December 5, 2019

I read a lot, as the few of you who follow this blog already know. So, when I find a story that goes off the beaten path, I get excited. Accidental Secrets falls right into that category.

I thought that set up was interesting. High school sweethearts separated by her mom (very Romeo & Juliet) find each other again years later through little quirks of life choices. Some might even call it fate. But there is a lot of baggage to unpack, and the path to a “happily ever after” is never smooth.

I liked how the characters were fully realized in this book. I got a full sense of who each of them was individually, and they weren’t just characters. I think that the job selections for Rachel and Mike contributed to that. The author gave thought to their jobs instead of just having them be generic business person.

I also enjoyed reading how Reagan worked her way into the story. (No spoilers). I think giving her a voice in the whole matter also made it seem more realistic. She wasn’t just a bratty teen there for atmosphere; she was a catalyst to several plot points.

The author wrote the story in a way that was easy to read. Everything flowed nicely and the shifts between character perspective were smooth. This is the third book in a trilogy, and there are several references to events in the previous books. It can be read as a stand-alone, but you will definitely enjoy the story more if you have read the first two books. Treat yourself to the trilogy for the holidays!

Author Bio

Dana Mason started writing about ten years ago after being overwhelmed by a story that wouldn’t let her sleep until she wrote it down. The story, Dangerous Embrace, was published in 2012 and won Best Mystery/Suspense from eFestival of Words Best of Independent eBook Awards in 2014. Dangerous Embrace is the first book in her Embrace Series. The second book in the series, Precious Embrace, was Runner-Up for Best Hero from eFestival of Words Best of Independent eBook Awards that same year. Her third book, Broken Embrace, was awarded Best Indie Book in 2015 in the Romance Category.
Dana loves turning your worst nightmares into happy endings. She lives in Northern California with her husband, children, and her writing companion and mighty protector, Mia the Chihuahua.

**Website:** http://danamasonromance.com/
**Twitter:** https://twitter.com/danamason06
**Facebook:** https://www.facebook.com/danamasonromance/

This book was nothing like what I expected it to be, and everything a book should be. It was a fascinating look at human resilience and the lengths people will go to for family members.

From the opening prologue, there was a sense that although the scene seemed light, there was an undercurrent of something more to come – and boy was that ever the truth.

The author takes an unflinching look at spousal abuse (I suppose that should be a trigger warning for some people) and does an excellent job of analyzing the psychology behind it, including the long-lasting effects on both spouses and children.

Told from different points of view, but mainly in the past, the reader explores Carol’s choices, and the repercussions of those choices felt by her children both then and into the present.

As always, I don’t want to give anything away, because the way the author lays out the perspectives is perfect and saying too much would ruin the point of watching the stories dovetail as the reader gains understanding from the different characters’ experiences.

The author also does an excellent job of dropping hints as to character motivations and then circling back to address them later in the story. It was an effective way to pique interest while keeping the action natural and in context.

Truthfully, this may be a difficult book for some people to read, based on their personal histories, but the message of resilience, hope, faith, and family come across strongly and could be used as guiding principles for many individual journeys. I highly recommend this book.

Author Bio:
Amazon best selling author of ‘intelligent and haunting’ psychological thrillers VALENTINA, MOTHER, THE PACT, THE PROPOSAL and THE WOMEN.

S E Lynes is a writer, tutor and mentor. Formerly a BBC producer, she has lived in France, Spain, Scotland, Italy, and now lives in Greater London with her husband, three kids and her dog, Lola.

Her critically acclaimed debut, VALENTINA, was published by Blackbird Digital Books in July 2016. Her second novel, MOTHER was published by Bookouture in 2017, followed in 2018 by THE PACT and THE PROPOSAL. In August 2018, VALENTINA was published in a new edition by Bookouture and THE WOMEN was released in 2019. Her new novel, the dark and gripping family drama, THE LIES WE HIDE, is published Dec 4th 2019.