Secrets by Freya North

Title: Secrets

Author: Freya North

ISBN: 978-1-4022-6014-8

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Release Date: January 2012

Format: Trade Paperback

$14.99

How I Read It: Trade Paperback ARC from Publishers

Rating: 4.5 Crowns

*****

They drive each other crazy.

And they both have something to hide.

But we all have our secrets.

It’s just that some are bigger than others…

Joe has a beautiful house, a great job, no commitments-and he likes it like that. All he needs is a quiet house sitter for his rambling old place by the sea. When Tess turns up on his doorstep, he’s not sure she’s right for the job. Where has she come from in such a hurry? Her past is a blank, and she’s a bit of an enigma. But there’s something about her-even though sparks fly every time they meet. And it looks like she’s here to stay. (From the back of the arc)

My Thoughts:

Ok, most of you may remember that I rambled on about Freya North’s ‘Pillow Talk’ for what seemed like forever. Well…you better prepare for another full-on gab fest because I absolutely loved, loved, loved ‘Secrets’.

Tess, even with a toddler in tow, has perfected the art of hiding, but her secret is breathing down her neck. When she finds an advert stating: “House-sitter wanted. Sea views. Immediate start.”, it seems like the answer to her prayers. Tess rings up the owner and takes the job without being offered it. Now she has packed up and moved to Saltburn.

When the phone rings, Joe is about to offer the job to someone else and stuns even himself when he finds that Tess has taken the job and he has let her. When she arrives in his driveway he is even more surprised that she has a toddler on her hip. He intends to treat her like the previous house-sitters, although he can tell that Tess has already fallen in love with house and there is just that certain something about her that intrigues him.

Although the two are drawn to each other like a moth to a flame, they have to tendency to get under each others skin, which makes for a grand read.

I loved the way that each character had issues of their own that they needed to work through. It made the story feel balanced. I also loved that by profession Joe was a man who built bridges, yet he had his own bridges (personal/emotional) that he didn’t quite know how to repair. It was also rather fitting that Tess came to live in a home that was named “Resolution” as she had her own issues that needed to be resolved.

Add in the fact that each time they thought they were growing closer it was like a mini-bomb exploded pushing them back a couple step, a toddler, and a rather large dog and you have a brilliant cotemporary novel.

I was hooked on this book from page one. I wanted to see what secrets Tess and Joe held and ended up reading the whole book in one night.

If I loved this book, why didn’t I give it a 5 Crown Royal Read Rating? I truly wanted to give this book a Royal Read rating, and I had planned to until I got to the last few chapters. The book as a whole was well paced, telling the story in a sort of play-by-play way where you get to see how each day goes, normally that can be a bit tedious is some books, but for Secrets it worked. Then you come to the last few chapters and they felt a bit rushed which is why I gave this a 4.5 Crown rating.

I will say that this is one book I would love to see a sequel to!

Because I loved this book, I have 1 Copy to giveaway.

Giveaway ends January 31.

Giveaway is worldwide.

To enter leave your name and your guess at what secrets Tess and Joe are hiding.

Visit Angela Renee @ Renee’s Reads