Her Secret

Her Secret, Kelly Florentia


Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Romance, women's fiction.

Well, usual pet hate- Women's fiction – why? Why not general fiction – men read romance too!

Anyway, book one left me with mixed feelings, many because I hadn't realised it was a two part read until the end. I wasn't keen on any of the characters either, they had odd reactions to events IMO.
I still find that in book two, that they react strangely. For instance – and this isn't from the book but more as an example – if one of your family was involved in an accident, wouldn't you want to speak to them, find out exactly what happened, see they're OK for yourself? Here though the characters would probably have a quick phone convo with someone else in family and trot off for coffee with a friend, telling themselves “they'll be OK, I need to find out what A think of XX”. I did grow to like them better though in this book, or at least understand them.

I still feel Daniel is a bit too-good-to-be-true, and he seems to be treating Audrey as someone lesser, a “little lady” who can be bought off with new shoes each time he wants something he thinks she won't like.
Connie still lives up to Miss Spoilt, and Daniel treats her as a kid, not a 29 yr old. There are times when she's friendly to Audrey, when they almost seem to get along and then Connie will pull one of her stunts. I did feel for Audrey over the Jake issue, she really was in a hard place there.
Nick, he's back and wow – that was a shock, I didn't see that coming! That's true of so much in this read, it really kept me on my toes.
All the major characters have things going on, secrets for some, life changes for others, and then there's the couple I really like, Audrey's brother George and his wife Vicky and the kids. They're like so many families, struggling with sub standard living circumstances, with financial issues etc. A really true to life couple who I liked very much.
Audrey's friends Tina and Louise. They've been through so much, the last book had some bombshells but somehow the trio have found a way through and they really are a strong support. And with the revelations coming out in the last quarter of this book, she really needs that.
The ending – perfect, I'll say no more except I loved it!



Stars:five, a book that kept me glued to the end. Loved it.

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

Her Secret is a bit of a misnomer inasmuch as it should perhaps be Her Secrets, or Their Secrets of even How Many Secrets? But where would a novelist be without them? Although this is a sequel it didn’t seem to matter that I had not read the first novel. Well perhaps a bit because at the beginning I was trying to track all the names but quickly settled down as they all took up their own identities and positions in the plot. As for the genre – well that is more like a romantic thriller, or romantic mystery: definitely a romance but with an additional element and all the better for it.

As I said, plenty of characters, Audrey, Daniel and Nick to give us the predictable triangle but lots more supporting actors – one of them being Connie (Daniel’s daughter) and if you like a character you could give a good shake, she’s the one. I don’t know how Audrey (the main protagonist and the narrator didn’t oblige. So, a convoluted tale with plenty of secrets that Audrey seemed to be the custodian of which seems a bit unfair because Audrey has one failing – she puts herself forward on every occasion to bear the guilt of not revealing what she knows, or conversely, telling someone the secret. It’s a complicated life.

However, nothing complicated about this book. A bit more buck for your bite than a simple romance and well worth a read. Easy, uncomplicated (ish) but strangely compelling.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed No Way Back and have been looking forward to the second part of Audrey Fox’s story.

I did struggle a bit to get into the book but that soon changed as I read through the chapters I got hooked and found myself getting immersed in the plot.

All the characters were going through their own issues secrets, friendships, relationships, trust, and lies!!

Once the plot heated up for me there were twists and turns which I didn’t expect. Although this is a fantastic stand alone novel I think reading Her Secret will add depth to the story and characters.

I throughly reccomend Her secret and advise other readers to stick with it because it is a fantastic book and the ending is just what I was hoping for!! Breathtaking writing by Kelly Florentia !!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

I was so excited when I saw there was a sequel to No Way Back and what a thrilling adventure it is.

Moving on from the turmoil of the past year, Audrey is now married to Daniel and trying to get her life back on track. On the surface, everything seems to be going well. She has a full life with plenty of eclectic family and friends, as well as a husband who adores her. However, as things progress, some things just don't seem to add up. Weird goings on and a secret she promises to keep soon have her orderly life descending into chaos.

With more suspense than romance I would say, this was such an enjoyable read. There was humour and excitement, lots of intrigue and some great fun and frustrating twists I didn’t see coming. Audrey has a habit of jumping to conclusions and then talking herself out of them, which adds a further conundrum. Can everything simply be explained by an over active imagination? Wonderful storytelling and pacing sees the plot gradually picking up momentum until a dramatic event brings everything to a head. All is eventually revealed but even to the last, Ms Florentia’s clever writing keeps you guessing. Just brilliant.