Review of Secrets by Freya North

 

Secrets

Freya North

Sourcebooks Landmark Jan 2012

ISBN 9781402260148

 

   Tess answers an ad in the newspaper for a house sitter at a small town called Saltburn-by-the-Sea. She has absolutely no idea what a house sitter does; but is told that it could be a long term proposition. That in itself appeals to Tess because she is trying to escape her old life. Without even being offered the job, only an interview, Tess packs up her daughter and the few possessions she has and makes the journey to take the job.

   Joe sees this woman with her child and tells himself she is not right for the job; but he cannot bring himself to not give it to her. From the start, there is something about Tess that has a pull on him. Joe informs her that he is gone for long periods of time so she has the house basically to herself except for his dog. They are a bit testy to each other from the start because Joe doesn't know about little Em and Tess doesn't know about Wolf from the phone call. Tess manages to get the position and Joe gets his house sitter.

   I really liked this book from the very beginning. Tess is a very insecure woman and has many secrets that take a long time for her to reveal. Even though she is insecure, she is able to stand on her own against Joe when the need arises. Joe is from some reviewers eyes, a piece of work. He has a nice set up for himself when he travels. A woman in France, one in Japan, one in the US, you get the idea. It works for him and it works for the ladies, so who are we to judge. He gets what he needs and so do they with no strings attached. Along comes Tess and Joe starts looking at things a bit differently. He starts having feelings for Tess and becomes attached to her daughter. He does not change over night ; but you can see his conscience starting to work on him. Joe of course has secrets, and like Tess, it takes a long time for him to reveal them. We begin to see the life that has shaped Joe into the person he has become.

   This was a charming love story of two very different individuals who find what they want in life through each other. Both harbored secrets that needed to be told and in the process free themselves to love and start a fresh life. If you are a fan of fun, light hearted romance, this is the book for you. I do caution that the bedroom scenes get a bit graphic. If you are not averse to this, then I highly recommend this book.

   I wish to thank Sourcebooks for providing me with a copy from netgalley for reading and reviewing purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. I was not compensated in anyway except for receiving the ebook to review.

 

I give Secrets 4 out of 5 stars