Secret Sisters

SECRET SISTERS is an exciting novel of romantic suspense, and also the first book I've read by Jayne Ann Krentz. The blurb drew me in with the promise of a spooky abandoned hotel on an island in the Pacific Northwest, and it just got better from there. The main character, Madeline, and her grandmother fled the island twenty years earlier and left some dark secrets buried there. Now her grandmother is deceased, and Madeline is back on the island to confront her past. There, she reunites with her "secret sister" Daphne to try and solve a deadly mystery that began all those years ago.

I enjoyed the mystery in this book, and though this is romantic suspense, the romance part didn't take over the story, which for me is a good thing! Along show more with Madeline, there is Jack, her company's security expert. There's strong chemistry between the two, though both have scars from the past that make starting a relationship difficult. While Madeline's felt real and understandable, Jack's felt a bit forced and took a long time to come to the surface.

SECRET SISTERS is a fast-paced, suspenseful book that takes readers down a dark and twisted path. The Gothic, creepy hotel setting was a perfect fit for this story. Looking forward to reading more from Ms. Krentz.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher thorough NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

When is it time to reveal a secret? When the secret comes back to haunt you. Madeline had been the girl, who at the tender age of twelve, was taken to the maintenance shed and nearly raped. Her friend and secret sister, Daphne, quickly found Maddie’s grandmother. Both the grandmother and Tom Lomax, the B&B’s caretaker, came together to brutally attack the man who’d signed in as Porter. He’d had big some secrets of his own in a briefcase. Edith, the grandmother, referred to it as ‘insurance’ and hid the insurance in a wall. They buried Porter and topped the grave with cement and a nice gazebo. Only five people, including Daphne’s mother knew of the horrible incident. No one was to ever utter a single word.

Maddie grows up show more into a successful young woman. She’s kept an investigation team, headed up by Jack Rayner, in her employment. She hasn’t seen Daphne in eighteen years since the incident at her grandmother’s B & B in the seaside town of Cooper Cove. But death coincidences are becoming a pattern – first her beloved grandmother; then Tom. Now it’s time to reveal the secret to Jack so he can do what he does best — keep her safe and find the murderer.

This whodunit was very much to my liking with some surprising twists. Character development was awesome and the story line and pacing were phenomenal. In my opinion, the author aced her skills in this fabulous read. Madeline was a character I both liked and disliked. I liked her strength and resourcefulness but didn’t always care for her no-nonsense dialogue and attitude. However, considering her traumatic childhood experience, I found her personality entirely believable. And yes, for those of you who like a little romance with your mystery, get ready to accept Jack Rayner as your next book boyfriend. Rating: 5 out of 5. show less

4.5 stars.

In Secret Sisters by Jayne Ann Krentz, an eighteen year old secret appears to the impetus for the deaths of two people and a series of attempts on the lives of others connected to those long ago events. This incredibly fast-paced and riveting mystery is full of exciting plot twists that are guaranteed to keep readers' on the edge of their seats until the novel's dramatic and very unexpected conclusion.

Although Madelaine Chase has tried to forget the traumatic events of that long ago night, she is still haunted by the foiled attack. Unable to fully trust any man, she has been unable to sustain a lasting relationship despite her best efforts. While still mourning the unexpected loss of her beloved grandmother, Edith, Madelaine show more is forced to return to the Aurora Point Hotel after a chilling phone call from the abandoned property's eccentric caretaker, Tom Lomax. Before Tom can tell her why he needed to see her, he is brutally murdered and Madelaine calls in hotel security expert, Jack Rayner, to help her investigate his death.

Madelaine is a no-nonsense business executive who is mostly unflappable even under the most unpleasant circumstances. Already unnerved by her return to Cooper Island, she is truly frightened after she realizes Tom's death was no accident. Knowing she has to be completely honest with Jack, Madelaine reluctantly reveals the horrifying details of the attack and subsequent series of events that occurred eighteen years earlier. With only a handful of people knowing the truth about what happened, she and Jack are stunned to discover that someone has stolen important information that was concealed by her grandmother and Tom after the attack. When Madelaine and Jack learn her childhood friend Daphne Knight's condo has recently been ransacked, they are convinced the break in, Tom's murder and quite possibly, Edith's death, are somehow linked to what happened at the Aurora Point Hotel that horrible night eighteen years ago.

Jack is no better at relationships than Madelaine and he is nonplussed by his unwanted attraction to his employer. Putting aside his unprofessional feelings for her, he quickly focuses on the case. As a former consultant as an FBI profiler, Jack has an uncanny ability to predict with some degree of certainty what the attacker might do next, but narrowing down the suspect list is a little more difficult. An unpleasant confrontation with a member of a prominent local family steers the investigation in an unexpected, but completely viable, direction. With the assaults on them escalating, Jack calls in his tech savvy genius brother (and partner) Abe to help ferret out information about both the past and present cases. The information they unearth is shocking and it quickly becomes apparent that someone is willing to go to any lengths to ensure their long buried secrets remain hidden.

While investigative duties keep everyone fairly busy, the four lead characters find time for love. Jack and Madelaine's simmering sexual tension reaches a boiling point and they finally decide to stop fighting the inevitable. While neither has any expectation of a permanent relationship, they are pleasantly surprised to discover how in tune they are with each other. Madelaine is rather intuitive where Jack is concerned and she quickly discerns what he carefully conceals from his loved ones. Jack is incredibly patient and understanding about Madelaine's (understandable) idiosyncrasies which is helpful in removing the impediments that have derailed her previous relationships. Madelaine is more receptive to committing to a future with Jack than he is since he is very reluctant to reveal the secrets that haunt him.

Secret Sisters is an intriguing mystery with an engaging storyline and well-developed characters. The mystery element is brilliantly executed and Jayne Ann Krentz skillfully utilizes a series of misdirects and red herrings to obscure the perpetrator's identity and possible motives for the crime(s). Clever plot twists and jaw dropping revelations bring the novel to a spectacular conclusion.

A very perplexing and riveting mystery that I highly recommend to fans of the genre. show less

The front has a sticker that says that "if you love Nora Roberts you'll love Jayne Ann Krentz" and this reads like a lot of Nora Roberts contemporary romance with a little less romance but this ramps up the twists and turns and unexpected villains, every time I thought the villany was over there was another one lurking in the wings to take me and the heroes by surprise.

Madeline was attacked when she was 12 years old in her grandmother's hotel and they dealt with it, now it's 18 years later and those events are going to echo. Her grandmother has just died suddenly and a visit to the old run-down hotel on Cooper Island makes her question that death when she finds the caretaker dying. Her friend and secret sister Daphne will also get drawn show more in and they will have to face the horrible things that happened to come out the other side.

It was interesting and I really wanted to know what would happen next. show less

When I saw the cover and read the synopsis I knew I needed to get my hands on this one. Thank you Penguin for making that happen with an ARC!


The book starts with a glimpse of the dark night that changed everything. The night that lies were buried 6 feet under and bonds were built off secrets. Madeline thinks the nightmares are all she has to deal with now, but a call from the past pulls her right back to that night. Her life is turned upside down when her grandma is murdered and she's left to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Luckily she has Jack... the security agent, AKA hero and Daphne her long lost secret sister.


When the characters go back to the island where it all started they are confronted by a rich island family that are show more a bunch of crazies. Each one poses as something they aren't, but as Madeline and Jack dig deeper they find out what lies behind each golden face. The two brothers are against one another and the parents hate each other. They put on pretty political faces to get into the white house, but their secrets can only stay hidden for so long.


It was an intense wild ride reading about each character and how they fit together. I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what in the heck was going on and who was behind it all. I could have guessed that someone was involved, but the others... I had no clue. It was horrifying at times and I loved when I had to look around my dark bedroom checking every corner to make sure the characters weren't jumping off the pages and into my dark space. The eerie feeling of reliving that night and running through the dank hotel were enough to pull me into the story and leave me staying up way past my bed time.


I really enjoyed the Secret Sisters and overall was impressed with the Author's writing. She was able to capture the essence of tragedy and intertwine thrilling suspense, edge of your seat mystery, and passionate romance. My mind was manipulated and while I did like the twists and turns, I couldn't help but crave a darker reveal. I secretly wanted someone closer to Madeline to be involved... Someone that would come in and rock our world with their involvement. With all that being said it was great book that I recommend to all readers. show less

Secret Sisters
4 Stars

In the aftermath of a traumatic attack, childhood friends Madeline Chase and Daphne Knight are torn apart. Now 18 years later, the last words of a dying man have Maddie and Daphne returning to the abandoned Aurora Point Hotel and the secrets that changed their lives. With the help of enigmatic security expert Jack Raynor and his brother Abe, Maddie and Daphne must work together to stop a killer determined to keep the past in the past.

While JAK's books will certainly never win awards for intricate plotting or thought-provoking ideas, her writing is, nevertheless, fast-paced, light, and entertaining. This particular book is no exception, with just the right mix of engaging romance, intriguing mystery, and exciting show more action.

There are two romantic pairings in the book. The primary relationship between Maddie and Jack is classic JAK - two lonely people wary of trusting others find their perfect match. They have a tangible connection, and their banter and interactions are amusing. The secondary romance between Daphne and Abe is very minor; in fact, it is barely there at all, which is rather disappointing as they are a sweet couple who deserved more page time.

The mystery focuses on the connection between the events of the past and those of the present. Although some of the aspects are predictable, such as the obvious red-herring characters and the various motivations, it is still entertaining to follow along as Maddie and company uncover the clues, and the twists and turns of the plot are ultimately explained in a satisfying way.

Overall, this is no work of scintillating literary fiction, and anyone expecting such is bound to be disappointed. However, readers interested in a well-written mystery with likable characters for a rainy afternoon can't go wrong with Secret Sisters. show less

This book was good. Really good, actually. When I saw that I had a chance to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book, I snatched it up quickly before anyone could change their mind. As a long time reader of romantic suspense, I somehow have missed Jayne Ann Krentz and all of her pen names. She has always been somewhere in my TBR pile but I just never actually sat down and read one of her books. This was the perfect opportunity to try one of her books and I am completely impressed. I am not sure if all of her books are as good as this one but I think I may have made a huge mistake by skipping this author's work as long as I have.

This book grabbed me right from the first page and I didn't really put it down unless I absolutely had show more to until I reached the end. That feeling of getting lost inside a story is exactly what I look for in a book. I love it when I can't get a story out of my mind and I keep going back to it because I have to know what happens next. The attack on the young girls at the opening of the story really opened everything with a bang and set the pace for the whole book.

Madeline's grandmother has recently passed away. Madeline is now in charge of her grandmother's chain of hotels. When she is summoned by the caretaker of an abandoned hotel, she goes to meet him and learns that there may be some danger on the island. Jack, the hotel's security expert, comes to assist her with the situation right away. They quickly find Daphne who was a witness to the attack on Madeline when they girls. The group soon learns that the events in the present may be linked to the things that happened at the hotel many years ago. Madeline, Jack, Daphne, and Abe all work together to solve the mystery that is tied to the past, the abandoned hotel, and the island.

This is one of those stories where the romance and the suspense compliment each other perfectly. There was never a moment in the book where I felt like the romance had taken over. The feelings between the characters grew as they worked together to solve the mystery. They learned to work together and trust each other which naturally built the foundation to a relationship. This book was actually able to balance an incredibly detailed mystery and two romantic relationships much better than I have seen in a long time.

The pacing of the story was well done. There was a perfect amount of action to keep things really interesting. I was completely surprised by some of the twists and turns. The characters were very easy to like. I ended up really liking all of the main characters. I also really disliked some of the people in the story and applaud the author for creating characters that were so fun to dislike.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of romantic suspense. The writing in the story is fantastic and plot is fast moving. This is the first book by Jayne Ann Krentz that I have read but I plan to pick up some of her other works very soon.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Group - Berkley via Penguin First to Read for the purpose of providing an honest review.

This review was also posted at Carole's Random Life. http://carolesrandomlife.blogspot.com/ show less