Seductive Secrets (Secret Lives Series) by Colleen Connally

Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

In this romance story, Alyce is trying to find evidence to prove that her father was murdered instead of committing suicide after killing a fellow officer. If (and it is a big IF) she is able to exonerate him from this, it will also prove that her father was not guilty of espionage and treason. Julian is the grandson of Alyce’s guardian. Julian’s brother is also the man that Alyce’s father allegedly killed.

Of course, Alyce’s investigation put her life in danger. With the physical connection that she shares with Julian, he does not want her put her life at risk. He wants her to trust him while he carries out the investigation. I love stories with strong willed women and the men that try to rein them in.

While Julian is trying to keep her from the investigation, her good friend Charles is trying to help her on her fact-finding mission. When there was an introduction of what seemed to be to leading man, I thought this was going to be a love triangle. I hate to love triangles! Fortunately for me, this story has only two people in love: Alyce and Julian.

The story was so complicated, but in a good way. There were so many different people involved red herrings as it were. When the true villain is exposed, it was totally unexpected.

I like it when I’m not able to determine who did what and why. This means to me that the author has woven a complex story that keeps me engaged to the very end. Bravo. I admit that three quarters of the way through, I had to reread parts of the book to keep the story straight. Like I said, there were so many different people that I was getting confused about who was who and what role they played.

Half of the way through the book Julian and Alyce profess their love for each other. That, too, was unexpected. When I read the proclamations of love, I check how far along I am in the story. I know that will give me an indication of how soon the whole book and all of its questions would wrap up. Declaration of love halfway through the story? That does not bode well for the additional trials that the couple has to face before they get a happy ending.

In summary, this book is worth reading because it kept me hooked to the very end. I had the happy ever after ending that satisfied me as well. Additionally, there are some interesting subplots that also add to the story.

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