Hot Secrets

“I love you, Lauren. I have since the moment I met you. I can’t be mad at your father for bringing us together.” - Royce Walker

Well, it's been a while since I've last posted a review, so be gentle with me, hmm?

OK, first book that got finished this year - and I have to say, I hope the rest of my year as a reader goes that smoothly. In fact, if it can be as smooth as Royce himself, I wouldn't object much.

Royce Walker has been given a special kind of job: keep Lauren Reynolds safe and sound, without her noticing it. So he approaches her under false pretenses - that are very much real, to him anyway - and tries his best to avoid being found out by this woman who makes his world turn upside down day and night. But the closer the two show more become, the tougher it is for him to live with the guilt of lying to her for her own safety. And her stalker is nowhere to be found yet everywhere to hurt her...

I'm a sucker for love stories like this one. It's not only the suspense of someone being in danger. It's also the mystery of what will happen when the woman who's under protection notices something is off and starts questioning every single move the male lead makes. As much as they make me angry as hell - because, hellooooo, the guy is busting his left nut to keep you out of harm's way, lady, thank you very much - I still can't resist them.

This story was no different. Lauren and Royce hit it off rather nicely. With lots of sexual tension and hotness and sparks flying around. But I guess I was expecting something more from Lauren than the usual behavior of the female lead in such a situation, so this was what took the 5th star out of the rating.

What really surprised me was the identity of the stalker. I had a lot of suspects and reasons for each one of them, but the way things played out, I'd say it was far better than what I had imagined and far more complicated and yet so simple. A wonderful ending to a wonderful story.

Now I can't wait to read about the rest of the brothers!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.*** show less

I LOVE those moments in romance novels (or any novel) that make my heart ache. They are my absolute favorite thing about reading. Lisa Renee Jones writes those moments so well, and then slips them into her stories seemingly effortlessly. When I first started reading Hot Secrets, I thought it was going WAY too fast and I wasn't going to connect to the story and the characters because of that...I was wrong. As the title suggests, it is SUPER hot and sexy, but it was more -- I was moved by these characters too. (Something, in my opinion, that is a lot harder for a writer to accomplish.) There is one scene where our hero and heroine get into a fight, so she ends up sleeping in the guest room...she wakes up to find he slept in a chair in the show more living room because he "couldn't go to bed knowing" she wasn't there. I think I literally swooned when I read that. I loved their connection, and how she knows he's being an overbearing "alpha" but she can't help but be attracted to him anyway. The suspense was good too - not overly exciting, but still kept me guessing until the end. A great start to a great series! show less

I've had this book in my TBR pile it seems like forever and kept putting it off for some reason or other. So, I finally decided to read it and I'm a little mad at myself for waiting so long. I really got sucked into it and read it in one sitting. Royce is just too yummy for words, but I'll try. He was big, alpha, controlling (but not in a creepy way) and very protective of those he considers his, whether they be family or in this case, his lover. I don't think he ever pushed it to far with the protectivness though. Lauren kinda gave off mixed signals; at times she was bold and took no crap then right after that she came off as shy and innocent. I think they evened each other out and where pretty smokin' together. Now I'm totally looking show more forward to reading more about the Walker brothers cause I know I won't be disappointed. Recommend to any woman or man who likes their romance a little spicy and who loves red-blooded alpha men.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. show less

great read - a bit like the prequel "Hot Secrets" in the way the plot develops. I liked the way Royce was described, strong alpha male with great looks and slightly long hair.I also liked that Lauren was not a needy, weak female,she stood firm by her convictions. I like the developing back story with the three brothers (i'm sure the next book will be Luke and Julie's story)their interaction, and devotion to the security firm, looking forward to learning more about them. The villain in this book took me by surprise, I had it pegged as one or two other characters.

Good lead & supporting characters, fully developed plot, just enough suspense and mystery to keep you interested, but does not overshadow the romance, and great steamy sex show more scenes. show less

I enjoyed this thriller/romance very much. Royce Walker is a former FBI agent who has his own private security business. Lauren is an assistant district attorney, Royce has had the hots for her for a while but kept thought it better to keep his distance. She is working on a very sensitive case, but scary things start to happen and her life is threatened, something Royce will not tolerate, especially since they had began a passionate affair.
I thought the storyline was very well written but I thought the ending a little rushed. The characters were very likeable and their attraction for each other was very believable.
This was my first book by this author and this was #1in the Tall, Dark & Deadly series. I look forward to the continuation show more of this excellent series.

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher for an honest review. show less

Excellent read!! I've had this one for a while and for some reason hadn't read it. Kicking myself for that now. This is an excellent book that had me hooked from the first page and has me diving to read the others in the series. The writing and characters are fantastic. I highly recommend this one!!

Needed a better twist at the end, but not a bad romantic suspense.