truths (Lachlan Park, 1)
Author: Cassidy Cole
Publisher: Independently Published
Format: eARC
Genre: Dark Romance, Mafia Romance
Release Date: February 10, 2026
Pages: 310
Star Rating: 4 stars
Spice Rating: 2 chili peppers
A Heroine on the Run in Lachlan Park
Kate herself made that complicated, connecting to the story.
I loved her from the beginning. I trusted her. Not because I knew she was innocent, but because her honesty felt real. Her loneliness felt real. A woman on the run for a year, cut off from family and safety, carrying that quiet desperation in her bones.
She has spunk. Strength she doesn’t yet recognize. A softness under all that survival instinct.
Listen, Little Ugly Truths wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows: I was frustrated with her, too. If your entire goal is invisibility, why hop a fence into a restricted dock just to sit in a specific chair? Moments like that strained credibility. Her motivations didn’t always align with her fear.
Still, when the truth of what she’s running from finally comes to light, everything balances. The emotional math makes sense. The secrecy that once felt distancing becomes purposeful. You realize she definitely has reasons for that fear.
And that’s when the story starts tightening.
The Irish Mafia Romance Element in Little Ugly Truths
Preston Lachlan, however, never had to work for my attention. He had it from the very beginning.
Yes, he’s the Irish mafia boss. Lethal. Strategic. A man who doesn’t believe in coincidences, only intention. But what makes him compelling isn’t just the danger.
It’s the control.
He’s not chaotic evil. He’s calculated. Controlled rage simmering beneath the surface. Almost electric in the way he occupies space on the page.
When Kate stumbles into the tunnels beneath Lachlan Park—sees what she was never meant to see—the story shifts from eerie to dangerous.
And Preston locks in.
He forces her to stay one month in his family home because he doesn’t trust her. Because he doesn’t believe accidents exist in his world.
There’s a moment when he puts a collar on her… and not the fun kind.
And yes, that’s dark. But it never reads as cruelty for cruelty’s sake. It’s about power. Appearances. Territory. Even when he doesn’t trust her, there’s an undercurrent that it’s about control more than harm.
What surprised me most was how protective he is. How, in his own warped way, he creates safety for her. A safety that she desperately needs.
That tension, danger, and protection held all in the same breath is where the romance begins to pulse.
Where Little Ugly Truths Tightens the Tension
The pacing is where the book demands patience.
The first half simmers without fully igniting. There are moments of repetition—a suit described twice with slightly altered wording—that could have benefited from tighter editing.
But when the threads start weaving together?
It works.
The switch flips.
Secrets spill. Motivations sharpen. Emotional stakes rise.
And the same story that once felt distant suddenly becomes consuming.
I flew through the final stretch. The mystery element deepened. The romance intensified. The emotional weight landed harder because of the earlier restraint.
I guess the twist. But I did not guess the reason behind it.
And that distinction matters. Because the “why” reframes everything. It adds heartbreak. Sharpens betrayal. It gives the ending teeth.
The cliffhanger is cruel in the way a good trilogy opener should be. Enough closure to feel earned, enough unanswered tension to make you want the next book immediately.
And oh, how I want the next book.
So Is Little Ugly Truths Worth Reading?
Short answer, YES!
This is a dark Irish mafia romance, but it’s not overwhelmingly dark. Scenes are dark. There is control. There are power dynamics.
But the plot remains the focus. The spice never overshadows the story.
At its core, this is about two wounded people.
Kate, alone and running.
Preston, carrying grief and demons from his past.
They both have scars—literal and figurative. And while they struggle individually, together they begin to steady each other.
That’s what lingered.
Ultimately, I gave Little Ugly Truths 4 stars.
The beginning made me work for it.
The ending made it worth it.
It’s not flawless. The emotional distance early on held back.
But once it locks in…it locks in.
And I am genuinely curious to see where the Lachlan Park trilogy goes next!
So tell me…
Do you have patience for a slow burn that knows it’s building toward something bigger?
Have you read Little Ugly Truths yet?
Did the twist land for you, or were you already ten steps ahead? And if you haven’t picked it up yet…are you willing to stay through the simmer for the payoff?
Let’s talk about it in the comments. I want to know where you landed!
This Is Where I Tell You to Shop Indie
If you’re planning to read Little Ugly Truths, this is your reminder to support your local indie bookstore first.
Order it through your neighborhood shop.
Ask your library to bring it in.
Or use Bookshop.org and choose a bookstore to support (at no extra cost to you).
Every purchase through an indie store keeps real shelves stocked, real staff employed, and real communities thriving. If the most accessible option for you is Amazon, I understand. Books should be accessible. Just try to make that your last option whenever you can.
Stories deserve to be supported in ways that protect the people who bring them to life.
Thank you to author Cassidy Cole for providing me with an eARC to read and review.
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